It's What Makes Me, Me

It was Friday; I had managed to avoid Charlie and the others since that morning. Today I was going to have to confront them; tonight was the party at Charlie’s and I was asked to attend.
The English room was smaller than the others, and rows of tables and chairs cluttered the empty spaces. They only teacher other than the math one who looked old enough to teach, entered through the large door frame. We sat in pairs at the wooden tables, Ellie and I together in our white blazers at the back.
‘What you wearing to the party tonight’ Ellie asked inquisitively; wait, how would she know about Charlie’s? ‘What party’ I replied ‘Caitlin’s party, you are going, right?’ I knew it was a rhetorical question I had to go, my place on the social hierarchy depended on it. I had done it, what I had always said I didn’t want. I was a cheerleader, popular and well known.
My mind was conflicted again, Caitlin’s or Charlie’s party, popularity or ‘friends’. Friends that weren’t actually determined to find out why I had acted the ay I had the other night. Clearly they didn’t care about me, it was all too easy to choose Caitlin’s party over Charlie’s, now I had to break the news to him, and little did I know how he’d react.
As the bell rang for lunch, I ran to find Charlie. He along with Andy and Jared were in the usual spot behind the gymnasium, where were the other two? They were always together, one group of social outcasts. ‘I can’t come to your party, I have to go to Caitlin’s one’ I apologized ‘sure Barbie, your just ditching us like they all do’ Charlie’s voice was laced with hatred. What had I done wrong? Why was he acting like this? ‘Where did that come from?’ I asked nervously, ‘I was there when you found out your father killed himself, when you had the breakdown and now you ditch me’ he was now yelling, I could tell this was personal to him, I couldn’t take it. Everything he had promised came tumbling out in that movement of words, he didn’t even seem apologetic, ‘FINE’ I screamed inches away from his face.
During our fight, Gavin and Alex had appeared, stood there mouths ajar as Charlie and I screamed at each other, they had just heard Charlie’s verbal assault, everything I hadn’t told them as revealed. All eyes were on me as I turned, slapping Charlie hard on the right cheek. Tears formed as I ran, I thought he liked me, I had trusted him. I had to get my mind off him, tonight I would have fun.
Returning home that night to prepare for the night ahead, I told my grandmother about might fight with Charlie, she couldn’t have been more thrilled, she hated him. The doorbell interrupted her as she continued to spout words she felt described him best, most were vicious swear words, I didn’t know she knew that many.
Ellie had sent over one of the cheerleaders, to make sure I looked attractive and that I would be there. The tall blonde walked over to me, announcing herself as Gemma, only after my grandmother had left.
Gemma, that was my mothers name and spelt the same, a lone tear made the journey down my cheeks. I explained to her the story, my mother, father and grandparents included, I avoided adding in the ‘emos’, when I was finished to my surprise she hugged me, I assumed trying to comfort me, I had made a friend.
Today hadn’t been all bad; I had lost a group of pretenders and made a true friend, but was it to stay like this? I was gullible to believe, I did it anyway.