For Rylie

Chapter 28

A/N: All I have to say is that it is too early to be up on a Saturday morning (8:36am)....

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Putting on make-up before school is something I had done since I was nine. Yeah, I know. A nine year old putting on make-up for school?

Pretty pathetic, but that's what happens with low self esteem and a bitchy mother. 

So getting up this morning and not putting on make-up felt bizarre. It felt as if I was forgetting something when I left the house, but Charlie didn't let me go back and put some on. 

Which was probably a good thing. I didn't really like make-up to start with. 

But it felt as though my make-up was part of my mask, a literal mask if that makes sense. It protected me from people noticing the imperfections on my face, and therefore avoided the comments that followed. 

And I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous about not having my physical mask. I hated my freckles. 

"You okay?" Kye asked, changing the CD as we drove along the main road to school. 

"I'm good, Kye," I told him. "Be a normal teenage boy, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Right," he remembered then started singing Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous by Good Charlotte. 

Yeah, we kind of had an obsession with Good Charlotte.

When I turned into the carpark I saw Max and Hazel getting off Max's bike in his usual corner of the parking lot. 

"See ya, Rylie," Kye called, walking away from the car and probably to his locker. 

It was strange. I never saw him during school except sometime on Wednesday's, because his locker and all his classes were on the other side of the school. But I didn't even see him at lunch. 

Someone pinching my sides took me out of my brainwave and I didn't even need to turn to see who it was. 

"Max!" I squealed, turning around and hitting his arm, frowning. 

"Oh shut up," he smirked, pulling me in for a hug. 

Okay, the lines are really blurring now. But you know what?

I didn't give a shit. 

It was too hard to stay away from Max and in all honesty, I didn't want to. 

Screw the lines. 

"No make-up today?" He asked conversationally as we went to my locker. I looked around to see where Hazel had gone to and I saw her with a guy. 

"Ooh look at Hazel!" I exclaimed, hitting Max's arm with excitement. "She's talking to a guy!"

Max's face instantly became serious. "Where? Who?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Oh chill," I laughed, smiling at Hazel when I saw her look over at us. She was clearly worried that Max would walk over so I winked at her while I looked up at her brother. "Come on."

I had to literally drag him away from the carpark by the arm. Needless to say I was still laughing. 

"Maybe we should go back and see who it was," Max said, his voice sounding like it was just a thought that slipped out of his mouth by accident. 

"No," I shook my head firmly, opening my locker. "Give her some space. It could be just a friend."

"I doubt it," he protested, stubborn as anything.