Fatal Flaws

chapter 21

She may be gorgeous on the outside, but her inside is hideous.

Her attitude sucks. It always has. When we were back in high school, she was head of the cheerleaders. Which, of course, made her the most popular girl in school. They were like a group of demons following the devil herself. She was a complete snob, turning her nose down on everyone she thought was beneath her. This included everyone but her little circle of minions. Half the time, she even treated them like they were worthless. I have no idea why they put up with her. Popularity can make you do crazy things. 

If I hadn't known them, I would never believe they were brother and sister. They were as different as night and day. Where she was evil, he was kind and sweet. He never cared about being popular or what anyone thought of him. He was kind to everyone, even people who didn't deserve it. 

Ashley and I never got along from day one. She had always thought that I was a bad influence. I was the one that introduced him to drugs. That somehow I brought her brother down. Even though I did nothing but try to help him. I begged him to stop doing drugs, to change his life. If only she knew the truth. Things wouldn't have turned out like they did. If only they had realized they were pushing him into that lifestyle. Maybe they would have stopped. It was possible to prevent all this, but it didn't happen. 

I've never asked her why she disliked me. I figured it was her mother's influence. That woman was worse than the devil. Ashley had nothing on her witch of a mother. The apple sure didn't fall far from the tree with that family.

"What do you think is this too much?" she asks, twirling around in a circle. Much to my horror, she spins right into Hayden, knocking him back slightly. He reaches out, grabbing hold of the nearest shelf to steady himself. It's like watching a train wreck happen, between my past and present.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she mumbles.

It makes me happy to see that she's embarrassed. This means that she does have genuine emotions. But my happiness doesn't last long as I watch her step back, taking in his appearance. Her eyes widen, studying him as he adjusts his shirt. A large creepy smile washes across her face. Her tongue slowly creeps across her bottom lip. I know that face all too well. It's like a lioness when she's found her prey after a long day of hunting. Eyeing them before she moves in, right before she pounces.

"It's cool," he mumbles, his hand rifling through his hair.

"By the way, I'm Ashley and you are?" she coos, her smile widening, revealing a set of perfectly white straight teeth. She extends her thin, frail hand out towards him. He nods slightly, reaching out and shaking her hand.

"I'm Hayden. Nice to meet you," he answers. To my horror, returning her smile.

"Umm, Bex, you about ready" he shifts his eyes to where I'm awkwardly standing, not saying anything.

"Oh wow, are the two of you like a thing?" Ashley asks. Her face reveals everything she secretly wishes to say. Her hand drops, placing it on her hip. Her eyes are slit, glaring at me. Once again, It's like I'm back in high school being bullied by Ashley. But without her precious posse. The disappointment and judgment are clear in her voice.

"No, he's my friend's brother," I speak, unsure how to answer that question. Talking to Ashley makes me feel like a little kid again. If she knew how I felt about him what secrets would she reveal? My answer must have pleased her, her demeanor instantly changed. She's back on the prowl.

"In that case, you can jot my number down? Maybe we can meet one weekend and get to know each other better? A friend of Bex's is a friend of mine" She smiles up at him, batting her eyelashes. Naturally, she's using me to manipulate the situation to her advantage. It's like nothing has changed at all. I watch her pull out her phone, handing it to him without hesitation. I stay quiet, my eyes darting around for an escape. He hesitates before typing her number into his and handing hers back.

"Well, it was good seeing you again, Bex. At least now I know that you're not dead," she mumbles to me. Not even bothering to take her eyes off of Hayden. To throw a little more salt into my already sore wounds, she continues. "By the way, don't be a stranger. I don't believe everything everyone says about you, only some of it. And I don't entirely blame you for what happened to Johnny either," she whispers. Her voice was much softer than before. Then, realizing she must have seemed weak, she finishes her statement. "It could have been you instead, but it wasn't." She sneers, pulling me in for another hug. It's hard to tell if she was being sincere or trying to put a show on for Hayden. Either way, it doesn't matter. What happened, happened? And there's no changing that.

After giving Hayden one more quick smile, she walks away, throwing her hips around a little too much. It feels like someone has kicked me in the stomach. My head is swimming. Is it possible to drown without water? I can't breathe. My chest is tightening. She ripped my heart out and stomped on it, not even caring.  Seeing her has stirred up a lot more painful memories. Ones that I'd been burying deep inside me. Most I'm not ready to face yet. I might never be. Turning away, I dart off, leaving Hayden standing there.

I grab the first costume I see in my size, not caring what it is at this point. I have to get out of here. After paying for my items, I rush out to the car. Leaving everyone else still inside, clueless to what happened.