Ginny and Georgia: The Younger Shadow

Chapter 44- Lunch with Older and Younger Mang
"So, how is exam week going for you guys?" I asked, taking a cautious bite of my pizza and trying not to let it burn my tongue.
"Not good. I've probably failed chemistry and English at this point." Norah buried her face in her hands. Everyone seemed to be really exhausted and tired. Aria and Madi had pale, paper white faces and Abby kept yawning into her hand. Usually, Max was really upbeat and easy going, but instead of chattering as usual she just stared into her tomato soup, stirring it around in a zombie like trance. Kara wasn't even on her phone like usual, but sleeping. She rested her head on the table and slowly closed her sweetly intense brown eyes. Nobody spoke much, and Ginny wasn't even here. She was sat on another table for today with Hunter, laughing at their lame jokes. And everything seemed messed up since I had met Jonathan. My birthday had been two weeks ago, but I never wanted to make a big deal about it. Mom just let my friends stay for a sleepover, but I admit I was really pleased with the cake, a rich one with chocolate icing and nuts cut into squares, and loads of cookies and chips. We sat around watching movies till we fell asleep from tiredness, my head pounding with the pop music still in my ears. But it had been nice. Aria had given me a silver necklace with my initials carved into it, Kara a gorgeous pair of jeans with a shirt, and Madi and Max put their money together to buy me more art supplies, the ones I had been begging my mom for ages to buy. Georgia herself had gotten me more books and chocolates, and a parcel came from Zion. It was a display of chocolate strawberries with a lilac card reading, Happy 15th Birthday, Charlie. Have a blessed day. Ginny got me a brand new set of headphones and Austin drew a sticky picture of me and him, and I thought the gesture nice. So overall, it wasn't too bad, but I still had that...that fuzzy and aching feeling that never left me. This huge secret I had to carry around and I could only tell my friends, not my mom. But Leon had promised to keep my secret. Aria had begged me to visit Cassie and Clay, but the truth was I wanted to put it off as soon as I could. I was behind with nearly every subject, and piles of homework never seemed to stop. The girls at the table weren't speaking, and I popped a few grapes into my mouth, the awkward silence hanging above our heads.
"Hello, are you guys alive?" At my voice shattering through the table Abby jerked up, spilling her coke.
"Thanks, Charlie. As if my life isn't worse enough." She muttered half to herself as she mopped up the spill.
"Let me do that, Abs." Max gave her a light kiss and Abby slumped back into her chair, stroking her forehead and wrapping her arms around herself.
"Sorry. You guys are all so tired. Are you ok?" Madi bit her finger nails and replied,
"I'm just in one of those moods. Just my history teacher nagging on at my to complete the essay. But I can't! It's so hard!" I patted her back, a sympathetic look on my face. School was destroying me slowly and slowly. Back at all the other schools I went to, I always had free time to study and do my homework. I didn't exactly have the urge to find my dad, or discover more secrets about my family. But it seemed my sleuthing activities would have to be put on the line for now.
"Mads, you know I'll help you later. Hey, Kara, you awake?"
"Hm? Yeah..." Came a drowsy reply. A few minutes later lunch was over though, and I threw my half eaten lunch in the trash, not feeling hungry. The others plodded on next to me in the hallway, and older Mang left to go to their next class.
"God, I can't handle this." Aria hissed, slinging her handbag over her shoulder and applying some hot pink lipstick to her doll-like lips,
"I'm gonna die if I spend another second in this hell." Kara snapped, and I banged my locker shut and nodded.
"Then what do you suggest?" Madi said, looking between us curiously. Aria grinned from ear to ear just like Abby did, then whispered,
"Let's skip class. Fuck this." Skip? I definitely had changed.
"Aria Littman, what the hell?" Kara said, and I just stood there, torn between class or having a bit of freedom when I was so tired. Well, my mind refused to work and my fingers ached with blisters from staying up with revision. Why not?
"Let's go then, red." I laughed and it felt quite shrill and unlike me.
"We'll be In so much trouble!" Madi said, but eventually we all walked out of the building, and I prayed nobody noticed us. That we would be as invisible as the walls.
We walked on and on till we came to Lil's Ice Cream Parlour. I had taken Austin here before and the ice cream was lush. A few curious glances were thrown in our direction since we were actually meant to be in school, and a few glands of sweat trickled down my forehead. If my mom ever found out what I had done, I knew my life would flash before my eyes and leave.
"I can't believe we actually just did that!" Kara laughed while licking her vanilla ice cream. I had picked an oreo one whilst Aria and Madi both picked banana.
"Come on, you know I've wanted to for ages! Would you rather have this, sitting here and having this sugar perfection, than listening to some ancient dinosaur drone on about the civil war?" Aria said, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing. I just don't want to think about what will happen when my mom realises I wasn't in class. What If they look for us and realise we aren't at school?"
