With Every Step We Take

Chapter 36

"Sure!" Grace and Cory say excitedly.

While the three of us are talking, Mandy runs up to us suddenly. Her face resembled someone who just had a panic attack.

"Christen I need to talk to you right now." She says. I see her eyes glistening with tears, and I turn to Cory and Grace.

"I'll see you guys later." I tell them quickly. They looked just as stunned as I feel.

Mandy pulls me into the bathroom, and breaks down.

It takes about two solid minutes of me comforting her, for her to stop crying and speak to me.

"What's wrong?" I ask her. I am very concerned, I haven't seen Mandy cry since the sixth grade.

"Don't think I'm a bad person. I promise I'm not, I just do dumb things." She says, grabbing her face.

"Mandy you are my best friend. If anyone knows you are not a bad person it's me." I say, hoping to calm her down.

She nods her head, and attempts to collect herself. Luckily no one has come in here, to see this scene we were making. No doubt it would start gossip.

"I cheated on Justin." She whispers brokenly.

"What?" I ask. This doesn't make any sense. Mandy really really likes Justin, heck it's safe to say they are falling in love. Why would she do this? I push back my confusion, and try to be the best friend I can be for her.

"Justin and I have not been spending a lot of time together lately. He's been really busy, and I've been lonely. This guy I met at the party, asked me out on a date, and I said yes. When he drove me back home we kissed." She says, and starts crying again. Mandy never told me she met a guy at the party.

"I know that I didn't tell you, but it was only because I was so ashamed. After we kissed last night I didn't know what to do." She says, crying some more.

I give her a hug. "Shhh it's going to be ok. Stop crying, it's all going to work out. GOD is good right?"

She nods, sucking in a shaky breath. I know just by looking in her eyes that if she could go back in time she would undue this mistake. She never wanted to hurt Justin, she just acted impulsively.

"You're going to have to tell him Manders. If you explain it to him, like you did to me I think he'll understand." I say.

She shakes her head. "I can't."

I don't want to argue with her, so I decide to talk about that later. Right now I just need to get her presentable for first period.

I wipe of her face, and dab her eyes. She still looks like she's been crying, but it can only be seen if you look closely.

"Here drink this." I say handing her my water bottle. It was ice cold.

She gulps it down greedily. "Thank you Christen."

I smile. "Don't thank me girlie, just get yourself together." I say, to lighten the mood.

She rolls her eyes. "If only it was that easy."

I offer my hand, and yank her up. We walk out of the bathroom, and into the hallway full of people. No one pays attention to us, and we make our way through to our lockers before we enter first period.

I constantly check on Mandy through out the day, and she seems to be doing a little better.

At lunch time I get my usual, Chicken fingers, and I sit in my chair next to Grant.

"Hey Bae." I say in an obnoxiously flirty tone. Being silly helps my mood sometimes.

He gives me a 'was that really necessary look', and returns to eating his food.

"You could at least say hi back." I grumble, picking at the chicken strips.

They were really good today. Each bite was crunchy, and full of meat.

"Oh my gosh! What is going on with your hair?" Courtney says as she approaches the table, truly appalled. I'm surprised she didn't drop her food.

"Bad day?" I supply, knowing that excuse won't fly with her.

"And that means you couldn't pick up a brush?" She asks. She turns her accusing gaze to Grant. "You let her leave the house with her hair looking like that?"

Grant looks up, taking a bite from his burger. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's sticking up all over the place in matts!" Courtney shouts. I realize that me not taking the time to do my hair was a personal offense for her.

Grant shrugs. "I just figured it was suppose to look like that, you know like a style."

Courtney screeches in annoyance, and Grant shakes his head and laughs.

I on the other hand just sit there in embarrassment. Who knew my hair looked that bad. I mean, I put on a head band.

I continue eating my food, and look up at Mandy. She is eating her lunch, but is keeping to herself. When everyone asks her what's wrong she just says "Nothing." Only I know what's really on her mind.

My friends and I discuss our usual lunch time conversations, unloading from the stresses of the day.

We're interrupted by Justin slaming his tray down on the table, startling everyone sitting here. "Tell me it isn't true, Mandy." He says pleadingly.

"What are you talking about?" She says lowly, I can barely hear her.

"Did you, or did you not cheat on me?" Justin asks, his voice breaking at the end. My heart sinks. How did he find out? Who told him?

When Mandy doesn't respond, Justin looks at her in disbelief. "Did you?" He shouts, drawing attention from the tables around us.

"Dude calm down." Grant says, sensing that Justin is a little out of control.

He ignores him, and keeps his attention on Mandy.

"How'd you find out?" She asks.

"Someone left me a note in my locker, telling me. I didn't want to believe them, but now I see I need to."

Mandy just looks down, and tears roll down her cheek.

"We're over." He spits out, walking out of the cafeteria. Justin was a very easy going happy guy. Until now I've never seen him so upset.

Tears stream continue to strem down Mandy's face as she gets out of her chair. "How could you Christen? I was going to tell him in my own time. This didn't even involve you, so what gave you the right to tell him?"

For a moment I was at lost for words. She actually thinks, I wrote Justin that note! Why would I do something like that? "Mandy I didn't do this!"

Mandy eyes bulge out of her head. "Are you actually going to lie in my face? You are the only one who knew!"

I start to say something, but she holds up her hand to stop me. "Don't ever speak to me again." She says. Mandy walks out of the cafeteria, leaving the rest of our table looking at me for clarity.

I hold back the tears that threaten to spill out of my eyes. "I didn't do it." I say quietly, and go back to eating what's left of my chicken fingers.

They all look like the believe me, but no one says a word.

I carry through the rest of the day really upset. I try to give this situation to GOD, but it's really hard. I lost my best friend, what was I going to do? We've been through everything together, how could I loose her so unjustly?

GOD comforts me though, He keeps saying 'Everything has its season.'

I'm not sure what it means, but it's comforting.

As school goes on, I can't help but acknowledge my day went from bad to so much worse.