Love and Lies

Chapter 5 - Jealousy.

By the end of the month, I had William’s mobile number, email address, he was my friend on Facebook and I had him on MSN. I was so comfortable being around him and we spent more and more time together. We’d been round each other’s houses a few times, just for revision and hanging out.  September was fine and by the time we go to half way through October, we were talking non-stop. We’d walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus together, go to school together, spend all day talking, get the bus home, text and then we’d talk all night over the Internet. I got so used to it, him being there. It was just me and him and the girls. We were all happy until Tuesday morning…..

I traipsed to the bus stop, surprised to not see William walking the other way. I pulled out my phone, and as I expected I had one message.

‘Hey Z, Not coming in today. Got a headache. Will be in tomorrow x Love, W x’

I quickly replied telling him to get better soon and pushed my phone back into my bag. The bus arrived and I reluctantly got on. I didn’t want to face a day without William. I picked an empty seat a few rows from the front and sat down. I noticed Jonah wasn’t at the back …that was weird. I stared out the window for a bit and we came to a stop in front of the corner shop. Alice and her ‘gang’ were all there, crowded over her mobile. After a few minutes, they realised the bus was there to pick them up and finally they got on. I rolled my eyes and sighed, lightly laughing at how stupid they acted. I closed my eyes and prayed that they would just leave me alone. I was surprised by what happened next. I was broken from my prayer by an all too familiar voice.

‘OH.EM.GEE. ZEBRA!!!!!!!!’ Alice squealed in excitement. I turned around to see a makeup caked face, smiling down at me. She budged into the seat next to me, pushing my bag out of the way in the process.

‘It’s been ages since I last saw you!!!!’ She exclaimed.  

‘Yeah I was enjoying being away from you.’ I mumbled to myself as I picked up my bag from the floor, hoping she couldn’t hear it. If she did she ignored it. ‘And it’s not “Zebra” anymore’ I added in frustration.

‘Oh how have you been?!’ She asked looking at me with a caring smile, which I knew was false.

‘Good thanks, what about you?’ I replied, trying to look interested and most probably failing. Not like I cared though.

And with that she gabbled on about her life, how much it had improved, what had happened blah blah. I payed no attention to her talking, but instead I turned my focus to her. She looked so different. She had white blond hair. She had so much makeup on. She had a fashionable bag, nothing sturdy enough to carry books, only makeup and a phone. She had black tights, the shortest skirt I have ever seen and her school jumper was too tight. She looked …. Well she looked like a slut. A massive comparison from primary.

In primary school, I was her best friend. We were the ‘weird ones’ but we didn’t really care. We did everything together.  She had mousey brown hair, which was short and always scrapped back into a tight bun. She was slightly taller than average but she was a bit …chubby. Her school uniform was always immaculate and she’d never do anything bad. She never got in trouble, got amazing results in her SAT’s but none of the guys liked her. Then, in year 7, she got a new set of friends and well that was the end of our friendship. She got in with all the popular crowd and I left her alone. Next thing I know, she’s got boys falling at her knees. A face so beautiful and a body so perfect, and a personality so ….’Nice’. No one knew what she was like in primary school. No one knew we were the goody-two-shoes’ of the school.

She blossomed, well not blossomed but changed into something that I hated. She was the one all the girls admired, the one who got all the attention, the one who had boys wrapped around her finger. The makeup covered her flaws and her sweet personality coated the cruel words that she spoke. I didn’t understand how she pulled it off. She turned into something and …. Quite frankly left me behind. Not that I cared though, I found new friends who were 100 times better than her, and who actually liked me. She tried to talk to me in year 9, but we never got on. She was too different. I thought I got my best friend back. I went everywhere with her. Then I told her the boy I liked and the next morning, the school knew. She does that; she spreads the secrets and the rumours. And also, she steals the boys. I told her ‘Jonah’. And later that week, I caught them kissing behind the lockers. I cried my eyes out that weekend. I’ll never forgive her for the pain she brought on me. She stole the boy I had loved for a year within 1 week. The b*tch. I wanted nothing to do with her. And the bit that tears me apart, they are still together.  And I still love him.

By the time I had finished my reminiscing, the bus has stopped at school. She said goodbye and got off. I stepped off the bus feeling the worst I had for 6 weeks. William completely took my mind of Jonah and now everything was flooding back. The feelings, the images, the memories. I calmed myself by taking three deep breaths. I could feel the tears threaten to escape but I pushed them down. I decided to walk to registration, knowing the girls would be there. I turned into the west corridor and went up the stairs. I walked to the classroom and looked back down the corridor. And there they were. Jonah and Alice. Enclosed in each other’s arms, kissing. My heartache was more than I could cope with it, the tears sprung to my eyes before I could stop them. Why me?! I was the one who he promised he would keep safe and now the pain was unbearable. I hated them. I hated them with every fibre in my body. Why does love have to hurt so much?

 I couldn’t take it anymore. I burst into the tutor room in floods of tears.