Wicked Truth

by Mae Doyle

  “You need to fix this.” When they glanced at each other but didn’t say anything, I pointed to my head. “My hair! She didn’t cut it all! She missed some and I look terrible!” My voice was thick as my throat closed up, but before I could get more hysterical, Kaleb wrapped his arms around me and sat next to me, pulling me to him.

  “You’re going to be okay, Rose. If you want us to, we have clippers and we can fix it.” I nodded against his chest, trying to focus on his heartbeat in order to stay calm. “Okay, Jackie will get them.”

  Jackie left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. I felt my body melt into Kaleb’s as he supported me. It felt like forever that the two of us sat quietly, each one of us lost in our own thoughts. I could have sat there in silence for hours, but he shifted his position on the bed, still holding me close, and looked down at me.

  “Rose, I’m sorry. This is all my fault.” There was a catch in his voice that made me look up. Tears streamed down his face and I reached up, catching one on the tip of my finger.

  “What are you talking about?” My voice was quiet, but I knew that he heard me because he shook his head. “Kaleb? You didn’t do anything. This was all Amelia, not you. Not Jackie. Not Brett.”

  “Rose, I should have stuck around and made sure that you were going to be okay! But I didn’t. I just dropped you off there and then ran off to my class.”

  He sounded terrible but I couldn’t help a laugh. “Are you serious right now? You can’t think that making yourself late to your class just so you could keep an eye on me is a good idea, right? You still have a life to live, Kaleb.”

  A gentle kiss on my forehead made me pause. “I know that, Rose, but you are a huge part of my life and I don’t want to have to worry about you. I can’t imagine what would have happened to you if they hadn’t brought you to the nurse.”

  Someone brought me to the nurse? Of course, that made sense, but I hadn’t really considered how I had gotten from the gym to the nurse. “It was Mrs. Dorn, wasn’t it?” That was the only thing that made sense. Even though she and I didn’t always see eye to eye, I couldn’t believe that she would let me bleed out on the floor in the locker room without intervening.

  Even though I wasn’t looking at Kaleb, I felt him shake his head. “No, it wasn’t her. I think that Amelia and the harpies were going to leave you in there for the next PE class to find. It was Maggie and Harper. They brought you here.”

  My best friends? “No.” I pushed off of him to sit up and look at his face. “No, it can’t have been them.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why not? You guys used to be friends. Maybe they had an attack of conscience. It’s not a bad thing that they wanted to help you out, Rose.”

  “But it is. If they helped me then Amelia will figure out that they don’t really hate me. I can’t let them be hurt by her, Kaleb. I have to keep them safe.” Even though my head was throbbing and felt swimmy, I turned and leaned back, arching my back a little to swing my legs out from under the covers. Just that little movement, however, made my head swim more and I fell back.

  Kaleb caught me and turned my body, putting me back in bed. “You can’t go to them, Rose. Not right now.” He hesitated and I could tell that he was thinking about what to do. “I’ll go. As soon as Jackie gets back with the clippers, okay? I’ll get Brett and we’ll go make sure that your friends are safe. All you have to do is rest and get better.”

  Yeah, like that was going to be easy. I didn’t think that I’d be able to rest or sleep until I knew that my friends were safe. Even so, I nodded, trying to placate him. But as soon as my head hit the pillow, I forced myself to sit back up.

  “The vocal competition! It’s tomorrow! I have to be there, I have to make it!” I grabbed the blankets and tried to flip them off of me, but I was just so tired. My hands were too weak to do anything I wanted them to do, and before I could try again, Kaleb was back at my side.

  “No, no, Rose, you need to rest. The competition isn’t until tomorrow morning, okay? You have plenty of time to feel better.”

  “But Amelia! She said…she said…” I was crying so hard that I couldn’t tell Kaleb what Amelia had told me. That there wasn’t any way I was going to compete this year.

