Started With a Lie

Chapter One

            “Oh, Peter?” I say. “I don’t know any Peter.”

            I watch as the smirk fades from her face. I can’t believe this is the person that I was best friends with for seven years. I used to tell Karen everything—from secrets to crushes. Everything. Like last year, when I told her I liked Peter. I also told her I’d been crushing on him for three years. But obviously, she didn’t care if she went behind my back and hooked up with Peter anyways.

            The betrayal was unexpected.

            It was random even. Out of nowhere, she stole the guy I liked, spread rumors about me, started hanging out with the “popular” kids—the same people we made fun of for acting like they were so cool—and she even picked on me in front of others.

            I had no idea why either.

            I had enough one day and slammed her face into the wall somewhere in the last few months of junior year. We got into a huge fight and earned warnings from the principal—who let us off because we had never gotten in trouble before. Principal Appleton also made us each see a guidance counselor to “solve our emotional issues that our teenage hormones were causing.”

            After that, my popularity kind of zoomed up. I was the good girl who randomly punched Karen. But it wasn’t random. Only I knew that though. She acts all nice and beautiful in front of others but to me, she’s pure evil.

            I snap back to reality.

            Karen leans closer to my desk. “Don’t play dumb,” she whispers. “Though you don’t need to pretend to act dumb.”

            “Excuse me?” I ask.

            “Just ask your father—he got himself killed.”

            Anger rages inside me. There are boundaries—lines—thing that tell us when we’re going too far. And that was definitely way too far. She knows what happened to my father—and yet here she is trash talking him. Bitch. 

            “Pardon?” I grip the table to fight the urge to strangle her. Candy—who I almost forget is next to me—pats my shoulder and mouths: she’s not worth it. I try some breathing exercises—also another thing my guidance counselor told me to practice.

            “You heard me. You’re dumb… just like your father.”

            That’s it. I don’t take crap from nobody. Especially when it’s about people I love. I stand up and push the desk back—causing everybody to look over here. The teacher isn’t in the room yet. All eyes are on me.

            “Oooh! Another catfight!” someone hollers.

            “Fight, fight!” someone else screams, and soon everyone joins in.

            Karen stands there, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips. This is what she wants. To humiliate me—make a fool out of myself. I won’t let her win.

            Just then, Peter walks in—one of my closest friends, who chose Karen over me. His eyes widen when he sees what’s happening. It looks like he’s rushing over to me, but quickly changes directions and heads to Karen’s side. Like always. His eyes send me an apology.

            I glare at him.

            “Karen, what’s going on?” Peter asks, putting an arm around her.