"Laur?"
Ally emerges from the trees. Shes a short, 20 year old woman. My best friend. The only mom Ive ever had. She has soft brown hair and wears rectangular framed glasses. Usually she is wearing something bright or dressy but today she wears a plain skirt and a dress shirt. Very under toned for her.
She walks to me through the clearing. Not asking about the school skipping but she takes one look at my jacket and its as if the world is ending. Her eyes widen and she looks around but Dinah isnt there.
"Lauren." She says her voice wavering. "Where did you get that?"
Oh just a girl who no one else can see. Also she did murder in this jacket. She smokes too, can she come for dinner?
"Friend from school." I lie.
She gives me a skeptical look. "Were you smoking!?"
"What? No."
"I can smell cigarrettes. And honeysuckle."
A lump in my throat forms. I swallow hard.
"Lauren Jauregui, wait til your father hears."
And we both laugh. My dad is not in the best condition ever since Miya died and if Ally thinks shes going to rat me out to him shes dreaming. We both know as best as anyone that my dad has the worst memory and has been distant for a solid year and ten months now.
Ally gives me a cold hard stare. "You werent here alone. Who was here? Where is she?"
"What do you mean she?"
"Dont play dumb Lauren." Ally scolds. "I know best that you do not smell of honeysuckle and certainly dont smoke. So who were you with?"
I laughed and Im thankful it wasnt hoarse. "No one silly."
"Good. I heard there was a new student at your school. Dinah Jane."
My blood runs cold and I can feel my skin paling. My body trembles. Shes real. And now shes attending my school. The girl who smokes and murdered a girl. Camila had to be real, it felt pretty real when she shoved me against the lockers and kissed me.
"Know where Camila went?" I blurted.
"Camila?" Ally asks. "Shes a foregin exchange student Lauren. You know like everyone else that she was going back to spain. She left last week."
I nod adsent minded and Ally rubs my back. "Common, I think you need to go home and rest."
She might have told me that, but I can hear the concern in her voice. With a note that tells me theres more to the story than meets the eye.
