Gym Class

Weeks flew by and by the time I was done my big tests and quizzes, it was a good wintery month of January. Alexa doesn't come to school anymore but I visit her in the hospital trying to hold in the tears when I see her blond beautiful hair's disappearance. 4 months left. Always when I go, I scoot her over a little and sit with her talking about what's going on, the daily news. Mrs.Sterling looks at us friendly, but under those think long lashes, she's been brutally hurt inside but fighting through it. A business woman like her doesn't drop out of her meetings just to visit her sick daughter but like I said in the beginning, she's incredibly overprotective. She can also fired from her job but, she's the boss, the one that owns the god damn place. Nerissa and I have been constantly communicating almost inseparable but hell I ain't gonna replace her when Lex is gone. "So how's Pete?" I haven't told her about that incident and it's already one month old. Pete kept calling my cell but frankly I ignored every single one. He wants to "talk about it" as he'd like to put it but I'm in no mood. Giving a huff and a puff of breath, I spill the thing that's been nagging my brain to Alex. Her eyes widen and brows arched from surprise but during the middle her eyes squinted with confusion and annoyance while she was opening and then closing her fists. She took deep breaths, the beeping going faster and then slower on her Holter monitor. I finished with "So, that's what happened." Nothing came out. Minutes passed by, me looking unsure if she was developing this slowly or slept with her eyes open. It was to the point until her state frightened me. A lot.
"Alex? You okay?" The pain was obvious on her face that forehead wrinkled and her brow a little raised with her lip quivering.
"Yeah, it's just, we've known him for so long and it surprised me that I actually had a crush on him." Her voice went higher and higher each time she talked, "That little bitch, asshole whatever you want to call him-"
"I prefer a nasty little man slut." I said but she smiled tightly and then went on from where she left off, "Was he really the dad? It makes so much sense now. Every time we saw them, the way they held hands and interlocked their eyes, her talking secretively behind your back, just why play with you like a toy?" I shake my head furiously that it started to hurt. "Oh, Casey come here." The tears flew down my face as I cuddled into her shoulder blade my trembling hands around her stick thin waist. She's lost a ton of weight, almost 20 pounds. I hate crying so fucking much but they always shed. How many times will I replay that whole scene in my head? The way his eyes widened when he interlocked them to mine for only half a second and then smirked when Melissa buttoned her pants looking sideways and carried Noah into the car. He whispered something into her ear which made her look in my direction. Also too, she smiled giving a little wave to me while I stood there, me shocked and angry as hell.
"Casey did you even hear what I just said?"
"Huh?" She groaned and I gave out a weak laugh still sniffling and coughing into her hospital gown.
"I said.." She drawled, "Are you still seeing him at school?" Awkwardly I respond with a low murmur, "No, I switched to the academic program so I don't bump into him. I mean, did you see his grades?" That dude like literally flunks every grade yet still manages to impress the teachers with his "coolness and attractiveness". I should've never fell for him, that ass. Nodding sympathetically, she squeezes my arm lightly with all the strength that was left in her. "Well, at least you've got me here." She hugged me cracking some joke about hotties being "notties" as she liked to say it. "I created that motto! Do you like it?" That was what she said before she fell asleep and I quietly crept out of the room not bothering her peaceful sleep. She said ever since she's got this cancer, or monster, her strength has improved internally from all the stress with school and friends. Everyone at the birthday party was so upset hearing she had what she had but she fought through. That's the Lex I knew and loved. Her and I would be so stupid, being invited for birthday parties in elementary and she'd dress me like a unicorn threw up on me. Her ideas of fashion were pretty, she looks presentable whether she throws on a big boy sweater or a pretty branded American Eagle sweater. Walking to my car, the uneasy feeling stirs around making me feel weird sitting in the car, driving. That day I remembered, at school strutting down the hallway Jake shoving me purposely for me to say some angry retort. "Hope your sister is doing all right princess." He said but before he left, he said something that made myself shiver, "Just watch your back, alright?" He muttered before walking away feeling accomplished by threatening me. Pete hasn't bothered me ever since I've moved to my academic program along with Nerissa. Prom was coming up soon, but I already figured out my plans. Eating a tub of Ben and Jerry's watching Fresh Prince of Bell Air crying that I have no life. Perfect. Driving to Nerissa's was my daily routine ever since we've met. She told me to go to Dairy Queen, since she's taking her shift. Nerissa has been coming to school with freshly