  “Screw Amelia.” He helped me lay back down and kissed my forehead. “Let me go find your friends, okay? We’ll fix your hair and move on from there. I promise, Rose, I’m going to do everything I can to fix this, okay?”

  I had to believe him. Even though I wanted to be the one to fix what I was going through, I knew that listening to Kaleb was the right thing. Sighing, I closed my eyes. If I could just rest for a few minutes then I’d feel better.

  ◆◆◆

  I woke back up, my skin clammy with sweat, my fingers gripping the sheets and twisting them tightly. This time, though, there wasn’t anyone by my bed to comfort me. I sat up, struggling to push myself up with to my elbows, and looked around my room.

  It was later, so I must have been asleep for a lot longer than I thought. There were clippers on the table next to the bed, and I wondered how often the rogues had come in and out of the room without me even knowing that they were there.

  My throat was parched and I leaned over, picking up the glass of water by the clippers. It smelled delicious and fruity, which was totally on par with Taylor Prep. They wouldn’t offer plain water to someone who had been injured since infused water would have vitamins that may help promote healing.

  I sniffed it again, trying to tell what the fruit was, but my nose was still a little clogged from sleeping. Strawberries, definitely. As long as there wasn’t any kiwi in it, then I would be okay.

  I took a tiny sip, wanting to take it slow, but after the first bit of water hit my dry throat I took a huge glup, then another. The water slid down my throat and cooled me. It was delicious and I drained my entire glass before putting it back down on the table.

  Just then, the nurse walked in. Mrs. Dimitri raised an eyebrow when she saw me sitting up and then walked over to me.

  “How are you, Miss Bennett? I was really hoping that I wouldn’t see you again this semester.” Even though she sounded disapproving, I could tell by the smile on her face and the way she gently touched my forehead that she was more caring than she came across.

  “I’m okay. That water was delicious. The infused fruit was a nice touch, too.” I wanted to ask for another glass, but I also knew that I’d have to pee soon and wasn’t sure that I could make it to the bathroom without help.

  She frowned as she took my temperature, scanning my forehead with the thermometer until it beeped. “Infused water? We don’t offer that here. Your temperature is good, though, so now I just want to have a peek under those bandages.”

  They didn’t offer infused water? My eyes cut back to the cup and I reached up to touch my throat. Surely the fuzzy feeling in my mouth and throat was only because I was worried about the kiwi, right?

  “You okay, dear? You’re looking pale.” Mrs. Dimitri was about to lift my bandages but she stopped, taking my chin in her hand and turning my face so I was looking at her. “What’s wrong?”

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Well, that’s not entirely true. If I sucked hard at the air then I could get a little bit of it in my lungs, but each breath was getting harder and harder. My tongue, inside of my mouth, and my throat all hurt and felt incredibly fuzzy. Reaching up, I scratched my throat, but it didn’t help.

  I knew that it wouldn’t help, but that didn’t stop me. My mouth was on fire and my throat closed up more and more.

  “Miss Bennett? Rose? Rose!” Mrs. Dimitri grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to look at her. I was about out of air but I managed to open my mouth.

  “Kiwi,” I gasped out. “Allergy.”

  Her eyes widened. Just before she was about to say something, the door behind her opened and Amelia poked her head in. Her gaze fell on me and she grinned.

  “Just came by to see how you were doing, Rose,” she said, leaning
against the doorframe. A smirk played at the corners of her mouth. As much as I hated her, I forced myself to look away and back to Mrs. Dimitri.

  Help. I mouthed the word even though no sound came out.

  How did Amelia find out about my oral allergy? How did she get in here to put kiwi infused water in my room? There were so many questions that I had, but I wasn’t going to get answers to any of them if Mrs. Dimitri didn’t move any faster.

  She got up from my bed and I fell back, staring at the ceiling as I tried to suck in wisps of air. When she came back, she whipped the sheet off of me. “Ready, dear?”

