"Free of Lies"

He impatiently tapped his foot as he watched the clock, waiting for the larger hand to reach the twelve. All the words his English teacher, Mr. Campbell, said passed his ears, only making a mumbling sound in the back of his mind. His thoughts were concentrated on her; her smile, her laugh, her eyes...everything. In just a few short minutes he'd be meeting her in their spot. The spot they always went to before going to band rehearsal and acting like nothing was going on between them.

Fifteen seconds. Then he'd be free. Even though it was only for a short while, he was able to be free from the lie he had to live everyday. It wasn't only his friends he hid it from. It was everyone; his friends, his family, teachers, everyone that he knew or talked to.

The final bell rang, drowning out the sound of Mr. Campbell giving out that night's homework along with the chatter of the students. The fourteen year old grabbed his bag and left the room, pushing past his classmates. Not even bothering to stop at his locker, he headed down the hall. Just as he reached the front entrance a hand touched his shoulder, causing the brown-haired boy to turn around.

"Hey Jimmy, where you headed?" the dark-haired boy, also known as Nick Dean, asked his friend. After the years of junior-high, Nick started to hang out with Jimmy and his friends, along with Cindy and Libby - after Libby had started dating Sheen.

Jimmy shrugged, making his hair move slightly. "Uh, you know, just stopping home before I meet you, Carl, Sheen, and the girls at the Candy Bar. As usual."

"Alright," Nick said with a shrug. "Do you need a ride when you're done?"

"Nah, it's okay. I can walk."

"Okay, see you later Jimmy."

Jimmy let out a sigh as he watched his friend walk off, disappearing in the crowd of students leaving the school. He hated hiding things from his friends, but he knew telling them would hurt them, especially Nick. A bulky senior pushed past him, causing the genius to come back to reality. He quickly looked at his watch and rushed out of the school.

Panting heavily, he ran down the sidewalk, avoiding other students who walked home. His heart pounded faster each time his feet touched the hard ground. He only hoped he wasn't going to be late. He had barely any time alone with her as it was; he'd hate to lose one second of that precious time.

Sharply turning a corner, he avoided the extended branches of the Turner's tall bushes. Just one more block, he thought to himself. Going behind an old building, he slowed down to look in the parking lot. His blue eyes fell on a small red convertible. Picking up his speed he ran past two large trees and continued until he reached a small cabin.

Their cabin.

He opened the wooden door and stepped inside, his blue and white etnies shoes squeaking on the floor. He closed the door, careful that he didn't let it slam, and turned to see her green eyes staring at him.

He managed a small innocent smile as he went over to the leather couch she sat on. Plopping himself next to her, he still smiled in a way that made him seem jubilant and carefree. The exact way that made her heart melt when she looked at him.

"So what took you so long?" she asked him; her green eyes staring directly into his blue ones.

Jimmy smiled and gave her a small kiss before leaning back and relaxing. "I ran into Nick on the way out. We didn't talk long, but it set me off a bit."

"So I'm guessing you told him the usual story?"

"That I'm going home to do some chores? Yeah." Jimmy sighed and looked at her. "I really hate hiding this from him Cindy."

"I know," she sighed. "But we know that if he found out, it'd kill him inside. I couldn't do that to him."

Jimmy nodded and put his arm around her. "I know, I can't do that to him either. He's one of my best friends. But we're not exactly good friends by hiding this from him. Or the others."

They sat in silence for a moment, only the sound of distant traffic could be heard between them. Jimmy looked at Cindy mischievously, and right away she knew what was about to happen. He took a pillow and lightly hit her on the head with it, causing her to hit him back, only harder. Soon their sad mood was forgotten and they were playing around, living free of their lies; just for a little while.

But to them, it seemed like all time stopped; just so they could be together.

End