SIERRA'S POV
~ THE NEXT DAY ~
"Mum, I'm off." I snagged the black Alan Walker-decorated tote bag, poured tea down my throat, took one bite out of the bread and raced for the door.
"For school? I thought you weren't feeling well?" She appeared from behind the mahogany kitchen door, her forehead wrinkled in slight surprise.
I stopped, turning slightly to give her a soft, assuring smile. "I'm better now and… I will be fine."
She gave me a long look and then weakly returned the smile. "You know you can tell me anything."
I beamed and spun around. She watched me out the door and into the Kimberly Memorial High School's early bus.
The threadbare brown seat dipped down immediately as I sat. It felt like plummeting into a dream of hallucinations, my mind floating out of the bus and back to that night.
I sighed for the umpteenth time; my attention drifting to the call with Katelyn. If there was anyone who understood how to fix broken hearts, it was Katelyn Mayfield. She was waiting at the bus stop just as she said. We escaped to the rooftop of the third-grader's class building, our little secret hideout.
"You can speak now, Sia," Katelyn said. We stood side by side, my head on her shoulders. The breeze fluttering our curls.
"I broke up with Wahshen."
She went awkwardly silent. I looked at her in surprise. She seemed to flinch, beaming immediately.
"Katelyn, you don't look shocked."
"Why would I be?" She took a step forward. I straightened up.
"You are the sweetest girl I know. If you ended things, it means he fucked up big time."
She tucked some adventurous strands into place. Her hair was straightened and blonde, not curled like it used to. The edges a fading shade of black. It was beautiful and odd. She didn't use to have blonde hair. She was a brunette.
"You don't seem sorry for me."
I held her gaze, searching for her ocean blues. She rolled them.
"I am here to make you get over it, not wallow in self-pity like you probably have all these days." She threw her hand on my shoulders. "I know you love him but you cannot let the wrong guy steal your prime, Okay?" She turned my face to meet hers. She flashed me a big smile, her rosy cheeks and dimples forced me to return the gesture.
"See. That's more like it. Get over your loser boyfriend and forget his cheating ass." She snickered.
I pulled away from her, laughing now at her childishness. My eyes searched for her, she was a bit distracted by the breeze puffing up her sleeves and messing up her perfect folds. She turned them up a little to refold.
Something red etched on her arm caught my attention. I looked closer. It seemed to be a… I peered harder. It looked like a tattoo on her arm, shaped like a cross.
Suddenly hazy memories flashed before my eyes. My smile disappeared.
Wahshen's naked body, blood dampening his jet black hair, filled my subconscious mind. The girl on the bed; I couldn't picture her face, but I remembered her blonde hair. They were straightened and faded into black at the edges. Her nails were white with star shapes pinned on them. Her pale skin seemed a bit tanned under the incandescent lights. She had a tattoo, shaped like a crooked cross on her left arm.
For a second, I felt exhaustion wash over me. My legs threatened to break beneath me, fear crawling up my spine.
'Is Katelyn… No, it can't be. Katelyn couldn't. Hell, of course, it's not her.'
Katelyn looked at me, still cheerful.
"Hey, are you crying? I thought you had already got over your cheating boyfriend."
My eyes widened. The pooling tears, I didn't notice, dripped down my cheeks.
"Katelyn, how did you know Wahshen cheated on me? I never said he did."
Katelyn went cold, her beautiful smile fading into a grim frown. She threw her eyes around and then returned it to me. "Honestly, I didn't think you would have thought about it, Fairy princess. I expected you to remain in your perfect life fantasy." Her tone was sardonic.
I lurched towards her, grabbing her hand.
"It can't be you, right? Katelyn you would never hurt me, right?"
Our eyes crossed; mine, begging for her to say 'Yes'. Katelyn was my heart and soul; my best of all friends.
"Let go of me," she shoved me. "I was remorseful in the beginning, but seeing you do this, I'm kinda happy I fucked your man. Well he fucked me. I guess he too got tired of your pretty princess virginity shit."
"Katelyn — "
"Well, it's not like I'm lying."
My mouth fell open but no words came. For a moment, disbelief rocked my mind. It didn't make any sense. Katelyn never hurt me before, she never did. What's going on?' I looked back at her, for answers. She rolled her eyes. She didn't even have a tiny bit of remorse for taking the only man in my life away from me. I loved her, and she trampled on my love just like Wahshen.
The dread faded into anger. The astonished look of my face decayed into hate. I held her gaze, glaring at her.
"Katelyn, why did you do it? Did you two plan it together? To betray and hurt me?"
She scoffed. "Does it matter? I suggest you let it go princess. I'm sure someone else will be willing to bang your virgin ass." She exploded into a mocking laugh, hands on her hip and sauntering away from me. I had my back to her now. My fist tightened, my heart thumping faster. I grit my teeth, holding back the raging desire to hit her.
"Sierra!"
Her voice sounded close.
I spun around, but I wasn't fast enough to react before my face met her balled fist. I stumbled back, lost my footing and slumped, my left arm colliding with the hard concrete roof.
"You bitch!" I threw Katelyn a bloody glare. One eye purple.
"Hey, chill out, it's just a punch. You are obviously gonna tell your mother about me and Wahshen, I'm sure of it, so I want to shake you up a bit. You know, so you will shut up." She grinned. I could see the blood thirst in her eyes. 'God, this is not the Katelyn I know'.
I scampered to my feet and limped, running. "Get away, you sick bitch!"
She followed me, looming like the doom she had evoked. She rubbed her fist, readying it for another hit. I hobbled on, looking behind me over and over again. Because of that, I didn't notice that there was a bloody brick on the floor. I stumbled and fell on my face right at the edge of the roof.
"Get up, princess." She grabbed my hair and yanked me off the ground.
"Let go. I won't tell. I promise." I searched for her hand with my fingers.
"After this," her lips come close to my ears. "of course you won't. Look at you, so pathetic. I wonder what Wahshen saw in the trash like you. He should have been with me. He was always meant for me. I wanted him first!"
I winced, her yell piercing my ears. I was scared, very scared, but somehow I calmed down long enough to feel her grip loosening. If I tried, perhaps I could make a break for it. I scratched her hand with my nails. Her skin split and bled.
"Ah!" she shrieked in pain, shoving me. I stumbled forward, staggering, struggling to maintain balance. I didn't, instead, I missed a few steps. I felt my body falling forward.
"Sierra!!!"
Her yell was the last thing I heard before… I fell off.