made bruises, concealing them with makeup but I always see them. Her cheery and bright smile looks like nothing has happened before the previous day. Whenever I bring up her dad, she turns the topic around to something else. "Nothing happened, just a little clumsy." Was always her excuse when I looked curiously at them. I stop in front of DQ, staring out the window, wondering about the thing Jake muttered with before he normally flew off onto the staircases shoving me again. "Just watch your back." I have to tell Neri about this. Fixing my shirt, I walk in to the smell of frozen ice cream and oily burgers. Her slim little body was very standout-ish with all the grown men beside her. Neri had her hair done pin straight with a little bobby pin pinned to the side of her head. When we lock gazes for a second, she looks almost excited radiating her happiness to me making me wave a little. I pick where we were going to sit and that was the same booth Pete and I took, on our first date. Trying to act emotional, the feeling doesn't come. Usually, girls would examine the table trying to find at least one thing, that would remind them of their boyfriend but I could care less. The way he kept this all a secret, him being a father was the biggest hurt feeling I had in my life, well I may be exaggerating but it sounded cool and emotional. After like an hour or so, she shows up still in her employee uniform sliding in front of me handing us some smoothies. It looked like a chocolate smoothie but I ask her anyway. "It's a secret recipe! I made it especially for us." Her confidence rises as her head is held high, mockingly.
"Is that another word for, I put poison and shit in here, blended it together and called it a smoothie?" We both giggled and laughed, enjoying the moment we had together, talking about random book sales at Indigo. The moment has come. "Neri?"
"Mmmmm?"
"Can I ask you something?" She stopped sipping on her smoothie looking at me with her pretty eyes. She looked so innocent with those bruises...and hickeys? There was one on her neck, a big red one. I shook the thought off before I could think about something sick minded.
"Jake said something. Really creepy."
"Pete's friend?"
"Yeah. He said to watch my back and I feel really creeped out about it." We talked about it, like real best friends do, she's helped me so much through the pain with Pete I even forgot his name one time. She came into my room one day as usual, putting up an old year book picture of him and handed me darts as a late birthday present. I dodged the present thinking it was too weird looking at his picture every night before going to bed asking if it'll make me feel any better but all she said was, "It really works." Oh, Neri it certainly has. The time flew by, finishing the delicious icy smoothie bringing us to 1 more cup and then we started to clear out. "I'll text you when I'm off and we can sleepover then, okay?" I felt pretty confident in wanting a friend back at my house rather than moping around throwing darts at his ugly beautiful face because I searched up that it can really fuck up your life. Pete, Pete, Pete. That name kept roaming through my mind as if he's still mine. Melissa was a mind teaser, joking around as usual, regretting every single thing she said. It really hurt. The message in my house a few months ago still made me shiver and the undergarment incident, along with the attic door. Why the hell was that door open in the first place? Leaving the place, I hop into my car fixing my seat and fixing the mirror above me. Driving home I kept a list in kind on what we should do for the last minute planned sleepover. Mom wouldn't mind obviously, she let Pete stay over the first time we slept over together. And the first time we shared a kissed. Opening the door to my hole, I hop up the stairs breathing in the smell of books and old wood. I fix my bed, open my laptop to Netflix, grab some ice cream tubs from the fridge since we are going to get a little emotional on The Fault In Our Stars, and pull the curtains together. Everything seemed perfect, comfortable just like a normal sleepover should be like. 30 mins later, she showed up, us taking Polaroids together and me placing them in my scrapbook. The night went fun until in the middle of the night, something startled me awake. My eyes groggy, me rubbing them to help with my eyesight. Sluggishly I stand up looking around the room to see Neri standing like an idiot in a corner wanting to do something that we'd regret. That didn't happen though. She was fast asleep on her made bed on the floor. The thought of this person standing in front of me smiling ominously with red paint on his cheek with a full black outfit on. I never thought of seeing him for a long time.
"Pete?"

Hey guys! Okay you can kill me if you want for not updating for like a week. I know I'm really sorry and you're probably thinking that I don't mean that but seriously I am. I'm actually obsessing over the Mortal Instruments right now and it really is good. Really our teachers are being a bunch of meanies because they gave us four tests ( unit finals ) in one week! Yeah sorry again for not updating I'll update in the next day or two. Read my previous updates as well and oh, yeah don't forget to vote! Thanks and cyber hug! Fatima <4