In the Shadows

Chapter 19

    (Author's Note: For reals, this man needs to leave her alone, lol. But if you would like to listen to Chapter 19 on audio, please click the video. Enjoy!)

 I arrive late to work and my feet are killing me from walking halfway down the road and I look like a mess. I go straight to the bathroom to fix myself up, but as I'm heading there, I'm stopped by Camille.

  "Girl, what happened to you?" She concerningly asks.

  You know I got into a fight with two people today. First, with a girl named Meg, and then I got into it with Chris. He was being an asshole to me because he didn't want his friends to know we are friends. But instead of saying all of that, I say, "Nothing."

 "Nothing? Have you looked at yourself? Your hair is sticking up at the sides and you look exhausted like you have been walking for hours. So, don't lie to me." 

   I can't get away with anything when I'm with Camille. She knows everything, there's nothing I can hide from her.

 "I got a flat tire," I shrug. Okay, I'm not completely being honest with her, but I'm not going to tell her the whole story, she would just freak out and want to go kill Chris.

 "Why did you not call me to come to pick you up?" She asks.

 "Because I did not want to bother you."

  "Why are you always concerned if you bother me? It's no bother at all. Next time if something happens like getting a flat tire, call me, please." She shakes her head. "You know I will be there in a hurry... Alright?"

  "Alright, I'll call you next time."

  She smiles. "Good." She gestures towards the bathroom. "Now, let's go get you cleaned up."

  We make our way to the restroom. I look at myself in the mirror, I do look awful like Camille said. I take off my bobby pins out of my hair- my hair falls to my shoulders. Camille takes out her brush from her purse and hands it to me; I thank her. I start to brush my wavy hair and Camille helps me pin it up with a french twist. It looks better now than this morning. Camille tries to offer me makeup, but I decline. I change into my red shirt and I look in the bathroom mirror once again, I look... nice on the outside, but on the inside, I feel like I'm dying. 

"Now you look decent," Camille says with a smile. 

 "Thanks to you."

  We head out of the bathroom and she stops me near the corridor. I look at her, seeing her usual nosy expression of concern.  "So, are you going to tell me what else is troubling you?" 

  I'm an idiot if I thought I could get away with keeping her in the dark. 

 "What?" I say because I don't want to talk about Chris. If I know her, she will want to go hunt him down and beat him. 

 She makes a dramatic display of rolling her eyes. "You're my friend you can't hide anything from me. Now spill."

 "I got invited to a party on Friday," I answer with a sigh. Alright, that's not what is troubling me, it's Chris who's bothering me and all the hurtful things he had said, and more importantly in front of his friends. I can't believe I'm mooding over a man. 

 "What? I thought you said you will never go back to those parties. Not after-"

"I know." I cut her off. I don't want her to say it. "But a girl, her name is Meg. She was tormenting me about how I don't go to parties because I was a goody-two-shoes, and she kept pushing me..." I shrug. "You know how I get when someone makes me mad."