"Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they're the one bleeding" ~ Unknown
Song: Trying My Best by Anson Seabra
By the time I got back to my house, the nerves that made the hair on the back of my neck never left. There was this eerie feeling that clung to me, causing my heart to nearly beat out of its chest. My fingers held onto the wheel for dear life and even as I pulled into my driveway, the familiar Devil that was fear kept chasing after me.
As if the day couldn't get any weirder, I nearly froze up at the site before me. Sitting on my front porch, legs crossed over one another, smoking a damn cigarette with that familiar lazy smile of hers. I stared. My car was put in park but I didn't dare leave my car.
What in the hell! How did she- how did she get here?
Ages seemed to pass. Her just staring at me without a glimmer of nerves in her eyes, and I just sat in my car. Were my eyes deceiving me? Was this real? Was she really here? Was I hallucinating?
Finally, she stood up, slowly, almost tauntingly, and dropped the bud to the ground. Stepping on it as she made her way over to my door. Her steps were slow, assured, determined. Her skin seemed even paler with the dye of black staining the strands. The skeptical blue of her eyes didn't waver, didn't falter as she stopped in front of the car, a hand on her hip, as if to say Well, aren't you gonna get out?
And finally, all at once, I snapped out of it. I blinked rapidly, my seat belt clicked out and I hesitated to reach the handle of the door. When I pulled it back, I didn't have time to take it back if I wanted. In no time, the door was yanked from my fingertips, and I was pulled out of my seat and into the arms of the one person I'd thought had forgotten about me for certain.
She breathed in, her arms squeezing me so tight I thought I'd suffocate. Her hair smelled of smoke, the grey, worn down jacket of overused perfume trying to mask the scent of weed, and her breath smelled of the use of alcohol. The only thing about her that's changed is her hair. Her black hair used to be so blonde and shiny. It always looked so healthy but now, the dark comparison made her look all the more sick.
"Layla Adams!" She pulled back, yellow stained her toothy smile and she leaned back to look at me some more. It seemed as if her eyes held no judgement, yet I could tell that was exactly what she was doing- sizing me up. Looking at how much I've changed over the short amount of time I'd been here. When she seemed finished with her investigation, her smile faltered just the slightest. Finally, she spoke. "You seem tanner," was her only note of observation.
She was right, I had gotten more tan. I spent more days outside then I ever did back in Georgia. The sun had warmed me, consumed me, made me feel safe in its warm embrace.
"Melanie, what- how did you..."I trailed off, not understanding how she was even here. I never told anyone where I was moving, just that I was leaving. I didn't want any reminders of the past. I didn't want to keep in contact with anyone who knew the Layla then. I wanted a clean slate. A new life. Another chance to be happy. To be somebody damnit!
Melanie squeezed my shoulders, a cocky grin on her thin, chapped lips. "You didn't think you could hide from me forever, did you?" She laughed. But it was forced. "Honestly, Lay, I got to admit, I'm a little hurt. Not even a postcard? No phone calls? No FaceTime? Not even a damn letter?" I could hear the hurt in her voice, as hard as she might have tried to hide it, it was there.
I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't really have anything to say to her. She left me there. She left me at that party that night. After that, I never wanted to see her again. I was so mad for so long. After that night, I was blaming everybody but myself. No one could have predicted what was bound to happen, except for me. There were signs I never took seriously. Red flags I blatantly ignored. A whole damn drink I tipped back without so much of a question to its concoction. I didn't push hard enough. And I paid the price for it. None of it was Mel's fault. But hell if she didn't bring back those memories all at once.
"I'm sorry," I hesitated. "I thought you'd just forget about me," I finished lamely, the truth of my words hanging dreadfully in the air. I furrowed my eyebrows. "Mel, how are you even here right now? You should still be in school right now and your parents-"
Melanie shook her head, a choked laugh forced from her lips. "How could I forget my greatest wingwoman?" She hooked her thin, bony arm through my own and pulled me closer. My heart filled with dread at the action. She's lost so much weight. "As for school? C'mon Lay. You of all people should have figured that was never going to happen. I dropped out like last year- something I honestly thought you would have done the moment you got to this shit hole. And my parents? You really think they give a shit about what I'm doing?" Her words were meant to come off as joking, but I could hear the pain from miles away. Melanie always had a rocky relationship with her parents. But to drop out? "Now come on," she quickly changed the subject," I've been waiting out here for hours! Show me your fancy new house!" She all but dragged me to the front door.
My steps were slower than her's. "You're lucky my parents aren't home, Mel." I grumbled, knowing they would have my ass if they saw Melanie in their house. They knew I hung out with her in the past.
