all for one | book 1 [discontinued]

Fourteen: The Start Of Something New

ALL FOR ONE,
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

WARNING: This chapter depicts bullying from a police officer who misunderstood a situation. You should never do what Eli does in this chapter, as you could be seriously injured or killed. Because this is a work of fiction, both Eli and TJ get to walk, mostly, free, because they had parents who were willing to hire lawyers in their defense, and, again, this is a work of fiction. While what happens to TJ in this fic is based on real life stories, it is still a dramatization. That being said, this example is only to show how quickly a situation can escalate if it looks like something that it's not. Things like this happen every day in our country, but this incident is not meant to depict a true version of anything. These characters will face trauma related to this event, as I want to add more impact and depth to this story. There will be no graphic images, and it is safe for everyone to read.

"WELL... THIS IS awkward", Eli said from where he was sitting between Mars and Mariana. The three of them had decided to try and talk things out.

"It doesn't have to be?", Mariana offered gently. "What happened was bad. And an emotional roller coaster. But we're young. It's not like we can control our feelings. We all had time apart, and that's good."

"We started this year as friends, we can still end it as friends", Mars added. "I liked our awkward little trio."

"So, you guys are staying here then?", Eli asked hopefully.

"I talked things out with my mom", Mariana nodded.

"And I am ready to soak up as much knowledge as I possibly can", Mars added with a nod. "So, are we friends again?"

"Best friends", Eli agreed as the three of them shared a group hug.

Love triangles were usually messy and difficult, but they wanted to handle the situation as maturely as they could. They didn't want it to ruin their friendship, and they were going to do their best to avoid that.

MEANWHILE...

Calla was standing in the bathroom at the mirror when Maddie and Tala came and stood on either side of her. She knew what this was immediately. This was an interrogation. She'd seen Maddie do it enough times to know how this worked, even if she had never been on the receiving end of it. But if she just told Maddie what she wanted to hear, then she would be fine.

"Do you really wanna hang out with those new losers?", Maddie asked as she began applying her lipgloss. That was how she operated. She lured you into a false sense of security, pretended she was there in peace, just making casual conversation.

Calla didn't know what Maddie had against the new theater kids. Maybe she felt threatened. Maybe she was just being mean for the sake of being mean. But maybe if she lied, if she just kept Maddie happy, then she would keep knowing what was going on, and she could at least put a stop to things. Calla looked at Lola in the mirror, who held eye contact for only a brief second before biting her lip and looking away. Maddie was such a control freak that she chose friends whose names all ended the same: Tala, Calla, Lola. They were interchangeable in Maddie's eyes. Worser still, Maddie was such a control freak that she turned Lola into a scared little shell the moment she even thought of leaving their inner circle. Calla didn't wanna end up like Lola, too afraid to be happy. So, she lied. And she lied with ease. "Of course not. Like you said, they're all losers. I know where I belong, and that's right here. I just felt sorry for them. Besides, I can be your person on the inside."