JUNE 2010
"Blackmail... is the act, treated as a criminal offence, of demanding money from a person in return for not revealing compromising or injurious information about that person," the young class president spoke, wearing her graduation cap with the tussle on the left side, looking out to the crowd.
It was a beautiful sunny morning, with the grass still glistening with raindrops from the night prior. The wind was being nice, blowing gently through the trees. A makeshift stage stood in the middle of the football pitch, Principal J. Matthews sat directly behind the speaker, with the deputy on her right and the assistant Principal on her left. There were rows of chairs, a red sheet covering them to avoid the navy gowns of seniors getting wet and a line of chairs on the right of the stage where students usually sat, shuffling along in alphabetical order to receive their graduation certificate.
"But let's modernise that word. It can be the simple act of forcing someone to do something in exchange for keeping a secret. Now, for outsiders, this does not seem so... 'deep', the first thing that comes to mind could be, someone demanding beer in order to conceal an embarrassing secret, when really that secret won't be let out anyways, which most of us have been through, but for an actual blackmail victim, the emotional and mental pain it brings is excruciating. In some cases, the truth-slash-secret does eventually come out. Be careful with who you put your trust in, otherwise things can go wrong," the pale young girl continued, her blonde hair cascading down her back, contrasting with her black fitted dress. It was not too revealing, and it gave that vibe of fun but serious. She did not have to wear the navy blue gown like everyone else, which was a privilege of being the class president.
"Your reputation can be damaged, you will be viewed in ways you never wanted to be, and you lose all the respect you rightfully earned etcetera. You see, I am not meant to be speaking about this. I was intending to talk about aspiring to achieve goals, keep your standards high but not too high and all that optimistic sh*t. However, I was told to tell you, by our dear principal, the truth." Murmurs rippled through the crowd and the young girl chuckled lowly.
"Not many people know my story. But some of the people who do, used it against me. Which is why I am known as the adopted slut who had a miscarriage, after cheating on her boyfriend of three years. I managed to salvage most of my reputation though; I am still an A* student, high GPA, athletic, class president. Only, I lost my friends, best friends, my popularity, and most of all, my identity." She looked over to the group of her old friends, and then glanced over to the two boys who turned her life upside down.
"I am adopted. But that's only because I am the daughter of the couple who were the victims of a murder that was never solved. Natalie and Andrew Prior." Gasps filtered through the crowd.
"I do think of myself as dirty," she shrugged, taking the microphone off its stand on the podium and sitting on the edge of the stage, swinging her feet, admiring her white wedges.
"That's due to the fact I was sexually abused." Loud chatter erupted and Principal Matthew's glare quietened down the murmurs.
"It led to me becoming pregnant. At the previous age of 17. I was thinking of abortion. But I did not want to do that and therefore decided to keep the baby. I did not want to be alone in this. Therefore, I talked a close friend of mine, Peter Hayes. Why him? I don't know, he seemed trustworthy and I could not exactly tell my boyfriend, could I? I should have, but the fear I had stopped me. It's sad really, because four months in, I lost the baby." A tear slipped down her cheek.
"It happened when I was with my other friend, Al Jordan. I did not want to tell anyone else, for it would have brought the pain to the surface. I am not hinting at self-harm here. These two boys decided that in order for my secret to be kept, I should sleep with them. I know that I am not the only one who would do anything to hide a secret like that. They threatened my older brother," Caleb, dark brown hair and hazel eyes, age of 20, sat in the front row, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "my 'friends' and my entire reputation. But what I should have realised was that everything was eventually going to be taken away and the route I decided to take just dragged it out. Cheating on your boyfriend to protect him seems extreme, but when you are in that position, it is the only option. I was very stupid, not to talk to my friends. Peter and Al told every single person they could about me being 'a beast in bed' - which I can't say I wasn't flattered about-," she smiled smugly and few students chuckled, " and losing the baby then boom, hey, that's Tris Prior, the slut who carried Peter's baby. The thing, or person should I say, that surprised me the most... was Uriah Pedrad. Shout out to you there."
"Yo," Uriah hollered from his spot. The gang stared at him incredulously.
"He stuck by me, all the way to now. He knew the entire story. He knew how it started and how it ended. He could have left me, as everyone else did. But he knew me, and because of that, he found out the truth. Two of my closest friends modernly blackmailed me. It would have been a boy, the baby. At the age of one today. Just imagine him, sitting right there, cutely smiling at his teenage mother. Being raped, or blackmailed, is not a great thing. The mentality it leaves you in, the emotions, the whole package. Uriah helped me through it. When everyone slowly discarded me, he kept on pestering me. Like, of course." Laughter ran through the crowd.
"Even when I did things that would normally hurt him, saying things that hit close to home, he didn't give up on me. I could have said the truth but when your close ones are in danger, you have to lie. I was tempted to run to my best friends' houses every day, then get down on my knees and beg for their forgiveness, but it was pointless. Those I walked past, who would usually smile at me, changed and started to glare or give me dirty looks," Tris rambled, her hands shaking slightly. Uriah sprung up from his seat, ignoring the stares he got from his girlfriend, Marlene, and jumped onto the stage besides Tris. He grabbed the mic, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"And yet, she's still going strong. Working with victims of rape, miscarriages, failed births and teen mothers. Accepted into five top colleges, two of which are sport colleges. She is doing charity work every now and then. Despite having battled depression, she is still one of the greatest friends I have ever had. She was a mess, shutting out her family so she could "save the time that would be wasted over the process of them leaving'. She is my woman crush. Despite the crap she has gone through, she is still standing and she forgave Peter and Al. She does not hold grudges. Which is why I love you, Beatrice Grace Prior. Keep on flying." Peter and Al smiled gratefully at Tris, who softly nodded over to them.
