Chapter 7
"... when you get out I'll take you shopping ..." I said to Naima on my cellphone, while I was stood near the food court.
"Can I get a Barbie house?" she squeaked, excitedly. "I have lots of Barbies but they need a house. Oh, and can I get that make up set."
"Make up?" I said, sceptically. "You're not even six yet. Why would you want to wear make up?"
"I'm nearly six, Amal." she said, indignantly. "And I want Lennie to think I'm pretty."
"Oh, well of course, Lennie ..." I said, understanding.
"Amal, he's the cutest boy in my grade ..."
"You haven't been to school, in month, for all you know there might be an even cuter boy in your grade ..."
Naima laughed, "My grade came to see me this morning ..."
"What?" I said. "Really?"
"Excuse me, but you're holding the queue up." someone said in an awfully polite voice.
I turned to my right and froze.
Seth Clearwater was stood next to me!
Oh, my, gosh. This was the closest I'd ever been to him ...
Shut up, Amal. You sound like an idiot. He's just a boy.
A boy that has amazing eyes, hair and he has the most beautiful smile.
Smile, Seth, please smile.
He didn't smile, instead he looked concerned, like I was mentally challenged.
That made me force my eyes away and answer Naima's frantic hellos.
"Naima, I've got to now, honey." I said.
"But ..."
"I love you, sweetie. I'll call you in five minutes."
"I love you, too." she said, miserably.
"Bye." and I put the phone down, feeling just as miserable.
I turned to the lunch-lady, who was waiting impatiently, and laughed, nervously. "Sorry about that. I was just talking to my little sister, who's in hospital."
The lunch-lady's face immediately softened and I could hear some girls 'ahhing' and when I looked around I could see boys shuffling around, uncomfortably.
Everyone had already forgiven me for holding up the queue.
I smiled and bought my lunch.
I had forgotten about Seth until he called me.
"Hey, you,"
I turned and was surprised to see Seth looking pretty mad.
"Why were you lying?" he said.
I frowned, why was sweet, kind, cheerful Seth angry. "Lying about what?"
"Don't bother acting innocent." He snapped. "You lied about your sister so that everyone would forgive you."
My mouth fell open.
He made a disgusted noise and turned to walk away.
"Wait," I said.
He turned back, his eyes burning me.
Whoa, he looks ...
I almost forgot what I was going to say, but then I remembered.
This jerk, who I love, just called me a liar.
"I'm not a liar," I said, quietly. "My sister really is in hospital. She's got leukaemia."
Seth scoffed. "I don't believe you ..."
"You don't even know me!" I snapped. "So why don't you get your facts straight before you accuse someone? I wouldn't lie about something like that."
He still looked suspicious.
I shook my head and walked away.
"Hey, guys," I said as I sat down.
Leanne grinned at me. "I saw you talking to Seth ..."
"He called me a liar." I said, dully.
Kim choked, "WHAT?"
I changed the subject. "Where's Samiya?"
"We left her talking to Yasir ..." Leanne said, as though it was no big deal.
"WHAT?" it was my turn to choke.
"Tell us about Seth first." Kim urged. "Go on,"
"Tell me about Samiya."
Kim glared at me. "I have to sit with Jared today. So tell me about Seth."
"You don't have to sit with that dopey loser ..." I started.
"Jared is NOT a dopey loser!" Kim snapped.
"Yes, he is." Leanne mocked. "He's an airhead. He's more dumb than the cheerleaders."
"If you could you just talk to him ..."
Leanne snorted. "That is last thing I ever want to do."
"Why?" Kim wailed. "He's my boyfriend and I want you guys to get along with him ..."
"That's never going to happen, Kim." I said, simply. "We hate him."
Samiya sat down. "Hate who?"
"Jared." Leanne said.
Samiya nodded, "Yeah. We hate him."
Kim stared at us quietly. "Why cant you just accept him for me?"
"Kim." I said. "How can you expect us to like him?"
"Because he's nice and he treats me good ..."
"He stole you from us!" Leanne spat.
Kim glared. "He didn't and it's none of your business ..."
"None of our business?" I asked.
Kim nodded.
"I think you forgot who was there for you every time Jared ignored you." I said. "We were, Kim. We wiped your tears. We told you that you were going to live happily ever and that you were a million times better than any of Jared's girlfriends. We're your best friends, Kim."
Leanne shook her head. "But you obviously forgot that. Us three were here, Kim, when he wasn't."
"But when he came into the picture, you dropped us like hot potatoes." I said.
Leanne narrowed her eyes. "Well, newsflash for you, Kimmy. We aren't rubber-bands that you can just pull and tug whenever you feel like it. I'm sick of you using us. We always change our plans for you, but you cant do that for us."
Kim's eyes watered. "And you all feel like that?"
