Promise

Chapter 26

I could hear Jay's voice getting louder as he and his friends walked further down the hall towards my direction. I quickly ran into the nearest bathroom and let out a deep breath when the door swung shut. My body was shaking as I backed away from the door, the sound of Jay's voice passing by on the other side.

"Are you okay?" a curious calm voice asked.

I looked over at the row of sinks, startled that I hadn't been alone. Kendra stared back at me and the fear I had a few seconds ago left my body and was replaced by an awkward feeling. It was an odd question to ask me, especially since it'd been a while since we'd spoken.

When I didn't reply Kendra cleared her throat awkwardly and rummaged in her purse pretending to look for something. I wanted to leave the bathroom but I was too afraid I'd run into Jay. I'd planned on staying in here until first period ended. I slowly approached a sink and started washing my hands. I stared at myself in the mirror and sighed at my appearance. No wonder people hardly talked to me anymore. I hadn't let myself go but I looked unapproachable in my oversized hoodie and unruly ponytail. I'd had no time to do my makeup this morning and because of my poor sleep schedule my eyes looked tired the dark circles around them emphasizing that. Definitely not like the old, confident me. Jay'd managed to stomp on the bit of self esteem I'd once had for myself.

"Amore?" Kendra said.

I looked at her and she interlocked her hands together, looking down at them.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you," Kendra said softly. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me. I haven't been the greatest friend."

"You think?" I finally said.

Kendra's shoulders sank and I felt bad for my snappy response despite it being true.

"I've been seeing you around school, you don't look...happy, like yourself," Kendra continued. "I've been wanting to talk to you, come by your house but I guess I just didn't know how to approach the situation."

"I appreciate your apology," I said. I didn't know what else to say. I mean, I did. I wanted to call her fake, I wanted to call her out for not supporting me or having my back like I thought she did. But I needed to hold myself accountable. After Jay kidnapped me I'd deliberately distanced myself from everyone for a brief amount of time; texts were left on read, phone calls left unanswered. It just hurt to see my friends hanging around people who supported Jay even though they had nothing to do with what he did. At the end of the day it was all Jay's fault. Even when I was in a relationship with him he was already making efforts to distance me from my friends and anyone else who cared about me. It hurt me that Kendra, Chantel and Isabella hadn't been much of a support group to me the past month but I also couldn't blame them.

Kendra gave me a small smile but then returned to being serous.

"You looked pretty scared when you came in the bathroom, is everything alright?" she asked.

"I saw Jay," I said. "In the hallway." I hadn't expected to cry in front of her but  felt my eyes start to burn and tears began to form.

Kendra hugged me for a brief moment and I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie.

"I have heard rumors he was trying to come back to school," Kendra said. "That's crazy, after what he did to you."

"No one cares," I said, sniffling. "None of that matters. His dad has connections and Jay knows everyone believes him and likes him so he'll be welcomed back with open arms."

"Not by me."

"Really?"

Kendra nodded her head.

"It's sick what he did to you," she said. "I mean, you never told us anything but I always suspected. Then when he hit you that day in the parking lot I was shocked like everyone else but I don't know, I guess because you kept going back to him it made me feel like it was all okay, you know?" Kendra shook her head, disapproving of her own statement. "It's stupid but just seeing your reaction at the site of him, it makes me feel bad. Jay really is dangerous."