Untouchable
"They're not perfect, and I accept that. We have flaws, and that's what makes us human."
--Lily H.
[ 03 | The Stitch in the Broken Relationship ]
"Ellie Mayes."
Ellie turned to me, her eyes full of panic as she tightened the grip on my arm when we heard the nurse call for her name. For a brief moment, I contemplated on whether or not I should push her off of me and tell her to stop being a baby. This wasn't the same girl I dealt with two years back when she bumped into a scary looking punk. Ellie Mayes was fearless and held her head high.
When I look at her now, with her eyes wondering nervously around the room, her fingers fidgeting with her jacket, her lips set into a deep frown, I knew she was breaking, and that thought made the devil in me bubble with excitement.
"You'll be fine," I said soothingly, patting her on the back as I offered her a small smile.
She turned to face me, nodding slightly, looking so unsure. With a gulp, she stood up and dragged me to the room with her, looking at me with wide eyes filled with fears. For a second, I almost regretted what I did.
But it was only for a second because the moment I took my eyes off of hers, all I saw was the white, empty halls of the hospital and I suddenly felt very claustrophobic. I took a shaky breathe and gold her hand to steady myself. The memory of the night we rushed Lily to the hospital was still clear in my mind.
I could remember the blood, the frantic shouting, the pained cries of my parents, and the muffle apologies of the doctors. I held onto Ellie's arm for support. Being in this place made me sick to my stomach, but I needed to be here to make sure that things were going smoothly according to plan.
The doctor didn't look pleased of my presence but Ellie convinced her that I was needed in the room. The doctor questioned her about her health and how she was doing, and Ellie answered all her questions honestly. She didn't hesitate when she was asked about her sexual activities and I was slightly surprised that the doctor kept a straight face with Ellie's answers. I supposed it was her job to be professional about this.
"Penny, hold my hands please," Ellie asked, the moment her doctor stated that it was time for the blood test. She closed her eyes shut when the doctor turned to us, holding a cotton ball and a small needle. She kept her grip tight around my arm as the doctor neared.
After much squirming and a bit of tears, the doctor was able to take out a few little test tubes of blood and told me to make sure that she didn't drive.
So that's what I did.
I couldn't risk her dying in a car accident, it would spoil my plans.
"Thanks for being a friend, Penny," she said smiling slightly as I parked in front of her rather huge house. She was looking a little pale and I handed her the burger we picked up along the drive back to her home. "I'm super glad we met. You're the only one I can really trust, you know?"
"Anytime, Ellie," I said with the same smile. "What'd you make the appointment from anyway? Are you missing some vaccines? Are you finally getting the flu shot?" I faked a laugh.
Ellie Mayes looked down, blushing furiously at the question. She didn't say anything for a while, which I assumed meant that she wasn't going to tell me. I didn't care. I already knew why she got her blood tested.
When I was about to repeat Gavin's word where she didn't have to tell me if she wasn't ready, Ellie cleared her throat and looked up, her bright eyes meeting mine. She sniffled slightly and wiped the tears that began to fall from them.
"Promise to not tell?" she asked, sounding rather defeated.
"Cross my heart." It wasn't as if I would risk one of the closest connections I had in the group.
A couple of seconds passed when she finally took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, stating quickly, "I think I picked up a disease."
I knew that already, but I played stupid.
"You're sick?" I asked, sounding very concerned. "Oh, gosh, Ellie! Are you going to die?"
Her eyes widened and she suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, Penny! No, I'm not dying, don't be silly," she answered in between her laughter. "What I meant was..."
She paused.
I waited.
Several minutes passed and I began to wonder if she hadn't been able to admit it to herself yet. It's been a week since the party and Ellie hadn't been acting strange. Well, except for the fact that she hasn't spoken to Tristan for a few days.
Finally, she cleared her throat before whispering quietly, "I think I caught an... STD."
"ST—"
She quickly jumped forward and placed her hand over my mouth, disabling me from shouting the word. Tears began to water in her eyes as she took a step look, looking very terrified and humiliated.
I wish I could capture this moment. This was how Lily felt when Ellie backstabbed her: scared and full of utter embarrassment. Only, what Lily felt was much greater than what Ellie was feeling.
"God, Penny! If my parents finds out, they'll kill me! They pull me out of Ashcroft and send me to my grandma's or something equally punishing! You can't tell anyone."
Then, she collapsed on the floor, bawling her eyes out. I did what I could and sat beside her, patting her lightly on the back.
"Does Tristan know?"
She took in a sharp breath.
Hurt doesn't it? Knowing the one you love the most betrayed you and gave you a sexuaIIy transmitted disease?
"Don't even say that fucker's name around me."
"Oh my gosh! You got it from him?" I tried my best to act shock. I supposed it worked, seeing that she raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a questioning look.
"Don't be stupid, Penny, Tristan's the only boy I sleep with on a regular basis."
I nodded, looking away. "Sorry," I apologized as sincerely as I could. "I knew that much...it's just I never really thought about you guys being, you know, intimate." I forced a blush when I spoke the last word. "Like, duh, you two are obviously together but I just never really thought about it, and umm, yeah..."
