Page 20 of Hidden Truths

I don’t know how long my mother’s tirade goes on for. Time loses all meaning to me as I try to defend myself from both her hits against my body and the vile words leaving her mouth. It’s just one more day I’m told how worthless, unlovable, and selfish I am. This is nothing new to me and a major part of the reason I know how horrible I am. Brock’s words might be how he sees me, but at the end of the day, I’m told repeatedly by everyone who has known me for years what a piece of shit I am. Eventually he’ll realize it’s true and move on to find a different friend. Especially once he gets a girlfriend. I’m not ever going to come between him and someone he wants to be with. So, it’s time for me to start building the walls back up even higher and stronger than before to protect myself.

When my mother finally tires herself out from beating on me, she leaves the house. The slamming of the door behind her shakes the entire front of the small structure. One of these days it’s going to fall completely down and she won’t give a shit. If anything, she’ll hope I’m inside and it hurts me, if not worse. I take a few minutes to collect myself and make sure I can move without pain ricocheting through me. It doesn’t work, but the attempt is there.

It takes longer than I’d like to admit, but I finally make my way slowly back over to Mrs. Andrews’ house. She opens the door for me when I knock and ushers me inside. After once again cleaning me, I assure her I’m more than capable of moving around. It’s just going to be slower than normal. Deciding to get away from her for a while so I don’t have to see the pity filling her eyes when she looks at me, I grab Vinnie and change him before leaving her house with him in a used stroller I managed to find for cheap. I walk him down to the park and thankfully it’s empty. No drug dealers are hanging out here today. Not many people come here, but for me, it’s an escape from the hell where most of my nightmares take place.

For a few hours, I push Vinnie on the swings and listen to his carefree giggles. This is the only time I ever feel peace. Vinnie is the only person who will ever bring me peace and a sense of being loved and worthy enough for anyone. When he starts rubbing his eyes, I know it’s time to head back to Mrs. Andrews’ house. By the time we get there, I’ve got a fine layer of sweat covering me from the pain. Mrs. Andrews helps me feed and bathe my brother before getting him into bed. The very second Vinnie goes to sleep, I lower myself into the small bed and pray sleep claims me sooner rather than later tonight. I’m exhausted and the pain doesn’t always allow me to sleep. Tonight, I hope it’s not the case because I’m more than ready to forget everything about this day and move on to tomorrow.

Lies

Arabella

IT’S BEEN TWO days since the last attack from my mother. I haven’t stepped foot back in the house other than to grab the money and anything Vinnie needed from there. My mother wasn’t home when I showed up so I was able to get in and out with ease. Thankfully, she wasn’t lying when she said she couldn’t find my hiding spot. It’s not exactly something I was expecting her not to find. There are so many holes in the walls of this fucking rundown house that there’s a million places for me to stash things. Places that I’ve used more often than not because anything of value, my mother will take without hesitation. She’s proven it so often over the years. That’s why we have absolutely nothing left from before my dad lost his life. The house we live in is empty and there’s nothing personal filling the walls. The few pictures that were hanging up, have long been destroyed in the various battles that have taken place in the house recently.

As I walk across the campus today, I’m lost in my head with thoughts of everything I’ve got going on swirling at such a fast pace that I can’t keep anything straight. For the first time in a very long time, I’m not paying close attention to my surroundings. Anyone can use this opportunity to sneak up and attack me and I’d be too late to do anything to protect myself. Shaking my head, I try to clear the thoughts tumbling around and pay attention to the grounds of the campus I’m practically running across. It hurts my body, but there’s nothing I can do since I’m already running late today. Vinnie didn’t have a good morning and I spent more time with him before leaving Mrs. Andrews to take care of him for the next few hours.

Just as I get to the quad I can’t avoid today, I notice the guys heading my way. All five of them are together and they’re making a beeline straight for me. There’s no hesitation on their part as they all move together. If I weren’t actively avoiding them, I’d be impressed by the way their bodies move as one. These guys are closer than brothers and it’s no surprise how in sync they are. I’m sure they don’t even have to utter a word to know what the others are thinking. Fallon and the rest of them have spent countless hours together and are closer than anyone I’ve ever met before in my life. They let one another in completely and don’t hold any secrets back. At least that’s the way they used to be with one another. Right now, I see that nothing has changed in that regard.

Taking a deep breath despite the pain, I start to run across the campus and head for my class. I’ve got math this morning and if I don’t get in there on time, Professor Rollins will only make my life more of a living hell than he already does. He gets off on calling me out for stupid lies in class on a daily basis. I’m fucking sick of it and there’s not much I can do about it. Not with him being a professor and me being a scholarship student.

“Bella!” Fallon calls out, their long legs eating up the distance between us. “Wait! We need to talk to you about somethin’ important.”

Without looking over my shoulder, I continue to run to the building my lecture hall is in. My backpack slams against my back causing me more pain than what I’m currently in. The textbooks I carry with me on a daily basis are heavy as fuck and bring me nothing but pain on a good day. Today, when I’m not completely healthy after the beating from my mother, the pain is almost enough to make me drop to my knees. Thankfully, I don’t and manage to remain on my feet as I finally reach the building and head directly inside to the room I need for math.

