CHAPTER FOUR: Secrets Released

Riley- The next week went by slowly. I struggled to get through every day. The only person that would still talk to me was Kimberly Queen, who still spent most of her time with the popular group. Everyone else wouldn't even say hello to me even if I talked to them first.

But I only had one class with Kimberly.

The rest of my classes went by miserably. I couldn't listen to the teachers, because there were already so many things going on in my head. There was no way of forgetting that I was the most hated person in Posner, or as I have learned to call it, Poisoner.

I thought there was no way out of this black hole. I was sure I was slowly going to become invisible for the rest of my life. I was sure that even my best friend had forgotten all about me. But then...

I was in science, a week after the incident, and still every time I walked in there, the room would go silent. I was all alone in my seat, because Selena had asked to move next to Rebecca, who was now her "best friend." She got her wish. By then, she was fitting in the popular group with her smeared eyeliner and glossy lipstick. She looked like a totally different person, but she seemed happy about her new look. But still, on the inside I think, just maybe, she missed me. I could have been wrong.

I sat down in my seat which was now next to Sam the pervert, and he still tried his best to sit a good distance away. That was when it happened.

Holly Jeffs walked in. She had always been in my science, and she never really talked to me, even before the note. But now, she skipped in, smiled straight at me, and said,

"Hey Riley!" She ran right up to me, still grinning. I had no idea what she was doing, but she seemed like she knew exactly what was going on.

"Is anyone sitting there?" I was so shocked, I couldn't say anything so I just shook my head. She started telling me about her weekend, but I stopped her.

"Why are you sitting next to me? Everyone hates me. Why don't you..." That was when she cut me off. She leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"I saw the note." I choked. I could not believe what I had just heard. But with that, Holly just went on talking about her brother pushing her in the pool and her dad overcooking the steak. She acted like she didn't know anything, like nothing had happened. But something huge had happened. She knew.

We spent most of science together. We talked and talked while Rebecca glanced at us a couple of times. But every time I looked back she would quickly turn to the teacher or look in her text book.

Finally, when the bell rang Rebecca stomped over and gave Holly an angry look. Holly ignored it though and gathered her stuff. Thats when Rebecca got right in her face without saying anything.

"Can you move please?" Holly said with a straight face. Rebecca shifted backwards and moved. I was surprised, but when Holly left, it happened. She got up, slammed her back pack down and looked me straight in the eye;

"Do not talk to her." I calmly got up and grabbed my bag. I threw it around my shoulder and walked away. I caught up to Holly and we left.

We went to our next period class together, and the next class, and the next. That's when I realized we had every single period together. Finally in social studies I knew I had to ask her how she found the note.

"Hey... Holly?" She looked at me with a beautiful smile and said ,"what?". "Where did you see the note?" She looked around making sure no one was listening. She dragged me to the corner and said,

"In science, a couple days later, after everyone left Mrs. Teavins threw away a yellow piece of paper. She told me to turn off the lights and go to lunch. Just as I was going to go, I looked in the trash, and I saw the note. I read it and saw who wrote what. That's when Selena ran out of lunch." I remembered Selena leaving the lunch room that day. "I hid behind the door and when I heard her go out of the class I came out. She was gone and so was the note." My eyes widened.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Again, I was almost speechless, so I stumbled on a couple of the words.

"I was scared to tell because I thought I would get made fun of, but Selena went way to far with her lies." I agreed and nodded.

"She told everyone that you were obsessed with Landon and that you were a major gossiper" My face started turning red with embarrassment. I was sure that everyone in the school knew I liked Landon. "I did tell one person besides you," I guess it was Kimberly since she had been so nice to me "Landon. I told him that she was making up everything, but it took me a while convince him, but he finally believed me. But he does know that you like him, since thats what was on the note and the teacher told the whole class." I blushed. But I was relieved that Landon knew the truth.

"Yeah. But everyone also knows that Selena likes Jake, right?" Holly smiled at me shyly.

"Well... Yes... But he likes her too now. I don't think it's fair, though, because he only likes her from her lies. He does not know the true Selena." I sighed and thats when Landon walked into the room with Dana.

I looked at him and we made eye contact. He saw Holly and she went over and whispered to him that I knew that they both trusted me. But Dana was there with him. Dana would not even look me for what Selene told her. Even though it wasn't true.

Dana asked what Holly said and I hoped Landon didn't tell her the truth. It looked like he didn't but I was not sure.

He told her to go sit down and he walked over to me. "Hi Riley" I blushed and said,

"Hey... So... You know that I have liked you. You also know from the note that I have liked you since 4th grade, and when Katherine Fletcher kissed you in 5th grade, I wanted to make you jealous so I asked out Erin," He looked at me wide-eyed and I realized that was not in the note.

"Did he say yes?" I nodded,

"But I liked you so much that the next day I broke up with him." He laughed and his eyes met up with mine. I felt like we had our friendship back, and maybe more. But before anything happened the teacher walked in.

I sat down next to Holly and Landon. Dana was on the far side of the room, so she of course yelled "Landon, you were sitting here!" I rolled my eyes and said bye.

The next couple of days I was sitting next to Holly. After a whole week, I was sitting with six people. First it was Holly, then Landon. They finally told Dana and she came along. Next was Kimberly and Emma. Finally Erin came over. He did not believe the truth until we found the note.

It was in math and I was sitting behind Selena. That was my assigned seat. I would of asked to move, but Mr. Yeader was very strict. But one day he was furious. His girlfriend dumped him and he was filled with anger.

I did not know this until after class. See, I was kicking Selena's chair and bugging her. She ignored until I missed the chair and hit her leg. She had to be a snitch and tell the teacher. It was the second time I hurt Selena, so there was a punishment. I had to stay after class for thirty minutes.

That thirty minutes was all the time I needed. I cleaned up the room and finished my science homework. I kept on looking around after about twenty minutes. That's when I saw a crumpled up paper stuffed in my old best friends desk. I opened it and first I saw nothing until I flipped it over. It was the note. My heart skipped a beat and I was in disbelief. I took it without a second thought and stuffed into my bag.

That note could be the start of popularity. First I showed Erin and he was shocked. Then I show many other people and my reputation was raising.

The next day I saw Erin talking to Jake at lunch. I ran over and made sure they were not talking about the note. But it was quite the opposite. Jake and Selena were dating. When I walked over I was so shocked that without warning I told Jake everything. He didn't believe me even after Erin backed me up, so I showed him the note. Then he sat down and his whole day was ruined.

I could not believe what I did to my best friend. I knew what she did was bad, but I felt like I just fell to her level. I wished I could turn back time, but sadly it was impossible. Life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.