Nothing But The Truth

Scarlett rolled over in her bed, enjoying the warmth that the blankets created around her body. It wasn’t that it was cold outside; it was just cold inside from the air conditioning. Actually, it was quite hot outside. At least from what she could tell it was. Her blue eyes blinked rapidly against the intruding sunlight, finally able to open normally after a minute. Next to her, on the other side of her bed, was a note.

Baby,



Scarlett rolled her eyes, crumpled up the note and threw it at the wall. Baby? What a ridiculous little pet name for someone who was just there for a one night stand. Tears stung her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away, not wanting to cry for someone who didn’t want to give her the time of day, just as she had wanted to do for him.

“Why do you subject yourself to this kind of treatment?” Travis was at her door, reading the note. His blonde hair was tossed to the side as he looked up at her. His knuckles were turning white from squeezing the note too tightly, a sign of his returning anger.

Scarlett looked away from his rueful stare. He knew what she was going to say, even before she said it. Nevertheless it didn’t stop her from opening her mouth, “It’s your fault that I am like this in the first place.”

“You are never going to let me live that down are you?” When he noticed a tear running down her cheek, he pushed aside his own regret, instead going over to wrap his arms around her. She didn’t hug him back, didn’t give him a sign that she was even paying attention to him. She wasn’t mad at him, she was more mad at herself, and at all of the guys who use her, instead of sticking around. Travis wasn’t the only one who wondered why she did this to herself. She wondered about it constantly, never able to come up with the best answer. The truth is she didn’t know why.

Scarlett pushed him away and stood up. “I’ve got to get ready for school,” she muttered while walking over to her dresser.

Travis’s eyes lingered on her bare skin, a moment of regret coming back to him. Suddenly he wished that he never screwed her over, hadn’t of cheated. Even though that it’s in the past, it sure doesn’t feel like it is. He relives it practically every day of his life, from just looking at her. Sometimes he wondered what begging for another chance would do, but even if he did still love her in that way, he didn’t want to screw up their friendship. It was time to finally move on, to put the past behind him. “Hey, Scarlett.”

Scarlett looked back at him after putting on her red over the shoulder, blouse. There was one strap on her right shoulder holding it up, while the other side fell over her bare shoulder. On the front of it were three tiers, flowing well with the dark wash jeans she had pulled out of her dresser. “Yes?”

His smile was hesitant, as if he were afraid of something. “You know how you keep bringing up my past?” Her eyes left his, focusing on putting on clothing. He took this as a yes. “Well, I was wondering if you would try and let it go? I want to, but you keep bringing it up.”

“I can try,” she whispered after putting on her jeans.

Travis’s face lit up like a light bulb, happiness radiating off of him. Scarlett felt bad for an instant; she had put so much guilt on him for two years. To think that it was two years ago when she’d found out he cheated, two years ago when they’d kissed one last time and found that, no matter what, she would still love him.

“If we can’t be together,” he whispered, “then let me kiss you. Just one last time.”

My mind was jumbled, full of insecurities and doubts. I was worried that, if I said yes, I would take him back. His question had caught me off guard, so now I was confused. “I—okay.”

Scarlett went back to putting on her clothes, thoughts of their relationship consuming her. Suddenly she was wondering if it had been a mistake to even bother being friends. Still, to this day, the feelings she had originally had for him were pushed far back that it hurt. Oh well, it shouldn’t matter. It’s in the past now, so it shouldn’t still hurt.

When she was done getting herself ready for school, she glanced back at Travis. There was a smile on his face, one that reminded her of the little boy she had grown up with. It was childish, one full of love and adoration. Except it wasn’t directed toward her, it was directed toward her mother, who was standing in the doorway, watching them.

“Hi guys,” she said.

Would it be a lie if Scarlett said that she didn’t deserve Travis? Probably not. What exactly was a lie? To say something untrue. So what if a person were to tell a lie, without exactly telling one, and not knowing if the lie is an actual lie, thinking that it’s the truth? Would it be considered a lie, then? Too many questions, not enough answers.

A familiar pang entered Scarlett’s heart as she saw a look of undulated love directed to Travis. She constantly found herself asking if her mother would direct that look toward her if she weren’t such a fuck up. That question still remains to be unanswered. It wasn’t that her mom didn’t love her, because she did. She said it every single day. But she knew that her mom was disappointed in her ways.

“Hey Claire,” Travis replied. Even though he was allowed to, Travis never called her ‘Mom’. He always felt that, even though he loved her as if she were his mom, it would be stepping over boundaries. He also had an undying hope that one day, Scarlett would take him back, and it would be awkward to be dating someone that he could be related to. There was also a voice that kept persisting him to drop his stupid hope and move on already, because Scarlett would never take him back, but hope had a funny way of always sticking around.

Claire glanced at Scarlett, disappointment lying heavily in her eyes, along with a flash of something else. Regret, maybe? Concern, perhaps? Scarlett wasn’t sure. She also couldn’t muster up the nerve to care, at least not right now. She felt too defeated, too used at the moment. She shouldered her way past her mom, calling over her shoulder, “I’ve got to get to school. I’ll talk to you later, Mom. Love you.”

As she walked down the stairway, she noticed her father sitting in the living room, bent over a folder. Her breath caught in her throat, the fight or flight instinct kicking in as she watched her father work. She never wanted to face her father. Unlike her mother, he didn’t hide his disappointment, his dislike for her. Instead, he allowed it to last out, like a whip. The last stair announced her arrival, creaking in protest against her weight.

Her father’s head whipped up, the smile fading from his lips as soon as he caught sight of her. “Oh, it’s you,” he said, his tone flat.

She froze in her spot, like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m going to school,” she said, finally able to move after a few beats of silence.

“I saw your latest conquest earlier,” he responded while turning back to his paperwork. He shifted a few papers around, a frown coming across as he studied them closely.

“Maybe if I were a guy, you’d be proud of me having so many of them, Father.” She didn’t bother trying to hide the hurt layering her voice. Unfortunately, he either didn’t notice or just didn’t care. Either way, that stung worse.

“Maybe,” he muttered, not even glancing at his daughter.

“In your eyes, I’m such a fuck up, aren’t I? How does it feel, knowing that you raised me? You know, Daddy, the saddest part of this is that you don’t care about me as much as you care about the gossip that’s ensured from other people.”

“You’re right, Scarlett.” Still, he didn’t look up. “You are a fuck up and I do care more about those. Sometimes I wonder if you’re even my daughter, but then I remember that your mother has never had an affair.”

Tears stung her eyes, threatening to fall at any minute. “You are a horrible parent.”

“And you’re a horrible daughter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

She watched him for a minute before walking by the couch. As she did, she said, “You loved me
once.” His hands froze above his paperwork, his heart clenching, but he ignored it after a moment and went back to work.