We avoided her eyes.
Leanne nodded after a long pause.
"Samiya?" Kim said.
Samiya sniffed. "Yeah."
Kim turned to me.
I nodded.
Kim looked at the table. "Well, then I guess we're not friends anymore."
We were quiet.
Kim stood up.
"Er, excuse me, Kim," Leanne said, harshly. "But you're the one in the wrong here."
Kim just walked away.
...
Kim's POV
I couldn't help but think about what Leanne, Amal and Samiya said, well mostly Leanne and Amal.
I shook my head. I hadn't done anything wrong. All I needed was a bit of space.
Jared will cheer me up I'm sure.
I sat down at the table and took my seat next to Jared.
As usual, Jared's smile sent my heart into a frenzy. "Hi, Kim-bear."
I tried to laugh at the cheesy nickname, but all I could hear was Leanne and Amal saying, 'We were there when he wasn't ..."
Jared's smile disappeared. "Kim? What happened?"
I looked at his friends, all of them except Seth were there. Embry, Quil, Jacob, Brady and Collin looked away and pretended to be absorbed in something else.
I cleared my throat, looking up to meet Jared's anxious eyes. "I ... um, I had a fight with Amal, Leanne and Samiya ..."
My voice broke off at the end.
The little crease between Jared's eyebrows disappeared. "Oh."
I bit my lip to stop it trembling. He had relaxed when I said I had a fight with my friends! He said, 'oh', like it was nothing! He didn't think my friends were important enough.
"Is Amal ok?" Embry said, worried.
Jared frowned, "Of course she's ok. She's just a spoilt bitch ..."
Embry hissed, and as Jared looked at me in surprise I realised I had too.
"That spoilt bitch, Jared, is my best friend." I snapped.
Jared held my hand, looking at me with his wounded dog look. "I'm sorry, baby. But she's a cow to me ..."
"She's my friend!" I said, indignantly.
He shrugged. "Plus, she's a Muslim ..."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I said, threateningly.
Jared looked pointedly at Embry. "Embry, you know what ..."
Jacob glared at Jared, while Embry just looked murderous.
"Jared, don't go there ..." Jacob warned, watching Embry carefully.
Jared glanced at me, looking uneasy. "I actually feel quite sorry for Amal ..."
"Do we have to talk about this?" Embry spat.
I looked at Jared. "What?"
Suddenly, every person on the table looked scared, even Jared.
"Jared, what is it?" I asked.
Silence.
"Jared." I said, worried. "If it's to do with Amal, tell me now."
Jared turned to me, and said one word:
"Ninja girl."
I gasped. "Was that you, Jared? Did you make her middle school a nightmare?"
"No," Jared said, looking down at the table.
I looked around the table and I knew who it was.
"Embry." I spat, with as much hatred and venom and energy as you could put into one word.
Embry was cowered as though that one word weighed a tonne on his shoulder.
Good.
I'll make it even worse.
"I hope you know, Embry Call, how much pain Amal felt." I said, coldly. "I hope you feel as much pain."
"Kim!" Jacob scolded.
"Oh, shut up, Jake." I snapped. "You dont what it was like. How much shit she had to go through. Her dad dying, her sister being ill and on top of of that she had to face you at school. The biggest, racist bully ..."
"Stop it, Kim! It was the past ..."
"NO," I was ruthless. "Then as a prank, for our first dance, you asked her ..."
"Kim, please!" Quil said, panicking at the sight of Embry.
"...you stood her up." I continued as though no one had spoken. "And when she came to the dance, you were dancing with another girl. I remember when you saw her in that cute dress, you thought she was pretty. You and your friends said so. But that didn't matter, did it, because she was Muslim."
Finally I was finished, or so I thought.
Jared held my hand. "Embry is sorry, you know. And I am, too."
I tugged my hand away. "You know what? I think they were right. I spend way too much time with you."
"Kim." Jared was sounding hurt and confused. "What do you mean?"
"We're finished." and I stood up. "And Embry."
Embry looked up, wearily.
"I've seen the way you look Amal ..."
"Then that shows that I care about her." he said, with fake sincerely.
"That doesn't erase everything you've done and said to her." I continued. "I am going to be brutally honest with you. I don't think you and her are ever going to be together."
"You don't know that ...!" he snapped.
"Yes I do." and I turned away to leave.
"Kim, please don't." Jared begged.
I wanted to turn around and tell him that it was all a joke and that I would never dump him. But I didn't. I needed to know if Jared and I were right for each other. I wanted to know what other choices I had. Also my friends were there for me before Jared and they kept me going, and if it wasn't for them I would be in the hospital for the mentally ill. So this was for them. My best friends.
So I carried on walking and I didn't cry until I was in the safety of the toilet cubicle.
