Best Friends Forever (32 page)

Eight

I wake up in a cold sweat, a shout bubbling out of my mouth.

“Audric? What the hell, dude?” Roman asks, leaning off his bed to see me.

Somehow, I’ve managed to scoot into the corner of my bed where the walls and my headboard meet. Curled in a tiny ball, my whole body is numb from being in such a position.

“Sorry, man… I guess I had a bad dream,” I say, realizing how much I sound like a little kid. Thr truth is far more terrifying, though.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I glance over at him, taking in his bloodshot eyes. “Yeah, I’m good. Are you okay?”

“I haven’t slept much,” he says, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. “It’s hard to sleep when I know she’s gone.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Although I’d rather be awake than having the nightmare I just woke up from,” I admit.

“At least in dreams, she’s not dead,” he commented.

In my dreams, she’s in hell. “Yeah.”

“It’s almost lunch time. You want to go out with Miranda and I?” he asks.

“Sure. Let me grab a quick shower, though,” I say, stretching my body and getting off the bed. I grab my shower bag and leave the room.

Less than twenty minutes later, I actually feel refreshed. I’m still depressed by my dream, but no one will ever know about it. I can’t tell people I had a dream Hazel went to hell and told me to be a better person – they would think I’m crazy.

“All set,” I say to Roman, who looks like he hasn’t moved off the bed.

He glances up at me, as if he’s forgotten he invited me to lunch. He shakes his head as if to clear it and then puts his feet on the floor. “Yeah, okay.”

He pulls out his phone to send a text and then we set out to the parking lot.

I know, at some point, I’m going to have to talk to Cheyanne about what she said, but I don’t want to face her. I’m still so angry, so completely pissed off that she said such horrible things that I can’t force myself to come face-to-face with her. Chances are, I’ll lose it, especially after that dream.

Roman agrees to drive, which is good, ‘cause I shouldn’t be anywhere near a steering wheel at the moment. I’m too distracted.

We arrive in no time, neither of us bothering to make small talk. Miranda is there, waiting for us, and I can see Nolan sitting on a bench in front of the restaurant. He looks so despondent, so utterly lifeless that I wonder if he’s ever going to snap out of it. His depression is weighted with guilt, as is mine, but he’s is so much different than mine. He broke Hazel’s heart.

Miranda hugs Roman and I and then turns to pull Nolan off the bench. He goes willingly, but I can see the huge nothingness in his eyes. He’s empty. Not so dissimilar from how I feel.He looks at me and I see myself mirrored in his eyes. Even though Hazel and I had our skirmishes, we weren’t in utter hatred of each other, and before I started dating Cheyanne, Hazel actually liked me. I see now why Hazel despised my girlfriend.

Cheyanne is spiteful and full of hate. No matter what Hazel did, she didn’t deserve to die. And that’s where Cheyanne and I differ. Even now, Roman and Miranda, whose relationship was in disarray because of Hazel for a brief period of time, are mourning the girl we included in our little group. She was one of us. And now she’s gone.

The whole group is sort of toxic, if I really examine it. Nolan cheated on Des with Hazel. Des got her revenge on them by getting Lexi to seduce Nolan. And now Nolan is proclaiming he wants revenge on Des and her friends. It’s all so… juvenile. I feel like we’re still in high school, all of us doing what we can to one another to get ahead. I was certain before I came to this school that I would among adults, people with morals and general respect for each other. I was horribly mistaken.

And so I know, without any doubt at all, that I need to get the hell away from these people. I keep quiet as a hostess leads the four of us to a table. I’m lost to their conversation as I consider my options. I want to leave, but I’ll have to make smart choices so my grades don’t suffer.

“Audric?” Miranda calls to me.

I blink at the three of them, all staring at me.

“Umm, what?”

Roman gives a halfhearted laugh. “Exactly.”

“We were talking about the funeral,” Miranda explains.

“Oh. What about it?”

“Hazel’s parents have agreed to let the school have a memorial service in the auditorium, but the actual funeral is going to be held in Atlanta. Her dad is going to give the eulogy himself,” Rome says.

“Are you all going?” I ask, wondering if I can get my situation handled by the time the funeral happens.

Roman smiles. “Yeah, we were thinking of driving out together. It’s about eight hours, so we could make a road trip of it.”

“You too, Nolan?”

“I think so. I can’t guarantee to go to the viewing, but I’m going to try my damnedest. She deserves so much more than that from me, after the way I treated her,” Nolan replies, hanging his head.

He’s ashamed of his behavior, but no one really blames him. Lexi wouldn’t have taken no for an answer, and it was all a set up. Smart people know better than to try to take Hazel’s boyfriend away.

