Fake Tales

Chapter 16- Revelations

Chapter16- Revelations

 "Look, I love you, but...." Ana trailed off as she stood awkwardly at the end of the table. 

"It's okay. I know it'll take time. Just come and see me when you can? With Lily, too?" I pleaded, not caring that I sounded pathetic. Ana wouldn't judge me, she knew I missed everyone and I wasn't going to make her upset Mel because of me. It had been nearly two weeks since the party and our explosive argument. 

"I'll see you later" Ana replied awkwardly. I frowned slightly at her lack of mention of Lily. I wasn't sure what I had done personally, but she had taken Mel and Dom's side completely in the matter. 

Mel hadn't been angry at me for this long before, a small resentful part of me told me that the 'old' Mel would have forgiven me by now, but that was only in my darkest moments of loneliness. At least I had the boys: Dean, Joe and Tom had tried their best to keep my spirits up, which I had truly appreciated, but it didn't make me miss them any less. 

So here I was, sat all alone at a table in the solitary corner of the school cafeteria.  I tried to keep my face impassive, I didn't want to fuel anymore rumours that I was depressed because I had no friends. It didn't help that Tom wasn't here today- I didn't have his soothing presence to shield me from the unfriendly glances of everybody else. 

Checking the time, I began to pack my stuff away to get ready for my next lesson, as I did so I caught a glimpse of a familiar pale blonde head bobbing through the crowd of people, her pale green eyes settled on me. Her expression was unfathomable and the spike of happiness I'd felt at her appearance quickly disappeared. She carried on walking, not giving me a second glance. A heavy feeling settled upon me as I realized Lily hadn't bothered to stop and talk to me. For some reason, it seemed to be more than loyalty to Mel and Dom. I had a feeling she was mad at me for something else entirely, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what. 

I had tried tirelessly since the party to be better, nicer, kinder. I had kept away from the group, much to my own unhappiness and they all knew all too well that I didn't do well on my own. I wasn't built for a solitary life, but I hadn't realised how co-dependent I had become until now. Yet another personality trait I had to improve upon. God, this self-improvement stuff was hard work. 

The events leading up to Greg's suicide had become a slight obsession: I almost knew  the email by heart, I had read it so many times to discern any hidden layers of meaning between the lines. Safe to say I found none. I had even gone through the local newspaper report of his death, to see where he was last seen alive, the cause of death etc. I found that it surprised me how little investigation anyone had put into it. I mean Greg was the last person anyone would expect to kill himself and yet everyone had excepted it, like he was some sort of troubled teenager. 

Even Mel and Linda hadn't questioned it further when his body had been found. Maybe, they knew thought it didn't matter either way- they had lost him. Nothing was ever going to change that. I wish I could have that sort of closure and resolved, but it was like a book that wouldn't shut, it played on my mind every time I was alone. Something didn't add up. 

Mum was going to give me a lift home because my afternoon was completely free (Dean had a lesson and Dom wasn't talking to me) which meant I would have to walk past my usual table to go and meet her. I avoided eye contact with them all, but couldn't resist looking over at them. Joe, Ana, Lily and Mel were on one table, whilst Dom and Dean sat across the room. I felt all the more terrible when I realized that  had split the group whether I liked it or not. 

Mel didn't look up as I passed, her eyes were only for Dom. I stared at her for a moment, taking in the longing, yearnful look in her eyes and something clicked in the back of my mind. I had never seen Mel look at Dom that way before, or anyone for that matter. At least not at any friend. Could she be...? It would explain everything, at the moment it was the only reason that made sense.