Little Things ✓

Chapter 7

Still shaken by my words, Aaron returns to the center of the room and starts playing a sorrowful melody. Now I regret saying those words more than before. I basically promised that we wouldn't lose our other friends or each other the way we lost Hailei; still, given the current situation, keeping that promise is nowhere near being easy.

As a depressing A minor echoes through the room, I catch Shannon staring at the ceiling once again, Kaiti huddling herself in sleep and Leayah attempting to sneak away from the circle. The latter, however, stops short as I eye her. "Where are you going?" I raise an eyebrow as I ask. She, at first, ignores me, but is forced to turn to me as she realizes that I'm persistent.

"Looking for my item. Now, can you please stop eyeing me and let me go? I have no time to waste in your little glare show." Leayah's rude answer takes me aback. I mean, she can be tough and quite badass when provoked or interrupted, but why on Earth is she acting like that? Perhaps she got caught red-handed as I realized that she and Aaron might be a thing, or maybe she's just moved on over me. Like Hailei.

Not knowing who to talk to anymore, I notice that Rheta has been by herself all this time, especially after she retrieved her prized possession. The way she blends in both amazes and confuses me. Moreover, she hasn't said a single word since she told us why she hid her mirror, which worries me to an extent that I'm considering asking her some questions.

Nonetheless, she precedes me. "Hey Blen, you look upset. Is anything okay?" I'm not surprised by her gentle manners, but I don't know if I should be pleased or shocked that she's being nice to me altogether. I don't even know where the thin line between good and bad manners stands anymore. Being as blunt as possible, better if close to plain rude, is seen as just being honest while being nice is a bad thing.

Okay, the last thing I need right now is sharing my doubt on Hailei with Rheta. I'm not supposed to cause drama and I don't want to either. I only want this bullshit to end once for all, so that I can go back home, order myself something to eat, slump on the couch and watch a soccer game on TV or a film.

I move away from her but that must have been a wrong move. I have no-one else to talk to except Penelope. She's the only one who hasn't shown me any sign of renewed loyalty to the group or a complete change. I guess the only way to know is to talk to her. Still, I'm not in the mood for talking at all. I've already upset too many people so far, so making things even worse isn't worth it.

Maybe I could sleep a little bit, like Kaiti, with the hope that time passes as slowly as possible and I leave all the drama behind at least for a little while. What I need to realize, anyway, is that I can't run away from my mistakes, my secrets or my friends' troubles. I'll need to face them sooner or later, even if it means seeing all our bonds shattered and with no hope of recovery.

In spite of that, I still decide that a short nap is a good idea and lie on the bare floor, closing my eyes as they're ready to embrace darkness.

***

"You should really let go of those bitches, Blennis. If you care even a little bit about yourself, you shouldn't hang out with them anymore." Hearing Megan's crushing words makes me seethe of anger. Who is she to tell me to get rid of my friends?

And, anyway, who is Megan Noon to me? No-one, just a snarky bitch who loves turning my life into hell during work. Well, not that my other colleagues are much better than her. If only I'd left when I had the chance...

Megan's words, even though they sound so painful in my mind, are the depiction of reality. Why haven't Kaiti and the others kept in touch with me for four years? I mean, they only reached out to me for the bet. This, however, doesn't mean that I myself am exempt from any guilt of charge.

"Those bitches," as Megan calls them, are the people I've shared the most things with. But have we actually shared everything? Or is there anything more hidden underneath a mask made of lies?

Because, yes, this is what we all, including me, have been wearing since day one: a mask filled with deception and jealousy. We wanted the perfect little picture to be real but failed. Now it's clear that someone can't handle failure, which contributed to a major twist in their personalities.

Now, the question is: have I changed? How much have I changed since I graduated high school? Could I have done something to prevent this bullshit?

The only certain thing, anyway, is that there's no more room for hiding.

***

A tap on my forehead wakes me abruptly from what was slowly turning into a nightmare. Worse still, a massive headache is making my head burst and myself unable to even think. My hands are shaking and sweat is pouring down my beet red cheeks, as Rheta points out. Hold on. Why is she still talking to me? I mean, I thought she'd rather stay on her own.

Definitely a wrong supposition, Blen. As I try to catch a breath, Rheta suggests, "Close your eyes and count to ten, okay?" I try to do as she says, but it's just too painful. I can't keep this secret. I need to talk. I need to let this burden out. I don't want to suffer or make the others suffer because of what I deliberately decided to keep for myself.

Before I can even blurt out a word, Leayah is back to the center of the circle, shoving a green photo album in front of us. To make sure that everyone sees it, she snaps her fingers at a sleeping Kaiti and a distracted Shannon, bringing them back to Earth. At the same time, Aaron, who has been playing his guitar for a while, stops out of a sudden.

"Look at the pictures in this album," exhorts Leayah, handing it to Penelope, who opens it and is left open-mouthed after since. Leayah continues, "These are the pictures we took together during these years. I decided to take them here so that we could move on."

Kind of cold explanation for such a daring move, right? I mean, why should she get rid of those memories? Wouldn't it have been safer for her to keep the album at her place instead? Still, who am I to judge her for her choice?

I guess the only way to find the truth is to look at all those pictures, one by one.