Nine

I had a lengthy conversation with my student advisor this morning, explaining just a few things about my situation. We agreed that I would finish my remaining classes online, and all my professors okayed it. Which meant tomorrow, I would be moving out of the dorm. I need to tell Roman, especially since he’s my roommate, but there’s something I need to handle first, something far more important than me transferring.

It took me an hour to find someone who knew her new address, but I finally managed to pry it out of Claire, a friend of Destiny’s. The place is an address right on the beach, which is nice, but this isn’t a social call. I drive down Ocean Boulevard with the intent of giving Cheyanne a piece of my mind.

I park in the designated lot and then make my way to the elevator, taking it up to their floor. I knock on their door and wait patiently for one of them to answer.

When Lexi pulls open the door, I’m in shock. Gone is the put-together, bad-attitude, know-it-all girl I know. In her place is a sobbing mess with mascara-streaked face. She looks like she hasn’t slept in days. Guilt must be eating away at her.

“Cheyanne’s not here,” she mutters.

I’ve never seen Lexi in a t-shirt or shorts and she’s wearing both. The tee is well-worn and faded while the shorts look like a pair of men’s basketball shorts.

“When will she be back?” I ask.

“Never. She’s back at the dorms.” She moves to close the door and I step forward, putting my foot in the way.

“What do you mean she’s back at the dorms?” I ask.

“Not now, Audric,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears.

“Yes, now. Talk to me,” I demand, needing to know what the hell is going on. I push on the door and she releases it, letting me in.

She turns away and I follow her into the living room of the apartment. It’s actually really nice with an amazing view. I can’t imagine why Cheyanne would turn this down.

“What happened?” I ask as Lexi sits cross-legged on the couch.

She glares at me. “I kicked Cheyanne out.”

What? “I don’t understand.”

“What is there to understand? Cheyanne and Destiny were plotting against my step-sister, hoping they could get her to leave school, and it worked. They got what they wanted. And now my mother and step-father hate me. They blame me for Hazel’s death. Apparently, in lieu of a note, Hazel sent an email with a very revealing video of what happened the morning of her death. They’ve disowned me, even though I had nothing to do with it.”

“What video?” I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

“Here, let me show you,” she says and then grabs her phone. She messes with it for a second and then hands it to me.

I press play.

It takes me a second to process what I’m seeing. The video is being taken upside down, as if someone hit record and then put their hand down to waist level. Everything is clear though. Cheyanne and Destiny approach, both with evil smirks on their faces. Trailing behind them is Lexi, who looks ashamed to even be there.

Cheyanne and Des hurl insults at Hazel, who doesn’t bother to defend herself. When she finally speaks, it’s only to accept what they say.

“I know I deserve this,” she admits. This only launches Cheyanne further into a tirade about reality and being a good person.

It goes on for ten minutes, with Hazel saying nothing. They walk away finally tired of berating her and then Hazel turns the camera to herself. Her makeup is running and she’s crying silently. She takes a deep breath.

“I’m not going to ruin anyone’s life anymore. This is my promise.” The video cuts out.

I suck in a deep breath. “Who did she send this to?”

“My mother and step-father. Luckily, they didn’t feel it was necessary to spread it around. They only sent it to me. They wanted me to know I killed her.”

“You didn’t kill her, Lex. This video proves it. You didn’t say a word to her the whole time,” I start.

“I didn’t stop them, either. I’m a bitch, but Hazel and I were on an even playing field. We both knew exactly who the other was. And that’s why we tolerated each other. But this… This is bullying in the worst possible way and I did nothing!” She drops her head to her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

I move to sit next to her. “The fact that you’re remorseful says so much about you, Lexi. You’re strong and not everyone can stand up to bullies. Cheyanne and Destiny are responsible for what happened to Hazel, as far as I’m concerned. They were the ones who tortured her. And if I had to guess, this wasn’t the first time it happened, right?”

“No, it wasn’t. I wasn’t there every time, either. But whenever it happened, I kept my mouth shut. I was afraid if I stood up for her, they would come after me,” she admits.

It was typical, really. And so, so sad. I wanted to weep for Lexi, but she was already weeping enough for both of us. I put my hand under her chin and turned her head toward me. When she finally turned her eyes to mine, I gave her a small smile.

“Don’t blame yourself for what happened, Lex. Hazel made her choice. And even though we don’t like it, we can’t change it. The only thing we can do now is beg forgiveness for the way we treated her. Even if we weren’t as severe in our actions as Cheyanne and Destiny, we still owe her an apology. She deserves that much from us.”

“I want to go to the funeral in Atlanta, but my mother forbade me from coming. She said if I show up, they’re going to call the cops,” she sobs, leaning her head on my shoulder.

