The Love of Art and War {s/t - completed}

16: Three's a Crowd

SIXTEEN
Three's a Crowd

On Monday morning, I knew that I was in serious trouble. I was in trouble with Brogan because I still hadn't gone home. I was in trouble with Eric because I was avoiding him and he didn't deserve it. I was probably going to be in trouble with school as well, because by avoiding Eric, I knew I was going to miss my art class today – I wouldn't go without Nahla – and my attendance would slip. Sooner or later, I'd probably be called into an office somewhere to admit that I was ditching class. 

Nahla was kind enough to drop me off at school before she left state for Georgia. She'd received a phone call last night that her great aunt had passed away, peacefully in her sleep, but they were needed in Georgia because Nahla's grandpa – her great aunt's brother – had taken the news especially badly. She'd be out of town, along with the rest of her family, until after the funeral. She was coming in to be granted compassionate leave before driving for the rest of the day. 

Blythe met me at my locker, moaned about prom and how the dress she wanted was already taken, which was, like, totally unfair. The good thing about our dress shop in the local mall was that two people from the same school would never wear the same dress to a formal event. They had a strict policy about uniqueness and if someone else had already picked out the dress you wanted, and they went to your school, and they were shopping for their prom, well then you couldn't have it. No matter how unfair it may seem. Everyone seems to like it for the most part.

The ironic part? Nina was the one who'd already picked out that dress. It seemed that they were only communicating through Austin now, who looked annoyed but parroted their every bicker. 

"Where's Nahla?" Blythe asked at lunchtime. I was already sat down when she came into the lunchroom and after getting her food, she bee-lined straight for me. "I haven't seen her all day."

"Nahla's had to go and visit family in Georgia." 

"OK. Doesn't it feel like I haven't seen you in ages? Like, where have you been?"

I've been in school like everyone else. Blythe wasn't in some of my classes, but I had seen her at lunchtime and at the end of the day before Nahla and I went back to her house. "I saw you on Friday."

"Well... then you've changed."

I cocked my head to the side. "Changed?"

"Yes. You look different."

I thought about the bruise on my face. I'd done my best to cover it up with make up. I'd learnt how to use concealers and foundations properly when Brogan first started hitting me, and so I knew the bruises weren't visible right now. So what did Blythe mean? Was it true – the rumour that when you lose your virginity you glow afterwards? Was I glowing? Could people just tell when one lost their virginity? "I haven't changed in a week."

"People can change in a minute." Blythe retorted philosophically. "Is something bothering you?" She said after a moment, before I could respond to her comment. "You look like you're troubled by something." 

I was troubled – troubled by a lot of things. But things that my classmates didn't have to worry about always had troubled me. No one had noticed before. Unless I was slipping, letting my emotions show through the cracks? I couldn't crack now, not when I was so close to the end. Maybe I was accidently letting my guard down now, when I needed it the most, when I had even more to hide than ever before? "I'm just tired," I lied. "My brother had been out of town a lot this week on business so I haven't been home much. I get less sleep at Nahla's."