Chapter Seven

Haley and I walked out of the school together in silence, not really sure what to say to one another. We walked towards downtown, the opposite direction of everyone else, which was a good thing. No one would see us together and question it. Except, of course, the fluffy haired bitch who drove the little red Hyundai SCoupe, which just so happened to be parked in the Rosebud parking lot.

Haley's face paled. I knew she didn't want to stand up to Vanessa. I didn't really want to see her either, but I figured it would be easier for me to see her than for Haley to see her while with me.

I handed Haley my backpack. "Here." I said. "This is heavy. You wait out here with it. I'll go get our coffee, and we'll go somewhere else."

Haley looked relieved. "Thanks, Char!" She said gratefully. "I feel sneaky, but... I don't want to deal with her."

"Yeah. Me either." I said, walking into the small cafe.

I didn't see Vanessa right away when I walked in, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I breathed that sigh a little too soon, though.

"Oh, look, it's my favourite sister in law!" I turned around and saw Vanessa coming from the bathroom. "You actually removed yourself from my brothers hip? I'm impressed."

"Hi, Vanessa." I said cooly, drumming my fingernails on the counter, waiting to be served.

"Don't try to act all friendly with-"

"What can I get you?" Gretchen Major, the owner of the Rosebud, asked me from behind the counter.

"Two large mocha's, to go, please." I answered.

"My brother doesn't like mocha's." Vanessa snapped.

"Who says its for him?" I asked, handing Gretchen a five dollar bill.

Vanessa leaned on the counter. "You're such a loser!" She sighed.

"Vanessa, if you're going to talk like that, you can just leave." Gretchen told her, handing me the coffee's. "You know I don't allow bullying in here."

"Thanks." I said, turning and walking towards the door.

"Fine, then." Vanessa said haughtily, rolling her eyes.

I walked out the door and around the side of the restaurant. Haley was leaning against the building, our backpacks at her feet.

"Here you go." I said, handing her a coffee.

"Well, well." We both turned around. "This parking lot is just full of wonderful surprises, isn't it?"

I groaned. Haley said weakly. "Hi, Vanessa."

"Don't fucking say hi to me like everything is all awesome, while you're hiding out here so I don't see you hanging out with this loser!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Give your head a shake and come inside with me!"

Vanessa grabbed Haley's arm and tried to pull her inside. "Let go of me!" Haley shrieked, wiggling away. "I have plans with Charlotte."

Vanessa dropped Haley's arm. "So you'd rather hang out with her than with me?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I would!" Haley shot back. "At least she is not a controlling, Stepfordish bitch!"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Fuck you, then." She snapped. "Have fun becoming a loser. You might want to watch your back, too. Kerry and Tiff aren't going to like this."

"Is that a threat?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Take it how you want to." She said simply.

"Kerry and Tiffany can kiss my ass!" Haley exclaimed. Turning to me, she said. "Let's go, Char."

I picked up my backpack and followed Haley towards the sidewalk, leaving Vanessa standing in the middle of the parking lot, stunned.

"Well, that was interesting." Haley remarked as we were out of earshot.

I shrugged. "Seemed pretty typical of Vanessa to me." I answered. "Why did she end up like that anyway?"

Haley sighed. "I mean, at first, you know, it was all for attention, to feel wanted. Obviously in her household, you have to be a complete fuck up like Byron or a friggin angel like Mallory to get any attention."

"Or be the baby like Claire." I mused.

Haley nodded. "Exactly." She said. "Vanessa basically went on this kick where she wanted attention and she wasn't loved at home and her parents wouldn't care who she hung out with... blah, blah, blah."

"Yeah, I remember that." I answered. "I remember her ranting and raving, saying she could be best friends with Saddam Hussain and her parents wouldn't care."

"Yeah." Haley replied. "Which, to begin with, was so ridiculous. She was just being a brat. I think her parents gave her plenty of attention, but with Mallory going to college and Byron getting into drugs and being arrested, it's normal that more of John and Dee's energy would be focused on those kids."