I try to console her, rubbing my hand over her back. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out,” I promise, knowing that I need to find a way to get Lexi to the funeral so she can make her peace with Hazel.

Ten

The next three days are a whirlwind. Between moving out of the dorms and figuring out these new online classes, I’m stressed, with hardly any time at all to think about the tragedy that has struck our school.

On Friday, the school has it’s memorial service and I attend with Lexi. I explained to Roman, Miranda and Nolan about what truly happened, and although they’ve accepted Lexi, I can tell they’re still leery. I definitely didn’t tell them about the video. The service is touching, with Lexi giving a short speech about her step-sister.

At the end of the service, Lexi stands back up to the mic. “I have one more thing for all of you to see. Many of you knew Hazel as a rumor-starter, someone who would reveal the truth about any situation, including her own. Her brutal honesty is something I’ve always admired about her, even if that honesty pointed out the worst in us, or even herself. And now, I’d like to share with you the truth about her death. Hazel didn’t just up and decide to kill herself. She was coerced, and I think it’s only fitting that the deviants have their dirty laundry aired. Including mine.” She hits a button on a remote and behind her, a video projects.

I wish she’d talked to me about this first, but I understand her need to get it off her chest. She needs the closure. Every single person in the auditorium is silent, watching, ensnared by the video. When it ends, all eyes turn to Cheyanne and Destiny, who are sitting together at the back of the room. They obviously haven’t seen the video, either, which makes the shocked looks on their faces even more comical.

They try to leave, but security asks them to remain in their seats while students and teachers file out. Each person in the room stares the two of them down as they exit, letting them know what everyone thinks about them.

Several people walk up to the stage to give Lexi a hug. She’s new, and so the outpouring of kind words surprise her. She figured people would hate her, but it’s painfully obvious in the video that she’s uncomfortable with what’s happening.

I stay until the room is mostly clear. At the front of the room, Nolan and Lexi are talking, and I hope it’s a good conversation. Wondering if she needs saving, I approach them slowly. When they hug suddenly, I realize it was a good conversation and I smile at the two.

“Hey, Audric,” Nolan says when he sees me. He pulls away from Lexi slowly to shake my hand.

“Hey. Everything okay?” I ask, but my eyes are on Lexi. I want to make sure she hasn’t been talked down to or anything.

“It’s good, Audric. Nolan was just telling me he wanted me to come to the funeral service in Atlanta,” she says.

“I think you should, too,” I agree.

“Me too,” Miranda and Roman say together as they walk up to us.

“My mom said she’d call the police,” Lexi objects. “I don’t want to upset her or my step-dad.”

“I talked to Hazel’s dad,” Nolan says.

“You what?” Lexi looks as incredulous as I feel.

“I want you there. I told him a little more about what’s been happening these last few weeks, between Hazel and Cheyanne, and how afraid you were of retaliation if you spoke up. He told me you could come, but that you weren’t allowed to speak. No one in Atlanta knows about what really happened here, so people will actually question it more if you aren’t there. I explained that to him, too,” Nolan explains.

“You’re something else,” Lexi says, hugging him again.

“We’re leaving tonight,” Roman says. “The service is tomorrow at two. We’ll drive about six hours and stay in a hotel and then finish the trip tomorrow morning. I’ve got our hotels booked for the weekend.”

“Thanks, man,” Nolan says.

With our plan put into place, we decide to meet at Lexi’s apartment later so everyone can pack. Lexi and I haven’t told anyone yet that I’m staying with her, so we take separate cars to the beach.

Once we’re back at the condo, Lexi turns to me. “Why aren’t you telling anyone you’re staying here?”

I sigh. “It’s complicated. Once people know I’m here, they’re going to assume we’re a couple, which is the opposite of what I want to happen. I just need a week or two to figure out what the hell I’m doing and where I’m going to go, you know?”

“Trust me, I know.” She unlocks the condo door and I stop at my room.

“I’m going to sleep for an hour or two. No one’s going to be here until after six. Will you wake me up?” I ask her.

“Sure. What time?”

“Around two? I don’t want to sleep too long,” I say.

“No problem.”

* * * * *

Luckily, I don’t have any dreams. I think my subconscious is finally at peace. Maybe. But something wakes me up.

“Audric? Are you awake?” I hear.

I open my eyes and find Lexi perched next to me on the bed, staring at me.

“Yeah… Is it two already?” It feels like I just went to sleep.

“No. But I wanted to sleep, too. And I can’t,” she says.

I scoot over and lift up the covers. “Well get in here then.” All I want is to sleep, to wash away the emotions that run rampant while I’m awake.

She crawls in and rests her back against my chest. I snuggle her and then drift into a dreamless sleep.