The Hidden Truth

Project Meeting

I was in front of Cylus front porch and I felt my heart was beating loudly. It was ten before eight and I was debating whether knocking at the door now or later. I saw his parents car wasn't there and I was freaking out even more. I decided to muster up all the strength I had and knock on the door.

"You're early" he was wearing red, black and gray flannel styled pajama bottoms and a black tank. I could see so much! I was internally yelling but I refrained from that.

"I asked Margie if I could leave an hour earlier, since I was walking over to your house."he was leading me to the living room. His house has changed so much, I remember I use to come to his house almost everyday. We use to love strategizing on how to improve our batting and running skills. We would drone for hours and I would always end up falling asleep and having my dad carry me home.

"Really you should've told me! I could've given you a ride." he walked to the kitchen and got me a water bottle.

"It's fine, thanks anyways." I looked at the water bottle like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Where should we start? Do you have any poets in mind?" he was looking at me and the tv was silently playing in the background.

"How about Langston Hughes?" I looked up at him and his beautiful blue eyes shone like diamonds.

"Ok sounds good, how should we divide the work?" he was looking at his phone and I could see it was Chloe.

"How about we gather two poems each analyze them for now?" I looked at him and he was still reading the text, It was like four paragraphs.

"Violet you've known me for a while, do you think I'm a bad guy?" he looked me straight in the eyes.

"No not at all...why?" I looked at him with a hint of concern.

"Chloe thinks I've been sleeping around for some absurd reason. She keeps texting me what a bad person I am but I don't know where she heard that rumor from?" he wore a frustrated face. He was looking back down at his phone, I didn't want to tell him that Chloe's best friend started the rumor. He wore such a sad face It reminded me of the old times, I would tap the top of his head with the palm of my hand. To the beat of a catchy song that would be stuck in my head. I let my impulse take over and I tapped his head gently to the beat of Muse Madness. When I realize what I was doing I stopped and apologized. WHY THE HECK DID I DO THAT!!????

"Sorry I didn't mean to, you just...you looked so sad, sorry"I was expecting him to tell me to grow up or make fun of me for doing such childish things. Yet he didn't to my surprise. He looked up and gave me a really hard warm smile.

"Thanks I needed that." he softly chuckled and seemed somewhat alleviated.

"You haven't done that since we were like six, I had forgotten all about it." he was looking at me with a friendly grin, like the one that one wears when reminiscing about the past.

"What song is it? I couldn't tell" he was still looking at me now with a curious face. I was looking at him as well. He had the power to make me feel so nervous yet so comfortable as well. I would go as far to say that he even made me feel safe.

"Muse Madness have you heard of it?" he looked to the ground and then up to the ceiling.

"No I don't think I have. I'll listen to it later tonight." he said with a pleasant grin. We stayed silent for a little while and decided to get to work. I brought my laptop and was looking at a couple poems and was beginning to analyze them. He was doing the same and we stayed like that for a while. I decided to tell him a joke for some forsaken reason. He bursted out laughing his laugh was so contagious, I started laughing as well. We stopped working and we began to tell cheesy jokes.

"You were always a sucker for cheesy jokes Cylus" I said while laughing from his last joke.

"Always have and always will my dear Violet." he said almost out of breath. The laughing died down and we began to work again, only this time we were both more relaxed.

"Why did you ever stop talking to me Violet?" he was looking at me with no expression at all.

"I don't know I guess we turned into different people" I knew why we... I stopped being his friend but I choose to keep that to myself.

"How so? I remember you being so much like me, then all of a sudden you stopped talking to everybody." he was really persistent and wasn't taking no for an answer, he hadn't stopped staring at me either. I finally looked up from my computer screen and just said what ever came to my mind.

"I wasn't implying that everyone changed, I guess I was the one that changed" I know I looked so god damn depressed and I hated it but I couldn't stop myself.

"why ? you know you can tell me everything." he had an earnest sincere face. I wanted to tell him so badly but I decided to keep it to myself and say nothing. I was going to tell him why the sudden interest or that he had no right asking me such questions. Right when I was going to respond to him his parents walked in.

"Hello dear we're back!" they both walked in and saw me sitting there, they wore a surprised look.

"Violet is that you? Wow! you have really grown up," Mrs. Jones said.

"Violet how come you havent come and visited us anymore, we miss you young lady." Mr Jones said while giving me a handshake.

"I guess time got the better of me." I said with a shy grin.

"Well, honey come over anytime and bring your parents so we can have a weekend barbacue," Mrs Eldridge stated.

"I best be getting home then, thank you for having me." Mrs Eldridge walked up to me and gave me a hug and said goodbye. Both of Cylus parents said goodbye to me and headed to their bedroom.

"Hope to see you again soon!" they said as they walked up the stairs. I could tell they had drank a little because Mrs Eldridge seemed a little tipsy. He held her as he lead her up the stairs, both laughing and smiling.I started to pack up and place my laptop in my backpack.

"When can we meet again?" he was looking at me.

"I can meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday. Are those days fine?"

"Yea I have football practice so is eight still a good time for you?" he was looking at his phone now, probably texting Chloe.

"Yea sounds good." he was walking me to the door while looking at his phone, rude much? I guess it's that darn Chloe that has him stressed out. We finally got to the door and I opened it he looked at me and said bye. I had both feet outside of his front porch when I decided to do a 180 spin.

"It's Rachel who started the rumor, tell your girlfriend." He looked at me with stunned eyes and I rushed down his front porch steps, when he gently yet forcefully grabbed my forearm.

"What did you say? How do you know that?" he looked at me questioning everything I said.

"I heard her telling Nikki that she was going to start that rumor because...you were to good for Chloe. She wanted you two to break up so she could swoop in her place."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier! How long did you know for?" he was yelling it, he sounded so scary.

"Two weeks...I"

"You what? You know how much crap Chloe has been giving me? If you would've told me, everything could've been avoided! When you heard she wanted to break up with me!!!"he was still yelling at me, he was so furious.

"I'm sorry" I started trembling I looked at him terrified. When he saw me at my state his reaction changed and it softened.

"Sorry I didn't mean to yell." he looked apologetic and worried.

I yanked my hand and ran home. When I got home my dad hadn't arrived so I didn't have to worry about explaining anything. I was crying uncontrollably in my living room. I must've stayed there sobbing for like an hour. I didn't mean for him to get mad at me, I never intended to hurt him. That's what I get for talking to people. I dragged myself to my room took a shower and put on my pajamas. When I finally climbed to bed it was twelve.