Ellie smiled, shaking her head at me. "You're so innocent it's just too cute, Penny."
"Thanks?" I answered; unsure of whether or not that should be a compliment. Of course, it was a huge compliment. I was the least bit sorry of her infection or about the false friendship I've given her.
Ellie laughed utterly. "Tristan's the only one I slept with. He must have been with someone else recently who had it and, well, that son of a bitch passed it to me."
She was angry, I could see that. So I asked the only question that would probably break her even more. As much as she hated how Tristan was never really committed, she held strong feelings for the boy.
"Are you going to break up with him?"
Ellie Mayes didn't answer.
"I love him."
Of course she did.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what's going to bring her to her demise.
"But that mofo gave me a sex disease! Ugh! Next time I see him, I'm so gonna fucking strangle him to death. If anyone finds out about this, I'm so going to kill him."
"Does Maddy know?" I wondered.
She gave me a look of disbelief.
"She's your friend, too, isn't she?" I added on.
With a dry laugh, Ellie shook her head and stood up. I followed her suit. "I hate that bitch. I can't believe we're stuck working with her fake butt for the Runway."
"Oh." I paused. "Me, too."
Their friendship was so fake, it was plastic.
And it was what's going to bring them to their downfall. During the time the three of us were working on our part for the Winter Runway—a school funded fashion show during Showcase Week in December—it literally seemed like we were the closest friends.
We definitely weren't.
She grinned and I couldn't help but to return the smile. I smiled not because of the friendship we shared. I smiled because there was no way in hell that Ellie Mayes would ever suspect me of plotting her fall.
Not when I was the only one she could trust.
x
There was a resonating sound of a slap in the school cafeteria. "You absolute whore!"
The caf turned silent as everyone's eyes fell to Tristan Harrison and a short, dark skinned girl. The two of them were in front of the whole cafeteria and they seemed to have been fine, a little too cozy too, until she yelled out those words. I didn't recognize her at all, so I assumed she must have been younger than us.
This wasn't part of the plan, but it wasn't as if I was going to stop any sort of public display of humiliation for him.
"What the hell?" Tristan asked, rubbing the red on his cheek.
"You are a whore, Harrison! Don't ever come near me ever again, you bastard! Ugh!" she all but shouted, practically growling at Tristan. She was throwing various items at him while he stood there, blocking the paper balls coming in his way as the girl's friends booed at him.
Tristan was about to say something spiteful judging from the look in his face until someone walked in the middle of their argument, placing a hand on his shoulder as he was shoved roughly back, stopping him from doing any more harm than he already caused. He would have fallen on his back but David was in tow and caught him from tumbling. The moment Cole Verdean stepped into view, everyone in the whole cafeteria suddenly quieted down as we all watched, waiting for him to say something.
"I'm sure that this was all just a huge misunderstanding," Cole asserted, glaring at the growing crowd with fire in his eyes. He sounded so calm yet threatening that it made everyone retreat back to their seats, eyes casting away from where the drama stand.
Cole interfering was something akin to a miracle as he often observed and let things happen regardless of his ability to fix them. So for him to step into a fight must have been a spectacle to the Ashcroft's student body.
Cole then apologized the younger girl and took Tristan off of David's hand as he pushed the poor boy down to the seat in front of me. "Behave," was all he said before he pulled out the chair beside me and opened up his text book, scribbling notes on a piece of paper.
The air was thick and even I couldn't concentrate on the amount of tension in the air. I was thankful of how oblivious Madison was as she stated, "That chick is fucking crazy."
Tristan scoffed, rubbing the side of his face that was hit. The girl's hand was red on his cheek. "I'll say. That bitch, this stings, damn it." He looked around the table, frowning deeply when he realized that the only person who would have tended his flaming cheek wasn't here. "Hey," he spoke slowly, his brows furrowing in confusion, "Where's Ellie? Have you guys seen her? She hasn't been answering my call or anything lately."
"Penny?" He glanced at me. "You guys are always together."
I shook my head, and frowned. I did promise Ellie that I wasn't going to tell anyone about her STD and if I told Tristan that she'd been avoiding him, it was practically baiting him to know about the truth.
"I saw her with that Munroe kid earlier," David spoke up, eating his cupcake.
"Who the fuck is that?" Tristan all but growled, standing up suddenly as he glanced around the cafeteria. There was a fire in his eyes that showed he was out of blood. He was the biggest hypocrite I've ever met. He'd be with other girls while in a relationship with Ellie, taking advantage of the fact that she wouldn't leave him. I almost felt sorry for the girl.
"I'm gonna fuck him up so bad that—"
Cole cleared his throat, looking up from his engrossed reading to give Tristan a challenging look. They two of them glared at one another, Cole provoking Tristan to continue his speech with the whole school as a witness to his words.
Come on, Tristan. Finish your sentence.
Defeated, Tristan looked away from Cole's gaze. With a deep sigh, he sat down again and muttered, "I swear, I'm gonna give that woman a piece of my mind if she sleeps with the dude."
Everyone in the table stopped what they were doing and stared at the boy in question. Our eyes were on him as he glared at each of us.
