You Gotta Love Life... Right?

Chapter 10

Kira kind of avoids me for the rest of the weekend, but I don't think much of it because I'm so busy trying to finish my homework and send clothing designs to American Eagle and get this show on the road. The rumours are getting on my nerves by Wednesday though, and I'm really hoping she will talk to me so we can figure out where they come from.

"Psst, Emma!" A girl in the desk next to me pokes me on shoulder.

"Yeah, what is it?" I whisper to her.

"I guess you and Kira are over huh?" Her eyes light up with the excitement of new gossip.

"Sorry, what?"

"Well, obviously she figured out what was going on between you and her boyfriend and gave you the cold shoulder right? I mean," She blushes, "no offence, but I would too."

"Wait, you mean... Oh." I finally figure out what she's talking about and let her continue talking.

"Hey girl," She winks at me, "Don't stress, I'm sure she'll realize she needs to keep a better handle on her men."

Curly blonde and pink hair swishes as she turns back to her work, or maybe just her phone, leaving me confused as the teacher drones on and on about something I don't really care about at the moment. I'm starting to figure out what this rumour is all about.

I wait until late at night when Kira comes into the bedroom to get changed before making a move. I lay as still as I can, my laptop closed so she doesn't know I'm there until I call her name.

"Kira!"

She jumps and turns around, "Holy crap Emma, you scared me!"

"Sorry," I say, "Hey listen... Have you heard about that rumour going around school?"

She looks at me coldly –not good, "Yeah."

"Well... Listen, do you believe it?" This isn't going well so far, I was hoping for some sort of reassurance that she didn't even think twice about it, but that's not what I'm getting.

"Well," she says quickly, as if she's ashamed to say it, "I don't want to but to be honest I haven't really seen Deacon lately, and you haven't been talking to me."

Yikes, not what I was hoping for at all, "Listen..."

"Stop saying 'listen', it's really annoying."

Ouch, Kira doesn't insult like that, she barely even gets mad! "Okay sorry," I say, she's not even yelling at me, and I suddenly wish I was standing up, not laying down on my bed, "I don't know about Deacon, but I've been working hard with American Eagle to- wait, that's part of it isn't it? You've mad because I got a deal and you didn't aren't you?"

Probably not the best thing to say at the moment.

"No!" She's yelling now, and I almost want to have my arms up in front of my face, "No! It isn't part of it! There's only one part of it! The part where you don't seem to care about what people say about you, where you don't seem to care if I believe you or not because you don't have any evidence! None! I want to believe you Emma, but you're not giving me any reason to." On that last sentence she crumbles, I can see it, her face becomes sad for a moment before she turns and runs out of the room.

"Kira... I didn't care what they said about me because I knew it wasn't true." I say to myself as our front door slams.

I must have fallen asleep because I wake up to Maddi hitting me on the head with her pillow.

"Okay, I'm awake! Hey! I'm awake!"

"Good! You're saying home from school today, Kira didn't wake you up so I called you in sick. Get up, we're going to the mall!"

I stare at her in confusion for a minute before she hits me in the head again, "Come on! I'm not stupid, I know you two had a fight last night and you're taking me to the mall so I can see your clothing line, get up!"

I smile, regardless of the knot in my stomach at the mention of the clothing line, "Okay, give me twenty minutes."