Dirty Little Secret

Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

I leave the classroom and run to the cafeteria. I walk through the door. Its silent and all eyes are on me. I can feel the shift in the air as people suddenly start gossiping, and everyone that wasn't looking at me, now was. Instead of walking to the lunch line I turn and run out of the cafeteria and to the bathroom, the entire time tears running down my face. I stare at the toilet door, I will stay in here all day if I have to, as long as I don't have to go back to see all those faces. Because of Erica, everyone thinks I spent my whole friendship sleeping with Owen!

I cry and cry and cry until it hurts. I try to put it out of my mind but I cant. The only thing that could ever be worse than this would be losing Owen. Owen. I can go talk to him! I wipe over my face with a piece of water paper and check how I look in the mirror to see pieces of my side fringe sticking up, my mascara causing shadows under my eyes and my cheeks rosy from crying. I get a sports headband out of my bag and put it in my hair, fixing that problem. I try fixing my make-up but it doesn’t help, though it doesn’t make it worse either.

With a sigh, I leave the bathroom and walk towards the library. Sending him a message - a small coded one that if anyone reads it, they won't understand it but he will. I'm not in the library five minutes when Owen comes running in. I'm sitting in the corner of the library, unless people knew to look over here, they wouldn't see me. Owen grows closer but there isn't a smile on his face. Once he reaches me he doesn’t say anything. I stare up at him and expect him to say something - anything. Why isn't he asking what's wrong? All he does is look down at me. I look up at him wanting him to say something.

"Well?" He finally asks. My eyes widen as I look down at my hands. Well? All he has to say is well? Isn't he supposed to ask what's wrong?

“Well what?” I ask quietly, knowing if I speak any louder my voice will crack.

"Why did you call me here? You said it was an emergency." He sits down on the chair two away from me. I look at the small distance and can't help but think how it is going to become much more soon.

“You...you didn't hear?”

“Hear what?” he asks. I let out a small snort and looked away, focusing on the books close to us. I jump when his hand touched my arm. "Hear what?" He asks again.

“Everyone thinks that through our entire friendship, we have been sleeping together…”

He stares at me with a raised eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" For some reason, that hurts. Aren't I good enough for him to even consider being with?

I shake my head. “I’m not kidding.”

"Right. Okay." He blinks and leans back. "Is this all you were worried about?"

“I think my wrist is broken…” This get his attention. He leans forward and pokes my wrist, which I yank back and give him a dirty look.

“That hurts!”

"Sorry," he mutters. "Maybe you should go to the nurse."

I purse my lips, "Clearly, but I thought discussing this was-"

"More important?" He raises his eyebrow.

“Yes.”

"It's not, Lani. Get up, I'm taking you to the nurse," he holds his hand out while he speaks. I nod and stand up. I take his hand and let him drag me to the nurse.

When we arrive outside, I wait to see whether he will come in with me or go running off to Erica. He walks into the nurse's office with me. “Mrs. Jensen, Lani may have a broken wrist.” he says holding up my left hand.