Behind the Scenes of Life

chapter 12

Within the next few days, I had a new list.

Chace’s big bad list:

1.      He smoked.

2.      His supplier was the boyfriend of a girl in one of my classes.

3.      He was seeing the school counsellor.

4.      Rahul didn’t like Chace- at all!

5.      Something was wrong in Chace’s personal life.

It had always looked to me as if Rahul and Chace were best friends. Break times, they hung together, but that was clearly not the case.

There was this new kind of musky smell that Chace had. It started to become the smell I identified him with. When I found out he smoked, it all made sense.

The little ‘friendship’ didn’t last long between Sophia and Chace. Too bad she already knew all his secrets. Sophia had threatened to speak to Rahul. Chace didn’t fall for the bluff, in fact he even gave her Rahul’s number. It wasn’t a bluff at all. Rahul and Sophia were easily friends. Both with the same thoughts on Chace. They called him Midget. It was funny. At first Rahul was reluctant to believe who Sophia was, but after I confirmed what she had said, he believed her. It turned out that Sophia couldn’t have approached him at a better time. Chace and Rahul were not seeing eye to eye and in fact Chace was blackmailing Rahul.

“So what’s the latest on Rahul?” I asked Sophia one day.

“It seems like he’s in love.”

In love? Rahul? Never.

“Are you sure?” I asked her.

It wasn’t Rahul’s style to be in love. Not that he was a player, but he was just so focussed on academics.

She nodded. “He said that he’d always liked her, but he never told her because people messed it up by trying to push them together.”

I had an idea who Rahul was talking about.

“I’m trying to get him to tell her.”

“Matchmaker?” I joked.

“Something like that.”

“I think I know who he’s in love with.”

“Who?”

“Zara, she’s also in my class. She use to like him. I think she still does.”

“Then they must be together. I think it’s so cute.”

“You’re always one for soppiness.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.”

I nodded agreeing with her. “Except when it doesn’t work out in real life, then it’s just depressing.”

“How are you Kina?” I asked her one day when I saw her break time. She was standing by the stairs by the front entrance.

“I’m good thanks and you?”

“I’m fine.” Lie. “So how are things, you know?”

She shook her head. “We are speaking normal again.”

“Really?”

“Yip. But obviously we don’t speak about what happened. I tried to help him so he mustn’t come to me with any of his problems.”

One thing I noticed was that despite everything, Kina still actually defended Chace. Chace could learn from her.

“But we’ll see one day,” she continued, “the truth has a way of coming out.”

I was hoping for the truth.

“Sounds like you’re planning something, are you?” I asked her.

“I’m not saying anything.”

“Maybe I want to be a part of it.”

“Just wait Jane, it will come out.”

She had something up her sleeve alright.

The next weekend I was alone by Sophia. Tisha was at school for some music function. Sophia and I were speaking about Chace. We were sitting in the garden- that he sister took care of so well- we were by the pool with our feet in the water.

“I asked him about Kina.”

“What did he say?” I asked slightly alarmed.

“Called her a liar.”

Of course.

“He said something about how bad he felt for you, that Kina played you like that. He said she told you wanted to hear and she saw an opportunity by you.”

“Right.”

I didn’t doubt Kina’s honesty, but I still wanted to know.

The next time I saw Kina I asked her about it.

She replied. “Jane I was not lying I swear on my life, my parent’s life. I’m your friend and I would never lie like that to you, you know me. Do you think that I’d be able to speak to you, smile with you and look you in the eye each day if I were lying to you?”

I believed her.