Slip Into The Tragedy.

The next day at school, I walked through the school gates behind my brothers as usual. But something was different. Something I couldn’t quite place. I couldn’t ignore the feeling that I was being watched, I have this feeling often and usually ignore that sickening feeling in my stomach. My gaze automatically dropped to my shoes, feeling the stares that was burning through my back.

I heard that they found her in an orphanage.

No way, I heard that she was anonymously dropped off at their front door.

My ears strain to hear the whispered conversation around me. My feet guided me to my locker without an upwards glance at the world. It sounds like they found new gossip, something scandalous in Belleville would be blown up to a scale so preposterous that some people might laugh just at the thought of it. I walked over to my locker as my brothers laughed and talked just like they do every single morning, they lean on their lockers while still laughing before actually opening them. It sickens me to no end of the fact that how some people are just born happy.

I looked at my schedule vaguely and took my books for my first subject, which just happened to be physics. I had that class with Mikey, Alicia, and Jasper, meaning that I would have to sit with Jasper, seeing that Mikey would undoubtedly want to sit next to Alicia. Not bothering to wait for him – seeing that I’m not in the mood for friendliness today, anyway – I walked alone to the physics lab my head bent low and my eyes fixed to the ground. People around me were talking and laughing slowing their steps so that they would be late to class in purpose.

I could feel them around me, whispering, pointing and some even giggling. Were they laughing at me? I scanned my morning activities, trying to remember if there was anything particularly weird on my face. I frowned, I remembered nothing of the sort. I glanced down at my clothes, nothing peculiar there. Just my usual white new found glory t-shirt, black skinny jeans and my checkered vans. I tugged at my straight dark brown hair, making sure there was nothing in it. But there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, and people are still whispering and pointing discreetly behind my back. I quickened my pace and flew into the almost empty physics classroom. I flung myself into the bench in the table that Jasper and I usually share.

There were already a few students in the room, and like every body else, they were whispering to their neighbors, every once in a while their eyes would flicker to where I was sitting. I rolled my eyes inwardly, knowing that it must be some hideous rumor about the ‘emo freak’ as they very kindly name me. Not only the popular girls hate and offend me, but also even the normal girls, the ones that I thought were okay, talked about me as much as the popular girls did. They had no feelings, pathetic little beings that they were. They had nothing against me, yet they talk as if they do.

At that moment, Jasper came bursting through the door, his face stern and hard. I raised my eye brows at him, as he glared at some of the people in by the door, all of whom were looking at me. He dropped his book bag on the floor next to his chair, and flopped down on it.

“What’s wrong, Jas?” I asked, bewildered by the way he’s acting.

“They know” He said shortly.

“Know about what?” I asked, stupidly.

“The fact that you’re adopted” He whispered.

I froze.

“What?” I asked incredulously. “What the hell?”

“I swear it wasn’t me” He said quickly. “And I know that it wasn’t Kevin or Alicia”

“I know, I trust them with my life.”

The class went past without a word said between Jasper and I, although the whole class seemed to have lots to say, but didn’t say it straight to my face. All of them were whispering behind their hands and throwing sympathetic glances. I rolled my eyes. Of course I was still depressed that my parents are dead, but still, I don’t need anyone’s sympathy.

“Honestly,” I muttered, as Jasper and I walked out of the physics lab. “Don’t they have better things to gossip about? I mean, my parents died 10 years ago, for goodness sakes! Why are they making a fuss about it now?”

As Jasper and I walked towards our locker, Kevin and Alicia were already sprinting from opposite ends of the hall to where we were, both with horrified expressions on their faces.

“I swear I didn’t do it” They both said in unison when they reached us

I smiled at them.

“I know you guys didn’t” I assured them, “I think it’s time that people know about my parents anyway.”

“Lexa, are you okay?” Alicia said worriedly

“I guess,” I said. “ There isn’t anything we can do now that it’s out. It’s not like I can deny it, that would be just an insult to my parents.”

“But who did tell everyone?” Kevin said curiously. “I know the three of us didn’t”

“Gerard wouldn’t either” Jasper said. “He is too protective of you”

“Neither would Mikey” Alicia piped. “He wouldn’t do that to you”

“That’s what you think Simmons” A sharp voice behind us sounded

We all whipped around to see Claire and her gang of whores.

“Wow, lookie here.” Kevin said snidely. “We have bimbo and the whores. That’s a pretty nice band name, plenty of pervy old guys would come to your shows”

“This doesn’t concern you Westwick” Claire said disgustedly

“Well anything that concerns Alex concerns us” Kevin shot back

“What a whore, not only she hangs around with you guys a little too much, she also hangs out with her brothers’ weird friends. Whoops, cousins’ weird friends” Claire said, with a smirk on her heavily made up face.

“So what if they’re my cousins?” I said, glaring at her. “I still love them the same”

“Aww, how cute, you skanky liar!” Claire said sharply. “I bet you have sex with them too, just like all the guys you hang out with. All of them must have your STD”

“First of all, I was adopted into the Way family, so technically they are my brothers. My parents left me in the care of my aunt and uncle in their will if anything every happens to them. Secondly, the one who’s having sex with everyone is you. I heard all the football team got syphilis because of you.” I said, a smug smile on my face.

