Surface

Chapter 14 - Sincerly, Dead Girl

The ride to school was filled with love songs and shy glances. Innocence and simplicity. The few moments I had with Zac as we cruised down the road in the breezy weather of the fall were not tainted by the dark events that took place in this town. That were still taking place. For the fifteen minute drive from the police station to the school, I enjoyed what should have been my teenage experience.

The windows of the jeep were down, the wind was blowing through my tangled hair, my crush was beside me fighting the urge to sing along to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream so he settled for tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat. It was all perfect. It was what I wanted. I'd like to think that if I hadn't befriended Hannah or the girls, this reality would be mines. But that probably wasn't true. Maybe it was a little naive for me to think that all my problems were based on a single decision. I did believe in the butterfly effect but if I was going to get mixed up with the wrong crowd, if I was going to let my need for reassurance take over my morals, if I was going to kill, it was going to happen. Hannah or no Hannah.

The real problem, the root of it all, the center of the spider web that I called my life was me. Self-pity and regret weren't going to change any of it.

Zac pulled into the school parking lot and smirked at me. "Are you sure you're going to go into school like that?" He was looking at my pjs. "Not that you look bad or anything - that's not what I meant. It's just not the- uh- regular thing to do."

"Thanks for looking out for me but I have an extra set of clothes in my locker." That was Zac for you. Awkward but you had to love him.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry about your books either. I heard we're having an all-day school assembly." I sighed. That sounded boring but it would give me some time to recover from today's incident. At the same time, I wanted something to distract me from the recurring image of a stranger dragging my unconscious body over to the police station. It sent shivers down my spine and made me want to take five-thousand showers.

We stepped out of the jeep and Zac gave me a quick hug before allowing me make a beeline for my locker. The first bell would sound in a few minutes giving me some hope that I wouldn't be spotted by a fellow classmate. I had almost made it to the entrance when I saw two familiar faces. Both on their own would have been no surprise but seeing them together, now that was a shock.

Shelby and Hannah were stomping across the parking lot like a pair of angry runway models. Both of them looked a little more roughed up than usual. Shelby's lavender locks were hoisted in a messy updo while Hannah's was in a 'messy but somehow still manages to look cute' bun. Shelby was wearing mismatched socks and a sweatshirt over jeans while Hannah wore a wrinkled jumpsuit.

"We rushed for no reason!" Hannah shouted. "We still have a couple minutes!"

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Good then you can go to the bathroom and fix your makeup or hair or something! Anything but stay next to me."

The brunette was appalled and it showed on her face. "Why would I want to stay here with you? I've had enough of you for a lifetime!" With that, Hannah was gone.

I figured it wasn't a good time to reveal myself. I had been eavesdropping and had to hurry for the assembly. After changing into more appropriate clothing, some jeans, a t-shirt, and a cardigan, I found myself strolling down the hallway less than eager to join everyone in the auditorium.

It was already loud and humid with half the school inside. Almost all the seats were taken, meaning some of us would have to stand or sit on the floor. I scanned the area as I walked in, having that first day of school feeling in my stomach. That's one thing I missed about having a group of friends: Not having to go anywhere alone. Now, I was unsure of where I would sit and dreading having to sit surrounded by students I didn't know. A few minutes into it their stares would make me antsy, picturing all the mean thoughts they were thinking about me. All the rumors about me, all the shameful things I did, my entanglement to Victoria's death. Ugh.