Becoming a DeMarlo

22: "There's no Fitzpatricks."

Thankfully, I made it through the rest of the day without gathering any further attention from my peers.

At the end of the day, I was at my locker, getting some stuff for studying. 

When I closed it, I practically jumped as I saw Tamika waiting behind me, with a concentrated look on her face. 

"Oh, hey. I-I didn't see you there," I stammered, as she stood with her hands crossed at her chest.

"I know you lied," she said, cutting right to the chase.

"Lied about...?" I trailed off, hoping it wasn't what I thought it was.

"At lunch. Sara's rumor was true, wasn't it? About your uncle punching Tyler because Tyler snitched about your family killing his?"

"No, Tamika. That's just stupid," I insisted, which only made her raise her eyebrows in disbelief.

"I don't think it is. And I did some research on you, by the way. You said you moved in with your brothers, who've been apparently living here for a while on the outskirts of town. Well, the families who live on the outskirts get water through a different set of municipal pipes, and I checked the list. There's no Fitzpatricks."

"I..uh..My brothers have a different surname," I blurted out, not having a lie prepared for this intense investigating Tamika had been doing.

She gave me a tight smile, as if she had expected my response. 

"Of course. But, you see, I have access to the library administration computers since I help out during my spare blocks. And, according to the school database, there's no Fitzpatrick registered."

"My real surname is Smith."

"Come on, Maya. How stupid do you think I am?"

I sighed, knowing that I was trapped in my weak web of lies.

"Fine. You're right, alright? I lied. I'm legally not a Fitzpatrick anymore, and...there was some truth to Sara's rumor."

"My dad is a police officer," Tamika stated, carefully watching my reaction.

"...And?"

"And I know about Tyler's uncle and his business. And how he died."

Here it was. 

"And you're telling me all this because...?"

I bit my lip and unconsciously curled my hand into a fist as I waited for Tamika to call me pathetic and fake for hiding my identity. But to my surprise, she put a hand to my shoulder and gave me a genuine smile.

"I'm telling you this because I get why you panicked during lunch. But you don't need to worry. Your family has done more good in this town than you could imagine."

I paused, not having expected this. Tamika didn't look like she was joking, but this didn't seem to be true either. 

"They have?" 

She nodded.

"Trust me, the only people that hate the DeMarlos are the ones who believe they've been wronged by them. And those type of people usually did something to deserve it."

"So, you're saying that if I stop hiding that I'm related to Elijah DeMarlo—"

"No one but Tyler will be upset," Tamika finished. "And maybe his friends, but that's because none of them know about Ed Hastings and his trafficking business."

"Oh. Well...thanks, Tamika. I think I needed to hear that," I said, as I felt a small amount of weight lifted from my chest with this new revelation.