That smile

A bitter lie

      Christmas season is finally here. I'm actually nervous. Not because of Christmas, but because the music competition is shortly after.
     Me and Ethan are not a couple yet. However, he sure does treat me like his girlfriend. He takes me almost every place he goes, he holds my hand and puts his arm around my shoulder constantly, and he kisses my cheek, a lot.
     He invited me to a Christmas party that one of his football team members was throwing. He got me a very nice present.
       "I got you something." He said when we were away from the busy party room. He held out a small box.
      "That's not fair! I couldn't get you anything." I replied.
      "You don't have to get me anything. Open it." He said while placing the box into my hands.
      I opened it and a beautiful silver cross necklace lay in the box.
      "Ethan, it's beautiful!" I took the necklace out of the box and put it over my head. "Thank you." I said when I hugged him.
       "Glad you like it." He said.
      "I love it and I promise I will get you a Christmas gift." I said.
      "You don't have to get me anything, just..." He looks above us. I follow his gaze and find a mistletoe right over our heads. "Hmm... Would you look at that?" He meets my gaze and smiles.
      "Wow, you are so cheesy." I wrap my arms around his neck and gave him a big, long lasting kiss.

      Soon, the party is over and Ethan takes me home. I open the door to my house and hear my mom in the kitchen. She's been acting weird lately. I'm not sure what's going on with her.
      "Hey mom." I say.
      "Hello." She replied.
      "Is everything okay mom?" I ask.
      She doesn't turn around to look at me.
      "Yes." She said.
      "Is everything okay with you and Daniel?" I ask.
       "I... I don't know..." She says slowly, still refusing to look me in the eyes.
       "Oh, I'm sorry mom." I sat my purse on the table.
      "I should be the one to apologize." She says. "I found his bible in your room. I'm so sorry he's pushing his beliefs on you..."
      "No mom, he's not. I uh... He's just letting me uh... Borrow it." I found myself stuttering. Why am I afraid to tell her I got saved? She's my mom for crying out loud. I can trust her.
      "Oh? He's been telling me that you've been going to church a lot lately."
      "Yeah..."
      She finally turns around. "You wouldn't go unless you were being forced to."
      "Mom, I'm going because I want to go." I quickly say. She gives me an odd look. Okay. Here we go. Just tell her Penelope. "I got saved a few weeks ago, mom..." She frowns. "Please don't be upset."
      She looks at the ground. "I knew this was going to happen." She whispers.
      I put my hand on her back to comfort her, but she pushes me off and marches right out the front door.

      The next day, I awake suddenly to a door slam. I peek outside of my room and see my mom walk into her room and close the door.
      My phone buzzes with a text from Ethan.
       Hey most of the school is going to the new local cafe. Would you like to go? I can pick you up.
      Sure. Sounds like fun. I reply.
      Ethan arrives a few minutes later with Buck and Jessica in the truck.
      "Hey, what's with the sad face." Buck says as I enter the truck.
      "Is everything okay?" Ethan asks.
      "Yeah... I just... I told my mom that I got saved." I said.
      "What did she say?" Jessica asked.
      I feel tears fill my eyes. "She's upset. She left the house last night when I told her, and didn't get home until 10 minutes ago." I said.
      "She's not a believer?" Buck said.
      I shake my head. "She never was. Well she tried to be when she was married to my dad, but after they split up, she cut everything that had to do with God or Jesus out of our lives." I said to them. I fell a tear roll down my cheek.
      "It's okay. Maybe she'll see how awesome your life is, and want an awesome Christian life too." Jessica said.
      I nod and fake a smile.

      One we get to the cafe, I notice some girls at one of the tables giggling and looking my way. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I start to feel uncomfortable.
      I order my coffee and sit with Ethan and the gang. I recognized those girls from my math class.
      A few minutes later when I finish my coffee, I go to throw the cup in the trash. One of the girls approach me.
      "So what should I bring to the baby shower." She said smiling. A couple of other girls giggle.
      "Excuse me?" I say. I couldn't have heard her right.
      "The baby shower. We noticed you started showing." She said. Is she calling me fat?
       "You're psycho." I start to walk away.
       "Sweety, there's no need to hide anything," she said. It stopped me dead in my tracks. "Ethan told us everything." She said. I look over Ethans direction. "Let's talk outside." She grabs my arm and drags me outside.
      I notice a few more people following us, including James.
      "What did he tell you?" I ask.
      "I think the better question is what didn't he tell us. Is it true that you were still a virgin before you and Ethan... You know. Did it?" She said.
      My eyes grow. "We didn't...-"
      "He says your pretty wild." James winks at me.
      "What a fake." I hear a girl say behind me.
       I turn around. "What?"
      "You're such a fake, Penelope. Yeah I'm so christian when I'm sleeping around with every guy I meet. Even with older guys? That's pretty pathetic. I bet your screaming with joy that you're pregnant." She says.
      "I'm not....-"
      "Don't try to hide it Pen." James says. "The deed has been done. God won't forgive you this time."
      "Ethan didn't...-" I try to speak again, but a phone gets shoved in my face. I read the text carefully and my heart begins to crack.
      It clearly said Ethan at the top, and it told... Everything... Every personal things. Lies. about me sleeping around with everyone, about us sleeping together. Those were lies, but it even said stuff about Blake. No one knew about him but me and Ethan. My jaw literally dropped.
       "So I guess you weren't a virgin." The girl says.
       "You're a skank, Penelope." James says.
       "You know I wouldn't...-" my eyes fill with tears.
       "Don't try to cover this up. That text went viral around the school. Now everyone knows you're a fake." He continued.
       I feel tears fall. I hide my face and runaway from them, as people laugh my way. I run and run, until I get home. I quickly get to my room and cry my eyes out into my pillow. My phone then buzzes.
      Hey where did you go? From Ethan.
      I throw my phone across the room. How could Ethan do this to me, tell everyone secrets that I trusted him with? I thought he liked me, I thought he cared about me. I knew this was a trick from the start. I knew it was all a game. Mom was right. He sucked me into his fake religion and now he's going to bully me until I break.

      A few hours later, I hear a knock on the door. I'm thinking it's probably my mom. I open the door. My heart stops when I open it.
      "Hey." Ethan stands between me and the screen door. I slam the door. "Penelope! Please! Talk to me!" He knocks on the door again.
      "Go away!" I cry.
      "Penelope, please!" I open the door. Tears streaming down my face.
      "How could you do this to me?" I yell. "Some of that stuff was personal, and now every thinks I'm a lying sack of...-"
      "I swear I never wrote that text." He quickly says.
      "I don't believe you! You wanted to ruin my life from the start. You never liked me, you've always hated me. You're the real fake!" I said.
      "I'll do something about that text, i...-"
      "It's to late. The damage has already been done. And it's all your fault." I say.
      "Penny, please believe me. I didn't send that text." He said placing his hand on the screen door.
      I curse. "You really think I'm going to believe you? All you ever did was lie. Just go away!" I slam the door and head back to my room. I didn't hear anymore knocks on the door for the rest of the day.