Secrets Don't Make Friends

Loud chatter erupted around William as he walked out into the courtyard looking for his two best friends. Jason Siska and Mike Carden waved him over from a near-by table. Even though he was new to Barrington, Mike and Jason were friends from outside of school. Mike and William knew each other from their rival bands who played at Underground Park in Chicago, and he knew Jason because they played on Barrington's local baseball team in the previous season. Grateful to have two people he knew at this new school, William sat down next to them as they began talking excitedly about a show that upcoming Saturday.

William didn't contribute much to the conversation. Sure he'd give some input but he wasn't as invested in the conversation as the other two were. He was too busy trying to shake the watched feeling that crawled along his skin. As Mike and Jason rattled on about Saturday, William did a sweep of the courtyard, trying to locate the source of his uneasiness. He couldn't find the person or thing that caused it, but as his eyes brushed past Amber Lane and Josie Parker, a movement in the football bleachers caught his eye.

Sitting alone at the top of the bleachers was a young girl swinging her legs over the metal railing. Her bright green eyes were locked on William looking at him curiously and widened drastically when he focused in on her gaze. Her long, dark hair was pulled to the right side, flowing over her shoulder as loose curls swayed in the bitter breeze. Curiosity got the better of him as he leaned closer to Jason.

"Who's that?" he asked, nodding to the top of the bleachers.

Jason and Mike followed his gaze to see the same girl sitting alone. Jason recognized her almost immediately as Jason Marks ex-girlfriend. Jason turned back to William to see him staring intently at her, and he recognized the look on his face. Shaking his head, he informed his friend.

"That would be October Lanley," he said, speaking softly. "She's a senior, seventeen years old and ex-girlfriend of Jason Marks." The name slipped venomously off his tongue.

William pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. Jason Marks was a known womanizer and an all around asshole; at least to those who knew him on the baseball team. Jason Siska and William both played on the same team with him the previous season and he would do nothing but complain about teams endurance and cooperation all the while eying up the girls on the sidelines. He sickened William to no end and there were no words to describe how repulsed he was by Marks.

Then as William was about to ask another question the bell for lunch rang and he watched as October broke stare, gathering her book bag and headed down to class. He followed Jason and Mike into the cafeteria throwing away the Styrofoam tray that was his unfinished lunch.

The bell for the end of fourth period rang and William gathered his books walking out of yet another class. If there was one thing he missed about his old school it was that there weren't as many people and the hallways weren't so crowded. Here at Barrington, there were a little under seven hundred students per year and thus resulting in overly crowded hallways.

Above the heads of the students, William looked around for the Math Wing. He noted a couple against the lockers talking to each other, but he closer he paid attention he noticed that the boy was shoving his finger in the girls chest. Getting a closer look, he recognized them as Jason Marks and October. William bit his lip contemplating what he should do. He neared closer and saw the tears glistening in October's eyes; his mind was made up.

Weaving through the students, William approached the two. Jason was talking close to her face and in hushed tones, but the words were harsh and painful by the looks that crossed the girls face. He stopped a few feet from the two and stared at them. If there was one thing he learned about Jason, it was that he hated being stared at. It took a minute or two for Jason to notice, and when he did, the look on his face was not pleasant. William leaned a shoulder against the lockers and crossed his ankles.

"Hey, Marks. Been a while," William said casually, throwing a polite smile to October. Her bottom lip quivered dangerously.

"What are you doing here Beckett?" Jason replied, taking a step back from October.

He shrugged. "My parents transferred me over. Now Barrington is my new domain. Why? Surprised to see me?" He threw a smug look to Jason which certainly didn't make him any happier to see William standing in front of him.

Jason stared at him for a moment longer before pushing his hand off the locker above October's head, walking away briskly. William watched him leave over his shoulder and when he turned around October was already halfway down the hallway. A pang of guilt stung his gut as he jogged down the hallway to catch up with her.

"October!" he called her name before she turned the corner. Her name caught her attention as she stopped walking. She turned sharply on her heel and faced William.

"How did you know my name?" she asked, clutching her books to her chest. William came to a complete stop in front of her before answering the simple question.

"Jason Siska," he told her truthfully.

She gave him a swift look. Looking at her now, up close, William was left almost speechless. Her wide, green eyes held so much emotion and already he could see that she was an honest person, as cliche as it sounded. But William reasoned that someone who held the amount of innocence and curiosity as she did couldn't possibly be conniving and ruthless. Forcing himself to take a breath, he held out a hand.

"I'm William."

October eyes his hand curiously—suspiciously—before shifting the weight of her books, taking his hand in hers. She pulled away and hugged her books to her chest. Her eyes cast downward as she shuffled her feet.

"Well, thank you for getting rid of Jason," she muttered before sliding into the current of students, leaving William alone in the hallway.