What A Lie Looks Like | ✓

1.01: sephine

I should have listened to the chatter of gossip, but instead, I tuned out like always. If only I had listened to prepare myself for the impending storm that showed herself at the end of the day. She was walking from the office at the end of the hallway, wearing the same uniform as the rest of the girls, except it looked good on her.

The pristine white button-down was crisp and tucked perfectly into the pleated skirt being worn inches higher than the dress code allows. It was done on purpose to show off the long legs that lead to the simple nude stilettos that would have looked plain on anyone else. But the uniform wouldn't have been complete without the calm smile Tessa was rarely seen without.

The calm smile that makes me want to puke, run away, and punch her in the face all at the same time. But the only one of those that seems somewhat enjoyable would be punching her in the face.

I almost laugh because of how enthralled everyone is by her. While she might be pretty on the outside, she's pretty ugly on the inside. But here it's all about your appearance, so I'm not entirely surprised. It's given the frenzy something else to talk about besides Melanie's nose job, and Oscar for getting caught with marijuana in the locker room by the swim coach.

I put an easy-going smile and head towards the parking lot. It only took a few days for the chatter about me to die down at the beginning of the year before people realized that there was nothing unusual to gossip about.

If they only knew.

Liv was standing next Cam as he reclined against my car that was a few rows back from the entrance. My car was one of the perks of moving, except it barely made a dent in the parking lot full of more expensive cars. They were simple playthings until the teens of Hermon Prep decided they needed a new and more expensive one to satisfy their tastes.

Liv befriended me the first week I was here, ironically over the pair of shoes I was wearing, Alexander Wang nude fishnet stilettos. I could only remember the exact pair because she keeps joking that we should have Cam build an altar for them. After all, they're credited with being the reason she approached me.

Cam followed not long after because he and Liv have been friends for years. Everyone here has gone to school together since kindergarten; old habits were hard to break, and friendships were even harder to make. Such as his friendship with Hayes: something that we couldn't quite understand but something we didn't push him on either. Mostly because I can't stand watching him use girls and I'd probably kill Cam if he started acting anything like him.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Liv asks with a slight frown on her face, and Cam rolls his eyes as I toss the keys at him.

"Uh no, of course I didn't," I try to lie, but I'm failing quite miserably because it's fairly evident that I have no idea what we're talking about.

Cam pulls at the constricting tie that's tied neatly around his neck to loosen it, "Don't even bother, Seph. I'm surprised that Liv even remembered with the dramatic return today."

"Oh please, Tessa was bound to come back at some point. All hail the queen," She mumbles sarcastically, causing me to crack a smile.

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who feels that way about her.

"So, what exactly are we going to do?"

"Get away from this hell hole to go to another," Cam smirks, twirling my keys in his hand as Liv shoots him a disappointing look.

"Shoe shopping is not a hell hole."

"Oh yeah! You wanted to get new Choo's for your parents' party this weekend, right?" I twist a lock of hair around my finger before unraveling it, only to repeat the same motion again as Cam unlocks the Jeep Cherokee.

"I wouldn't classify it as a party because we won't be there to have fun exactly," he grumbles, and Liv hits his shoulder after buckling her seatbelt in the back. "Ouch, no need to get violent."

"There's no need to be an asshole," Liv fires back, and Cam cracks a grin.

It's my turn to elbow him, "Stop riling her up, it's not funny," even though it is, and we both know it, "why are you in such a grumpy mood?"

"I'm not, it's just been a long day."

"You're telling me."

Liv's attention snapped to me, "What happened to you?"

Tessa.

I shrug, still smiling, "Nothing, just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Liv satisfied with my answer quickly moves on to the next subject while Cam focuses on driving. "What did you guys think of the play that Mr. Amell decided we're reading this semester in place of Macbeth?"

"I wish that we were reading A Tale of Two Cities instead. I've heard that Cyrano is a good play but I-"

Cam cuts me off, "Yes, we know; you love Dickens."

"Oh leave her alone, at least it's something that could help her in the future instead of mindlessly chasing a ball around the field with a stick." Liv's response doesn't skip a beat. She never fails to remind Cam how pointless she believes lacrosse to be, yet she never fails to miss a match.

"Better than spending my entire allowance in one store."

The bickering isn't new, but today it's easy to tune out now that there's a possibility of the past being drudged up. But perhaps I'm not the only one that wants to leave Seattle in Seattle.

********

Despite Cam's complaints about how he didn't want to go to Liv's parents' party, he still made an appearance. I excused myself from the conversation I was having with one of my mother's donors to find Cam after I spotted him over Mr. Drury's shoulder.

Unsurprisingly he was at the bar by the time I found him again sipping on a clear beverage. I raise an eyebrow, but he just grins and winks teasingly at me. "Is there a reason you weren't here on time?"

Cam shrugs, "I wasn't going to come."

I lean against the counter and wait for him to continue because 'I wasn't going to come' clearly isn't the entire story, seeing as Cam is standing right in front of me.

"I didn't want Liv to be mad at me," He answers truthfully, and I try to keep from smiling.

"I'm pretty sure she's still talking with someone from school near the dancing area." I nod my head in that direction, and a small smile turns the corners of his mouth upwards. His eyes briefly scan me taking notice of my outfit, but I don't think anything of it other than a compliment.

"Where did you get that dress? It's not normally the kind of thing you wear to these."

I play with the silky ends of my caramel hair that has slipped over my shoulder. It's pulled back in a sleek ponytail that goes with the black dress hugging my curves nicely as my feet are adorned by classic black Louboutins. Except Cam didn't know that this was the kind of thing I used to wear. Seeing Tessa walk around this week in the place that I've gotten a fresh start from had only managed to boil my blood the longer I thought about it. It was a moment of weakness when I stumbled upon the dress hanging up with my new, more innocent-looking clothes that I'd taken a liking to.

I want to believe that I've changed, but shedding my old skin hasn't proved to be so easy. Hence the momentary relapse in my past clothing choices.

"Figured I would mix it up for once."

Cam nods approvingly as he absently tugs at the tie to loosen it from the crisp button-down, "You know I'm surprised that Tessa hasn't made an appearance yet. Before she moved away for a year, her family never missed a chance to flaunt their wealth." The disdain crystal clear in his voice peaks my interest. Liv made it quite evident that she was no fan of Tessa when she came back earlier in the week, but Cam is what surprises me. He doesn't have bad blood with anyone, but I guess he falls into the hating Tessa club with me.

"You don't like her?"

His brown eyes become guarded, "Have you had a conversation with her since she's been back?"

I shake my head, feeling my ponytail swish back and forth against my shoulder blades that have been left bare by the fact the dress is strapless, "No."

"Consider yourself lucky then."