Faker Than Barbie

‡Eleven‡

 Once we left the kitchen, we realized how long we really took. Taking my conversation with Lucas, and Kyle into consideration, I was gone for about half an hour. Most of the guys were already drunk, spouting nonsense with every laugh. The girls, on the other hand, were all circled around Samantha as she told a story.

"So I get home and-" I cut her off.

"Found your boyfriend with someone else?" I smiled as I sat down. Kyle sat next to me and threw his arm over my shoulder. I played with his hand that fell casually over my chest.

Samantha ignored my jab and raised a brow. "You guys took your time." She glanced at his arm around me and smirked but I only shrugged.

"Yeah." The best thing to do sometimes is to admit it. Anything she might have said or mocked was swallowed by my shameless admission. "We had a... long conversation." My hand inched on Kyle's leg but all he did was roll his eyes and continue talking to his friends on the side.

She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something but once again I cut her off. "Hey James, you have a jacuzzi right?" My voice silenced any conversation in the room as they all turned to him for the answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam glower.

"Yeah, it's on the patio. Want me to go set it up?" I smiled.

"That'd be great, thanks." He nodded and left, Eleanor slyly following him. "Come on," I pulled Jenny and Heather away from their boys. "Let's go change."

Now that I finally got a good look at Heather, I noticed Lucas' words rang true. Her hair was up in a bun, flyaways and baby hair everywhere. A pimple was growing on her chin, and the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent than ever. I completely ignored it and pretended I never noticed anything.

"So Heather, I noticed Hale has moved his interest to you," I say being coy as I close my bedroom door behind me. "This one?" I pull out a red bikini.

"Um, yeah." She looks down, "He's been talking to me for a bit."

"Mmm, next one," Jenny said, watching the encounter. I pull out an olive green string swimsuit. "That's the one." She lifted her shirt to show us a bikini she was already wearing. "I knew it was a matter of time before you asked about the pool." She smirked.

"I think I'm just gonna head to bed. I haven't slept in a while." Heather said.

Quick as a bullet, I spun to her, grasping her hands and pulling her close. "Don't be stupid! Hale is the hottest guy here, you have to get with him." My voice held the power that refuted any refusal, and the conflicting options inside Heather's head were visible on her face, but slowly she nodded.

I smiled and ran my fingers through her hair, subtly shaking off the strands that came out off my hand. "You'll thank me for this one day," I whispered. "I mean you don't have to sleep with him, just don't make his attention go to waste. I know I'd want it." I said forlornly.

For some reason, I found myself both wanting, and not wanting Hale's attention. It felt like I couldn't put my emotions into it, even though my body wholeheartedly was.

"What about Kyle?" Jenny said taking off her shorts in the mirror.

I scowled. "What about Kyle?"

"Well, aren't you guys getting together or something? I swear he's more into you now than ever." I rolled my eyes.

"All Kyle wants is to sleep with me. He doesn't take me seriously. Kyle is the one person I won't just sleep with. He knows me too well for that." My face soured even more.

"Well if you won't sleep with Kyle tonight, then sleep with Lucas." She shrugged, unknowingly making Heather stiffen like a stone. "He's single, considering you matched him with his sister it shouldn't be a problem," Jenny looked up at us with a smile. "Right?"

I looked at Heather with a raised brow and a smirk. The hesitation was clear in her eyes. She didn't want to let me, but what else could she say? He was her brother after all.

"Y-Yeah," She choked on the words. "Go for it." I was silent for a second.

"Okay," Her eyes widened. "As long as I have your blessing. You are one of my best friends, I'd never want to hurt you." I told her, pulling her into a hug.

Her skin felt like acid against mine.

"Anyways," Jenny said, standing up in her red one piece looking like one of the Baywatch actors. "The pool is probably ready by now. Come on." She said, taking Heather's hand and tugging her in a robe.

"You're forgetting the robe, Jenny!" I laughed, pulling on the back of it and slipping off the cover from Heather's body. Jenny instantly stopped moving.

Heather's ribs could be seen through her body, her arms were lanky and thin as well as her legs and neck. Her stomach was hollow and thin. She looked like a walking skeleton. "Heather..." Jenny whispered in shock.

But I couldn't utter a word. "Wh-I don't-" I stuttered, unable to procure a sentence.

She cleared her throat, speaking in a small voice. "It's been a tough couple of days."

I should have noticed her hands, the way they felt like sticks in my grip. I should have noticed how she'd been wearing long sleeves. I should have noticed it all. In nearly a whisper I said, "Jenny, can I talk to Heather, please?" Without saying a word, Jenny left the room.

A heavy silence fell over us. She didn't say anything. Neither did I.

Seconds ticked away but the tension felt like a choke hold pushing the air out of the room until one of us spoke. It had to be me.

"Is this because of Lucas?" I asked quietly, "And what I know?" Slowly she nodded.

Her dancing career would be ruined. Sure that'd be a total advantage for me, but if she continued on this path, she'd end up killing herself. Her death on my conscious would ruin my performance and I couldn't let that happen.

Slowly, I took Heather's hand and sat her down on the bed, pulling her into a hug and pulling out the tears. "I'm so sorry, Heather," I told her, my voice breaking. "I should have noticed it all. I shouldn't have been torturing you like this. I'm so so sorry."

She sat stiffly in my arms, her hands hesitantly landing on my back, not knowing for sure what she was seeing. "This isn't healthy, Heather. If you keep going like this you're going to kill yourself." I said pulling away and wiping at my cheeks. "I swear, not a word will escape my lips about you and Lucas for as long as I live. I swear on my life. On my mother's life." Heather's eyes widened as she gasped. The tears began to fill in her eyes, and the relief in her body was evident as she sagged in my arms.

"Thank you!" She tunneled into me, hugging me so tightly I lost my breath for a second. Heather's laughter turned into tears as she wailed against my shoulder. All I could do was pat her on the back and wait for it to be over.

She stood up, smiling at me and taking my hands in hers as she pulled me with her out the door, picking up the robe and wrapping it around her body. "You go to the pool, I'm going to the kitchen to get something to eat."

"Oh, God. Please do that." I laughed with her as she rounded the corner.

Poor thing. She's going to be devastated once she realizes she didn't read the fine print in that conversation.