  Her voice was far away. I thought that I nodded, but in reality, my head was so heavy I couldn’t move it. The next thing I knew, she was slamming an EpiPen into my thigh. I felt a shudder as the medicine coursed into my body, replacing the burning feeling in my mouth and throat with a cool sensation.

  “Miss Holland! Get down to the office and have them call a doctor. Now!” I felt like I was sinking, but Mrs. Dimitri’s voice pulled me back. There was the sound of footsteps at the door.

  Would Amelia go? I hoped so. I closed my eyes as my heart started to race. The last time I’d used an EpiPen, I had shaken all night long as my heart raced, but at least I could breathe.

  Just when I thought that I was somewhere safe – in the nurse’s office – Amelia had come for me again.

  Chapter 21

  “Rose, are you with us?”

  Brett was calling my name but I didn’t want to open my eyes. If I kept them closed then I could pretend that nothing was wrong and could sleep the day away.

  “Rosita?”

  That was Jackie. I wondered if Kaleb was with them, but I didn’t have to think about it for long.

  “Rose, honey, come back to us.” Kaleb’s voice was strong and soothing.

  All of my rogues were in the nurse’s room with me. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to open my eyes. The three of them were standing around my bed, and at the foot of it were Harper and Maggie. The two of them were holding hands, their eyes wide and their faces pale as they looked at me.

  “Rose? Are you okay?” Harper reached out to touch my foot under the sheet but yanked her hand back like I’d burned her. When I didn’t answer right away, she glanced at Maggie, who shrugged a little.

  “I’m okay. I’m here.” Part of that was true. I was there, but I felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. “What day is it?”

  “Just Saturday afternoon.” Brett took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. “You slept a long time after you got the EpiPen, honey. We were worried about you.”

  Saturday afternoon. My heart fell as I realized that Amelia had been able to do what she wanted. I’d slept through the voice competition, which probably meant that she took home first place. If only I hadn’t had the water I would have been able to go, and I knew that I was good enough to beat her.

  Tears pricked my eyes and I turned my head away from everyone, not wanting them to see me cry.

  “We were really worried,” agreed Kaleb, “especially since Mrs. Dimitri wouldn’t let us spend the night with you. She said that you’d be fine, but we didn’t believe her, so we all sat outside your room to make sure that you were safe.”

  “You sat outside my room all night long?” It seemed far-fetched, but when I really looked at the rogues, I saw just how tired they were. It was obvious that they had spent the night on the floor, leaning on the walls, trying to keep me safe.

  That should have made me feel better, but it only terrified me more. If they really felt like they had to spend the night in the hall while I slept…then things were worse than I thought.

  “And Amelia?” None of the rogues answered, so I looked to my friends.

  Maggie sighed then answered. “Amelia was bragging yesterday that she’d managed to get her hands on your personal file. If she did then she would have been able to read all about whatever allergies you have. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to warn you, Rose, but we didn’t have time.”

  “She won the voice competition this morning, didn’t she?”

  At first, nobody answered me, which only confirmed what I already knew. Then Brett reached out and took my hand. “I’m sorry, Rose.”

  I nodded. It made me feel better to think that my friends weren’t the ones to tell Amelia about my allergy but it tore me apart to know that she won the voice competition.

  “She almost killed me.” I swung my legs out from under the sheets and stood up. Jackie immediately snaked his arm around my waist, supporting me as I stood for the first time. My legs were swimmy and weak, but it felt good to be upright again. “What will I do?”

  “Right now?” Brett eyed me as I wavered on my feet a little. “Right now you should probably lay back down and rest. You’ve been through hell, Rose.”

  “Yeah, but I came out on the other side. I’m still standing.” I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry, but there wasn’t any way I was going to just drink water that was sitting out. Not anymore. “I can’t let her get away with this.”

  “She won’t.” Harper’s voice was so determined that I looked at her with surprise. She had her hands clenched into fists and was starting straight at me. “I promise you, Rose, she won’t get away with this.”

  Maggie nodded. “I don’t care what they try to do to us, Rose, you’re our best friend. It hasn’t been the same without you. We miss you.”

