The infamous notebook(COMPLETE)

YOU'RE MY FRIEND

The dining table was quieter than usual when Stone walked in, a book in her hand. She glanced up, surprised by the silence.

"Where have you been?" Emily spoke, her forehead creased. Stone noticed her food was untouched.

"In my room?"

"We had been so worried"

"Were you angry at us?" Max piped in; his specks ready to jump off the cliff of his nose. Dan was looking at her. But Zach was nowhere in sight.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked.

"Yes, I just got a bit overwhelmed. You guys were having so much fun I didn't want to bother you" she chuckled awkwardly.

There was a unison release of sigh as Stone sat down.

Max slid something shiny towards her. It was a seashell.

"I thought I'd give it to you in your room yesterday as a sorry but mum didn't let me go."

She picked it up and looked at it for a long time.

"I thought you were angry at me. I was so worried" Stone jerked her head sideways

"You were?" she noticed a tear forming in her eyes. "I mean why would you" she had lowered her voice. "You don't know me at all. Why would you care?"

She looked at Stone for a few moments before saying-

"You are my friend"

Stone strode up the stairs. She had spent the rest of the day on the beach thinking about the 3 weeks she had spent on this beautiful place. She was so swept up by her new friendships that she hardly had time to acknowledge the breathtaking scenery. She watched the water softly swaying with the wind, she wondered where they had been. The last time she had seen them was in the morning. Might be busy. She spent the rest of the afternoon on the sand and it was not till the sunset did she decided to head in.

The wooden steps squeaked every now and then snapping her back to reality.

They wanted to be my friends. And I lied to them. This thought revolved in her mind continuously like the humming of a honey bee

"No" I will tell them everything.

She sprinted up the rest of the way.

The white door was open a crack when she reached her room. Stone heard murmur from inside. What is going on?

The murmur grew louder as she neared. "she lied" she heard Dan's voice.

"shhh Dan keep it down" it was Emily.

She looked through the crack. And saw, once again, the red notebook.

They ruffled through the pages, not noticing as the door swung open and Stone stood, transfixed.

The wind from the window blew the paper in Max's hand. it flew over to Stone and rested on her foot. He looked and froze.

"It's not what you think Stone" Max said as Emily gasped. He had nudged them all to attention. She saw pity swarming in Dan's eyes, and Emily's moistened eyes. The brown carpet of her room suddenly fascinated Max.

Then her eyes landed on Zach, he stood at the corner. Their eyes locked and his grey eyes, to Stone's surprise, didn't shine with pity nor anger. But something else. But Stone could not see anything except the red notebook in Emily's hand.

She extended her arms, eyes fixed on the notebook. She couldn't look at them.

Emily walked to her and kept it on her palm.

"Stone it's not what you think-

"Please leave" it was a whisper but it echoed in the room.

Stone sat by the window. The blue in the sky had once again replaced by the grey.

She had seen it all before. She smiled as she looked at the greyish sand, tormented by the strong gusts of wind.

"I don't learn my lesson now do I?" sad smile still painted across her face.

"A few words and you thought you were special"

"Friend" she scoffed.

"Friend" tears trailed down her cheek.

There was a soft knock on the door. She didn't reply. The door slowly opened.

"Hey. It's me Zach." She didn't turn.

"It was me who read that journal. I swear I didn't intend any of them to walk through the do-

"You got what you wanted Zachary; you don't have to apologize"
"What? I didn't want any of this. I just" he paused, looking for the right word.

"You just got curious. Does it even matter?" she said, her voice trembled.

"You got what you wanted. Now ready to start another day. Another fresh day for you."

"I understand how it feels to be an outcast"

Stone jerked her head towards him.

"You have no idea how I feel. You have no fucking clue" The walls had crumbled and the water gushed out with earth shattering speed. It had finally happened. He had struck the chord.

"I am just a freak. An entertainment. But I can't take it anymore. I was totally okay alone. I was fine. I had always been fine. Why did you say I was your friend? I was totally okay with being a fucking outsider. I was okay with it. Why ever give me hope if you hated me so much? For the first time in my life I wasn't feeling like a freak" she had stood up and was standing a foot away from his ashen face. Tears freely streaming down her own. "For the first time in my life I wasn't looking behind my shoulder" she was panting hard. His violet hoodie and pale face a blur.

"When you said I was you friend. I believed it. After everything, I still believed you. I thought this time it was different. I thought you were different."

She saw the hurt in his eyes. It was pouring outside. And it was cold.

Stone walked up to the window, picked up the red notebook and flung it across the window.

"It's gone now" She hastily wiped her eyes as all the memories flooded back to her- The attic where, on a Sunday afternoon, she had hidden behind the books and scribbled in that notebook. In front of the library when it was pouring, she had written about the dragons which lived in the clouds. All the places she had imagined visiting, the pictures.

But it was gone now. They had finally managed to destroy it.