Chapter Ten

I grabbed Lily's hand and made her feel. At first she pulled away as she touched the rough texture but she grew used to it. I looked at me with sympathy in her once hollow green eyes.

"This is where it happened…isn't it?" I nodded my head in response. We walked over to a rustic, dilapidated gray bench. "Travis, we need to talk. Why didn't you tell me you had an eating problem?"

"I don't know. With Bridget I just feel more comfortable talking about this stuff. History I guess." A pathetic look was shot at me followed by hurt.

"I…I can't compete with her. You, you guys have so much history that I can't compete." Her glassy green eyes bore into mine as she let the pain out. "And frankly Travis, I don't want to." Lily stood up and with one final look at me she left, leaving me alone with nothing but mixed thoughts of her…and of Bridget.

When I got home it really started to sink in. Lily and I were through. She had dumped me. I shook my head as I walked up my stairs and when I opened my door I saw Bridget doing Tie Chi. She stopped when I entered and blushed.

"So you and Lily broke up?"

"How do you know?" I dumped my jacket on my bed and plopped down.

"Lily left a message. I couldn't help but overhear, sorry." Bridget sat down next to me. "But Travis, I really do like you. I know it wasn't the smartest thing…kissing you and all, but I just had to know if you felt the same. I never meant for this to happen."

"She doesn't know. I didn't tell her about the kiss. She just feels that she can't compete with our history so we decided to cool it. Well, she decided." I looked at Bridget. "But I'm sort of happy. I can't help but want to see what could have been. When we broke up I always hoped we could try again. Now we can."

"But…" I caressed Bridget's face and pulled her closer. When our lips met it was almost as if we were back in Hong Kong High in the hallways forcing everyone to see us. As this image filled my head I could have sworn I saw Lily walking by. But I pushed the thought out of my mind and focused on what was in front of me. This was my last chance with her.

The next week I sat in the seniors lounge reading a book I had picked up at the library. Ray walked up to me and playfully flicked my converse and sat down in the new suede chairs.

"Okay Swami, please explain to me why you and Lily broke up and you have now started dating Bridget again." I sighed and set down my book.

"Lily broke up with me because she feels she can't compete with Bridget. After this all happened and I thought about it I realized that Bridget and I have history so we are much closer and I believe Lily made the right decision. I don't want to string her along. Bridget and I decided to give the relationship another try so we'll see how it goes."

"O… kay. Well, how are things going?"

"They're fine Ray. Why so interested? Do you like Bridget or something? Don't think I didn't know you and Grace broke up. I know you were trying to hide it but I saw her smooching Todd Bell in the park last week." Ray drooped his head in embarrassing shame.

"Grace and I did break up and I don't like Bridget. I think she's a beautiful girl but that's all." Ray was slowly turning red and his eyes refused to look into mine. He was lying and I knew it but I didn't really care.

"So, what are you reading?"

"It's called Walking Naked, it's about cliques and how harmful they can really be. I only have a page left so I already know what's happened. It's a very sad story."

"What happens in it?" I sighed and brought back the images from the book. It truly made you think about things you never thought of.

"It's about this girl named Megan. She's got the most powerful group in school. Well, she gets stuck in detention with the Freak, a girl named Perdita. Megan and Perdita become friends but Megan's friends can't accept it. They make her choosebetween them and Perdita. She chooses her group but only after does she realize that she made the wrong choice. Well, one day Perdita is trying to tell her something and Megan and her friends start calling her a freak in front of the whole school. Perdita kills herself a few days later." I was silent. Suicide had always been a touchy thing for me.

I don't wish to explain why. You'll find out later.