Page 125 of Remember Us This Way

Realizing he was right about my morning schedule, I put my phone down on the bedside table and get my ass ready for school, taking much longer than it ever has before.

By the time the bell sounds through the school for homeroom, I’m standing at my locker with Hope, my hands in my wig, making sure it’s straight. “Is it alright?” I murmur, being as discreet as possible. “Do you think people can tell?”

“They will if you keep pulling it like that,” she whisper-yells, scolding me and smacking my hands away.

“I can’t help it,” I argue. “It’s itchy.”

“I mean, you could have always stayed at home,” she mutters, looping her arm through mine and helping me through the throng of students scurrying to homeroom.

I roll my eyes, leaning on her a little more than I should. “And spend my birthday alone in bed, just waiting for someone to have a spare minute to text me back? No thanks. I’d rather face the jungle otherwise known as East View High. Besides, there’s only so much Netflix and chilling one girl can do, and honestly, the chilling part of it isn’t quite as exciting when I’m alone.”

Hope scoffs. “I don’t need to know what activities you participate in when you’re all alone in bed.”

My jaw drops, and I gape at my best friend. “You are too much for me.”

“Girl, you’ve got no idea,” she laughs, stepping through the door of my homeroom and delivering me right to my table. “If you had any idea the kinds of things I have to bite my tongue on to preserve your little innocent mind, you would be horrified.”

Rolling my eyes, I take my seat and shake my head at her. “You’re trouble.”

“I know, but you love it,” she says with a cheesy grin before slipping out of my homeroom and hurrying to get to hers before it’s too late.

The day drags on just as I knew it would, and by lunch, I’m practically falling asleep on my feet. My body isn’t handling it, and I’m quickly starting to crumble, but I’m determined to see it through, too stubborn for my own good.

I’ve had a million texts from Noah making sure I’m doing alright and that I’m not pushing myself too hard, and considering the big exam he has today, I don’t know how he hasn’t gotten in trouble yet. But nonetheless, I’ve responded to every single one of his messages so he wouldn’t worry.

Making my way into the cafeteria, my face scrunches at the noise. I just need to find a table to sit at to quickly eat something and then maybe I’ll let Hope talk me into spending the rest of the lunch break sleeping in my car. If she’s lucky, I might just let her convince me to drive myself home and call it a day.

But there’s only two hours of school left to go. Surely, I can make it, right? I’ll be fine. Though I hope Noah doesn’t have anything big planned for tonight because I’m going to crash hard the second I get my ass home.

Scanning the cafeteria for Hope, I find her at our usual table, and I give her a small smile, silently letting her know I’m okay. As I make my way toward her, my gaze shifts around the room and falls on the table I used to call mine.

Tarni and Cora talk between themselves, but I can’t help but notice Abby’s gaze locked on me. Her brows are furrowed as she scans over my face, my fake hair, and down my body. The longer she stares, the more concerned she looks. I can only imagine what she’s seeing—my pale skin, my sunken cheeks, the bags under my eyes, and the too-thin frame.

She leans over toward Cora and murmurs something in her ear, and within seconds, both Tarni’s and Cora’s gazes snap up.

Shit.

I let out a shaky breath and avert my gaze, focusing on Hope’s table across the cafeteria. The last thing I need today is some bullshit showdown with Tarni. I’m just lucky Shannan’s been too preoccupied with forcing her tongue down some loser’s throat to even notice I’m here today.

Taking my seat opposite of Hope, I pick at my lunch, feeling the weight of the day really settling into my bones. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Hope questions as she reaches across the table and curls her fingers around my wrists in concern.

“I don’t know,” I tell her. “I really thought I’d be able to handle it, but I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

“It’s okay if you don’t finish the day,” she tells me. “It’s not like you’re being graded on whether you make it to the final bell or not. I can drive you home if you—”

Her gaze snaps above my head, and just as I go to turn around to see what’s caught her attention, a shrill laugh breaks through the cafeteria.

Tarni Luca.

“Oh my god,” Tarni laughs at my back, her tone loud enough to gain the attention of everyone around us, and I reluctantly turn to face her, preparing for the worst. “Who the hell are you trying to fool? A wig? Really? Are you that desperate to fit in?”

Her laugh chills me to the bone, and I try to force myself to appear indifferent, that her comments don’t bother me in the least, but the fact she’s drawing attention to my wig puts me on edge.

“Fuck off, Tarni,” Hope seethes, spitting through her teeth as she stands, more than ready to throw hands.

Tarni barely spares Hope a single glance as her gaze slices right back to mine with disdain. “Where’s your fucking backbone?” she throws at me. “How humiliating. You can’t even fight your own fights anymore. Are you that pathetic now that your boyfriend is gone? Shit, I don’t know what he was thinking wasting all that time with you. What was I thinking? I wasted years being your friend, but turns out you’re the type of girl to throw everything away because of good dick. Do you have any idea how dull it was to listen to your drivel day in and day out? You have the personality of a blank wall.”

Not prepared to waste what little energy I have left on Tarni’s shit, I turn back toward Hope and brace my elbow on the table before leaning my head into my hand. “Go and find someone else’s day to ruin.”

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