Left Behind

BRYCE

Laken, Blake, and I decided to walk around the mall while Kristen, Blaine, and Blake’s new girl shopped around Victoria’s Secret. We ended up sitting in the food court and eating Raising Cane’s.

“So, who’s the girl?” Laken asked Blake as he stuffed a chicken strip into his mouth.

Blake shrugged his shoulders. “My mom’s co-worker’s daughter,” he said. “Our parents are apparently good friends, but they just moved here from Deridder. They asked me to show her around and stuff.”

Laken shook his head. “Dude, do y’all mess around or what?”

“You know Kristen and Blaine are gonna treat her like shit,” I said laughing. “We all know how they like to single people out.”

“Because y’all both have the bitchiest girlfriends. But actually, I think she said that she made friends with Blaine,” Blake stated. I looked at Laken, but he just shrugged. “And speaking of Kristen…”

“What?”

“What’s up with yall two?”

I let out a nervous laugh, which wasn’t supposed to sound as nervous as it came out. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not the same anymore,” Laken said rejoining the conversation. “I’m gonna sound like a relationship counselor, but it seems like something is getting in the way of yall’s relationship,” he said chuckling.

“I don’t see it,” I lied shrugging my shoulders.

“Okay, so earlier, did you not back away when she tried to kiss you? Dude I almost laughed in her face!” Blake said. “I was thinking that it’s been a while since we’ve all hung out together, but I couldn’t have missed that much.”

“I’m hot. Anybody else want a smoothie?” I said looking between the both of them. They both chuckled while shaking their heads.

“Just let him get his smoothie, Laken,” Blake said mocking me. “He tryna change the subject.”

“You already know,” I said getting up and walking to the smoothie stand.

KRISTEN

“Let’s go to Forever 21,” Blaine beckoned. The new girl followed behind us like some annoying puppy dog. Who was she anyway trying to fit in with us? Blaine and I have always been some type of unit , and we never let anyone else into our two-man group. Other than the guys, of course.

“Hey, girl, what’s your name?” I asked her as we walked.

“Oh, I didn’t think you were gonna ask,” she said with an attitude. “I was starting to think I was invisible over here.”

“Word is you’re new. You know, to the school and all.” She just raised her eyebrows at me waiting for me to go on. “Well, just so you know, me and Blaine run the school. So you might not wanna get on my bad side.”

She faked a laugh. “And what makes you think you’re so important?”

“Do you want to find out?”

“Hey!” Blaine said catching both of our attention. “Stop being so immature,” she snapped. “And Kris, stop being rude to Paris.”

I stopped in the middle of the mall and stared at her. She noticed and stopped as well, Paris by her side. “You know her?”

“Yeah, Kris, and she’s actually kind of cool. You don’t always have to put people down before you actually get a chance to know them.”

“And when did you get to know her?” I asked rolling my eyes.

She sighed and shook her head. “I guess when you were out bothering Carter. You kinda left me at the party to fend for myself so you could ‘confront’ Carter about messing with Bryce. And let me tell you a thing or two about relationships sweetie. Your relationship isn’t a relationship.”

“I agree. If Bryce loved you as much as you say he does, he wouldn’t even glance at that Carter chick,” Paris budded in.

“Hush, Paris. You know nothing about my situation. And how isn’t it a relationship?”

“Because,” Blaine started, “he obviously doesn’t love you anymore. Probably because of your jealousy, or how you’re always talking about people, and so on. I mean, it does get tiring after a while. If anything, Bryce flirts with Carter and not the other way around. So he should be the one you need to be confronting about it. But no, you wanna mess with the girl, because you’re insecure about yourself and you want to feel like she’s seducing him into doing things, but she’s really not. But I’ll tell you one thing, when she turns around and beats your ass, don’t come whining to me to help you out.”

“What?”

“All I’m saying is, this is my warning you. When yall get into it, don’t expect for me to be there. I’ll probably be hanging out with this cool ass chick right here. Doing things that probably don’t involve gossiping about everybody that walks by.” Paris laughed and Blaine high-fived her and laughed as well. Was I missing something, because this was not my bestfriend?

“Okay Blaine.”

“Don’t get mad Kris, I’m just saying,” she said holding her hands up.

I shook my head. “Who’s mad? You and your new bestfriend can hang out now. I’m just gonna text Bryce and tell him I'm ready to leave.”

“See, I told you she was gonna act like that if you told her,” Paris said rolling her eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous Kristen, come on. You’re acting like a baby.”

“Nah, I’m just ready to go.”

Blaine scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Why? I’m just letting you know how I feel. I thought bestfriends could do that. We’ve always told each other everything before.”

“You told her,” I said pointing to Paris. “I don’t even know her and she knows half my problems. And then you tell me that instead of having my back you would be hanging out with this… loser? Psh, yeah, some bestfriend you are.”

“Blaine, I’ll go to Forever 21 with you since she’s being childish about the entire situation,” Pairs interrupted.

