Finding Me

Chapter 16

"Lunch! I'm saved!" I tell Alli as the bell rings, signaling that we are finally free from classes for about thirty minutes.

Alli laughs and follows me to my locker. I place my books inside and pick up my sack lunch. Then, we switch roles because I follow her to her locker so she can put her things up and get her lunch. We walk outside to my favorite spot underneath the tree.

I'm sitting down when someone shoves me, and my face meets the ground. I sit up and spit out the grass that got inside my mouth and glare at Cassandra who's standing behind me. She's smirking at me because she knows I won't do anything.

"How'd that taste?" she asks.

I wipe my mouth and lean against the tree trunk, ignoring her. She kicks my foot and then steps over me, but she manages to somehow step on part of my hand. I yelp, and she gives me one last smirk before sauntering off.

"You okay?" Alli asks me as she sits down across from me.

"Yeah," I reply.

Alli gives me a small smile and hands me a napkin. "I don't believe you, but I guess I'll just have to leave it be."

I give her a small smile and say, "I still don't get it."

"Get what?"

"What does Cassandra have against me? And why are you so open to being friends with me still? Cassandra has power in this school-- she has the power to make the rest of your school year miserable," I tell her.

Alli laughs. "She just thinks she has the power because everyone lets her have it. Maya, nobody knows why she's so horrible to you, and we may never know. That doesn't mean that I'm going to walk away from you. I'm your friend because I know that you're more than just who everyone thinks you are."

"And who is that?" I ask her, curious to know what her answer will be.

She pauses. "You have a tough exterior, but I can tell that you're hurting. I can tell that deep down, all you want is to have a good friend around, and I plan to be that friend."

I sigh and reply, "You're too nice. One day someone is going to use that to their advantage."

She laughs. "I'd rather be too nice than not nice at all."

"Like me?" I question.

She immediately replies, "Nope. You're not mean-- you're just a really big introvert."

I raise my eyebrow and open my lunch. She also opens her lunch, and we quickly eat so we can go back inside to the library. We throw our food away when we finish and walk back inside.

The rest of the school day goes by without much interference from Cassandra, making me happier. But, I know I shouldn't get too excited because she's sneaky, and she'll probably be able to sneak up on me if I'm not on my toes.

After school, Alli and I begin to walk to the path that leads to my uncle's house. We take the path down to the house and around to the kitchen entrance. I unlock the small gate of the fence. I set my stuff inside the kitchen, and she does too. After that, we head down to the beach.

"Maya, what was it like when you had to visit a shrink?" Alli suddenly asks as we sit down in the sand.

I stop at her question and then take a deep breath. "Weird. Well, I was really hesitant about going at first. Then, I gradually started talking more and more. That was a mistake on my part."

"Why?"

"He told almost the entire town about me. Bigger rumors started spreading and stories were blown out of proportion. That's why everyone avoids me like I'm the Plague," I explain.