The Truth ✔

Chapter 5 ~

Kaleb's POV

Everyone is starring at the 'loner girl' getting out of the car with me and Whitney. I watch as Layla lets her hair long black hair fall around her face almost like a curtain to hide behind. Thankfully mine and Whitney's friends are quick to surround us. My plan was for them to help shield Layla from other people's views as we walk inside of the school. I turn around to introduce our friends to Layla, but she is nowhere in sight. She has somehow escape from our side and ran off into to the crowd of students that are starring at us. "She just left?" I question confuse.

Connor shrugs. "Are you really that surprise? The poor girl looks like she was about to have a heart attack just standing next to you and Whitney. You caused people to notice her and incase you have forgotten, she likes to be invisible."

Stupid me. I didn't think about how she would feel with everyone's attention on her. Whitney lowers her head and shakes it. "I guess we weren't thinking." She then signals us to follow her.

She walks into the student council room, closing the door and locking it once everyone is inside. "Umm..." She looks hesitantly at me. "This morning when we pick Layla up, she had a huge bruise across her face. I just wanted to warn y'all so that y'all wouldn't freak out when y'all see it."

"What?" Winter gulps. "Is she okay?"

"She quickly covered her face and didn't want to talk about it. Actually, she didn't say anything the entire drive to school." Whitney says with watery eyes. Winter and Summer are also wearing sorrowful looks on their faces. On the other hand, the guys, myself include have our jaws clench tightly.

"Is this the first time she had a bruise on her face?" Daniel asks.

I shrug not knowing. "She keeps herself covered up most of the time. Most teachers let her where her hoodie in class, and when they don't, she does a pretty good job at hiding her face behind her hair or looking away from people."

Whitney pulls out her mirror and fixes her makeup. While still looking in the mirror she says, "Hopefully once we can get her to trust us, she will tell us what happen. If it is something that happens constantly hopefully, we can help her." She points to me. "You're up first. She's in your first period. Have you talk to Mr. Samuel yet?"

"I emailed him last night. He hasn't replied back yet."

She puts her mirror back in her purse and walks to the door, before turning around and looking at the rest of us. "Remember be gentle with Layla. She's going to try her best to ignore us, but if we want to be her friend, we can't scare her away and we cant give up." She smiles. "Girls, I will see you during cheerleading, and boys I will see y'all at lunch and with any luck, Layla."

The bell rings and I rush to my first period class looking forward to seeing Layla. As I enter the room, I notice she hasn't arrive yet. Mr. Samuels stops me as I start to head to the back of the classroom. "Mr. Knightly, I received your email. I will agree to it, but her grades my not be what you would expect."

I give him a curious look. "Are you saying that she doesn't understand the work or is it something else?"

He talks a little lower as not to allow anyone else hear. "She would be at the top of the class if she turned in her assignments, but she never turns in anything that she has to do outside of this room. If you are still okay with being her partner knowing that, then I will pair the two of you together."

"Yes, I still want to be her partner." I say before taking a seat in the back of the classroom. Layla always pick the seat farthest in the back of the classroom next to the window, so I take the seat next to that one.