The Way I Loved You

Who Can You Trust

Clarissa couldn't start the tape with Clay. Instead of being ahead of him, she was going to let him be ahead of her. She walked downstairs with Clay as she saw her parents arguing a little.

"She slit her wrists and bled out in a bathtub," Clarissa heard her mom say clearly.

Clarissa and Clay stood in front of the entrance way. They stared at them a bit. 

"Clay. Clarissa," Their mom started. 

"We have to go to school," Clay said.

"I haven't made your lunches yet," Their mom told them.

"We'll buy lunch," Clarissa told her.

They both walked out of their house and to their school. Clay was listening to the tape as they got to school. Clarissa walked over to her locker and saw Zach there.

"Zach?" She asked. 

"Hey, Clarissa," He smiled at her. 

"What's up?" Clarissa asked him.

"I got you some doughnut holes," Zach said giving her a white bag. 

"Thanks. If I knew you were getting me something, I would've gotten you something back," Clarissa said. 

"No. Just a little gesture," Zach smiled. 

"Well you're lucky, I skipped breakfast," Clarissa smiled at him.

"Can I walk you to class?" Zach asked her. 

"I don't see why not," Clarissa told him. They started to walk over to her class in a slow pace. 

At lunch, Clay spotted Clarissa sitting alone, talking to Zach. Clay watched as his younger sister laughed at something he said. Clay saw the kind of smile she had on. It was close to the smile she always had when she was with Jeff. But this one was missing something. Zach walked away from Clarissa, letting her resume to her book. Clay walked over to her and sat in front of her. 

"Hey," He said. 

"Hi," Clarissa said. 

"I saw you with Zach," Clay said. 

"Yeah. He thought of this joke and wanted to tell me," Clarissa told him. 

Clay sat in front of his sister, looking at Zach. How could he do this to her? Pretend to be innocent to be with his sister? It was going to break Clarissa's heart when she listens to the tape. Once, Clay and Clarissa got home, their dad was sitting on the steps of their house. 

"You're home early," Their dad told them. He put down his book to the side, then took off his reading glasses.

"Hey. Come sit with me a minute," He told them before patting the spot next to him. Clarissa shrugged at him while Clay nodded a little. Clay sat next to their dad while Clarissa sat a couple steps below Clay.

"This isn't a talk, is it?" Clay asked.

"No talk. We'll communicate through semaphores," Their dad tells them.

"I can see how you'd think we'd be the two people to laugh at that, but..." Clay started.

"Where's your bike?" Mr. Jensen asked him.

"Clay messed up something with the bike so we took it to Tony, to fix it," Clarissa covered up for Clay.

"Listen. About what you two heard this morning," Mr. Jensen said.

"We didn't hear anything," Clay said.

"Well, if you did... your mom and I... we disagree on some things," Mr. Jensen told them.