11 Chapter 3B (1/2)

Unlike the outside of the school, the inside was completely the opposite.

Students and teachers roamed the hallways as the sound of chatting and laughter bounced off the walls.

The girls were scratching, pushing, shrieking and desperately trying to reach their friends, the boys high-fived and bumped fists with each other while the few teachers brave enough to venture out into the halls tried balancing coursework books in one hand and steaming coffee in the other.

Building up whatever courage I had left, I ducked my head and joined the girls to push my way through the crowds and towards my locker.

A lot of people I hadn't seen since the beginning of summer and since before that day said soft hellos to me with sympathy.

Groaning inwardly, I shrugged off their pitiful glances and gossip-filled whispers. I jutted out my chin and continued pushing through the crowds, eventually making it to my locker in one piece.

Finally, I stopped and panted softly, before leaning on the row of lockers and closing my eyes.

Calming myself, I punched in my combination and opened my locker.

Frankly, I was thankful that I had emptied out my locker last year because I was totally not ready for a trip down memory lane this morning. I emptied the contents of my bag into the locker, leaving my phone, a blank notepad, my laptop, and a couple of pens in my tote.

”Shay?” a soft voice hesitantly said behind me and I froze with my hand in mid-air.

Instantly, I thought back to the night after it happened. Angel and Rain had stood outside my bedroom for hours, begging me to open the door.

Two days after that happened to be the night my mother took up drinking, so she wasn't at home to let them in.

I had left them in the rain outside my bedroom window as they yelled for me to talk to them.

I clearly remember standing behind the closed curtain with my arms wrapped around my torso as they stood yelling in the rain.

The missed calls, the unread messages, the many, many notes slipped underneath my door.

I also remember lying on my bed, putting on headphones so I could shut out the endless begging to see me, and closing my eyes.

Goodness knows how angry they must be with me.

Groaning inwardly, I took in a deep breath and let out a sigh before closing my locker and turning to face my best friends.

Rain had cut her russet-colored hair into a bob and a piercing that was obviously new peeked at me from her right nostril. The collar necklace that she was sporting fit perfectly with the white ruffle top, black skinny jeans, and black flats.

I dragged my gaze from her flats to meet her eyes and she stared at me expectantly, as if willing me to say something, anything. She had the same sympathetic look I had seen on everyone this morning so irritated, I glanced at Angel.

Angel on the other hand, looked extremely pissed.

She hadn't cut her hair but it wasn't straight and black anymore. Instead, the bouncy brown curls on her head matched her auburn eyes as she stared at me with a raised brow. She was also wearing a collar necklace but had matched it with a pastel blue, frilly long-sleeved blouse, a black poufy skirt, and low heeled black boots.

I glanced at her face and she looked like she was holding her tongue, for Rain's sake who had probably told her to take it easy and not say anything harsh.

I smiled.

Rain took this as her opportunity to speak ”You look well,” she said and my gaze snapped from Angel to stare at her in confusion. Why was she not as pissed off as Angel was? If it was me, I would have been fuming.

”Why aren't you angry?” I asked, glancing briefly at Angel before focusing my attention on Rain. She looked like she was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, she smiled softly and said

”We're just glad you're okay”

”Oh screw this,” Angel hissed, crossing her arms against her chest ”Of course we're angry, what the hell do you think?”

”Angel,” Rain said quietly in a warning tone as she glanced disapprovingly at Angel. Angel frowned but shut up as she shrugged, clearly irritated.

”No, it's fine. Speak your mind Angel,” I heard myself say and I shook my head, wondering why on earth I had basically given her an excuse to blow up at me. Rain looked at me uncertainly, as if knowing that it had been a bad idea, but shrugged and glanced at Angel.

”Gladly,” Angel said as she uncrossed her arms and placed them on her hips ”The entire summer, Shay Hunter, we called you, texted you, threw freaking pebbles at your goddamn window and not once,” she held up her finger dramatically ”not once did you think we were worthy of a reply.”

”Angel,” Rain said in a low warning tone, but Angel shook her head as if telling her redheaded friend to butt out of the conversation.