Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation (8)

Chapter 8

The next morning I stood in front of my locker half an hour before school started. I always had been obsessed with getting to school early. The books were already placed in my backpack, and now I was simply standing here, staring at the pictures of me, Damian and Reagan.

They were reminders of the time when my life was perfect. Now I wasn’t sure where I was or what I was supposed to do. Riley and her friends made a nice escape from my life, but I had to deal with my problems some time. But I had no idea what to do.

Two people had told me that I couldn’t trust Reagan, and I knew she had slept with Damian behind my back. But she had been my friend for years. Maybe I could forgive her. If she would forgive me, of course. I had been quite foul to her.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind me.

I closed my locker, momentarily forgetting about the photos and my current problem. Riley was standing behind me, her uniform in the usual disarray.

“Hey,” I replied.

We began walking to our first period, one we shared, despite me never having noticed. That probably had something to do with Riley never showing up.

“So, did you have fun yesterday?” Riley asked me as she beamed at me.

I thought it over before I replied. It had been nice, even if nothing had happened. Just hanging out with people who were actually having fun and relaxing was actually kind of fun.

“Yeah,” I decided eventually. “It was nice.”

“Great, ‘cause you’ll be coming with me today too,” Riley said.

I gaped at her in surprise. That, I had not expected.

“What?” I asked.

Riley nodded eagerly.

“Yup, even if you say you had fun, I know you didn’t. Wednesdays are kind of are drinking days. I swear everyone will be sober today, so you’ll have a chance to actually get to know them,” Riley explained, just as we walked into the open classroom door.

There were still fifteen minutes until school started, so I followed Riley down the aisle and settled down at the very back, next to her.

It was kind of weird; I had always been the type of girl to sit at the very front to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

“So what do you say?” Riley asked, actually giving me a choice if I wanted to come or not.

My mind flashed back to Mother’s warning. She only said I had to tell them where I went. I could send her a text and say I would be out late.

“Yeah, I’ll come,” I answered.

“Great, do you remember how to get there? I brought my bike today,” Riley said.

I thought through the route we had taken yesterday and decided I would find my way.

“I think so,” I replied.

Riley smiled at me and then looked towards the front as the classroom opened. Two girls who used to belong to my circle of friends came in. They’re eyes flashed to me and then they bent there head together and began whispered.

I looked away quickly. I did not need that today.

Riley seemed to notice my discomfort, as she turned fully towards me.

“Why did you have to leave so suddenly yesterday?” she asked.

My head snapped upwards and I met her gaze.