The Truth Is.

Chapter 5.

SADIE

     "They don't know who did it." Alex nearly crashed into his busted locker.

        The dark fog of my thoughts cleared away just enough for me to return to reality. It was lunchtime, and I'd stood with my head in my locker for the past half-an-hour.

        Students jabbered around me. All the while I ached to curl into a ball and hide until I died.

        Make-up did a good job of hiding the dread on my face. As long as I smiled, I could be perfect. And if I stopped hiding away in lockers.

        Mother always said, "Makeup is nothing but a wall. A wall to keep from vulnerability, to keep from seeing you."

        Melanie didn't wear her make-up like a defense, she wore it like a medal. Maybe this rule only applied to people like Mother and I.

        "Did you hear me?"

        Quietly, I closed the locker door, and looked at him. "That's terrible." Behind him, a girl smiled, and I copied her smile onto my face. Maybe Mother was right, maybe I really had forgotten how to smile.

        "They're checking the security tapes now. We all know It's some goddamn Scants."

        "Do you want my Father involved?"

        He clicked his teeth. "Our Dads are already involved, especially yours. He's pretty serious about reforming Trillium.

        I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. "Yeah. he is."

        "It's a good thing." He bumped my shoulder. "Those Scants had it too good for too long."

        "I know," I teased and withdrew from my locker.

        "I'm heading to lunch." He didn't give me a chance to reply before leaving. I reluctantly hauled my bag over my back, and followed him to the cafeteria. An open room filled with hundreds of teens sounded less comfortable than my dark locker.

        His head swooped down, brows furrowed as he tapped away on his phone. Mine hung unused in my pocket. It wasn't that I didn't like my Phone, I did, but I never had anyone to talk to.

        The gap grew, and it scared me. There was always a story to tell, or a song to share. I'd hated rap, but listened to it anyway for his sake. Then He happened, and just like everything else, our friendship died. My heart lurched. The gap between us had me pleading to crawl over. I wasn't the girl who befriended him, and I didn't have a clue on how to do it again.

        Maybe he's just waiting on me. After all, it's my fault our friendship is falling apart.

        With my mind made up, I started walking quickly towards him.

        He twisted into the doors, briefly holding them open for me.

        "Thank you." I said a bit too peppy. I walked next to him, my mind scrambling for something to say.

        I could ask him about the weather.

        I opened my mouth to speak.

        Don't, that's idiotic. My own mind scolded me. How pathetic was I? My own conscience was bullying me.

        Suddenly genius struck me, and I bit my lip to hide the excitement. I'd have my best friend back in no time.