"Fuck guys!" he hissed, knowing full well that his statement was ironic in the biggest way. "I'm skipping the rest of the day. Fuck this shit."
"I should go and try to cool him off before he does anything stupid," Madison volunteered as soon as Tristan left our table. She had a huge grin on her face and I knew that she was about to take advantage of this situation. It would put a damper on my plans if she cought the STD too but I could work with that.
Though, before Madison could leave, Cole closed his book and stared at her intently.
"Why don't David and I deal with Tristan. You and Penny go look for Ellie."
Maddy frowned, knowing that Cole's orders were absolute. She didn't even argue with the man. "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes, showing that she wasn't okay with this idea at all. She packed up her things and turned to me. "But I think that we should split up and cover more grounds. I'll check if she's working on the Winter Runway and you can go check at the places you two always hang out."
"Sure," I answered, shrugging. And with that, Maddy left. I knew that she wasn't really going to look for Ellie. They didn't like each other, it was obvious, she was probably going to try to convince the teacher in charge of the Runway to give her more spots in the show.
"David, you go on ahead, I'll catch up," Cole said as soon as Maddy was gone. His eyes met mine and I knew that I was going to be in trouble. "I've got to deal with a few people for a second."
David just nodded and left.
Oh, dear.
This shouldn't be too good.
"Follow me," Cole declared.
I didn't want to but no one refused him in the school. And I wasn't going to be the first one to do so.
For now, at least.
We walked down a hall without saying anything to each other. He walked ahead of me and I followed closely behind, watching him intently. From the back, he looked a little bit scarier. Especially with the way he walked. He had his hands in his pocket as he slowly trailed around the school, the students parting for him to pass by.
"You left the Halloween party the other week with Reeves."
He didn't sound suspicious at all—just curious. I didn't think he'd notice that I left with Gavin. I thought that he completely wasted during the night. Keeping up with his pace, I took a deep breath and decided to play stupid. Technically, I've never met Gavin. I wasn't supposed to know that he and Cole were enemies.
"You mean Gavin?" I wondered with glee, hoping that Cole would buy the teenage-heart-struck act. I rather have him think that I was head over heels with his enemy as opposed to him suspecting that we were working together to bring him down along with his friends.
He turned to me, raising a brow, looking a little confused. "Yeah, him."
"Oh, he's nice and really sweet," I piped in, grinning widely.
If Gavin heard me say this, I was sure that he'd rub it in my face for the rest of the time we have to work together.
He just nodded, not saying anything for a while. When we reached a double door, he opened it for me and led us to the bleachers where a couple of other students were watching guys run around the field, throwing a football.
"Just be careful around the guy, alright? He has a reputation."
I looked at him strangely. He almost sounded like he was concerned. "Are we talking about the same guy? 'Cause Gavin took me out for ice cream and drove me home after the party." And by party, I meant our party after the Halloween party. But Cole didn't need to know that.
He just nodded slowly, after giving me a look of disbelief. "I must have confused your Gavin with someone else, then."
He didn't say anything else, but instead, he stared out in the field, looking at nothing in particular. The silent with Cole was killing me. I felt like if we don't talk, I might blurt out my whole plan in front of him.
"Hey, what do you think's going to happen to Ellie and Tristan?" I wondered.
Cole shrugged, his eyes not meeting mine. "The inevitable."
I gasped loudly. "Death?!"
For a moment, a smile graced his lips—the same kind of smile he had on in the party. Could it be? Was Cole Verdean warming up to Penelope?
"Not that kind of inevitable," he said, "I meant their break up."
"But she loves him."
"Yes, and I'm sure he loves her," he added on. I was about to agree with him and ask what was wrong with that but he continued on, "But she's possessive and a little dramatic and wants to get married right away. While he...he's not into that stuff. He's lax, doesn't put effort on anything, doesn't commit nor does he takes things seriously." Cole turned to me, a grim smile on his lips. "They're a disaster, sweetheart. The two of them are a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode."
That was a harsh thing to say about his friends.
But it wasn't as if it wasn't the truth.
"We're their friends, should we be helping them?"
Cole scoffed, raking his fingers through his hair. "You're still new here, Penny." He sounded frustrated.
"What does that mean?" I asked, offended.
He just smirked. "Did you know that Tristan and Ellie had been in a relationship ever since the sixth grade?"
I didn't know that.
"Yes, Ellie told me that."
"They broke up the summer before high school. They only got back together because Ellie's a jealous bitch and Tristan's a bastard."
"That's not a nice thing to say," was all I could say.
From the corner of my eye, I could see that Cole had slowly dragged his eyes away from the field to look at me, a small smile on his lips. "It's the truth."
I met his gaze and for a brief moment, he didn't look very scary or intimidating—just tired. I wondered how Lily viewed him. If he was able to say these things about the friends he had for the longest time, I wonder what he could say about the people he'd been friends with for a brief moment.
His lips lifted upwards even more, edging me to ask the question that's been itching on my tongue.
"Why'd they get back together?"
Cole just smiled sadly, looking up in the sky. "Someone new came along and...got them back together."
I knew that he meant by that.
They got back together after Tristan cheated on Lily with Ellie.