A Dream Come True

Chapter Four: Truth Be Told

The next day, the girls and I are getting ready to head to the mall. I am terrified.

The mall we're going to is where my old friends and me used to hangout; they are drug dealers. I used to be an aggressive stoner until I got away from my old friends and met the girls. Two years ago my old friends decided to try to kill me since I decided to get clean. I still have the scars. Knowing them they will finish what they started, and I'm scared for myself and the girls. I need to tell them. I may not want to but I need to.

I look up to see the girls about to walk out the door ready to go. I feel the fear coursing through me as I yell, "Wait!"

I feel my heart rate increase as I watch the girls turn toward me. When I say nothing, they look at me confused. I have to tell them. The fear of telling them is so overwhelming that I can feel myself getting sick. As I feel the bile rising up my throat, I run to the bathroom. Kristina comes in as my stomach empties into the toilet.

When I look up, I see Kristina isn't there. As I flush the toilet, I hear someone enter the bathroom and crouch beside me. Turning my head, I find Kristina handing me a glass of water. I down thee entire glass and feel better almost instantly, but still weak.

"Are you alright, Tessa?" Kristina asks.

I nod saying, "I have something to tell you three. If we're going to the mall, it can't wait."

I let Kristina help me off the floor, and we walk to the living room. When we got through the doorway, Elizabeth and Claudia meet me with concern and hugs. As I think about what I'm going to tell them, my legs begin to wobble. I walk over to the couch to sit with the girls following me.

"Ok. I have something extremely important to tell you. It's really hard for me to talk about, but you need to know. I promise I will answer any questions you have when I'm done, but I need you to listen to the full story. Will you do that?" I ask looking at the girls.

Instantly, they reply, "We will."

I lie down on the couch staring at the ceiling and begin to tell them the story of my past:

"Ok, well, here it goes. Two years ago, before I met you three, I was an aggressive stoner. I had this group of guys that I hung out with. As you can probably guess, they were drug dealers. The mall we are about to go to is where we hung out getting high and beating up anyone who looked at us wrong. After a year of being like that, I realized I wanted to do more with my life, so I went to rehab. Two months, before I met you, I got out clean as a whistle. One day I went to the mall and ran into my old friends. They tried to give me some cocaine, but I told them I was clean. They were so pissed that they beat me on the spot. The only reason I'm not dead right now is because they heard someone coming. That someone found me bleeding to death and called 911. I was in the hospital for a month recovering. I still have the scars. I never knew who it was that saved me that day. It was two months later that I met you three when I reenrolled in school and joined the band.

As I finish, I sit up and turn to the girls. I sit there waiting for them to say something. As the girls continue staring, I begin to squirm uncomfortably.

After a few minutes, Kristina snaps, "Why didn't you tell us any of this?"

I look down saying, "I didn't want you to judge me for my past. I wanted to be friends with you girls, but I wanted you to like me for the new me. I decided the day I got out of the hospital that I wouldn't tell anyone about my past unless I had an unbreakable friendship with them. A friendship like we have."

I feel someone's arms go around me. Claudia.

"We love you, Tessa," she says hugging me.

Elizabeth hugs me asking, "Not to be insensitive or anything, but can we see the scars?"

I nod saying, "In my room."

As we enter my room, I lift my shirt to show them the scars. I haven't checked them in a while, so I don't know if they look better or not. I figured it out when I heard all three girls gasp at the sight. I'm waiting for them to ask how I got these from getting beat, but they're all in shock. I wave my hand in front of their faces, and they snap out of it.

Claudia looks at me asking the question I was waiting for, "How did you get those from being beat?"

"One of them happened to have a knife. When I tried to fight back, he pulled it, and this was the result," I explained. "So, what are we going to do?"

Kristina looks at me saying, " To the mall."

The fear sets in again, "No! I know these boys. They will finish what they started if they see me at that mall. This time you will be there, and they will take you down with me."

Kristina thinks about it for a second then says, "You will be looking around, and if you see them, we hide until they're gone. Sound good?"

"Fine."
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Another chapter! Bet you didn't see that coming. Give your thoughts on the story so far. What do you think will happen at the mall?