Rose #9//Lil Peep

#50: Brand New

"What did you do that was so bad?" Amanda whispered, smiling through each word as we sat in second period.

It's been a few days and I wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Nothing, I just— don't feel like—

Like vomit, ironically I continued with a string of words that was far from the truth. "I just don't feel like talking to him anymore."

She snapped, "What did he do?"

My frustration had settled in, "Nothing, he did nothing wrong."

"So why stop talking to him, is it because of Emma?"

Her response was such an outstretch that I spat louder that I should, "No!"

My outburst caught the attention of those in my class and Mrs. Barker, "Are you okay, Amelia?"

Looking over my shoulder to Mrs. Barker, I answered as Amanda snickered. "Yes, I'm fine."

One by one, heads turned away and that too was such a humiliation that I dropped my head, looking to the rubric in front of me.

"Okay class, now that you've overlooked the requirements for your new project,"

From getting up from her desk to walking up to the board, she over dramatically wrote a percentage.

"Thirty percent of your semester grade will be determined by how well you follow them. So begin."

"Do you think she remembers?" Amanda whispered.

My brows pulled in, "What do you mean?"

"Remember when she said that—

"Amanda, Amelia remember the arrangements," Mrs. Barker said as she walked back to her desk.

Amanda started to get up from her seat, and still— I hadn't caught on. "Wait, where you going?"

It was then that Anthony appeared and I was no longer confused.

As she walked to Cameron, Anthony dropped his bag in a way that made me flinch. It's evident that the tension had a lot to do with our last encounter at church, meaning the talk we had about Gus, in particular.

Evidently, everything, at this point, is a complete mess.

Momentarily, I glanced at Amanda, who took Anthony's seat. Cameron and her, and practically everyone in the room was talking with their partner, except us— Anthony and I.

The awkward silence was growing and growing, until it became a garden. Metaphorically, he grabbed a shear and began cutting the unwanted branches and shrubs. "What should we present?"

But, being as I am, I hadn't a suggestion. Last time, it was easy to...

From remembering that Amanda and I did a presentation on the ocean's biosphere, it transformed into throwing up in front of Gus. Oddly, they went hand in hand and I, instantly felt uncomfortable.

"What about corruption?"

Glancing at him, he had his knuckles pulled together, his cheek rested on them as he looked over.