Someone Willing to Stay

Call Me Mel

Adam has only hit my face once before in my whole life. After my mom began questioning my bruised cheek, he never touched me there again.

Today I walked into school with a black eye partially covered by my hair.

"What happened to your face?"

Claire is the first one to ask, which surprises me. She's normally so focused on liking Instagram pictures, I was sure she had partially forgotten what my face looked like.

"You should see the other guy," I joke, picking up my already half eaten slice of pizza.

Riley rolls her eyes, "Seriously, Ni-Ni."

"No big deal," I assure them, "I slipped in the shower while having my mini concert session to old Taylor Swift songs. You know how it is."

"Those concerts can get brutal." Claire agrees.

Sometimes I wonder how no one ever notices. They don't see how I cover up every inch of skin with clothes, even during summer. They don't notice how I use the same excuses over and over. Not that I would want them to, I just wonder if I'm that good of a liar, or if they just don't care enough to really question it.

Really, how many times can a person fall down the stairs in one week before people begin to piece together a pattern?

"Anyways, can we talk about the important matter at hand."

Riley and I look at Claire quizzically as she interrupts.

"Oh don't act like you don't know." She stares at me, manicured fingers drumming on the table.

I raise my eyebrows.

"The new kid was at your house for dinner last night."

"What?"

"How did you even know that?" I ask following Riley's surprised shriek.

"I know everything, Ni-Ni. The point is, we need all the details. Go, go, go!"

They both look at me expecting answers I really don't have.

"Mason is an old family friend. He and his family stopped by so we could catch up."

Those Sunday dinners were something that I used to look forward to every week. Now, I trace the outline of the tender skin on my eye and wince. I hope that these dinners don't become regular. Angry Adam is worse than disciplinary Adam.

"So you're on a first name basis? You totally have a crush."

"Claire, you idiot, she just said they were friends when they were younger."

"Shut up, Riley, you're the idiot."

"Guys," I laugh, "can we drop it? Mason and I were friends. Key word, were. Not anymore."

They begin to nod until Riley catches something behind me and her eyes widen.

"You better tell him that." She says.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Claire smiles, "Mason Foster approaching the table at an incredibly sexy speed with an incredibly sexy smirk." She says.

I turn around, holding in grunts of pain at the small movement.

Mason has already made a clique within two days of being of home.

To his left is Robert Allenger. He's barely four inches taller than me and pale. His chiseled arms and curly black hair make up for his small physique. He's a hacker, notoriously know for taking over the screen at last year's graduation ceremony and broadcasting a video of the Gummy Bear Song. He holds his laptop under one arm and his lunch tray in the other.