Lies for Truth

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It was Friday and the last day of school for the next two and half weeks. Ariana met up with her friends at the front of the school.

“Hey, you look different.” Jolene committed.

“What?” she squeaked, panicked that her friend would realize what she had done with Jax yesterday. Jolene was the first of them to have sex, maybe she could spot the signs.

“I think it’s your hair, you don’t have it pinned.”

Ariana touched her hair and sure enough her clip was gone, Jax must’ve pulled it out when he kissed her in the car that morning. “I guess I forgot it.” she followed behind her friends as they headed inside and parted ways to get ready for class. On her way to her locker she spotted Charlie already there. “You could’ve told me face to face instead of slipping a note in my locker.” It bothered her that he couldn’t be honest again.

“I was busy.” He kept his face planted inside his locker.

“Are you too busy today too?” she knew he was lying. “Charlie?” she touched her hand to his shoulder and he flinched.

“Back off.” He shut the locker and walked away.

It wasn’t until they were in the classroom she saw what he was trying to hide, a fresh black eye. Her heart dropped, she was willing to bet it wasn’t an injury from football practice or even some brawl with someone his own age.

Charlie ignored her the rest of the day and at lunch she sought out Jax. “I need your help.” she motioned for him to follow her outside. “Do you know where Charlie lives?” she hoped the answer was yes, their town wasn’t that big and Jax seemed to know a lot about where everything was.

His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I’m helping him with math and another project.” She knew Charlie wasn’t going to make this easy so she was just going to have to go to him herself.

“Why are you trying to save this guy? It’s a lost cause Ariana.” He wished she would understand that.

“There’s a lot you don’t know and I didn’t know either. I decided to help him and I want to see it through.” She couldn’t explain it well; it was a need she had to get through to Charlie, to be a friend, because she knew he wasn’t being honest with his so called other friends.

“I don’t like this.”

“I know and I also know even though you don’t like it you’ll let me make my own choices.” It was the reason she decided to ask for his help because she knew he’d give it, probably hating the whole time but he’d do it.

“Ariana if he hurts you again I will kill him.”

Staring into his eyes she didn’t doubt that. “He won’t.”

“He lives in the apartment building in Spring Hill. I’ll give you a ride.”

She reached up and hugged him, that wasn’t something someone would consider inappropriate. “Thank you.” she pulled back and offered him a faint smile, she was grateful he was willing to help her even though he was completely against it. They parted ways and she went back to finish her lunch.

“I want us to get together tomorrow.” Jolene announced as she sat. “We haven’t done anything just the three of us in forever with school and family in the way.”

“What do you want to do?” Ariana asked with some hesitance because she knew her friend had a big imagination and sometimes it got her in trouble.

“We could go hang out at the mall and buy some new outfits.”

Ariana really started to panic. “For what?”

A huge grin broke out on Jolene’s face. “There’s a party tomorrow and we’re invited, everyone is. It’s like a bash for school being over and a happy holiday thing. No before you start protesting just think about it, it’ll be fun and Laura already said yes.”

Ariana turned a glance to her other friend, Laura was shy and she knew if she had said yes Jolene must’ve done a lot on convincing. “I don’t know.”

Jolene groaned. “It’ll be fun! You’ll have the next two weeks to stay at home cooped up in your room doing boring stuff.”

“Hey!”

“I’m sorry sweetie but you know you’re boring. Come with us and prove me wrong, it could just be for a little while, hang out with people our own age.” Jolene smiled again as she saw she was wearing her down.

“Fine but just for a little bit.” She hoped she wouldn’t come to regret this.

She left lunch a little earlier to gather her books for her next class, again Charlie was there. The halls were empty as he sat on the floor under his locker. He probably hoped to have some time alone she guessed.

“There’s five more times to lunchtime.” He didn’t glance up from his hunched position on the floor.

“I was done and decided to grab my books now before the halls are crowded.”

“Ariana Ellis always prepared.” His tone was flat; if he was trying to tease her he wasn’t going a very good job at it.

“What are you doing here?” there was five minutes before the bell and she’d have enough time to gather her things, instead of opening her locker she sat down on the floor with him.

“I should be asking you that. Get your books and go.” There wasn’t any emotion to his voice, he sounded defeated.

Ariana frowned, she wanted to get angry at him but looking at his face she couldn’t. “Why did you tell me all those things, why did you ask for my help if you were just going to shut me out?”

Charlie sighed, his head stayed down as he wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t know, it was a mistake. You have your life and I have my life and there’s no reason for them to intertwine.”

“I don’t understand, you won your bet you didn’t have to tell me all those things.” She liked it better when Charlie was this jerk she hated, he wasn’t real then, she hadn’t seen him as this broken person she saw now.

He chuckled softly and glanced at her for the first time, the bruise on his face was horrible. “There was no bet Ari.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What?” the bell rang loudly causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

“Got to get to class.” He got off the floor and walked away, his books already at his side.

Ariana sat there with her mouth gaping open, how dare he say that and then walk away? No bet? Then what the hell was that date all about? She’d just have to ask all her questions when she stopped by his place later.