“Ah, Miss Moore, it’s so good to see you. Unfortunately, class today will not have the two of us in it. It seems Miss Moore thought it would be a good idea to cheat on her test. I probably wouldn’t have caught on to her cheating, but for someone like her to get every single answer correct is absurd. Miss Moore, we’ll be making our way to see the Dean while my TA takes over teaching the class for today. I suggest the rest of you pay attention to the lesson and don’t cause disruption in my absence,” Professor Rollins says, making his way up the aisle until he stops next to me. “I’m not the only professor who will be in this meeting. Apparently you’re cheating in more than one class.”

Karmen’s laughter fills the hall as Professor Rollins leads me from the room. The door slams behind us as we make our way out of the building and toward the administration building where the Dean’s office is located. I have to jog to keep up with his long strides as he power walks to the office. Honestly, I want to get through this meeting and find out what’s about to happen to me. Karmen, Professor Rollins, and this other professor have the power to destroy my future with their blatant lies. I will not hold back on this when I’m in front of the Dean. The test Professor Rollins is talking about is the one he tried to get me to fail simply because it wasn’t the same as everyone else’s test. It was on the next chapter we were going to be working on.

“We’re here to see Dean Maddison,” Professor Rollins says as Professor Matthews and Karmen enter the office as well.

I knew that bitch had something to do with this. The smug look on her nasty face as she looks at me with a smirk proves she’s got a hand in this shit. I’m sure the three of them plotted out this plan together in their attempt to get me expelled from school. With me gone, I don’t know what the hell they’ll gain though. That’s the most puzzling part of this entire situation. I’m a fucking nobody and there’s nothing they can do to me that’s worse than what I face on a daily basis.

“Go right in. He’s waiting for you,” the lady behind the counter informs us as the four of us head for the Dean’s door.

I take a seat in front of his desk where Karmen sits down next to me. She tries to put a look of pure innocence forward as she looks at the Dean and her body starts trembling like she’s afraid of me or something. The bitch is a good actress, I’ll give her that. I can’t say anything else kind about her, but she’s definitely able to put on a show when she wants to. She’s not about to come in here and show the Dean how horrible and manipulative she truly is. That won’t get her what she wants today.

“What seems to be the problem?” Dean Maddison asks when we’ve all settled into his office and the door has closed behind us.

“It seems that Miss Moore has been cheating in at least two of her classes, Dean. The first test of the year, she got every single question correct and yet she can’t give me a single right answer while she’s in class. There’s no way she not only passed this test but got every question correct,” Professor Rollins says, his voice making me tremble as his words linger in the office between us.

“Sir, she’s also been caught cheating in my class. Karmen brought me several papers that have already been written by Miss Moore. However, those exact same papers have already been written and turned in by other students. She’s somehow getting her hands on them and copying them before the students even notice they’re missing. I don’t know how she’s managing to do this, but you can clearly see that it’s happened,” Professor Matthews says, shocking the hell out of me because I have already written every single paper for my English class.

Karmen stands up and hands over the so-called evidence to the Dean as he looks over the papers in front of him. I hold my breath as tears fill my eyes with the knowledge that these three are going to completely destroy me in a matter of seconds because of their lies and manipulation. It doesn’t take Dean Maddison long to skim the papers he’s been handed before setting them down on the desk in front of him.

“What do you intend to do about this?” Professor Rollins questions the Dean, his voice hard, cold, and full of accusation as I feel his eyes drilling into the back of my head.

“I intend to investigate the matter. I’ll talk to the students whose names are on the papers, look over the math test along with everyone else’s in the class to compare them, and then I’ll make a final decision in the matter,” Dean Maddison answers, leaning back in his chair while glancing between the four of us currently sitting in his office.

“There’s no reason for you to look at the rest of the tests,” Professor Rollins states, his voice shaking because he knows the test I was given won’t match the one that everyone else took.

Even Karmen shrinks down in her chair slightly with the knowledge that her test will more than likely be gone over by the Dean as well. Her skin pales and I know she wants to say something as her lips twitch. It takes her several minutes to get herself back under control and put the façade back in place. Again, the thought of her being a good actress fills my head.

“I said what will happen and that’s the last I want to hear about this, Professor Rollins. I expect to have the remaining tests for your class in my hand within a half hour. If you do not provide them to me, I will give Miss Moore the grade she deserves and you will not override the decision I’ve made. Professor Matthews, I suggest you make sure the papers you have currently are brought over to me as well. I want to see how closely Miss Moore’s papers resemble others in your class. Again, you have a half hour to get me what I’m asking for. The same results will take place in your class if not. Moving forward, none of Miss Moore’s work will be graded by either one of you. Mr. Hayden will take place grading every assignment, project, paper, test, and everything else for Miss Moore.

“If I find that this is some kind of game, the two of you will more than likely be looking for employment elsewhere. Miss Jones, I suggest you take a long, hard look at what you’ve been doing around this campus. Bullying other students, lying, and everything else. If I determine this is all some sick game you’ve concocted to get rid of Miss Moore for your own selfish reasons, you will find yourself the one being expelled. Am I making myself clear?” Dean Maddison says, his voice filling the room and letting everyone know he’s not playing games right now.

Nothing is said by anyone else as we’re all dismissed from his office.

“Miss Moore, can you give me a minute please? You’re excused from the rest of your math class today and it won’t go against you,” Dean Maddison asks, his voice letting Professor Rollins know he’s not messing around in this situation.

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