Melanie scoffed. "Are you implying that they're ever home to begin with?" Well, she had me there. They were gone as much as they were then, now. I nodded curtly, taking out the keys to my house.
"Touché," I unlocked the door and headed to my room. I didn't bother with a tour. She would be gone soon. She always was.
Once I got to my room, she rushed past me and jumped, landing on my bed with a bounce. She laughed, looking around. "Same old Layla, huh," she looked at my dresser, which was an exact replica of how everything was placed when I still lived in Georgia. I swallowed the bile that suddenly arose in my throat. I was most certainly not the same old Layla.
"How did you find me?" I got to the point, not sitting down next to her when she patted the spot near her.
She rolled her eyes. "I asked your parents before you decided to disappear without even saying goodbye. I noticed how withdrawn you'd been so I took the liberty of going to your house one night. It was the only day you told me both of your parents were ever home at the same time. Conveniently, you were nowhere to be found but it looked like half the house was packed. Your parents told me your dad got a new job and you were moving to Virginia. So about a year ago, I started wondering where exactly that was and decided to go browsing through different school's students until I found your name. This is going to sound like the creepiest part, but once I found your name I went to the school until I found you a few days ago. I may or may not have followed you home to see where exactly you lived because boy would it have been awkward to be smoking on the porch of some rando's house," she breathed a forced laugh. "And now that that's all out of the way, I'm starving. We should go grab something to eat." She stood up from the bed, her hands twisting nervously.
My lips parted, astonished. Melanie had gone completely psycho! But then, some of the pieces began to make sense. Melanie had always been determined, but to find me? To go out of her way like this? I didn't even see a car parked out front, did she hitch hike? And then-
"You're in trouble, aren't you?" I asked, matter of factly. That was the cause of her fear. She'd been running from someone. The dyed hair. The pale skin. The hunger in her eyes and the sickly thinness of her frame.
At that, she cracked a sarcastic smile. "You always were able to figure me out, huh," she looked away, suddenly seeming like a scared little child. I'd never seen this side of her though. Not alone. Not at parties. Not even when she was going through her first real break up. Melanie wasn't scared of anything.
"What did you do?" I asked, craning my head. Whatever it was, it had to have been bad. She would never subject herself to beg, much less ask anyone for help. I had to have been a last resort.
"Let's talk after we eat, huh. I could go for some pizza right about now." She rubbed her stomach, a growl resonating through the air. I gulped back.
This was not a good idea.
"In that case, I know a great pizza place."
* * *
She couldn't stop scratching herself. It was the first thing I noticed as soon as we sat down in the overcrowded pizzeria. Melanie seemed so paranoid, flinching at every screech of a chair. Shielding herself from the wide open windows with her hair as best as she could. And tugging at her sleeves every few seconds.
She's never done that before. Something's changed. Or maybe, something happened.
My heart stopped, my mind thinking for one fleeting second: Was she? Could she?
No, I shook my head mentally. No it couldn't be. Not Melanie. She was so strong and never had an issue standing up for herself. She had no shame. I looked up at her, feeling her stare bore straight into mine. There was a glimmer in her eyes. Something akin to that deep dark sense of fear. What happened, Mel?
She looked away from me, staring across to the other side. "I haven't had pizza in so long," she sighed almost wistfully. "God, I almost forgot how it tastes." She laughed, still not looking me in my eyes. I nodded. We had placed our order for one large pepperoni pizza a few minutes ago. This was weird.
Mel and I never hung out if we weren't going to a party together. We never grabbed a bite to eat before or after a party unless it was fast food. Wherever we went, there was normally food anyways. Sitting here, across from her, this just felt so awkward. We'd never been the best of friends. But I suppose she was the closest thing I had to a friend before I left. But that's all she was: a party friend. She was that person you went to hang out with when you were looking for a fun, careless night. She was that person you went to when you needed help getting a guy's number. She was the girl you went too when you needed a quick coverup story.
She was most certainly not the girl you went to grab a late dinner together and catch up on life with.
"What kind of trouble are you in, exactly?" I questioned, taking a sip of my water. There were so many scenarios running through my mind. None of them allowed me to come to a conclusion where finding me would solve any of it. It wasn't like I could offer much help. I had no money except for the allowance my parents so graciously give me once a month for gas money and sometimes to pick up some groceries. I wasn't a good wingwoman anymore. Those days are long gone. And I'm not exactly in a good state to hide a fugitive from the law if that's the case.
Melanie tugged her chapped bottom lip into her teeth, gnawing hesitantly. "I owe some people some money. Some bad people, Lay." That same look came back on her face. That same shame filled look that had my nerves rising with every second.
"How bad, Melanie?" My tone of voice was sterner then I intended it to be. I didn't like where this was going.