"What happened with Kerry and Tiffany?" I asked. "I mean, why did they end up as such shit disturbers?"

"Tiffany was always kind of like that, I guess." Haley answered. "That whole middle child syndrome. Shannon and Maria were such good students, well, Maria still is, and they had all their extracurricular activities. Tiffany didn't do any of that, and needed to do something to draw attention to herself. And I guess when she decided to come to SHS rather than Stoneybrook Day, she felt she really had to put on an act to impress people."

"Her and Kerry knew each other before high school, right?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, Logan and Shannon were friends, so they sort of knew each other. I think Shannon introduced Tiffany to Kerry before school started. Kerry was impressed by Tiff, she told me once before, and wanted so desperately to be her friend. She thought she was gorgeous, popular, and would be a great friend. Which she is not." Haley added that last part, sounding a little bitter. "The first time they came over to my house... Tiffany made fun of my brother."

"What?!" Haley's brother, Matt, is deaf. He is an awesome kid but sometimes, he makes weird noises. It's just because he doesn't know what the sounds actually sound like. Haley is terribly protective of Matt.

"I'm surprised you were still friends with her after." I continued as we sat down.

Haley pulled her backpack off and sighed. "Biggest mistake of my life." She admitted. "I should have known then that she wouldn't change. I should have ran from those two. Instead, I stayed, and totally alientated you and Becca." She set down her coffee and looked at me. "Char, I don't know how I can say I'm sorry." She told me. "I made a big, big mistake. I was just wanting to fit in and be cool. But, as it turns out, the longer I am friends with Tiffany, the more people don't like me. She's a bad, bad seed."

"I know." I answered. "That's why I never wanted to hang out with her. I could tell she was a bitch, right from the start. I didn't want to be in one of those totem pole group of friends. I wanted everyone to be friends, everyone to be equal."

"Like we all used to be." Haley said wistfully.

I nodded silently. "But Haley." I began. "Are you really willing to risk the wrath of Vanessa and them, just to reconcile with Becca and I?"

"I think they are all talk." Haley replied, sounding slightly uncertain. "Besides, with Jordan dating Tiffany and you dating Adam, and Tiffany being a bitch and Adam and Jordan being brothers... I don't think he will let her get away with being a cow for too much longer."

"I don't know about that." I admitted. "Jordan seems like a bit of a pushover when it comes to Tiffany. Which is weird, because normally he's all man-power, women are beneath me, yadda yadda."

"Tiffany probably does freaky shit in bed." Haley pondered, then laughed as her cell phone started chiming. She pulled it out of her purse and the colour drained from her face when she looked at it.

"What is it?" I asked.

Haley handed me her phone. "Text from Tiffany." She said.

if u dont get ur ass to my house asap and quit hanging out wit that loser we are no longer friends. i cant believe u would rather hang out with her then wit ur tru friends. if i dont see u in the next hr we are DONE n im not a very nice enemy.

"Wow." I said, handing her back her phone. "Why does she care so much?" Haley whispered something I couldn't hear. "What?" I asked, leaning closer.

She sighed. "I know secrets about her." She told me quietly. "Like, really bad secrets. Ruin her life secrets."

"So she is scared you'll blab them?" I asked.

"I guess so." Haley answered. "I'm scared she'll make shit up about me. Honestly, I've never trusted Kerry or Tiffany enough to tell them deep, dark secrets. But-," She continued, "I've told Vanessa everything, and then some."

"And that's as good as telling Kerry and Tiffany." I finished.

Haley covered her face with her hands. "Oh, man, Char!" She moaned. "I don't know what to do! I think I'm fucked either way."

"Well, not for long." I assured her.

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"Tiffany and Kerry are graduating this year." I answered. "So next year, they won't be around and you're free to be friends with whoever you want."

"I don't want to wait a year!" She exclaimed. "I've already wasted a year being friends with them... God, I can't do another!"