"Why, thank you, Uriah Joseph Pedrad."
"I deserved that." Tris snatched back the microphone with a loving smile and scanned the audience with her stormy grey eyes.
"All of us have potential. We just need a bit of a push, from the right support. We are seniors, well soon-to-be former seniors! Wow, I can remember my first day as a freshman like it was yesterday and yet we have made it through high school. About to go to college, as freshmen again! A little tip though, hang out with the right people, know who you are and your goals, ensure you have a trustworthy circle of friends, and yeah. Thank you." Principal J. Matthews stood up, with a beam, and clapped. Others, parents and students, followed suit.
"It takes a lot of courage, to come on stage as your class president and admit all of that," Matthews began, still grinning, "she's like a daughter to me, so finding this out just a few weeks ago? It killed me. Knowing that a student had gone through this was appalling. Nevertheless, as Uriah said, she is still going strong. Using her bad experiences to help others. Which is why she has been asked to speak in one of the upcoming events, 'Securing a Better Future', which supports young children, teens and young adults in any type of abuse, blackmail and such. Now, just looking at these beautiful/handsome faces with big brains, I know that your names will become great. Scientists, lawyers, prime ministers, presidents, guest speakers and more. Stand up." The whole student body rose up and their hands went up to the tussles on their hats in excitement and anticipation.
"Leave all the bad things behind you. From this moment on, you are all adults. Congratulations, you are now college students." They cheered wildly, swapping the tussles to the right side, and hugged each other. Tris and Uriah embraced tightly then Tris slipped off the stage, turning into the direction of her family.
"Uriah! You knew this whole time?" Christina -the mocha-skinned fashionista of the group- shouted as he walked back to the group.
"And? It is not as if I could tell you people. You would have assumed it was one of my attempts to bring Four and Tris back together. Moreover, it was her secret to tell. She's forgiven you guys already, she's just letting you be," Uriah murmured, watching as Tris laughed with Caleb and her parents, accepting hugs from fellow classmates and parents.
"I was disappointed in you the most, Four," Uriah deadpanned, spinning back to face his blue-eyed best friend.
"What did I do?" Four asked incredulously.
"She was your girlfriend, other half, you knew her more than we did. But chose to believe the rumours without consulting her first."
"He did though," Lynn interjected, placing a hand on his broad shoulder. Lynn and Four were siblings.
"Oh, so shouting at her in the school car park after school is your idea of consultation? She f*cking gave up her reputation for you lot. And you can't even think to thank her?" Uriah growled, clenching his fists, with pure rage.
"All the times I brought her over, you blanked her, thinking she did not care, but when you left the room, she cried, Zeke. She cried! Going over to her house that time, Christina, she thought you came back for the truth, but it was only to take back the things you lent to her. She was hoping to keep them, to remember the times she had with you. Punching her in the abdomen did not help, Lynn. You simply taking their side, Will, Shauna, and Marlene, hurt. And the break up, was the final straw," Uriah mumbled, a tear falling out of his eye. The gang had guilt on their faces, but also surprise because Uriah very rarely cried.
"It took me a few months to find this. The bracelet you got me for our first anniversary together," Tris spoke up, stepping besides Uriah, facing Four. Tris raised the bracelet and Four held out a hand. She dropped it into his palm, being careful not to touch him. Four stared at the bracelet and lifted his gaze to Tris's face but she had already averted her eyes to Uriah.
"Are you crying?"
"No, my eyes are sweating." Tris snickered and hugged Uriah again. Tris ran her eyes over the gang, with longing but shook it off.
Marlene and Shauna looked so similar; you would have mistaken them for twins but they were not related. They had jet-black hair but Marlene had it long and curly while Shauna cut hers short to her shoulders with a full fringe. The two were dating Uriah and Zeke who were black American twins. They had their hair in the style of High Top like Will Smith in his young days and different shades of brown eyes. Uriah, the youngest out of the two, had the lighter shade whereas Zeke had the dark shade, which looked black. Will sported blonde floppy hair and green eyes, dating Christina who was mocha-skinned with blue eyes and a black boy cut like Emma Watson. Four and Lynn were not twins but were siblings with a ten month gap and Four was older. They both had brown hair; Lynn shaved one side of it as if her hair was side parted. They also had strong blue eyes but Four's were brighter. Lynn was the only homosexual member of the gang, swinging for the other team.
"Tris, I'm so so-" Will started, ignoring Christina's curious gaze.
"It's fine," Tris shook her head.
"W-w-what would you have named him?"
"William Andrew," Tris smiled to Will, her heart slightly contracting. Will smiled bashfully, nodding.
"You're all lucky she pleaded for me to not kill you," Caleb chuckled lightly behind Tris.
"Bea, Caleb, we need to go. Your grandparents are waiting to feed you until your bellies burst," Bud, their uncle, shouted.
"Well, that's our cue. Have a good life, you guys." Tris saluted with her right index and middle finger.
"We're still on for tomorrow?" Uriah raised an eyebrow.
"You're just asking for your ass to be kicked. Again," Caleb commented with humour in his voice.
"You can't ever beat me in paintballing." Tris smirked and the two walked over to Bud and Tori, then the four sauntered off the pitch.
"Paintballing?" Marlene questioned.
"Oh yeah, her family and I go paintballing every now and then. Few of their cousins and Caleb's friends come along as well sometimes." Uriah shrugged.
"Paintballing used to be our thing," Shauna finally talked.
"Used to be," Uriah pointed out, looking over to his parents who were patiently waiting near the exit.
"I'm off. We'll be at home, Zeke." Uriah jogged to his parents and they left. The gang separated with hugs but there was a question on their minds.
Would they ever see Tris again?
Aha, I hope not. There's probably a second chapter. Or probably not. We'll see. Till later, BooksLover2000...