Hidden Truths|✓

Chapter One

Rewritten Chapter One

Juniors getting caught having sex behind the bleachers during a pep rally. One of the football stars getting caught cheating on his girlfriend- twice. A mental breakdown played out live on a finsta. And that's just what's happened this past weekend. Fairweather High, the whole town as a whole really; was great at scandals.

    Most were kept under lock and key, hidden away until someone snaps. They always do. But the secrets sneak out eventually, you just have to know where to find them. Something Olivia Parker had the innate ability to do.

    "I can't believe Poppy would show her face tonight, I mean- your boyfriend was just caught sleeping with a freshman," Olivia, the devil herself, says dragging me along to fall in step with her. "I literally think I'd kill myself."

    "Aren't you the one who spread it?" I asked her, raising a brow.

    "I was doing a public service. Besides, I only told our group, it's not my fault you can't keep your mouths shut," She dismissed me with a roll of her eyes. "Where would you be if I didn't know everything? Dating Creep-o Evans? The guy who tried to slip something into a girl's drink just to get some? I got you in with the quarterback. You're welcome."

    I roll my eyes at that statement. She had a point; like it or not nothing was safe with Olivia around. Even I was a little afraid of her finding out my biggest secret. Luckily, she never seemed to dig too deep into my life, more intent on destroying others around us. I tried to keep her from knowing things that I didn't want everyone to know. "I just don't get why you're so invested in finding out everything about everyone."

    "Don't act so high and mighty on me Harls, you want to know just as bad as I do. I just actually go for it. You've got to stop being so vanilla, embrace your inner bitch, she's dying to play" she yanks us to a halt at that, hushing her voice so the people around us can't make out what she's saying, "You need to start digging for the truth, everyone around here's a liar."

Are they? I wasn't sure. I tried to see the good in everyone, Liv didn't. My phone buzzed from my back pocket, a text from our friend Isla: Where are you guys? Starting Truth or Dare in the living room."

    "Everyone's in the living room getting ready for truth or dare," I tell Liv, choosing not to reply to her last statement. "Wanna grab a drink first?"

    "There's no way I'm getting through without," She replied, reaching over and grabbing two solo cups for us, passing one over to me before wading into the sea of people surrounding us.

    The house was full of drunk seniors, celebrating their upcoming graduation. Most parties were for the more outgoing kids, but no one wanted to miss the send-off. For over fifty years, these parties had been a tradition. Over the years, my parents told me about their own senior sendoff a few times. The last Friday of the school year was always the designated party night. Every year, during the last school week, law enforcement forced the seniors into the auditorium for a lecture, warning against illegal activity, including the apprehension of offenders. I'm surprised the party wasn't canceled after what happened to Charlotte Cooper. In a small town, I guess traditions die hard.

We make our way through the rest of the party-goers, seemingly plastered already at only 10, to make our way over to the living room. I glanced around to see where six of our friends were seated, laughing at something one of them had said. I take a seat next to Wesley and Charlie, Liv's twin who is annoyingly attractive- the whole family really. They paused their conversation with Patrick Stevens, one of the smarter football players, to greet me.

"My sister driving you nuts about something? We texted you asking if you were here half an hour ago," Charlie asks me. Had it been that long? I yank out my phone to check, he had. Multiple times. "Har-"