I was quiet. I didn't really know what to tell Haley. I wanted to be her friend again, but I didn't want her to feel she had to be. I also didn't want her to feel that she couldn't be my friend because of them.

"Char?" Haley asked, breaking my train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind... I mean, I want to be friends again but right now... I think... I don't really know what to do." She took a deep breath and continued. "I think I just need to go home, and think. Talk to my mom. I mean, I know what she'll tell me to do... She loves you and Becca... but if I'm going to be harassed and tormented for the rest of the year..."

She looked up at me, her big, brown eyes wide with worry.

I gave her a small smile. "I totally understand." I assured her. "I obviously know what it feels like to be tormented. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Haley looked pained. "God, Char, I'm so sorry I let that happen for this past year. Vanessa was such a bitch to you, and I should have done something to stop her."

I shrugged. "It's water under the bridge now." I told her. "Just... do what you gotta do, and let me know what happens."

"Char, I really want to be friends again." Haley insisted.

"I know." I answered. "Just... figure it out. I'll see you around."

"Are you mad?"

I thought for a moment. "No... not mad." I answered. "Just... disappointed, I guess."

"I'm really sorry, Char." Haley told me.

"I know. I'll see you."

I picked up my backpack and walked across the grassy field. I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I guess I assumed my visit with Haley would either be terrible and we'd both be arrested, or it would be full of flowery goodness and we'd be inseperable. It went good, I felt comfortable with her and nothing was awkward. But I know Haley. I know that she is a follow-the-crowd kind of girl, and I knew she would be calling Tiffany right away and explaining to her that I was just helping her with her homework. She would tell them that she didn't want to tell the truth because she didn't think they would believe her. She would tell them how sorry she was, and my chances for being friends with Haley again would be down the toilet.

I made it home in about ten minutes. My mothers car was in the driveway, but I heard her shower running when I walked inside. I grabbed the phone off the kitchen table and took it up to my room, dialing Becca's number as I walked up the stairs.

"What?" came Becca's voice after several rings.

I was taken aback for a moment. "Hey, Beck." I said slowly. "How's it going?"

"Fine."

Okaaaay, I thought. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"What, you think that I have to tell you everything when you obviously don't tell me everything?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you hanging out with Haley after school!" Becca exclaimed. "And I know that's what Adam was talking about at lunch. Bio test, my ass!"

"I didn't want to tell you until after we talked!" I exclaimed. "Haley wants to be friends with us again."

"Oh, goody!" Becca squealed sarcastically. "What makes you think I want to be friends with her again?"

"Because she's Haley, and you know that she's not like Vanessa." I told her.

"Whatever, Char." Becca answered. "You can go and be best friends with her all you want, but I'm not going to."

"Yeah, just like how you can go and be best friends with Jeff all of a sudden?" I snapped back. "Why did you go with him anyway?"

"Because I knew you were keeping secrets from me and it pissed me off!" Becca exclaimed.

"He called you Obama, Becca." I reminded her.

"So?" She asked. "Would you be offended if he called you McCain? Probably not, you'd probably think it was some pathetic joke. It didn't offend me, so shut up about it!"

"Why are you so friggin mad at me?" I asked her, irritated. "I didn't really do anything wrong!"

"Yeah, you kinda did, Charlotte!" She shot back. "You lied to me, so you could go and hang out with some bitch who made our lives hell over the last year! Some bitch who totally trashed our friendships so she could go get drunk with some sluts. She's dead to me."

"That pretty harsh." I said quietly.

"So what?" Becca hissed. "What goes around, comes around. Karma's a bitch, and guess what? So is Haley. So you can go and be friends with her all you want, but you will not be friends with the both of us."

With that, Becca slammed the phone down in my ear. I winced and hung up my own phone.

"Jesus Christ, this is worse than Romeo and Juliet." I groaned, flopping down onto my bed. First Vanessa hates me for dating her brother, now Becca is pissed off at me for hanging around with Haley. What's next, my mother jealous of my English teacher, because I spend so much time at school?