  Tears burned my eyes. “I’ve missed you guys. These past few months have been…”

  “Hell.” Kaleb ran his fingers up my arm and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “They’ve been hell, Rose, it’s okay to say.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. But what do we do now?”

  It felt amazing to know that I had my friends back, but I still wasn’t sure how that would help us. As I stood there and thought, my stomach rumbled.

  “Right now, we get something to eat.” Brett ran his hand through his hair. “It’s time for dinner, Rose, and we’ll make sure that everything you eat is safe, okay? We can bring you up a tray, so just sit back down.”

  Jackie moved to help me to the bed, but I clung to him, my fingers digging into his arm. “No. I want to go down to eat. I want Amelia and the harpies to see that they didn’t win. They can’t get me to leave Taylor Prep, no matter how badly they want me to.” When nobody spoke I felt my throat tighten again. “Please, guys. Don’t leave me up here.”

  “Of course, we won’t leave you.” Harper gently pushed Jackie out of the way and looped my arm through hers. “We promise, Rose, we’ll do everything we can to keep you safe, okay?” She nodded to Maggie, who came and supported me from the other side. “We got her, guys, but you can follow.”

  The rogues didn’t even have a chance to answer before the three of us were walking past them. Maggie pulled a pair of flip-flops from her bag and helped me slip my feet into them before we opened the door. In the doorway, I paused.

  If I went out there like this, with my friends and my rogues, then everyone would know that I wasn’t going to let Amelia walk all over me. I wasn’t just putting myself at risk, but also my friends. Even as I worried about them, though, I knew that this was the right thing to do.

  I wasn’t going to let Amelia ruin my life anymore.

  The entire dining hall fell silent when the rogues held the double doors open and Harper, Maggie, and I all walked through. Amelia and her harpies were at the front table, her in the center like some kind of a perverse Jesus. She stopped eating when she saw me and stood up, her hands planted on the table.

  “You just don’t listen, do you?” Her voice rang out through the dining hall. Around us I saw several people nod their heads. They almost scared me more than her. Almost.

  “You just suck at your job, Amelia,” I shot back, shuffling carefully across the room to the food. “Must feel terrible to not be able to do the one thing that the council asks of you.”

  “This wouldn’t be going on if it weren’t for him.” She pointed at
Brett, who was walking behind me. Even though I heard his footsteps falter, he kept coming. He wasn’t about to let me face her alone, and I loved him for that.

  The thought hit me, and I paused. I loved Brett. It was crazy to think, but before I could push the thought away, it was back. I grimaced, pushing the thought from my mind. I’d have to deal with that later, but now? Now I had to deal with Amelia.

  “You tried to get me to leave Taylor Prep, then you tried to kill me. You just keep failing, Amelia. What do you think the council will have to say about that?”

  “I think that the council will see that I’m the only one pulling my damn weight around here!” Her voice rose and she slammed her fist down on the table. Kelly was to her left and she jumped as Amelia’s cup fell over, water pouring out and dripping off onto the floor. “Maybe if other people here weren’t such pussies then this could already be done!”

  Ignoring her outburst, I kept walking to the food. The closer I got, the more my stomach rumbled. I heard Amelia talking to someone behind me but I ignored her.

  She thought that she could hurt me by telling me that Brett was the reason that the council was even involved, but I already knew that. I wasn’t sure what she had up her sleeve now, but there wasn’t any reason for me to stick around and find out. I was hungry and I needed to get something to eat if I was going to get my strength back.

  I walked down the line with the rogues and my two best friends by me. Once we had our food, we looked for a seat, but all of the tables are full. “Shall we eat outside?” They all grinned at me when I asked this, and we headed out into the quad.

  It was getting cool out and Brett looped his arm around my shoulders when we sat down, pulling me to him. I took a bite of my kale and white bean stew and moaned. Honestly, I didn’t think that food had ever tasted that good in my entire life.