"They probably won't, maybe it'll look like we're just in the bathroom or sick at home." Madi answered, tying her now disheveled hair up so it wouldn't have ice cream on it.
"Anyway, who cares? Not like my parents would even notice." Aria put her hand on her chin and watched some cars stalking by. She tried to sound unbothered but I thought there was more than that.
"What do you mean?"
"They're too busy fighting over their stupid lawsuit. Who gets the money and custody of us. All that unnecessary crap. And did you notice Abby didn't want to speak or look at me at lunch? She's mad because I chose to spend the weekend at dad's house with his new girlfriend, Janvi. But I mean, she's nice and she cooks such delicious food from where she's from, India. And I just wanted to comfort Amos because he needs us too. He doesn't get why Abby isn't there." Her voice sounded bleak, and a crushing weight fell on my chest. We all hugged Aria tightly, watching the clouds form strange shapes above us. My ice cream melted and soon, bits of Oreo sticking to my hands grossly. I was just rubbing it with a tissue when a voice behind us startled the hell out of me and made my heart stop. It seemed to, at least.
"What the fuck, Madi? What are you and your posse doing here?" I turned around to see an obviously furious Marcus and Maxine glaring at us. My friends and I were sitting on the steps outside the parlour, bathing in the sun's delicious heat, but it seemed to freeze all over at the twins' icy looks.
"Max! Marcus! We just... we were walking home from school and decided to get ice cream! Nothing wrong with that, is there?" Madi tried, but I could see from Marcus's clenched fists he wasn't buying that. Neither was Max.
"Bullshit, Madi! Mr Agnello let us out early, and we walked past your class, which is still going on! You snuck out? Why? Don't you have tests coming up too?"
"It's none of your business, Max! And it's not yours either, Marcus! Why don't you just go screw another girl and twist her heart like the cruel demon you are? And some girlfriend you are, Max! Do you even know what's going on with the Littmans? What Abby's going through? Exactly. Fuck you." Max looked like someone had hit her, a hurt look on her face. Marcus had a distant look on his face and Madi grabbed her bag and we walked as fast as we could from the Baker twins.
"For God's Sake, Madi, why did you do that? Now you can bet they'll tell Ellen." Kara hissed, and I risked a glance to where Marcus had his Stone grey gaze pinned to us, while Max had walked away in the other direction, kicking dust In her rapid haste to leave.
"They won't, Kara."
"And how do you know that?" She countered, as we stopped to let a car hurtle by, the gas practically choking me as we walked home.
"Because of the Baker sibling Pact. When Max and Marcus were nine and I was nearly eight they broke one of mom's really expensive China vases, and they made a pact with me: we don't snitch on each other, otherwise we all suffer. They only say something if I've, like, killed someone. Anyway, why do our sisters act so innocent when we all what they do? They get buzzed and they've shoplifted, so I don't get why they try to pin the blame on us. And Max wants to make everything about herself sometimes. All she talks about are her stupid plays she does, until I want to puke!" Madi gasped for breath and we all raced home, the wind slapping my face with every step. I tried to recollect all my thoughts while praying, to any God out there, that everything would be well.
"See you, guys." I said, and just as the other turned to leave, I asked myself what I really wanted. What would change in my life if I made the one visit I so desperately was scared but excited for? So I yelled back to them,
"I'm gonna visit Cassie and Clay."
The girls froze in their tracks, bewilderment etched on their faces. Aria's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes lighted up from the dull look it had had earlier.
"Finally! We were wondering when you had the guys to do that, Charlie!"
"When do you want to go to this bar, then? The Lion's Den?" Kara asked, and I took out my phone and scrolled down to where Jonathan had texted me the address, just so I would know where it was for certain. I could hear muffled sounds in my house and I didn't want to be late going home, in case mom got suspicious and questioned where I had been.
"Yep. Jon texted me the address, and promised to tell Beth if I came, that I wasn't a stranger and I might have a few questions. It's on Walker's Way, about 30 minutes from here. Maybe we can get a bus or something. Let's go this Friday, after school."
"Shit! I can't go! Abby's agreed to meet my dad's girlfriend for dinner, and they'll skin me alive if I don't go!" Aria wailed, and I patted her back comfortingly. I didn't know what to feel in that moment. Shocked, or terrified to my wits end. I wished Aria could go, but I didn't want to burden my friends with my problems, and I considered the situation. But this was something I had to do by myself.
"Actually, I think I should go alone, just this once. Is-is that ok?" Suddenly, the sun blazing my back seemed even more intense. I didn't want to seem like some ungrateful priss. I appreciated my friends, but after last time I just didn't know whether they should come.
"Hey, don't feel bad. It's alright." Kara said, but her eyes spoke otherwise. Were they hurt? Madi jostled me jokingly, trying to brighten the mood, but her touch sent ripples of pain up my neck and back.
"I'm sorry. It's not to do with you guys. It's just this is something I have to do by myself."
"We get it, Charlie. It's fine. Really." And I left for home without any further words.