Author: Tell me two truths and a lie.
Faith: The world sucks. The only people that care about you are the ones closest to you. I hate everyone that's ever tried to command me.
~Faith Jennings.
••
I was eating Chinese crisscrossed on my bed when I felt the urgent need to puke. I had never felt so disgusted before, I had remembered myself eating salad in the morning and I felt the need to vomit.
I had ran out of my bedroom and to my bathroom. I went straight to the sink and vomitted out the contents in my stomach. I stared at the sink awkwardly as I turned the tap on.
I couldn't even make it to the toilet.
Great. Absolutely great.
I washed myself up and left my room to throw out the Chinese I had ordered, I knew I should have ordered pizza, or even better, made pancakes.
I washed my hands finding the water against my skin comforting.
I had never felt so odd before, like something was wrong but I couldn't put my hand on it.
Sabrina and Georgia had bugged me this past few days, trying to take me shopping, getting my nails done and even had me book to get my hair curled- something I was capable of doing myself.
They wanted tomorrow to be perfect and apparently it wasn't actually a high school reunion, it was more of a good-bye for now and a see you in the next few years.
Not a high school reunion.
I had barely had time to eat anything other than salad. Sabrina was on a strict diet and had dragged me into it when we went shopping earlier. She had ordered only the healthiest-I had scoffed at this-, most expensive, and meatless (yes I mean no form of meat) meal I had ever seen.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that, Gorgia did not mind at all, in fact she looked at me oddly like I was the one ruining appetites.
Now she had ruined mine for life.
I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin after I had rinsed it and left the bathroom.
I was in my Hello kitty pyjamas by almost six in the evening. Garrett was not home yet so our movie night was on hold and Lacey would come home soon to apparently tell me some news.
News I was sure was not going to be good.
I yawned and stretched, then relaxed once again. I had been unproductive throughout today, doing nothing except following Sabrina in uncomfortably high heels and listening to her gossip as she occasionally forgot she was meant to be shopping for new clothes and focused more on getting more make-up to her already enormous pile.
I mean, just for her stash of make-up she had a room specially for it and it was as large as my living room. And her carefully setting it up in her make-up room it made me feel like I was living in another continent.
Her parents were that rich.
They were the type of people that only had one kid but had ten bedrooms in their house. Literally.
I'd have Faith shoot me with a pistol if I ever turned out to be a parent like that.
Speaking of Faith though, she had been another conversation entirely. Completely out of reach, I knew she was busy but by now she was normally back.
I didn't want to admit it may just be her that was giving me that bad feeling.
Either that or I had gotten food poisoning.
I walked around the living room pacing back and forth, aimlessly. Even Liv who was the most manageable of all the girls had turned down my offer to hang out, she was busy with her latest conquest.
And I who was in the single committee that wasn't actually single had named my relationship status; Complicated.
I mean, even Sabrina who was there and had pointed out that Jacob was there thought we had worked things out.
If Jacob does ask Sabrina about me, in shorter terms, I would be screwed.
Just like that my thoughts were once again shifted back to Faith.
I could only hope - ah, the irony - she was okay. In the meantime I did what any worried friend would do when they had to wait home for their Stepmom.
Overdose on caffeine.
••
The moment Lacey stepped in, the mood of the living room had dampened, she was obviously upset, I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
I suddenly felt like I was back in high school and had come home with an F in chemistry. The good ol' days.
When she saw me she smiled as warmly as she could, I could tell it was fake, I just was not going to push it.
"How are you?" She asked me and kissed my forehead. She dropped her handbag on the coffee table and peeled her suit jacket off of her. It was probably some bad news mixed with a bad day at the office. Hopefully - yes, we're going down this trail again - it wouldn't be anything about work, who knows what could have possibly gone wrong in the bank?
"I'm fine, how was work?" Well it has got to be something if she was this upset.
She just shrugged. "It was okay. Do you have a second? I need to talk to you," I nodded, I guess whatever it was that had been bothering her had finally come to light.
Minutes later we were both seated on the couch, Lacey occasionally playing the the envelope in her hand. She then passed it to me.
I took from her, confused but she just sighed. "It's an acceptance letter," my eyes widened and I looked at the white envelope in shock. I opened it.
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
I couldn't believe my eyes, I remembered applying but I knew my chances of getting in were none, at least I thought. I couldn't believe I was accepted. I wanted to scream loudly but the look on Lacey's face discouraged me.
"Garrett's University is in Florida. I know you're probably confused but, I make drives twice a month to visit him. You are going to be in Toronto. You're going to be in Canada!" She exclaimed and I saw the sad look on her face, and I knew where she was coming from.
They couldn't throw money out of the window to take a trip to Canada twice a month, we were a middle class family. They had bills that needed to be paid and tution fees for Garrett and I would be too much on them. And then taking trips to Toronto every month. They couldn't afford to cut the budget short.
I tried to hide my disappointment that it was her telling me this, not Dad.
Although Garrett was on a football scholarship it didn't cover up everything. There were still bills to be paid.
University of Toronto was my dream school, looking at it now it didn't seem as amazing as it was.
I had not even gotten a scholarship, maybe that would have lessened the hectic bills that Mom, Dad and Lacey would have to eventually pay.
"I don't want to discourage you, Hope," she looked at me. "It's still your choice but I don't want you too far away, that's all. We won't be able to visit you a lot. But that doesn't mean this is not a good opportunity! We're talking about one of the best Universities in the world," she wasn't exaggerating, it was one of the best Universities. And most people's dream school. "Just think about it." She told me and patted my head.
She stood up to leave but said. "Also, your Mom is going to come visit soon. She said she's been less tired and really wants to see you," Lacey's smile was faker as she left the living room.
I had gone straight to my room to tell Faith. She wasn't online though because I had shot her several messages. My impatience had led me to call her after she didn't type back, and just like she had promised she did not answer.
It went straight to voicemail. I had recorded a few and sent them to her. I was probably overreacting but I was freaking out. Different scenarios played through my mind and I shut my eyes.
I was restless, the worst state to be in the day. The acceptance letter laid lazily on my bed as I tried to reach her, again.
Faith wouldn't have done something stupid, right?
You know what? Scratch that, of course she had done something stupid.
She was Faith duckling Jennings. She was bound to have done something incredibly stupid.
I would not put her pass that.
If I knew her address I would have taken Lacey's car and driven down to her house. But someone loved privacy and would not even want to know where my house was.
I did not have her brothers numbers nor any of her friends'. I knew barely thing about her and we had known each other for almost three weeks.
And where the heck is Garrett?!
Isn't looking for that rule breaker enough?
I called him twice. It went to voicemail. Texted him several times, he hadn't answered any of them.
And I was trying to keep Lacey in the dark. If I knew her as well as I thought I did she would freak out and suggest we called the police to file a missing persons report.
As much as I loved Lacey I couldn't have her do that.
I ran a hand through my hair. Curling it could wait, I did not care about it anymore. Right now I was scared of two things.
1. Having food poisoning.
2. Going to a University almost million of houses away from mine.
I would be a good friend and sister and overdose on more caffeine.