Royally Flushed

The Story Of A Past Best Left Forgotten

~Malia~

The next day I awoke invigorated and filled with a strange and new sense that I hadn't felt in quite a long time, and that was the scary part.

It was almost as if I could have forgotten the scandal that would have already lit up the entire school, and country of England for that matter. I doubted the news would have reached the U.S. yet, but I still kept a cautious glance over my shoulder like always, just in case.

However, the fear didn't strike me down like it normally did, in fact felt a pang of hope in my chest that entire morning and all throughout breakfast, so much so that Mar even had to comment on my radiant smile that had me blushing a scarlet pink on my cheeks.

I could feel my legs jittering and shaking up and down all the way to the school and when my driver stopped me at the entrance and I thanked him like I always did when he opened my door, the constant stares didn't slow me down.

I left the car with my head held high and I walked across the campus with a purpose, as much as I could with crutches and bruised ribs at least, and another smile graced my face when I spotted Lizzy talking to some of her friends, but I noticed there was a slight tinge of disappointment in my heart when I saw that Louis wasn't among them, and I didn't know if I should have been scared or happy that he wasn't there.

I didn't know if that meant that his family had pulled him out becasue of the magazine scandal, although that wouldn't have made much sense considering the fact that his face was upon them every other day. It must have just been a coincidence that he wasn't at school the day after he came to my house to try and get to know me, and after the press ran a story about us being together... big coincidence. Totally.

I kept trying to to tell myself that the entire walk over to my brand new friends that I'd known for less than a week and it was becoming clear that they were very interested in me since Louis was as well, and I didn't know if that made them opportunists or just fair weather friends, but whatever they were, I knew Lizzy wasn't in either of those categories. I'd told her what happened and she accepted it, and me, with open arms, no ifs ands or buts about it, and that made her a true friend in my book.

"Hey guys," I called out to them and they all looked up from their phones and smiled bright, almost real smiles. The only genuine one I saw was from Lizzy, go figure.

"Malia, glad to see you actually showed up today, what with the story breaking and all..."

I didn't remember the name of the girl who had just spoken to me as if I were a leper far beneath her, but she had dark hair and a look on her face that made her seem as if she'd just smelled something foul.

"Yeah, it's not really true though, so why would I stay away?" I asked them questioningly, wondering why they all of a sudden donned very sympathetic looks, including Lizzy.

"What is it?" I asked them after a few heartbeats of silence and pitying looks.

Henry gave me a smoldering and almost disappointed look and finally spoke up and I had to force myself to pay attention to his words and not the cacophony of sounds blasting me from all directions: the loud speaker telling us of upcoming events, teenage gossip from every angle, birds chirping loudly.

"Did you not see the article? Not the one about how you and Louis would be a good match, but the one that came out just a few hours later? About your...past?"

I felt all the color drain from my face as soon as he said that little four letter word. I grew unsteady on my feet and I felt myself swaying, my body leaning on the person nearest to me who just so happened to be Henry.  I wasn't expecting the soft rush of tingles over my body that forced the chills running along the base of my spine to encompass the entirety of my being.  I was glad for them because they gave me a reprieve from the onslaught of emotions running at me in every direction.