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ANNIE WAS UNCERTAIN OF MANY THINGS. Her whole life revolved around uncertainty that scared her. Fear of the unknown ruled over her brain that made surviving in everyday life almost unbearable. The only way she could survive was putting on that bright smiling face and making everyone in her life happy. It was the simplest way to survive. Trin was never uncertain of anything. She had decided the directions of her life when she was young and never once doubted herself or goals. But now, things are different. She'd slipped from her pedestal and was now like every other anxious teenager on the planet. Annie had never seen her so anxious before. It was like she had become the personified version of Annie's deepest fears. The tragic thing is that in their friendship, they required balance. Annie was the sun, Trin was the moon. Annie was a golden retriever, Trin was a black cat. If Annie was unstable, then Trin was the opposite. So, when it was Trin's turn to be vulnerable, Annie packed all her feelings into a pretty pink package with a bow on it. She forced herself to be the rock that her friend needed.
School was the worst place for Trin's anxiety. It had never affected her before but now she felt like she was walking the jungle ready to flee from any prey that targeted her. She was on hyper awareness mode and even standing at her locker made her feel on defence. Things were different without Molly or Kaelyn. Molly spent the better part of her days making out with Violet Avery, her new cheerleader girlfriend. And Kaelyn spent the same time avoiding the two. Kaelyn wasn't jealous. But she was hurt. When Molly announced her new relationship, a part of Kaelyn felt abandoned. And when Kaelyn was hurt, she found it best to isolate herself so she couldn't inadvertently hurt others. Together they could be a unit. A force of nature. But with just Trin and Annie, they couldn't defend themselves.
Trin slammed her locker shut as she turned to face Annie. Their lockers were side by side. Annie was still digging through hers trying to find her lip gloss. "I feel like everyone's staring at me."
"Nobody's staring at you." Annie assured her.
"They know."
"They don't know. Even Kaelyn doesn't know."
"She'll find out."
"Are you going to tell her?"
"No but she'll find out. She always finds out." It was true. Kaelyn could sniff out a secret like a bloodhound. She could figure out your 'tell' within three minutes of knowing you. It's how she became so popular. Being able to strike fear when she knows everyone's secrets. Kaelyn didn't take kindly to secrets. She despised them. Which is how she ended up being so blunt with people. She found secrets to be a waste and if you lied to her then be ready for carnage.
Annie closed her locker and turned to her best friend, taking her hands in her own. "Look, I'm not going to utter a word to anyone so no one will know. You said so yourself, Derek wants nothing to do with this, he won't tell anyone."
