Silent

11- The Silent Dance.

Since my attendance was already too less, I refused to miss more school. David repeatedly asked me whether I was sure, and I repeatedly said yes, though a bit of my confidence left each time.

Strange is it not, that those who love us the most sometimes are also the ones who undermine us the most?

So, the very next day, I was back at school, with everyone back to giving me a really wide berth. Except Cameron and Derrick. They seemed to grow even more protective of me. If that was possible.

But the effect of my arrival was more subdued. I was grateful for it. I did not want people to whisper around me, eye me distastefully, or turn around and walk away as soon as they saw me. The reason for this subdue was the fact that there was some school dance for the Triple C. Triple C was apparently a reference to Clean Cafeteria Campaign, as Cameron informed Derrick and me.

How was a dance supposed to help in a cleaning campaign? I could not figure this out.

However I did not inform about my doubts to Cameron for he was very happy and excited for it. He had been the one who has planned it all- with help from all his friends, of course. Derrick was even more grumpy because Lois was insisting that he would have to attend the dance when he didn't want to.

They were still arguing about it as we walked to the English class, Lois not even caring to scowl at me even once, for she was too involved in arguing with Derrick. I smiled fondly at them, I knew Derrick would attend the dance- he'd go to the moon for Lois, I was sure of it. But that did not mean that he would not show his disdain for it.

Cameron was on his phone, arguing about some lights or something. I walked along peacefully, happy to just observe. Yesterday had only made us even more close, if that was possible. The only unhappy factor right now was the fact that I refused to disclose Tyler's name.

I had several reasons for that. Like the fact that Tyler had come on Jesse's behalf, and I didn't need someone to come on Tyler's behalf. I already had too many wounds to heal, I didn't require anymore.

Another factor was that I didn't want them to do anything on my behalf. It made me feel weak and dependent. And I hadn't even listed the fact that all this would cause only more unnecessary drama, which I already had a lot of, as it was.

So thank you very much, but I didn't need anymore beating up or anything.

Derrick or Cameron could not understand this fact. They weren't satisfied, they were more angry than anything. They wanted to beat it into everyone who tried to say anything to me that I wasn't supposed to be messed with, failing to realise that their satisfaction did not match with mine. In trying to prove their friendship to me, they would only lose it.

"No, dude, no. I said blue and silver, not gold and glitter," Cameron groaned at his phone.
"I don't have to give a reason alright," Derrick snapped at Lois.
"Because you don't have an option- you are coming, you big oaf," Lois glared right back at him.
"Lois-Lois, listen- Carter got a gold and glittering themed decorations instead of blue and silver, and he's saying that they can't be exchanged," Cameron exclaimed, his expression a bit annoyed.

"Oh my god, this cannot happen," Lois said with an aghast expression, as if the world was ending. "Dammit, I told him to go and get it three days ago- three whole days ago. But does he listen to me? Noo, no way- he has to get the decorations on the day of the dance- just give me the fucking phone, idiot," Lois said, roughly taking the phone away from Cameron as she walked away to a corner.

Lois took a lot of tension in everything, I noted. Like every small thing mattered to her. Like she needed it to be perfect. It could not show any signs of imperfection- all the impurities had to be hidden. Maybe she had been affected by what had happened. Maybe she just knew how to hide it better.