The art of lying through your teeth

Chapter 2

By the time I've reached my locker, Katie is already there. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a thick pony tail and she absentmindedly runs her fingers through the ends. "You took your time, I was starting to wonder if you totally ditched me," She flicks back her hair in one practised movement that caused the group of freshman gazing at her from across the hall to swoon.

"The bus got stuck in a load of traffic," I shrug in response while turning to open my locker. This seems enough of an answer for her as she launches into how her morning passed. In agonising detail. She was still discussing the 'totally hot guy' who was checking her out on her morning jog when we arrived at our first lesson. The slightly frustrating thing with Katie is that every guy checks her out. And she knows it. So it comes as no surprise that she's managed to snag a date with pretty much every guy in our year in the past. Well, anyone who she deems worthy enough of her attention. I used to be jealous of her when I first arrived in town. She was so confident already at the age of twelve that I admired her. It made it so much easier for me to fit in if I hid in her shadow. It actually surprised me that she became my best friend. I used to wonder how someone like her become friends with a socially awkward misfit like me, but as I got older I started to realise that we might not be that different. She may have ten times the amount of confidence I'll ever have and she may be able to attract the attention of any guy with just one flick of her hair but I think we're both struggling to discover who we are. Everyone thinks she know exactly who she is and who she is going to be but she doesn't. No one does when they're 17. But she always struggles trying to live up to the idea that she has it all figured out. So we pretend we know who we are together. And I soon discovered that I didn't mind being in her shadow because everyone who I wanted to know me already does.

I can see Katie glaring at me from the corner of my eye "Are you even listening?" she sighs at me before slumping in her seat.

"I'm sorry it's just been a hectic morning. I started the day by running into my mum in the bathroom... with David. That's I sight that will be burned into my brain forever," I took my usual seat in front of her then turned back around to continue the conversation. "My mum didn't even freak! She just stood there, caught in the act, as if she was just doing something as normal as hanging the washing!" throwing my hands into the air for dramatic effect, I am mentally applauding myself for lightening the mood. Even if I did have to bring up David.

"Urg, gross, please stop talking. You're gonna make my toast come back up," She put her hand against her mouth before pretending to gag. "I never want to hear about your parents sexcapades ever again."

"David is not my dad. He's some greasy salesman my mum picked up," my nose wrinkled at the thought. David's hair was always slicked to the side with so much gel it shone in the light and his suits were generally too big for his lanky frame. He appeared in our lives about three years ago. Now, him and my mother are married. They only went on their honeymoon last year and my mum refused to leave the country. So David and my mum went on a city break to Toronto.

David isn't really that bad, he's a nice guy which is all I've ever really wanted for my mum. Before becoming the Hamptons she'd never really had much luck with guys. My dad left when I was two and my mum insists that we're better off without him. I used to imagine that he was a Rockstar, playing Stadiums every night with his hardcore rock band. I imagined that he was just away on tour and soon he would come home and we'd be a complete family. But as I got older the novelty of the idea began to wear off. Even if he came home today I'd want him gone. My mum and me have a good life here and now David is a big  part of that.

"Don't be so hard on him Lex, he could totally be the one that picked Sue up. He's got game. Chicks dig that gelled hair thing he's got going on."

"I'll make sure to warn her later that she's got a right stud on her hands," We both looked at each other and bust into laughter. I was clutching my stomach from the pain when Mr Hamill walked in. Katie, still grinning, leans forward and whispers in my ear "Looks like The Ham is back from his retreat," She put so much emphasis on the word 'retreat' I burst out into a fit of giggles again. Every year he disappears for a week and then claims that he's been to a mountain retreat to get the SAT marking done. Except its common knowledge around school that he meets up with our history teacher Mrs Drew and they go on the retreat together. Katie and me have been making bets on how much marking really gets done since we were 15.