Chapter Ten: Hidden Truths
***
I spent the majority of next period trying to forget what happened. I actually shared that class with Daisy, and I could tell she had a lot to ask me - skipping was unlike me. I dreaded hearing what she'd think if she found out that wasn't the full story.
It wasn't until after class that I was confronted with this however, when we finally reached my locker. I barely managed to put my books away when Daisy confronted me with her questions. I love my best friend, but sometimes she had no chill.
"Kelsie, you've got to tell me." She exclaimed. "Where were you?"
And of course, the truth was far too messy and complicated to explain, so I resorted to shrugging my shoulders and saying nothing that would implicate what really happened.
"It's not a big deal. Just had other priorities."
Daisy raised an eyebrow. "What other priorities?"
"You know, the usual. Studying." I lied, knowing that it was one of the least believable lies I had come up with to date.
And of course my best friend saw right through me.
"Studying during class?" Daisy's tone was full of curiosity and confusion.
I nodded. "Yep. I have classes I'd like to prioritise. After all, not all of them are going to help me with college."
Daisy seemed suspicious for several more seconds until her face softened and I took that as my indication she dropped her question. As always, I couldn't be sure whether this was intentional or whether she only did that to lull me into a false sense of security. I know that if she wanted to, she could easily grill the information out of me.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised she still hadn't yet. I hadn't been the most sly about my little dalliance with Alexander.
But oh well. I'll take what I can get.
"You're strange, Kelsie." Daisy settled with saying. "Let's just hope your dad doesn't find out."
I chuckled awkwardly, hoping the same thing. Daisy was one thing, but my dad was a completely other thing. He can read me like a book.
When I shut my locker, I began tying my hair up, needing the sweat-covered strands away from my face. And that was when I got a loud and shocked gasp from Daisy, who immediately put a hand on her mouth.
I looked over at her, observing the flabbergasted glint in her eye. My eyebrows scrunched together.
"What is it?" I asked.
Daisy moved her hand away as she pointed rather indiscreetly at my neck. "There are red marks all over your neck, Kelsie, like they're... what are you not telling me?"
A cold shiver ran down my spine. Of course Alexander left hickeys on my neck - and of course I didn't notice. I had let him ravage me however he saw fit, too stuck in the moment to fully understand the implications such actions would have. And now Daisy saw them, meaning I had two options.
One; lie, and say they're some sort of rash, even though I knew they'd soon turn into more of a puce colour and my lie would be exposed.
Two; tell her the truth and lose my dignity and credibility forever.
Neither seemed like the best option, which was why I immediately scoured for a third option, and after some really slow seconds passed by, I came up with an alternative.
Three; pretend it never happened.
Promptly pulling out the tie from my hair, I let the brown strands cover up my neck, doing my best to make it look neat.
"Don't worry about it, Daisy. Seriously." I said, smiling at her in an attempt to distract her.
My best friend frowned. "Do you not trust me or something? You've been very... unlike yourself lately and I have no clue why."
Guilt filled me. "I trust you with my life, Daisy—"
"It's okay if you don't. I just want to know what I did wrong so I can be a good best friend." Daisy said sheepishly. "Whatever you have to say, I'll listen with an open mind. I promise."
I took a deep breath, and then took several more. I was contemplating it - if Daisy knew, it wouldn't be the end of the world. She'd probably be shocked, and perhaps upset at my lack of common sense, but at the end of the day she'd get over it.
Besides, aside from the drunk sex, we hadn't done much. We kissed a few times and gone pretty far sexually, but that's all. I could end it with him if I wanted and everything could go back to normal.
But the thing was, even though I was hiding things from Daisy and I hated giving Alexander the satisfaction that I needed him, I couldn't give it up. Not yet, not when he wasn't out of my system yet.
Unfortunately.
In the end, I settled with, "I don't like hiding things from you, Daisy. And you did nothing wrong. I'll... I'll tell you when I'm ready. I promise. Just give me time."
