Page 7 of Go Find Less

Piper. I hadn’t thought about her in a hot minute, until today. Truthfully, I hadn’t even recognized her when I sat down at Rooster’s, and it wasn’t until Jackie said her name that memories came streaming back.

Ten Years Ago

Thehallwaywasjampacked with people in the long passing period between lunch and the next class, when people stop by the school store to stock up on snacks for the afternoon. Most seniors made their way to their last class of the day before early release.

I leaned against a column outside the cafeteria, watching as Ryan tried to chat up some bleach blonde sophomore. I rolled my eyes when he said “Yeah, I mean, I got a bunch of scholarship offers, but I really just wanted to stay close to home.” Lie. He got zero scholarship offers, and was going to our local community college until he could transfer to A&M.

“Incoming,” Andy growled next to me, and I looked to see what he was staring at.

Down the hall, I saw Piper’s bright red hair, bobbing along next to Vic. The two of them were heading toward the marketing classroom next to the school store, which was down the ramp in front of us. She carried a bundle of something in her hands, clutched to her chest in front of her binder.

Vic scanned the hallway, and he spotted us standing against the wall. I heard him mutter something to Piper, and while she didn’t look up, she visibly stiffened, and walked faster toward the ramp.

“Where are you heading in such a hurry?” Andy drawled next to me, and he spit into his dip bottle before pushing off the wall. I followed, leaving Olivia, my girlfriend, chatting with her friends. Vic put a hand on Piper’s back.

I could already feel my heart beating faster - whatever Andy was about to say or do, Piper didn’t deserve it. She didn’t do anything to earn his wrath other than tell the truth and save Jessica more heartache.

Truth be told, I was just as shocked as everyone the day we found out about Piper and Andy, if not more. Andy had been one of my best friends since kindergarten. While I didn’t always agree with his tactics, or his sense of style, for that matter, he and his family, like Ryan’s, were good to me when I was grasping at anything resembling a stable home life growing up. In exchange, I put up with a gregarious amount of camo, and, as we got older, Jager bombs.

But Piper, well, Piper deserved better than him. Hell, everyone deserved better than him, because one taste of attention from a girl years ago and his ego had inflated to the size of the sun. Jessica had tried - and failed - to keep his attention, and I wasn’t really in the mood to continue supporting someone leaving a trail of fuckboy antics in his wake. I may not be an expert on love and relationships, but even I knew that the consequences of his actions would eventually catch up with him.

Sure, I didn’t know Piper well. We’d steadily moved through school at the same pace, sharing the occasional class, lunch period, but she was mostly friends with the artsy crowd. She always dressed so well, especially compared to some of the choices people around school made. She had a reputation for being this prim and proper princess, trailing behind Alex in the same way, arguably, that I trailed behind Andy. But her personality was big - loud - and full of spirit. At least, until after that blowup. I only had one class with her, but it felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her.

Well, not someone. Andy.

The whispers around school had spread fast, and soon, even I couldn’t tell what was true and what wasn’t. A metaphorical scarlet letter was painted on her chest, no longer the prim princess.

“I said,” Andy started, crossing the wide ramp in a few steps and coming to walk behind her. “Where are you heading in such a hurry?” He emphasized the last word with a swift kick to the back of her shoe, a pair of blue heels, and I watched as she nearly fell, grasping at the ramp’s rail for support.

“Seriously?” Vic seethed, grabbing onto her forearm and urging her forward. Vic was small - probably just over five feet, and has always held a lean, muscular dancer’s frame from years on the school dance team. Andy towered over him easily.

“Andy,” I warned, my own arm reaching out to touch him. He shook it off, giving me a sideways glance before continuing.

“You got me three days of suicides from Coach Vaughn,” he spit at her, aiming another kick. “You’re lucky I didn’t key your fucking car.”

“It’s your own damn fault,” Vic threw over his shoulder.

“Shut up, you stupid faggot.”

I recoiled, stopping in my tracks. Andy did a lot of fucked up things, but I’d never heard him use a word like that before. It made my stomach roil. I watched as he reached out his hand and shoved Vic, hard. Unprepared, Vic sprawled forward, landing on his hands as everything in his hands went flying. Snickering, Andy turned and landed a final kick toward Piper. She flailed, losing her grip on the railing. Her arm flew back and smacked Andy in the chest before she, too, fell forward into a heap next to Vic.

“Fuck,” I breathed, pushing Andy away and jogging up to the two of them, offering Piper my hand. She lifted herself up on her elbows, her blouse gathered above her stomach, revealing a pierced belly button -wasn’t expecting that- and a wad of fabric lay next to her. Piper stared at my outstretched hand, and then up to me, her eyes narrowing.

She didn’t trust me. Understandable, I guess, given what I’d just let happen.

“What’s this?” Andy said in a mocking tone, bending down to pick up the other heap of fabric sitting next to Vic. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Olivia standing next to me, her books clutched tight to her chest. On the front of her binder, the strip of photos she made me take in a dark booth one summer night last year was clearly visible. It made me uncomfortable, that display of emotion, that last picture just barely covered by her arm with her nose pressed against mine.

Sometimes, it felt like she only had those on display for everyone else, like a trophy. Proof that somewhere, below the mask I wore, there’s a real person inside. But I wasn’t even sure if the guy caught in those intimate moments was a real person anymore.

She glanced between Piper and me, eyes questioning, and I pulled my hand back. There was a small crowd gathered around us, watching.

“Give it back,” Vic demanded, gathering his belongings and pushing himself up. He grasped at the item in Andy’s hand, which Andy promptly held over Vic’s head like a fucking asshole, shaking it out.

“Is that a skirt?” Olivia asked, and I looked closer at it. It sure was. A red plaid miniskirt hung from Andy’s hand, and he looked at it, disgust plastered on his face. Vic jumped, trying to grab the item, and Andy threw it at him like it was made of acid.

“Maybe Delmonico can lend you a pair of heels to go with that.” Andy nodded at Piper, who was leaning against the wall, visibly shaken but fuming. A few people around us laughed, which fueled Andy to push on. “And if you’re lucky, she’ll let you rail her ass, so you can pretend she’s a dude.”

Vic lunged forward, but Piper gripped his arm, and he retreated just as the crowd around us parted.

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