Truth be Told ✔️

Chapter 40

I never really knew what to do with my hands, especially in situations where you were sitting. You weren't eating or playing with your phone, you were just sitting. What do you do in that situation? Just sit and talk with your hands awkwardly at your side?

Well that's how I felt sitting down at my lunch table. After just eating and coming from a house that ran strictly on leftovers from the home chef's meal the night before, there wasn't any food for me to even be able to pretend to nibble on.

And my phone was on five percent.

I was stuck

The moment I sat down at the table, a deafening silence overtook its occupants. And as long as I remained there, it remained as well. Nobody spoke to me, but nobody chatted with the others. They all just stared at me in between bites of food. And all I could do was avoid the dozens of pairs of eyes the only way I knew how...staring at the table. And never look up. Simple and to the point.

I definitely did notice though that Maddie and McKenzie had taken the spots on either side of me, the ones that had always been occupied by Graham and Alex. Now, they were sitting on the opposite side of me. And neither looked too pleasant as they sported Baylor gear from the socks on their feet to the hats on their head. Both looked a little more deadly with every stab at their mashed potatoes.

As soon as their were five minutes to bell, I grabbed my crutches and stood up to leave. But it seemed that drew even more attention.

I scowled. I didn't need to deal with this. This was my school. My pain in the ass peers. They shouldn't be hooked on my every movement I make as if I'm a zoo animal. God, after all the years I endured with them and the heart i poured into this stupid school, I deserved more respect than that and more acknowledgement that I could make my own damn decisions.

"Wait, Alexa!" Maddie called when I began to march away.

"Hon," McKenzie echoed desperately as she scrambled to pack away her crystal containers into her designer lunchbox

I kept walking, mind made up. I was going to parade past these losers with my head held high, but as soon as I reached the bathrooms, I was going to cry until the bell rang. The idea of doing that again but in a bath would keep me going for the rest of the day until I could run home.

But as I kept hobbling, and the shadows behind me kept growing, I realized that wasn't going to happen. At least not the 'by myself' part.

"Alexa," McKenzie panted. "Please, just stop. At least for a moment. These kitty pumps aren't made for hardcore sprinting."

Hardcore?

I didn't really have a lot left to lose. And I guess I did kind of want an explanation for the part they played in last night and their sudden 'change of heart'.  So, I stopped, but not before breaking into a light jog to get to the south wing staircase.

I paused underneath the level. Then, I watched as they pathetically tried to jog my way in an effort to make it to me faster. But their arms flailing side to side told me all I needed to know.

"What?" I asked irritably.

Maddie was the first to attempt to stop panting. "We wanted to say we're sorry. For everything," she managed. "We've been the bitchiest best friends ever, and when you're going through such stressful and emotional decisions, that's the last thing you need. We've been selfish, when all you've been is genuine, and we're sorry."