"Char, you home?"

"In my room!" I called back, my face muffled by the pillow I was hugging. Mom came into my room, dressed in sweats with a towel in her hair.

"Who were you on the phone with?" She asked, sitting down in my desk chair. "Sounded pretty intense."

"Becca." I muttered.

"Since when do you and Becca fight?"

"Since she became a jealous freak." I replied

"Char!"

I sat up. "Mom, it's so ridiculous!" I complained. "Haley is in my English class, and she wanted to get together after school. I heard her and Vanessa talking in the bathroom, and Haley said she is sick of Kerry and Tiffany. So we decided we'd meet up and talk. I didn't want to tell Becca right away cause I didn't know what would happen... But then, Adam had to go and open his stupid, big mouth and I had to lie to Becca to cover my ass. Now she is pissed off at me, saying I'd rather hang out with Haley than her. Which, probably won't even happen, cause Tiffany basically threatened Haley if she hung out with me."

"Jeez, sometimes your school reminds me of 90210." Mom told me. "I understand you wanting to reconcile with Haley. You two have been friends since you were in diapers. But, you and Becca have been though a lot together, including being left out by Haley and Vanessa. You can understand her being upset with this, can't you?"

"Well, yeah." I answered. "But she barely even let me explain! She didn't even let me tell her that Tiffany was texting and threatening Haley, and that Haley and I probably wouldn't be able to hang out together anyway."

"What kind of threats?"

I sighed. "She texted her saying that she makes a really bad enemy, and if Haley decided to hang out with me, her friendship with them is done. Vanessa saw us at the Rosebud, and basically told her the same."

"I don't want you getting mixed up with them." Mom told me.

"Mom, I'm not going to get mixed up with them." I said. "I had my chance, remember? Hense the reason why I'm not friends with Haley and Vanessa anymore!"

"I know, you're a smart kid." Mom said with a smile. "I think your first step is to try to talk to Becca and explain what happened. You don't want to lose her frienship too, do you?"

"Of course not."

Mom handed me the phone. "Then don't." She said, ruffling my hair before walking out of my room.

I groaned, but dialed Becca's number anyway.

"Hello?" It was her mom.

"Hi, Janice, is Becca there?" I asked.

"Hi, Char." Janice said pleasantly. "Becca told me to tell you that she isn't home, so whatever tiff you're having, I hope you can work it out tomorrow."

"I need to talk to her now." I told Janice. "Just tell her it's important, please?"

"I'll see what I can do." Janice answered. "I'll try to get her to call you back."

"Thanks, Janice." I said, hanging up. I drummed my fingers on my nightstand, staring at the phone, silently willing it to ring. I waited about ten minutes, with no phone call, so I decided to face Becca in person. I grabbed my jacket, ran downstairs, slipped into my shoes and ran out the door.

As I rounded the corner to Becca's front door, a familiar red truck was sitting, idling on the road in front of her house. A blonde haired teenaged boy was sitting in the drivers seat. Jeff. I stormed up to the passenger door and flung in open.

"Wow, is this going to be a three some?" Jeff asked when he saw me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

Jeff shrugged. "Picking up Becca, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Why are you picking her up?"

"What are you, her mother?"

I glared at Jeff. "Well, you have to leave." I told him. "I need to talk to Becca, and it's more important than whatever stupid, illegal bullshit you have up your sleeve."

"Do you have to butt into every single aspect of my life?" I turned around, and Becca was glaring at me.

"I wanted to explain to you about-" I started, but Becca cut me off.

"Don't bother." She snapped. "I really don't care to hear stories about how you and Haley are all besties now. Now, excuse me, I have a friend waiting for me."

I barely moved before Becca pushed past me and climbed into Jeff's truck. I stood there, in the Ramsey's front yard, watching them speed up Locust. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.

"This is the most fucked up Monday in the history of the world." I announced, heading back to my house.