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Dirty Little Secret

six

I woke up the next morning with steam still seeping out of my ears from the conversation I had with Tate the night before. He had no right to say any of those things, true or not. My life, or any others life is none of his business and he needs to learn to stay out of it.

I sifted through my closet and my box of jewelry to pick out the most expensive outfit to shove in Tate's face. Thirty minutes later I am drenching in diamonds.

Everyone at school has their eyes glued to me, glued to what I am wearing, looking like I am going to some sort of Oscars. I stare straight ahead, to the stupid boy at his locker with earphones in, tuning out the world.

"What do you have to say about my outfit now?" I pull an ear bud out of his ear, pulling all of his attention to me. Tate looks me up and down once then returns to getting things out of his locker.

I pushed Tate out of the way, taking him by surprise, and slammed his locker shut. If some people were not already watching, they were now. "I said, what do you have to say about my outfit now?"

Tate took a few deep breaths, probably chanting in his head not to hit me before saying, "I'm not doing this with you, Cori."

"Why the fuck not? You do every other day."

"I mean it Corinne, do not test me," Tate threatens, but I don't listen.

"Are you afraid that I'm going to tell everyone who you really are? That this bad ass front you put on is actually a big fat lie, and you're just as shallow as everyone here."

Tate's fist went crashing into the lockers, inches away from my head. My eyes grow big as he inches closer to me, our noses barely touching. "You have no fucking clue who I am."

"What's going on here?" A teacher asks walking through the sea of people who have gathered around to watch.

"Nothing sir, I was just helping Barbie get something out of her teeth," Tate says coolly, stalking off when the teacher had nothing to say, leaving me pressed up against the locker in even more of a rage.

**

Tate isn't in biology, I expected he skipped today to cool off steam. I didn't blame him, I didn't want to be here either, but skipping would go against my perfect attendance.

Mr. Tregus wasn't in the mood for teaching, though he never was, and released us to our own thoughts while he graded some of the tests we had taken last week.

"So what was that big blow up with you and Tate?" Courtney asks, moving from her seat in the front of the class to the back.

"He just had an argument last night and I left before it was over, so I was still mad this morning, that's why I'm dressed like this," I motion to my ridiculous outfit. "And I sort of blew up and pushed his buttons too far," I try to explain.

"God, he is such a freak. I am so sorry that you have to be in the same air space as him," Allie pouts her lip, looking like a lost puppy.

I ignore her and the bell rings, signalling the end of the day. Eric meets me in the hallway at my locker. "What's going with you and the freak?"

"Hi Eric," I kiss his cheek, also ignoring what was saying.

"I mean it, Corinne. Is anything going on between the two of you?" He asks again, more sternly this time.

"No Eric, nothing is going on between Tate and I. We're barely even friends. Why are you giving me the third degree?"

"Some of the football players are saying that you and him have been hooking up and that fight you guys had in the hallway was some sort of break up."

"Hooking up, are you serious? You of all people should know that those are just rumors," part of me is actually hurt that Eric would believe and get angry over such a ludicrous rumor.

"Good. I'll see you later," Eric kissed my cheek again and went to go catch up with his football buddies.

Ten minutes later, I am heading outside for practice as I spot Tate standing against his old beat up truck, smoking a cigarette. I look around to make sure I wasn't being watched, quickly cross the parking lot towards him.

"Smoking's bad for you, ya know?"

Tate took a long drag, then blew the smoke in my face. I wrinkled up my nose and coughed. "I see you've taken off that facetious outfit."

"Really, that's what you want to talk about, my outfit?"

"Fine, why were you being the ultimate Malibu Barbie today?" Tate dropped the cigarette bud onto the ground, rubbing his foot over it, putting it out.

"That's littering."

"Call the FBI, I killed Mother Nature," Tate says sarcastically.

I huff, looking around his truck to see if anyone has noticed me, but no one has. "Look Tate, I'm sorry about this morning. I was, am still pissed about what you said yesterday."

"If you want me to say sorry for saying those things, I won't do it."

"I figured. Eric thinks that something's going on between us, so I'll probably be extra Barbie like for the next couple of days, so sorry in advanced. Are we still going to the east coast Saturday?"

Tate nodded shoving his hands in his pockets. I can tell that he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.

"I'll talk to you Saturday morning then. Bye Tate."

I don't wait for him to say bye back before rushing back to the rest of the girls, mentally preparing myself for more questions about Tate Daniels.
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