"Okay." She sighed. Then she grinned. "Is it boy problems?"
By this point, the bell rang and we were on our way to class. Thankfully, there was too much shuffling and chatter in the halls for anyone to overhear our conversation.
It was especially convenient when I slowly nodded and she said, "does his name happen to start with an A and end in 'ander'?"
I rolled my eyes and didn't reply, to which she laughed.
Maybe I'll eventually tell her she was right. But that day wasn't here any time soon, and especially not today.
**
I didn't see Alexander at all after the broom closet incident. I found it really strange since he always seemed so desperate to get on my bad side, and never failed to go out of his way to fuck up my day. However, I learnt my lesson from the last time I confronted him about something like that, and decided the best course of action would be to just appreciate my freedom and hope it lasted.
It was only at the end of the day that I found out why I hadn't seen him; Andy and Zayn were walking out, with no Alexander to complete the trio. I overheard Zayn saying something about Alexander skipping the rest of school, and with Andy asking why. My heart skipped a beat, but when I saw Zayn shrugging off in the distance, I relaxed.
It wasn't unlike Alexander to skip - I saw firsthand. And yet, I had questions.
Before I could think about it too much though, Daisy came to my side and we began walking out together.
The journey home was relatively quiet, until suddenly Daisy received a text and she lit up like a Fourth of July spectacle. I observed her for a while before she eventually turned to me, her massive grin not dissipating.
"Tyler asked me to go see the football game with him on Saturday! Oh my goodness, Kelsie, pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming." Daisy practically squealed, so loudly all the people down the road probably heard.
Regardless, I smiled. "You're definitely not dreaming."
"I didn't even realise there was a football game this soon," she noted with a lovesick sigh. "I didn't realise the sports teams in our school were that serious about it."
"Me neither." I admitted. "Maybe Tyler likes football."
"He does. I've seen his social media. He's always posting about some English football club or retweeting match highlights."
From that point forward, she skipped beside me - nothing could bring her down. And I was happy to see her so upbeat. Perhaps the onlookers that gave her a side eye didn't as much. But that didn't matter.
However, rather suddenly, Daisy paused in her tracks, a sunken feeling of horror washing over her.
I paused alongside her and said; "what's wrong, Daisy?"
"Kelsie," she said in a stern voice. "I know nothing about football. I'm going to make an idiot of myself!"
"Don't be ridiculous—"
"My mom doesn't care about it either, so that eliminates her," Daisy said. "Does your dad like it?"
"Sure, I suppose."
And that was enough for her. Daisy came over to my house that afternoon and spent about two hours just talking to my dad about football, something I know gave him great joy. He was so excited to talk about the things nobody else would listen to, especially when they got to the part about football drama because - yes, an almost forty year old man is interested in the drama associated with a sport where you throw a ball around.
Gina came in from work about an hour into the conversation, but she was just as entertained as my father, deciding to make some cookies for the two of them. She offered some to me too, but I figured they needed them more.
"It's so nice to see your friend so invested." Gina said. "I wish your father was that romantic."
"It's different. Daisy's had a crush on this guy for two years now. My dad loves you and knows you love him back." I replied back, watching the smile form on my step-mother's face.
"I know. But still. I'd do anything for him to send me flowers on an ordinary day. Something special, you know?" She stared at my dad for a few seconds. "I hope everything works out for Daisy and that boy. She deserves somebody nice."
I agreed with her entirely.
Daisy went home shortly after and I went up to my room. Immediately after going on my phone, I was confronted with a pool of messages from Daisy, all reiterating the knowledge she learnt to make sure she remembered it and to check over with my dad.
She also begged me to get last minute tickets too, needing me close by for support. Despite me trying to convince her she'd be fine on her own, she was insistent, and I ended up buying a ticket with the promise of turning up.
Sigh. The things we do for best friends.
•••
Ooh, a never-before plot point has emerged! For those interested: previously, a football game was only mentioned and that was it. I've taken a different route with this draft, so be prepared for what this change could mean... :)