“Hey wait a minute!” Alicia exclaimed. “What did you mean about Mikey doing this to Alex?”

“It was him who told me” Claire said a smug smirk on her face

We were dumbstruck.

“But how?” I breathed out

“Let’s just say that your ‘brother’ really does party hard.” She said. And with that, she led her gang of whores through the school halls.

“What the hell?” Kevin said, a weird expression on his face. “How could Mikey do that to you?”

“He didn’t” Alicia insisted, although her face was extremely pale.

I looked at her despairingly.

“He couldn’t have” Alicia said exasperatedly. “Why would he do that to someone he loves?”

“Very good question” I muttered, as I slam my locker shut.
_______________________________________________________________________

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Every ounce of my body was asking me, ‘how could Mikey possibly do this to me?’ Not only he knew that I hated being the center of attention and talked about, he also betrayed my secret. The secret he kept for 10 years, why of all the time he knew, would he betray me now? All the time at school that day, I was pretty much avoiding Mikey. At lunch I went to the library, and every time we pass each other in the hallway I would always ignore him. At first he didn’t know why, but as the day wore on, he had a horrified expression on his face every time he saw me. And every sentence would begin with: “I can explain!”. But I would still ignore him, I was too shocked and confuse of why he would do so at the least.

Because I didn’t want to face my brothers just yet, I got a ride home with Kevin and Jasper, whose house are just a block or two away from mine. All of us pretty much live really near each other. Alicia already got a ride with my brothers, and I guess it was up to her to tell my brothers why I’m not riding home with them today.

“Thanks guys” I said, shutting the car door.

Kevin rolled down the window.

“Don’t kill Mikey, okay Lex?” He said worriedly.

I glowered at him and opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.

“I just think that he deserves to give you an explanation before you pound any bit of him” He said apologetically

I sighed. “Okay”

They gave me their last smiles before rolling up the window and speeding out of sight. I jogged over to my front door and took out the key, dreading the sight that is behind the door. I opened the door cautiously, putting my coat in the closet.

“Is that you Lex?” Gerard’s voice called from the living room

“Yeahh” I said shakily

“C’mere sis”

I rolled my eyes at his choice of words and walked into the living room. Mikey and Alicia were huddled in the love seat, Mikey’s eyes wide and red, he looked extremely distraught. Alicia was next to him, patting him on the knee and occasionally murmuring something to his ear. Gerard was in the adjoining kitchen, waiting for the brewing coffee. Frank was sitting on the kitchen counter, picking on his chipped nails, that he colored black in school.

“Interesting choice of words Gee” I said scornfully, plopping down on my favorite arm chair, opposite him.

Gerard sighed and Mikey hiccupped.

“Listen Lex, I know that you know about this now” He said nervously.

I scoff.

“But it would benefit all of us, if you would listen to what Mikey has to say. I mean I for one believe him.”

“So do I” Alicia said reassuringly to Mikey, patting him on the back.

I sat there, crossing my legs and folding my arms, waiting. Mikey looked up at me.

“I was drunk”

I slapped my head. Well that explains a lot.

“Dear god” I muttered

“See Lex, it’s all just a mistake, besides I personally think that it’s all part of Claire’s plan. She probably made Mikey really, really drunk and wanted to get a secret out of him about you, cos she’s still hung up from Frank” Gerard explained.

I blinked, wow Gerard’s has been paying attention in psychology class.

“Of course she is” Frank said smugly.

“This is no time to be a man whore, okay Frank?” Alicia said sharply.

Frank held up his hand in surrender and begin taking out the coffee that Gerard already made. Mikey however, kept his eyes on the carpet and his back hunched low, he was really, really guilty. I walked over to him.

“Mikey,” I said in a small voice. “It’s okay bro, I still love you”

There were various awws heard from around the room. Mikey looked up and smiled, and I hugged him.

“That’s a record dudes” Gerard said looking at his watch. “You fought for about 6-7 hours”

Mikey and I laughed. Trust Gerard to say something stupid in an unlikely time. Most of the time we forgot that he is the eldest one, he is the one who is supposed to be the one in charge. Well, he is, most of the time anyway.

“Now that you guys made up, we should go watch a movie!” Frank exclaimed

I rolled my eyes, but the others kind of agreed.

“Let’s watch Nightmare Before Christmas, it’s Lexa’s favorite movie and I bet you haven’t watched it in a while” Frank continued, looking straight at me and grinning the way he used to, before he became an asshole that is.

I froze, narrowing my eyes and looking at him suspiciously. He was being an asshole for the last couple of days, what the hell is he doing being nice to me now? From the corner of my eye, I could see Gerard and Mikey exchanging knowing looks, and Alicia looking totally weirded out. Frank however skipped over to the DVD player and put in the Nightmare Before Christmas put in the movie. We all sat around comfortably.

And as the movie started and Gerard dimmed the light, I swear I could almost see the warmth I knew so well coming back into Frank’s eyes.