Bruises (BWWM)

2

2

Tamra

"He told you what?" screeched Kassi as she took in a bite from her green apple, hastily leaning towards Amber who was sitting on the other side of the table. She was always the loudest in the cafeteria. The guys from the football team seemed quiet next to her.

Kassi smoothed the silky edges of her high slicked-back long ponytail, her face seeming sickly pale compared to her jet black hair. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowing as she awaited an answer.

I rolled my eyes at the newest gossip. The beautiful, tall and very blonde Amber had been asked on a date by Rob or Will, I couldn't remember which one it was this time. There was too many to keep track of.

Amber always had guys at her feet, literally crying at how beautiful she was. And she was very pretty. With long fluttering eyelashes framing her bubbly brown eyes, tan skin and super curly hair, she was that cute mixed kid that blossomed into that damn she cute mixed kid. At least, that's how I saw it.

She and I met during our first year or high school as we shared our locker together. Our personalities couldn't be more opposite, but she was a cool person to hang around. She knew how to spice things up and be spontaneous.

A trait that we obviously didn't share.

"...and he's like super hot and stuff!" Amber shouted.

Kassi twirled her ponytail around her fingers before adding :

"Do you think he has a hot brother? You know I have a thing for slightly older guys."

I raised my brows at the mention of the word slightly. If this twenty three year old dude she was seeing for a month last year was only slightly older than her, I didn't even want to know.

"I don't know about that, but he does have a twin sister and she's so much fun, like we have the same interests..." Amber went on.

I blocked out the rest of her dialogue with Kassi from my mind. I figured it wasn't important anyways. It was always like this at lunchtime : I couldn't relate to any of their stories. Most of them were shallow and superficial. Mine were, according to super fun Amber, depressing. I guess no one here liked to hear about my mute mother. Not even my little sister Maya or my father wanted to hear the news I regularly brought them about my mother. I guess they felt betrayed.

I felt like I was the only person in her life who still cared about her.

And I had to. If not, who would do the necessary to get her to talk again? I refused to think that there was a possibility that my mom would never speak to anyone ever again. She was the sole thing in my life that wasn't aligned the way I wanted it to be.

My mom's silence was the only stain onto the canvas I was desperately trying to make perfect. And I couldn't get rid of it. If only she became normal again, my despair would vanish.

But I couldn't quite understand what I needed to heal in order for her bruise to disappear.

"Earth calls Tammy," a soft high-pitched sing song voice chimed in my ear. It was Faye, who had joined us at our table, placing her tray onto the vacant place before mine.

I grinned at her, grabbing a few of the fries on her plate and shoving them into my mouth one by one. She didn't mind though, she'd always do the same with my food.

"So, what's on your mind? You seem preoccupied," Faye said, biting into her sandwich as I dipped some more of her fries into ketchup.

As I was about to answer, I momentarily looked above my friend's shoulder and locked gaze with someone else. Ben Sutters. He was slowly walking out of the cafeteria, like the lone wolf he was, and smirked in my direction, knowingly, before mouthing the words 'Tell her to watch her back'.

"Tam? You alright?" Faye asked, genuine concern plastered across her face.

I focused back onto her and faked a smile. This idiot called Ben made me want to throw up. I absolutely needed to know what was his deal with Faye and why would I need to warn her. Couldn't he do it himself?

"Actually, I'm not very hungry," I said, getting up, "If you'll excuse me, I'll be back soon. I just need to get a... thing."

I swiftly waved goodbye to my friends and hastily headed towards the exit, catching up with Ben. He took a sharp turn around the corner of the alleyway and I followed him absent-mindedly.

He suddenly started humming Maroon 5's Sunday Morning as if he didn't acknowledge my presence, but I knew he did.

He had to be knowing.

He was just wonderfully great at ignoring me.

"What the hell is wrong between you and Faye," I insurged myself, cutting through the heavy silence, "I didn't even know you two knew each other anyways."

"We don't," he replied with, as he pushed open the doors of the school and went outside. I was a bit taken aback but I automatically got out too. He fished a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and a lighter.

I looked at him as if multiple heads had grown from his neck. I snatched the cigarette from his fingers, threw it onto the ground and stomped on it with my boots.

"You owe me one," he simply said, chuckling.

"Why would Faye need to watch her back?" I cut him right away, not caring one bit about 'owing him one'. A sly smile pulled his lips upwards and his galaxy-colored eyes peered over at my face, as if he was admiring my audacity.

"I'm not sure if Faye would want me to tell you," he warned me. "By the way, you're a heck of a bad messenger. Geez, if I had known, I would've told her brother instead of you."

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him intensely at the mention of Alex.

"Just tell me what you know," I sighed, "Because I swear that if you don't I'll make sure you..."

"Someone's showing her nudes to a bunch of people."

My eyes grew wider. Faye had nudes? This was insane. It couldn't be. Ben was probably a liar, I didn't even know the guy. I remembered clearly when Amber had announced to us that she had been blackmailed with her nudes by a Jesse or a Liam on the internet and that Faye had been so judgmental, snickering that she had brought it upon herself.

Was she really that hypocrite?

I couldn't believe my closest friend would lie to me about something like this. Did she not trust me?

The loathsome odor of tobacco shook me from my thoughts. Ben had lit up another cigarette. The foul smell filled up my lungs and I loudly coughed. I unexpectedly hit Ben's hand which was holding up the cigarette and it fell to the ground.

"Now you owe me two."

"I'm trying to process important information and not die of second-hand smoke in the meanwhile," I coldly spit, rolling my eyes. He irked me so much and I figured it was likewise as I noticed the discomfort across his face.

"I never said you had to stand by my side," he countered, passing a hand through his pale hair, which was lingering between blonde and brown, "All you have to do is tell Faye. I figured she'd prefer hearing the news from her friend."

"And then what? I let her deal with it?"

He mouthed 'Yup' and turned his back to me. He had now taken off his blue vest and only wore his white blouse, going against the uniform code. He truly was a rebel.

He rolled up his sleeves and I perceived a huge discolored patch of skin right beneath his left elbow.

"What's that?" I asked, ever so curious.

"It's not because you can't trust your friend anymore that you have to act like one to me," he rudely snapped, rolling back down the sleeves of his shirt and shooting me a merciful dark blue glare.

I bit my lip and walked away, not wanting to stir more of his anger.

Ben Sutters was an enigma full of bruises.

And I intended to solve him.