Poker Face || Z. Dempsey

Tape 2, Side A

   The courtyard was always full and cheery. It was also perfect for finishing homework due in half-an-hour, as Amelia was doing.

   There were motivational posters on the walls of the school buildings around them, both for suicide and drunk driving, which kind of murdered the atmosphere.

   Zach couldn't drive her again, or so he said, so she was stuck with Millie and her mother. She had gotten to school much to early, as Millie had to be dropped off after. She was pissed at Zach, but she was nervous that if she brought it up or tried to get revenge, she would screw their relationship up more.

   She never learned what Jessica, Clay, and Zach were talking about, and she was sure that he brought Marcus along so she wouldn't ask him in the car, as she didn't know if Marcus knew what they were talking about.

   The band was seeting up, she heard that they were pushing to be able to play in the courtyard in the mornings, and she saw Alex Standall storm away angrily, but sit with Clay Jensen. She wanted to find out what Zach was hiding from her. Before their friendship went to hell, they would tell each other everything. Clay Jensen seemed to be in the middle of something, which was involving every one of her friends, or at least the people closest to her. She felt bad that she wouldn't be suspicious if it was almost everyone but Clay. He was just so different than the boys, that she felt like there had to be something up for them to be talking so much.

   Clay dug in his bag and pulled something out, and Alex frowned. Amelia stood to see what it was, hoping it would give her a clue to what was going on. He held it slightly inside the bag so she couldn't see and she groaned.

   "Alex!" Liza, one of the band players called out. "Take the A Train, with your solo." He nodded and went over to where the band set up and began playing.

   The music calmed her and took her mind off the stress. It was a short period of bliss before the music stopped and Amelia was brought back to the present, all her worries and feelings hitting her at once.

   With about twenty minutes left until the bell, and her homework, which she scribbled some answers on done, she tossed her books into her bag and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face to hopefully wake up.

   While the gloomy white room with insults written by people who didn't have the balls to say them aloud was normal, the crying woman was not. Amelia recognized her as Olivia Baker, Hannah's mom. Awkwardly, Amelia slid into the smaller stall, not wanting to disturb the woman. A smirk appeared on her face when she saw the writing on the cinderblocks on the back of the stall. In between Jenna is a slut and Carol is a bitch, Amelia could read Amelia is only friends with Zach to sleep with him. She is such a whore written in permanent purple marker. She didn't know who wrote it, but she learned to stop looking for that person. It took her a while to get over it, for the first week after she found it, she didn't want to show her face, but she learned that almost everyone were on the walls. She continued on with her head held high, and no one brought it up, as everyone, overtime, stopped reading the walls.

   "Oh my God, Bryce is a total vampire!" Amelia heard as the door open.

   "That thing on your neck is huge!" She heard a second voice laugh. The room lapsed into silence and Olivia went into the other stall. The two girls left and Amelia heard the sound of a camera taking pictures. By habit, she looked for Tyler, as he was everywhere.

   When Olivia left, Amelia went into the stall where she was taking pictures, and almost laughed out loud. The Bakers wanted proof about bullying to win their lawsuit, all the messages in the bathrooms would be enough.

   She hurried to class as she didn't want to be late, but as soon as she got to her history classroom, she regretted it. Coach Patrick was setting up yet another 'history' movie. Not that she would prefer to do something else, but she would have rather ditched all together instead of showing her face.