Salient Secret

Chapter 6

After a long week of class after class, it was finally Friday. I had been cleaning out my locker little by little each day so that I wouldn't have to carry everything out today and have people asking questions because there's a high chance that this is the last time I stepped into this place.

I haven't told Maya about the immunotherapy or about the chance that I'm never coming back. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Ave, why is your locker empty?" uh oh.

"What?" I know, lame response, but I wasn't ready for this conversation.

"Yeah, its empty, I went there after lunch to borrow a pen because I dropped mine somewhere and there was nothing but half a sandwich and a pencil case." I mentally scolded myself for not thinking about the fact that she does in fact know my locker passcode.

"You didn't eat my sandwich, did you?" I said in attempt to distract her.

"Well, I took a bite to see what it was but it's still there, I thought you didn't like peanut butter?" My distraction was working...

"I don't but it does taste nice with golden syrup."

"I knew it, I just couldn't put my finger on what else was in there."

"My brother got me hooked. They should start selling it at the cafeteria."

"No, don't try to change the topic! Why is it empty ???" I wanted to respond, but the words wouldn't form. "Avery!" Maya screamed my name so loud that everyone in the hall went silent and was staring at us.

"Shhhhh, look what you did," her stare did not waiver, not even when a hall full of people were staring.

"Fine, come to my house later, I will tell you then."

"I can't, my cousins from South America are having dinner at our house tonight, apparently they have been in the country for 2 weeks and only decided to tell us last night. Hey, you should come to my house to have dinner, and you can tell me then. Okay?" I spent a good 10 seconds trying to come up with a reason why I couldn't be there besides 'My body will be too exhausted.'

"Okay." I sighed in defeat, I really did not want to have to air my business in Maya's house and risk her parents overhearing, I already knew that this wouldn't be a quiet discussion. She's going to be pissed.

"It's settled then. I will text you the deets." She hugged me and disappeared into the hall.

I went to my locker to grab the last of my things. "That bitch lied," I murmured to myself as I picked up my empty sandwich wrapper that she rolled into a ball and just left there.

I closed my locker for the last time, letting my hand linger a moment too long before turning around and walking out the door.