Shoe Laces

3. raison d'être

[A/N you and I are more than friends,

we're like a really small gang...]

RING!

The first bell rang as I approached up to the school steps, letting me know that I was late once again. I sighed. Walking into school late on the first day sucks. Unfortunately everyone that knows me is used to it.

As I walked up the steps that led to Foxtrot high school's entrance I was kind of surprised to hear a squeal.

"LOVE!" I knew that silky voice from anywhere.

I turned around surprised to see that Clare, Jess, and Matt were all there waiting for me. I felt a smile appear on my face. One thing I did like about school was my friends. They loved me for all of my flaws and brokenness and still stuck around supporting me. It was nice. Having people be there for me. It made me feel like maybe I wasn't truly alone in the world. They didn't know about the abuse but they knew just about everything else about me.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, my smile grew on my lips as I was approaching them. It's funny, I was almost a completely different person at school. I guess my friends bring out the best in me.

"Well, we were thinking..." Started Clare only to be instantly interrupted by yours truly.

"Woah... thinking? Be careful now, you guys wouldn't wanna hurt yourselves." I said smirking.

"Okay smart ass, we go to school too. What do you think we're doing here? Hunting elephants?" Clare snapped back at me a hand on her cocked hip. I laughed and Clare began to smile.

"Touché my good friend. Touché. But seriously what are you doing here late?" I asked, knowing the group hated being late for things despite being teenagers that didn't care about much.

"If you had let me finish the first time..." She pointed out.

"Oh my goodness! Just tell me you drama queen." I said rolling my eyes and laughing.

"As I was saying... we were thinking, yes thinking..." She looked at me pointedly before she continued, making me laugh again. "... that since you're always late for the first day of school... and I figured you would be again today as well... we decided we would wait for you!" She said happily clasping her hands together. I looked at her funny.

"You didn't have to wait. Geez dude, the teachers will hate all of you as well as me." I pointed out baffled that they would do that for me.

"Well now the teachers will hate us together. Together forever as friends right?" Clare said bringing up the thing we would always say to each other back in middle school (we said it because we had made a joke on being forever alone together but just as best friends). I smiled and nodded.

"Together forever as friends." I replied, nodding my head in agreement.

Matt and Jess didn't look like they agreed with that. They were both trying to lead me and Clare into the building to avoid being more late. While they were literally herding us inside, Clare chatted away as if I hadn't seen her in ages. Which was accurate because she had gone to France during the summertime. But I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. I'm a bad friend I know, but I was also still trying to (unsuccessfully) ignore the pain on my belly.

"... And you wouldn't believe what Monica said when the lady was riding on the elephant that broke into my house."

My response was "Uh huh..."

"You aren't even listening!" Clare exclaimed as she walked to her locker and put in the combination as we all stood around her waiting.

"I totally was! You were talking about how much you love me." I said looking at her, batting my eyelashes, as if that was what she was talking about.