ONE NIGHT, ONE LIE

Prologue The atmosphere was festive, filled with laughter and the noise of life. Students were walking towards their classrooms at a leisurely pace. It was still early in the day, so they didn't have to rush towards their classes; they could take their time. Some of these students were coupled together at various points in the hallways. Red could be seen everywhere that the eyes could touch; it was Valentine's Day. BRIIINNGGHG!!! The school bell suddenly rang, and the students who had been idling about the hall suddenly picked up their paces and started walking towards their classes as fast as possible. All but two students were rushing before it was too late. They were couples; it was obvious to see, as they were locked in passionate kissing. The boy was leaning against the locker, his hands wrapped around the girl's waist. The girl was leaning against his chest, her fingers tangled in his tousled black hair. “Y'all should get a f*****g move on, love birds.” The boy and girl broke their kiss and looked to the side, where another girl was opening the locker next to them and taking out her books. “I don't know,” the girl who had been locked in a kiss drawled playfully, looking up at her boyfriend and caressing his sharp jawline. “He's looking really delicious this morning. I think I want to spend all morning eating him up.” The boy laughed, and the other girl beside the locker rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Whatever. f*****g lovebirds. You guys should break up already.” She muttered lightly, then turned on her heels and started walking to class. The both of them watched her leave, then returned their focus to each other. “We should really get to class,” the boy whispered with a low, seductive tone and he leaned in closer to her. The girl leaned up to him, presenting her lips. “Just one more?” She batted her eyes innocently. “You won't complain about one more kiss, would you?” The boy laughed. “You know me very well, Eleanor.” H leaned in, and they locked lips once again in a make out that drowned the world around them, making it seem as if time had frozen so that the two of them could have the privacy they needed to do whatever they wanted. Her name is Eleanor Wilkins. Highschool belle and student body president for Oakville High. She is currently distracted. She was sitting in the science lab, next to a tall window on one side and a student whose name she didn't know on the other side. The teacher was droning on about one experiment or the other; she didn't know. Because at that moment, she couldn't focus. She was staring at her boyfriend, Cedric Newman. She was lost in his attractiveness, unable to form a coherent thought. Their relationship was still pretty new, so it wouldn't be wrong to assume that it was in its honeymoon phase. Cedric has only asked her out a month ago, even if they had known each other for a lot longer; since they were kids, even. From a young age, the both of them were inseparable. So it wouldn't be wrong to think that the both of them were soulmates that were meant to be together. Cedric looked up from the microscope that he had been peering into and glanced over his shoulder at her. When they eyes met, his face softened into a wide grin that Eleanor returned with a lovesick smile. Damn, she wanted to kiss him so badly. “Is there anything wrong with the lecture, Miss Wilkins?” Eleanor jumped, startled by the sound of the teacher's voice. She looked to the front of the class and saw the way their teacher, Madam Godfrey, was staring at her in disapproval and disappointment. “Oh, ah, t-there’s nothing wrong, ma’am.” She stammered, blushing in embarrassment. Madam Godfrey raised her eyebrows skeptically, as if to say that she didn't believe Eleanor at all. Which was fair; Eleanor was bad at lying. “From where I'm standing, that doesn't seem to be the case,” Madam Godfrey said, walking towards Eleanor's table. “You’ve always been amongst the brightest in this class, Eleanor. I won't see you wast your talents over some useless…trivialities.” At that last word, Madam Godfrey shot a quick knowing look at Cedric. The boy in question had been staring at them in concern, but the moment Madam Godfrey's eyes met his, he put on a convincing mask of innocence. Eleanor coughed self-consciously, drawing the woman's attention back to her. “Right. Sorry, ma'am. I'll make sure to be more attentive.” Madam Godfrey stared at her severely, as if judging her. Then she huffed, and walked back to the front of the class. “Make sure you do.” Eleanor exchanged a discrete look with Cedric, who was smiling widely, as if he was teasing her. Eleanor couldn't help but smile back, but when she heard Madam Godfrey clear her throat emphatically, she glanced away from him and focused squarely on the board, embarrassment coloring her cheeks once again. Damn; she really was in trouble, wasn't she? Later that day, as the students were going home after a day of stressful classes, Eleanor walked up to Cedric. “So,” she began, smiling at him. “Wanna come to my place? My Dad won't be at home for a while. He'll probably stay out till tomorrow.” “Nah.” Cedric shook his head. “I've got something to attend to at home. Sorry.” He glanced at her, light brown eyes showing his remorse. “Oh.” She muttered, disappointed. “You can come to my place though.” Cedric said with a bright smile. “It won't take long, I'm sure. Dad just wanted to talk to me about something. When I'm done, we can have the rest of the day all to ourselves.” He leaned towards her, looking down at her with a hungry look that made her spine shiver. Before she could stop herself, she leaned up to kiss him. Their tongues danced together for several seconds, before she finally broke it. “I'd like that, I think.” She said breathlessly. Cedric grinned happily. “Great! Wanna take my car?” Eleanor shook her head, walking towards where a driver wearing a suit was waiting with a parked luxury car. “Maybe next time, Newman.” “I'll hold you to that, Wilkins!” When Eleanor got home, she made her way straight towards her bedroom. She opened her closet and began searching for the sexiest lingerie that she had. She had only started wearing lingerie since she and Cedric began dating, but it was rapidly becoming their thing; there was something about it that she liked. When she was dressed, she covered it with more casual wear and made her way back downstairs. She called the driver again, and he took her to Cedric's home, which wasn't too far from where she lived. Their fathers, who were supposedly longtime friends, had gotten mansions that were relatively close together for reasons that Eleanor wasn't sure of. She wasn't complaining, however; it made maintaining the friendship between Cedric and Eleanor easier through the years. It also made maintaining a romantic relationship easy too. Anytime either of them wanted to sleep at the other’s place, nobody batted an eye, and they were given express permission. Soon enough, they reached Cedric's mansion. As Eleanor alighted from the car and approached the door however, she noticed something weird. Some strange men were standing at the door. When she entered they didn't react, but as she walked into the room, things got even weirder. The entire Newman family was gathered in the living room. All of them wore long and dreary faces, and some of them even looked as if they had been crying. She paused on the threshold, looking around in confusion. “Is something wrong?” She asked, and at the sound of her voice, several of the family members turned to face her. Suddenly, all of their faces turned angry and hateful. “What is she doing here!?” One of them said hatefully, and Eleanor stumbled backwards in surprise and confusion. “Eleanor.” She heard Cedric's voice, and she turned around to see him walking into the room. “Cedric,” she gasped in relief, moving towards him. Something in his expression made her stop, however. His eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, and he wasn't looking at her with affection the way he always did. Instead, he was looking at her with something dangerously close to hate. “Get out.” He barked. “What?” She gasped, surprised. “I said get out! I don't want you here! Your father murdered mine, and I don't want to see the daughter of a f*****g murderer in my house anymore!” For a moment, her mind blanked. She was too shocked to process things properly. Then she realized; someone must have framed her father. That was the only explanation. It had to be. “Okay,” she said simply, and walked out of the room. As she walked back to her waiting car, she thought within herself; ‘What a shitty Valentine's Day this turned out to be.’