She brought her voice to a hushed whisper. "I- I didn't know how bad it had gotten. I swear I wouldn't be here if I thought you could help. You're the only one who I knew wouldn't give me that same look!" Nearly shaking out of her seat, she resorted to pulling at the strands of her hair. She held the locks close to her, her fingers shakily gliding over each piece of tendril.
"What. Happened. Melanie?" I questioned, this time not caring about my tone or how loud I was. I didn't have any time for these games and I was really starting to get tired. My arms were starting to ache with the work out earlier today already.
Wait! Work out. Garret. Zander-
"Layla?" I raised my shoulders abruptly, looking over at the person in charge of that voice.
Zander loomed over me, Garret next to him, a slice of half eaten cheese pizza held almost delicately between his fingers. He was chewing rather obnoxiously, this bored look on his face. Yet, there was also a hint of curiosity within his eyes.
How had I forgotten they said they would be here? Shit. They weren't meant to meet anyone from my past. Especially not Melanie. No one here was supposed to know anything about Georgia except the mere fact that's where I moved from.
"I thought you said you had a lot of homework and couldn't come? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but you coulda sat with us." Zander chuckled, taking the chair that was next to me and sitting himself down. His cologne hit me all at once. That masculie, woodsy scent engulfing all around me. I stalled, looking over at Melanie all of a sudden. There were no traces of fear on her face. She was back to herself. She caught on quicker then I would've thought.
"That would be my fault," she raised her hand, her lips pulling back into a snarky grin. "I may have paid Layla here a surprise visit. We used to be best friends back in Georgia. I figured it was past due for a visit. Speaking of which," Mel trailed off, her eyes glancing down the rest of Zander. My stomach turned into knots at that lustful look in her eyes.
But what did I care? Zander wasn't mine and I wasn't his.
"You remind me of someone back in Georgia. I just can't remember the name." She twisted her lips, rubbing her chin in that diabolical way villains do in the shows when they're thinking of their plans. I blinked, turning towards Zander. Did he know her? Did she know him? Zander was from Georgia as well, which still sort of creeps me out because what are the damn chances of that happening? But could they have known one another? Been long time friends? Perhaps, something else and I didn't even know it?
Zander cocked his head, looking at Mel a little more intently now. His form went almost rigid, his thigh that had been unconsciously pressing against mine went still. "Melanie?" He asked, seeming unsure of himself. My stomach dropped at Mel's sudden wide smile.
"Zander Collins!" She stood up, coming around the table to wrap Zander in a much- too- close- for-anyone's- comfort hug.
He patted her back awkwardly as she nearly squeezed the living daylights out of him. Garrett coughed suddenly, obnoxiously. Causing the two to pull back. I could have high fived him right there. I wasn't so sure why I hated the fact that they knew each other so much. Maybe it was because I knew Mel played boys like a violin, or maybe it was because the Zander I came to know these last few months seemed pure. As if he wasn't tainted or scarred or haunted by the brutal scars of his past. And if he knew Melanie- he was anything but pure.
"You two know each other?" Garrett spoke up, taking a sip out of my water. I glared at him harshly, but glad he was able to ask the question I couldn't.
"Oh, we aren't that close. We just hung out a few times at some parties is all. He left out of nowhere a few months ago though. No one knew where you went. I can't believe you managed to make it to the same dump as Layla." Melanie answered, a condescending smile upon her lips. I ignored the blatant insult. It seemed she really hated Virginia and I couldn't understand why. I fell in love with this state the moment I got here.
Parties? So Zander partied too then? Well, I suppose that's not very surprising. If his social skills at Kate's last get together are anything to go by, he must be so used to the attention he receives from females everywhere he goes.
"How do you know Layla?" Garrett asked, taking a rather large bite from his pizza.
Just as Mel parted her lips, ready to spill confessions I wasn't quite ready to face, our pizza showed up. A relieved sigh escaped my lips.
"One large pepperoni pizza for the ladies." The waiter eyed Zander and Garrett skeptically, then looked at me with pointed eyes. "Eat up, before these two get to it and leave nothing left for you two," he laughed, and after leaving us a handful of napkins, he walked away.
Before Mel could talk, I opened my mouth this time. "Try the pizza Mel. You said you were starving and this is the best pizza there is, I promise." I stared at her, my eyes a silent plea for her to shut up. I did not want her ruining the only kind of normal there was in my life right now.
She grinned, a seemingly permanent fixture on her face since that snide smirk was almost always there. She carefully picked up a slice of the steaming pepperoni pizza. "I'll be the judge of that."
I breathed deeply, shutting my eyes.
What game was she playing here?