He Says He's Just A Friend

Chapter 41 - Do You Want to Know A Secret

- Clay -

When I walked through the front door, my mother leapt off the couch and raced over to me. I thought if she had the strength, she would lift me up and carry me around the way she did when I was four-years-old and I clung to her leg for safety. "Are you okay?"

"Pretty much the same as I was a few hours ago," I said. I looked around the living room and walked over to check the kitchen. "Where's Rachel?"

"In her room," Mom said. "I can go get her for you."

I laid a hand on my mom's shoulder to stop her from going up the stairs. "I can manage."

By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I wished I had allowed her to fetch Rachel. My aching side left me winded. I had never been so glad that my room was on the ground floor.

I knocked, staring at the tiny hand painted sign of her name on the door. Our dad made one for both of us. I had put mine on a shelf when I moved rooms, but hers hadn't moved since our dad hung them.

Rachel called out, "It's open."

I pushed in, shutting the door behind me. "Hey, Bean." The nickname didn't fit now that she had gotten older and filled out, but thanks to our dad, she would always be Bean to me.

Rachel spun in her desk chair, her face shining with relief. She raced toward me, but stopped when I held up a hand. Rachel was a squeezer, like our mom. I already had a stitch in my side from the stairs. I couldn't handle being crushed.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

I walked over to sit on her bed, grabbing her stuffed unicorn to hug. "I wish people would stop asking me that."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Our dad's blue eyes. I always envied her that. She had a piece of him I never would. Though many people told me I resembled my dad, I could never see it when I looked in the mirror.

"You're so stupid. Of course people are going to ask that. You got hurt, dipshit."

I tried not to laugh, to avoid more pain. It was hilarious to hear her cuss in her high, squeaky voice.

"Whatcha up to?"

"Just texting Jenny and Dylan. Trying to do some homework." Rachel grabbed the back of her desk chair, rolling it over in front of me. She sat down, close enough that our knees almost touched. "Seriously, though, you're good?"

I raised my shirt enough to show my injury. "If you call this good?"

A deep line formed between Rachel's brows. She made a tiny distressed sound in the back of her throat.

I pushed my shirt down. I didn't mean to upset her. "I'm fine, Bean. I promise."

"Everyone at school heard about what happened. I nearly fainted in PE when Leslie told me."

"I'm sorry." I wondered how they even knew about it. Emmett or Mrs. Noble could've told Carrie, who would've told Jackson, who probably shared it with one person, and on and on. I suspected the story got worse with each new telling.

Rachel shook her head as tears welled up. "Leslie made it sound like you were half dead." Rachel let out a snarl and wiped her eyes. "I want to punch that stupid bitch."

She twisted a lock of her pink highlighted hair around her index finger, like she always did when she got overemotional. I loved her hair. I wished many times I was brave enough to try something like that, but my friends would mock me mercilessly if I showed up for school with colored streaks through my hair.

I reached out to rub her knee. "I'm okay, Rach. No need to go all Kill Bill on your friend."

"That traitor is not my friend anymore. Sarah heard from Kylie, who got told by Morgan that Erica saw Leslie giving Zack head under the bleachers a week before we broke up. Why do you think I started dating his best friend?"