WHITE LIAR

Chapter 24

Justin took her hand from his chest and pushed it away from him.  “I’m not late,” he said pushing past her.  “The first bell hasn’t even rung yet.”

It took Cathy all of sixty seconds to realize what had just happened.  Had she really just been dismissed?  There was something seriously wrong with this picture.  Nobody, not even Justin, ever dismissed her before.  She placed her hands on her hips and glared in disbelief at Justin’s retreating back.

“Hey!”  She yelled at him. “Are you just going to walk past me like I’m not even here?”

Justin didn’t look back.  He actually picked up his pace some as he made his way to the school’s entrance.  Cathy was the last person that he wanted to deal with now.  She showed her true colors yesterday and from what he saw, there wasn’t anything pretty about them.  He didn’t want anything to do with her.

Cathy huffed and stomped her foot, looking every bit of a petulant toddler.

She couldn’t believe it.  She could not believe that he was really walking away from her.  When he did it yesterday she figured he’d eventually come to his senses.  She almost actually understood that he was just taking up for the girl who played the damsel in distress routine to a tee, and now she was willing to forgive and forget.  The new girl wasn’t one of them, and she expected Justin to realize where his true loyalties were.

Those loyalties should be with her- like always.  That’s just the way it was supposed to be.  The head cheerleader and the quarterback were meant to be together.  It was the most basic rule in the high school social handbook.  You couldn’t buck the system when it’s been in place for years.  That was just plain idiocy.

Besides, today was a new day and she expected life to go back to normal.  Normal was her and Justin.

“Hey,” she cried out again, chasing after him.  This time, she grabbed Justin by the arm and pulled him to a stop. “What’s your problem Justin?”  She sidled up against him and slowly traced his chin with the painted tip of her finger.  “You acted like an ass yesterday when you interrupted our fun with the new girl.  But I thought about it last night and decided that since I liked you so much and because of our long history together that I was going to be nice and forgive you for it.  Isn’t that great?”

“Forgive me?!” Justin exclaimed.  He looked at her and let out a humorless laugh.  The girl was delusional.  “Are you fucking kidding me Cathy?”  He pushed her off of him a second time and this time he wasn’t gentle about it.

He saw her shocked expression and shook his head.  After everything that was said yesterday did she really think he cared what she thought?  The first bell rang and it startled him.  “Look, just leave me alone Cat.”

She went to grab him again and Justin took a step back, holding up his hands.  “What about us?” she asked him, “What’s everyone going to think if they don’t see us together?”

"Get this through your thick skull Cathy, there is no us.  Now please," he stared icily back at her and hissed through his teeth, "just stay the hell out of my way."

Seeing her mouth gape open like a gold fish, Justin spun around on his heel and made tracks towards the school.  He bounded up the steps two at a time when he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Anxious, he stopped and pulled it out to see John's name flashing on the screen.  With his phone in his hand, he glanced down the now mostly empty hall and heard the final tardy bell ring.

"Screw it," he muttered and turned back around to head back towards his car.  Classes could wait.  Dashing back down the steps, he flipped open his phone.  "Hey John," he said, glancing both ways before he crossed the parking lot.  "Are you feeling any better?"