Six Secrets - Noa Olivar

12

TW; An offensive slur is used in this chapter. I want everyone to know it is not okay to say this to anyone, (as someone who has been called it before) and that bullying is cruel. I don't mean to use it in any way to harm anyone it is just for context for the book.

It's been two weeks since the time of the parent teacher meeting and the visit to Karen's grave. The girls haven't received any texts from A, they haven't seen A whatsoever, they've felt oddly free. Ever since Kelly came in and saved their butts last minute, the girls have been serving their time in detention. Now that the two weeks were up, the girls were finally able to go on with their lives. Jules and Noa were starting on the track team, they were starting late but couldn't help it because of their detention, Faran was going back to Swan Lake, Mouse was getting all her electronics back, and Tabby was allowed to go back to work at the Orpheum. Overall, happy campers. The morning after their last detention, the girls met at the fountain outside, Jules was wearing a flannel jacket overtop of her white t-shirt matched with her baggy and slightly ripped jeans. She had her hair up in her usual ponytail with a few strands pulled out from it. She had got a drive with Noa that morning since her mother wanted to go out for a job interview. Jules was stunned at who this woman was becoming. A week ago, Jules couldn't get her ass off the couch and now suddenly she was trying to get a job to help support her daughter? She couldn't process it. Jules and Noa had a track practice after school though so Noa would drive her home afterwards, but for now, Imogen really wanted to meet up. When they got there, all Imogen could talk about was how all their mothers had a connection to Angela waters. Honestly, Jules was kind of getting sick of this shit and she could tell she wasn't the only one. Faran finally cut Imogen a bantering off by saying "well good luck with that", before she then quickly exited so Imogen couldn't get another word off. They all disputed into different directions but what Julianna hadn't noticed was Mouse following behind her.

Eventually she felt a small hand touch her left shoulder, startling her, before she looked back and saw the shy girl. "Sorry I startled you." "Mouse, you don't need to apologize. I'm just a jumpy person. What's up?" "I just feel like I haven't seen you in a while." "Well I mean it has been a little chaotic with the whole A murder thing. I'm just glad that detention is all we had to suffer with. The last thing Noa needed was to get in more legal trouble." "How is Noa? Is she okay?" "I think Noa is alright. She'd tell me if something was wrong. I think she's just trying to figure stuff out with Shawn." "Well that's good at least." "Everything alright with you?" "My mother's have been intense at home. They just started to return all my electronics but I can tell they still don't trust me one hundred percent. It's a little hard being at home." "Oh that sucks I'm sorry." "It's fine. I just hope all of us stay friends." "Why wouldn't we?" "Because A is done. We haven't seen or heard from him in weeks. We were only connected because of him and now that he's not here anymore we have no reason to stay connected." She was rambling. Jules grinned as she pulled her into the corridor. "Mouse, you don't need to worry. We're going to stay friends. Just relax." Mouse intertwined her hands as she played with her knuckles until Jules pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Mouse looked up at her as her cheeks turned roast pink, and Jules chucked softly. "Hey, I was thinking. Since you said it's feeling a little intense at home recently, why don't you come over to my place tonight. We can just chill for a little and that way you don't need to be around your suffocating mother's? "I don't know. It's a school night..." "Mouse. You are so sweet, but you need to take some independence. You need to tell your moms that you feel overwhelmed." "It's not always that easy. Stuff that happened to me when I was a kid led them to be like this." "You don't want them to baby you forever though?" "No..." she said as she looked at the ground. "Hey. I'm sorry I didn't mean to come on strong. If you can't hangout it's fine we can just have another day." "No. You're right. I can't keep letting them do this to me. I never had a real childhood because of them. I'm not going to let them ruin my teen years as well. I'll be there tonight, I promise." "Okay, great! It's a date." Jules whispers in her ear before walking into history.