What I Never Told You

Chapter 4

  I decided to wake up early and go for a run. I needed to clear my mind. The fresh, cool air punched my lungs as I inhaled. I yanked the earbuds out of my ears, and the music faded away. Now the air was only filled with the rhythm of my steps and the crunching of the leaves.
  My head was spinning, trying to figure out what Everly was hiding from me. We told each other everything, but apparently she was keeping something from me. But what?
  I couldn't really blame her though because I was keeping a secret of my own. I had been tossing and turning all night trying to decide if I should tell her.
She would hate me and never talk to me again, not that I would be able to blame her. What I did was horrible. I was the guilty party for the pain and suffering she had gone through the last year. The memory of the broken glass and flashing lights were burned into my mind, and it would haunt me forever. My heart would eternally be trapped by the shackles of the prison of guilt.
  Nobody knew the truth about what happened that night. It was also locked up in the prison of guilt, and I was the only key holder.
  The yellow ball of fire began to rise higher in the gray sky and the birds began to sing, which pulled me out of my spiral of thoughts and told me it was time to head home. I sped up, pushing my muscles and using whatever remaining energy I had to conquer the steep hill in front of me. As I reached the top, I felt like I was on top of the world. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made me feel like I could do anything. Well, anything except for the one thing that I needed to do: tell my best friend the truth about October 3, 2018.
  But right now, I had to head to school. I gazed at the sunrise and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. It reminded me of the first time that he and I had come here on a picnic. A tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away with the sleeve of my shirt, spun on my heels, and began jogging home. I forced my legs to go faster and carry me away from the sappy memories. As I rounded the corner, I spotted his parents.
  "Good morning! How are you?" they greeted.
  I stopped in my tracks and replied, "Good morning, I'm good! How are you guys?"
"We've been better. We were missing Xander and decided to take a stroll to clear our minds" Mrs. Baker replied.
"Yeah I know, I miss him too. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you".
  "You've already done so much for us. It was good seeing you".
  I waved and continued on my way home, running away from two more hearts that I had broken.
                           
                              ~~

  Everly didn't meet me at my locker before 1st period. I even waited a few minutes after the bell rang, thinking that she was running late. It was the first time ever that she hadn't met me up before class. 
  I was sitting in statistics, trying to focus on the assignment on the board. But something caught my attention. I noticed that everyone was crowded around the desk in front of me. They were all watching a viral video on Instagram. I glanced over their shoulders and saw a video of Everly falling off the roof the night of the party. I snatched the phone from the desk. There were hundreds of comments and reposts even though it was only posted an hour ago. I felt my back pocket buzz and whipped my phone out. 

I had a new message from Everly: Have you seen the video?

Yeah, we need to do some major recon. Where are you?

The bathroom in the science hallway

I quickly mumbled "bathroom" to my teacher and bolted to the science hallway. The scent of chemicals and lavender soap greeted me as I entered the bathroom.
"Come on, Ev. We're fixing this"
I grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway.
"Where are we going? Just leave me in the bathroom to die of embarrassment" she whined.
  I ignored her and stopped in front of the computer lab. I pushed the door open, pulling Everly in with me. Nick, the school's computer genius, was sitting in front of a computer and typing furiously. He peeled his eyes away from the screen and looked at me through his thick black glasses. "Umm... hey" he stuttered.
"Hey, we need your help. I'm sure you've seen the video of Everly that's going around school. Can you find out who was the first person to post it and delete it?" I asked.
"Sure, but under one condition. If I do this Bella, you have to go out with me" he replied.
  I glanced over at Everly, hesitant. It felt too soon to be going out with someone else.
"Pleaseee" she pleaded.
  I let out a sigh and whispered into Nick's ear. He nodded his head and resumed punching the keyboard. After a few minutes, he reported that he found out where the video originated from. I looked over his shoulder and my eyes widened in disbelief.
  "No. Way." I said.
  I tried to block Everly from seeing the computer, but the fire in her eyes told me that she had seen it.
  "Of course! I should've known! I told you that he hasn't changed! Where is he? I'm going to kill him!" Everly screamed.