Side By Side

13.

When school let out, Lissa and I hurried home, we made an excuse that Nancy was having a potential buyer over and we need to clean. In reality Marcus was coming over to have a chat. It had turned out Tiffany hadn't exactly been spreading rumours, just raising questions, like where I'd actually come from, if I was lying, if I'd been to jail, if my name was even Addi, and like she told me, people love to talk.

After we'd met up with everyone for lunch Lissa and I acted normally and when everyone asked about the looks I was getting, Lissa and I down played it until they stopped brining it up. Later, in math class I told Marcus he needed to come over straight after school.

"Is this about the Tiffany thing?" He had asked. I nodded gravely, "Shit,"

"Do you think she knows?" Lissa had asked on the drive home. Marcus was laying down in the back seat as we left the school parking lot so Jake nor Lily would see us all leaving together.

"Not yet,"

"Hi," Lissa, Marcus, and I greeted Nancy quickly and then hurried up the stairs and sat in Lissa's room, the door closed and the blinds drawn.

"Okay. What is going on?" Marcus asked while seated on Lissa's bed.

"Tiffany knows that Addi knows,"

"So?" Marcus asked, "isn't that good? I mean doesn't that mean that she can't touch you because you have something on her?"

"That's what we thought," Lissa told him and sat beside him, "but we were wrong,"

"I don't get it," he said.

"I have a secret too," I confessed. Marcus' eyes lit up, "and before you ask, no, I am not going to tell you. Not yet at least,"

"Alright well at least she doesn't know your secret," he said reassuringly.

"My secret is a quick google search away," I clarified. If she googled my parents names she was sure to find their articles, and maybe even the one written about their deaths.

"Oh, well, that's a problem,"

"And that's why we've called this meeting," Lissa clarified, "the 'Marcus is a dumbass club' is officially founded,"

"You know what, decent name. Hurtful, but factual," Marcus said.

"I can't believe we're in a blackmailing war with a demon from hell," Lissa said deflated.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked.

"I have no idea," there was a silence between us.

"Kids! Do you want some cookies?" Nancy shouted from down stairs. I sniffed the air. It didn't smell burnt, and cookies were the only thing Nancy could really make. I shrugged.

"I could go for a cookie," Marcus told us.

"What the hell," Lissa stood up and we followed her down stairs.

~•~

Later, when Marcus had left and Lissa and I were in sweats, we were talking absentmindedly over the TV.

"Coach told me that I'm going to be teaching the football players ballet," I sighed. Lissa sat up and gasped. Her mouth was a gaping smile and she smacked me excitedly on the arm.

"Hey!" I laughed and tried to shield myself.

"Addi! that's so awesome!" Lissa squealed brining me into a bone crushing hug.

"It's really not that big of a deal," I tried.

"I'm so proud of you. You're really trying and getting out there and doing things. This will be good for you,"