"I can't believe her," Jasmine said, lighting her cigarette. They were sitting on a wooden bench, the large tree above them providing them shelter from the light rain that was beginning to fall. "She has the nerve to play victim! After what she did."
Roxanne sat down, shielding her backpack under the bench. "You didn't have to confront her about it."
Jasmine inhaled and closed her eyes. Roxanne felt the urge to ask for one herself, having promised to stop. She wasn't trying to go down that road.
"Exactly what were you doing attacking her?" Bradley asked, preferring to stand.
"It's nothing," Roxanne said, regretting having told Jasmine in the first place.
"Nothing? Nothing?! Please," Jasmine shook her head. "That little bitch drugged her! I know we haven't been friends all that long, but that's low. Even for me."
"She what?" Bradley's eyes grew large. Roxanne grabbed the cigarette from Jasmines hand and took a puff. She was starting to shake.
"Yeah, at the library. I know she did. My diary was missing from my bag, as was this necklace that I've had for a while." Roxanne admitted, feeling the anger grow inside her. She should have confronted Mona. Not Jasmine. She should have done something about it. "There's no way I blacked out. There's just no way. One thing I remember was her handing me hot chocolate, the next you guys are there at the library with me."
"We can't let her get away with this!" Bradley said. "Does Max know?"
"I don't want him to." Roxanne said quickly. "I don't want anything to do with Max anymore."
"Don't you see that's what she wants?" Jasmine asked, taking out another cigarette. She handed one to Bradley who refused. "She wants Max."
"She can have him," Roxanne said. "This is my secret, and I'd rather you guys not do anything nor say anything, got it?"
"I can't promise anything," Jasmine said.
"Nor can I." Bradley agreed. "She's dangerous."
"She's only dangerous because she wants Max. I'm not stupid. She's that girl from high school." Roxanne said, her memory of ninth grade clear in her mind.
"I thought you said you didn't know who he was!" Mona yelled at her, cornering her after school.
"What are you talking about?" Roxanne asked, holding on tight to her books. It had been a whole year since Mona stopped talking to her. This was the last day of school, and they had just finished their art class.
"Max! I told you I loved him and you got in our way! You betrayed me!"
Roxanne started to feel anxious. Mona was fuming, her face red with anger.
"I do know him now!" Roxanne blurted. "You would have known this if you had stopped ignoring me all year!"
"NO, NO, NO!" Mona was shaking her head. "Max was supposed to fall in love with ME! He was supposed to sing to ME! Not YOU! You never cared about him!"
Roxanne knew she had to get out of this situation. Mona was obsessed.
"Mona, calm down. Who knows who he was singing to? He was just playing the part. And I just happened to be there all right?"
Mona took a step closer to her, her paintbrush tip pointed at her. "I've heard the rumors! But I didn't believe them. They were saying he liked you, heck all the boys like you! You slut!"
Roxanne could feel the tears forming behind her eyes. She was being harassed and she didn't know what to do. She decided her best interest was to run, and run out into the hallway, where she could blend in with everyone else.
"And what happened then?" Jasmine asked, both Bradley and her listening intently to her story, not realizing that they were all soaked, the rain having had come down harder.
"I reported her to Stacey, who then took care of it. She was student body president anyways. I saw her around school, but the principle made sure she was never in the same class as me." Roxanne said, ending her story. She took her hair and put it up in a pony tail, the ends wet.
Bradley let out a low whistle, while Jasmine laughed.
"She's insane! After all this time she's still obsessing over him." Bradley stated.
Could she blame her though? Roxanne couldn't forget Max. Not even after moving countries. He was someone who had stamped her heart, and he had gotten Mona younger. But was the drama worth it? Max came with baggage. He always came with baggage.