“Cool,” Blaine agreed. “Kris when you get over yourself you can come. And just for the record, I’m not stabbing you in the ba-”

“Whatever, B. It’s all good. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. Especially since Paris is your new boss and is telling you when and how to do things. It’s cool. I’m fine. Go.”

Blaine shook her head and Paris grabbed onto her arm. “Come on Blaine, she’s not even worth it.” I saw Blaine comb some of the hair from her face with her fingers and nod as Paris pulled my bestfriend away from me.

***

BRYCE

I saw Kristen walking towards us, but it only took us a second to figure out that she had been crying. Laken and Blake stayed seated as I went and met up with her. Even though we were growing apart, I wasn’t heartless. I wasn’t the type of person that was just going to let her cry alone.

“Hey what’s wrong?” I said grabbing her into a hug.

I felt her shake her head as if to say nothing but I wasn’t going to let it go. “You wanna take a walk?”

“Sure,” she said as she let go and wiped her face.

We walked outside where some other stores were located. The outside of the mall actually looked prettier than the inside. It almost looked like a mini French quarter filled with people. “So, are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

She walked over to a bench and sat on it, me following and doing the same. “I think I have a right to be angry just as much as everyone else does!” she said releasing more tears.

“Well, it helps when you talk about it.”

“Fine,” she said wiping her face with her sleeves. “It’s just that Paris and Blaine are like all close and stuff. She’s trying to steal my bestfriend.”

“Paris? Blake’s girl?” Kristen nodded. That was the most unusual thing I’d ever heard. Blaine never talked to anyone other than Kristen. “Go on.”

“Okay, well, basically, she said that you and I have a shitty relationship and you don’t love me. Then she said that if Carter-”

“Is this really about Carter? Are all of your conversations about Carter?”

She stared at me teary eyed for a while before saying anther word. “Is Blaine right?”

“…Right about what?”

She rolled her eyes. Clearly I knew what she was talking about. “Is she right, Bryce?” she said again in an even more serious voice than before.

“You mean about…”

“God, don’t play dumb. We’re obviously growing apart… Is it fixable?” She was looking at me with her all too famous puppy dog eyes.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Kris… it is different.”

“But is it fixable?”

“I don’t think so,” I said honestly. “Do you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You mean, you don’t want it to be, right?”

“Kristen, I don't want to hurt you or anything, but would it be better if we were friends?”

“ Yeah, let’s pretend that we’re happy and all hang out like a big happy family, why don’t we? No thanks. I would just like to go home. What do I look like, Bryce?”

“Well, ‘you look like’ finding a ride, because the rest of us aren’t ready to leave yet. I’ll text you when the rest of us are ready to go,” I said then left her outside to think.

CARTER

Lucy and I walked up and down the familiar streets of our town. Quietly at first, because neither of us knew exactly how to start off the conversation. It was definitely one of those awkward moments.

“Okay, so how do we start this?” I asked.

“Um, how about I start. The other day I wasn’t exactly supposed to come back late. Matter of fact, I wasn’t supposed to leave then anyway.”

“What do you mean ‘leave then’?”

“Well, it’s kind of a… a night job?”

“Pfft. You aren’t a prostitute? Because you know how much trouble they can get in. You aren’t out there fucking people for money.”

“Have you ever wondered how on some occasions I had money, but you never saw me get the money?”

“You’re a prostitute? That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard in my fucking life. And I've heard a lot of shit, Lucy. That’s disgusting. You know how many diseases you can get from that? That is the most trifling thing anyone could ever do!”

“No. I’m not a prostitute!”

Immediately my hands went to my face. I could do nothing but grip my hair. “Oh God…”

“I know, I’m stupid.”

“You sell drugs? Really? Are you fucking psycho?”

“Something like that… and I’m in some deep, deep shit.”

I took a couple deep breaths. What was wrong with this child? I always thought she was smarter than that. “Who was in the car, Lucy?”

“That’s not important.”

“God, just tell me who was in the car!”

“No.”

“Well, how long have you been doing this?”

She shrugged like it was no big deal. “Maybe about half a year. Almost seven months.”
“…But… how?”

“When you were asleep, I’d sneak away. Just that easily. You should really be more aware of your surroundings,” she laughed.

“You think that this is funny?” I almost yelled. “How come you just suddenly started to act weird?”

“Like I said… I’m in deep shit.”

“What the hell does that even mean!?”

She shook her head. “I guess it means that people are looking for me…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing that you even need to worry about,” she said in all seriousness. “I’m good. People have my back just like I have your’s.”

“Sure they do. Because ‘people’ will jump in front of a bullet before someone tried to kill you right? Because people care more about your life then they do of their own? What about me? Isn’t my safety important to you?”

“Yeah, but I was being stupid when I got caught up with all of this. It was an honest mistake.”

“Yeah, but you can’t afford to make that kind of mistake, Lucy! Especially when it’s this easy to find you! How do you sleep at night knowing that somebody can just walk up and kill us both right then and there?”

She rubbed her eyes with her hands, and it was then that I noticed how tired she actually looked. “I don’t,” she said.