Believe Me ✔️

[22] Awkward Confrontations

I spot Vanessa's car in the driveway as I'm about to turn in my own. I have to—need—to know if we're still friends. She ignores all my calls and texts. I pull out my phone and text her.

ADDY: Hey. I miss you. We should have a girl's day. My treat. What do you say?

Not even a second later.

Read 3:41 PM

You got to be kidding me. I park and cross the street up to her house, walking in like my usual normal and head upstairs. I find Vanessa in her room, sitting at her desk on her phone, ignoring my text, and wait for her to notice me. She doesn't, so I knock on the door.

"Addy!" She screams, dropping her phone. "You scared me. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." I step in and sit on her bed. "Why the hell are you avoiding me?"

"Come on," She laughs, but it's her nervous guilty laugh. I'd recognize it because I'm her best friend, of course. "Avoiding you? Addy, you're the one who started skipping school again. Seems like it's the other way around."

I'm not going to let Vanessa lie to me. I can't. "Ever since I told you about Paul, you've been weird. You don't return any of my calls or texts. I just texted you now and you left me on read."

"I was literally just about to text back," Vanessa says as she grabs her phone. "I swear."

"It's been two minutes. I watched you, Vanessa. You were just sitting on your phone. You couldn't just send a text back? Some reassurance or something? I mean, you're obviously not busy with homework or anything." I gesture to her empty desk. "What gives?"

With a heavy sigh, she sets her phone down and stands up to sit beside me on her bed. "With those rumors going around school, I didn't know how to act around you. I was afraid things were going to be different and I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want to lose my best friend."

"So ignoring me seemed like the best thing to do?"

Vanessa grabs my hand. "I'm sorry. It was wrong, I know." She smiles that familiar smile that used to make everything better. "Forgive me?"

"Vanessa, I need to talk to you!" Cecile shouts from the hallway and walks in, stunned to see me. "Oh! Addy, I'm sorry, but you need to leave. A family emergency has come up."

"Is everything okay?"

She nods, and waves me out of the room. "Yes, Addy. Everything's fine. I just need you to leave."

"I get it. It's okay." I smile at Vanessa. "Umm, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?" She nods and I walk out. I'm halfway down the hallway when I hear her mom shout again.

"What the hell was Addy doing here, Vanessa?"

I stop walking and listen.

"She just came to talk, Mom!" Vanessa defends and for a moment I truly believe I still have my best friend. "She wanted to borrow notes from class."

Not Vanessa's worst lie, but it's one I taught her.

"I don't care!" Cecile screams and I imagine she's getting in her daughter's face, spitting her hurtful words as Vanessa told me has happened many times before. "I told you to stay away from that liar! I told you to end that friendship!"

Cecile thinks I'm a lair? She told Vanessa to stop being friends with me? I wait for Vanessa's response as I stand quiet against the wall, crying my poor heart out.

"Addy is my best friend, and really, Mom? A family emergency? Why don't you just send her out with her head on a stick?"

So I'm not Cecile's biggest fan at the moment. No big deal.

I hear a smack and hand striking cheek and cover my mouth as I gasp. Vanessa never mentioned her mom hits her. "I'm not the bad guy here, Vanessa. That girl is not your friend anymore. I have dealt with that horrible girl far too long and I gave her another chance when she attended that ridiculous program, the one for messed up people. She's ruined her second chance. I will not have you associating with someone who lies about rape. That family is fucked up and I will not have them ruin my life, our life. You will never speak to her again. Do I make myself clear, Vanessa?"

I don't wait to hear what Vanessa says. It doesn't matter. She always listens to her mom. I jog downstairs out of her house and climb back in my car, pulling in my driveway and parking. I cry as I punch the steering wheel and scream and scream and scream. How could Cecile say those things about me, about my family? Those years being best friends with Vanessa, all those birthday parties, barbeques, holiday get-togethers all mean nothing now? I grab my purse and the CVS bag and storm inside.

I slam the front door and Tyler looks over from the couch. "Hey. I've been trying to call you."

"I know. I've been ignoring them."

"Where have you been?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was getting tested for STDs. Your day's probably better than mine."

"Oh." He stares at his feet. "Logan's waiting in your room."

"Of course he is."

"Upstairs," Tyler corrects as I head towards the guest room. He sits forward and pauses his movie. He never pauses a movie for me. "Did something happen between you and Logan? I've never seen you this angry at him."

I close my eyes and shake away a headache. "Don't worry about it, Tyler. I just don't want to see him right now."

"He's been waiting for over an hour."

"Great." Fucking great. "Next time tell him to leave," I snap at Tyler as I stomp upstairs to my room.

Logan's sitting at my desk and turns when he notices me. He stands up and smiles. "Hey. There you are. Where's your bed?"

"I sleep in the guest bedroom now."

"Why?"

I cross my arms and ask, "Why are you here, Logan?"

"Hey, don't start with the attitude," He defends, raising his arms. "Why are you so snappy?"

"I'm sick and I'm mad and I want to take a nap!"

Logan steps forward and grabs my shoulders, squeezing them, and says, "I know. Earlier you mentioned you were sick, so I brought you some soup." He grabs the paper bag off my desk and hands it to me. "Are you gonna scream at me for that, too?"

It smells good. I'm so hungry. Maybe that's why I'm in a crappy mood. I take in a deep breath and smile at the sweet gesture. Logan will come around after all.

"Chicken noodle, your favorite," He bribes, shaking the bag in front of my face.

Not my favorite, but close. "That's really sweet, Logan. Thank you. God, I'm so hungry." I throw my purse and the CVS bag on the desk and grab the spoon, ripping off the plastic, and start eating. I feel the bad mood fade away with a bite and turn to thank my sweet and caring boyfriend again. I choke on the soup and drop the spoon, eyes wide. Logan is holding the pregnancy test. Oh no.

Logan looks at me. "What is this?"

Shit. Why didn't I throw those away? Shit. Logan knows now. Shit. I set the container of soup down and approach him like he's a scared stray dog. "Logan, I can explain."

"What the hell is this, Addy?"

Shit.