Daylight

THIRTEEN

Charles...

Elizabeth isn't herself. This morning, she wasn't ready to answer questions, I knew.

Her mind was occupied.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes?"

"How have you been settling in?"

She turned her gaze from me to the park in front of her.

"Everything is different. You guys treat me different, I only wish Micky was here too... I don't know where he is" She added.

It almost seemed like she was asking.

"How about Aaron?"

She flinched at the name. I knew now, for sure.

"What about him?" She asked, keeping her eyes off me.

"You don't need to like him, but you could stand to at least talk to him." I said, "is there something bothering you?"

She didn't say at first, just gazed out onto the park, watching leaves roll over the woodchips. But then she spoke, so gently,

"Aaron just reminds me of someone."

I couldn't speak. Aaron was right. She looks too much like his sister, she acts too much like her. She think of him the way he thinks of her. Someone who's just a familiar face.

I sat next to her on that bench for what seemed like forever. I didn't look at her, I didn't try to keep guessing what she had going on. I knew now. She was tired. After giving me the answer, I knew all her thoughts and worries and doubts had flown out the window. She was tired of it all.

"You should talk to him," I said softly, "he's your brother after all."

"I don't know if I'm his sister anymore." She smiled.

...

Elizabeth...

I finished answering Charles' questions, and soon enough it was a new day. Another day of school.

Not like I have to do anything, but it's still a drag.

Victoria betrayed me and ran off into the school like a mad man. I don't understand her. I was stuck with Natalie, but it wasn't like she was bad company. Besides her pretty looks, she was also a genius in everything. I think the only reason she hasn't been skipping grades, is because of the bad situations she gets herself into. Or more like gets herself dragged into.

Tori told me about Celeste, and her weird obsession of spitting on Natalie's shoe.

"Hey, are you sure that's right?" She said, pointing at my paper. I shrugged, "I don't think it is."

"Want to to fix it?"

"Yeah, it's making me uncomfortable." She said, and swiped the paper like swiper.

I let her do the math for me, and decided to check up on my girlfriend. I didn't even get to finish the text before I hear the sound of fear and bad vibes.

"Uhh, Elizabeth?" I hear Natalie call, and I just hum back. "Let's go somewhere else."

"What? Why?"

I looked up to find her covering herself with her notebooks, already standing. She really wanted to leave. I looked around the room, trying to find the source of her uncomfortablness. Then I saw the bitch herself.

Celeste was sitting behind a desk with a couple of other girls. They weren't looking or talking directly to Natalie, but the fact that she already wanted to leave, meant Celeste was worse than I thought. She has cut Natalie deeply.