Dark Truths Revealed

CHAPTER 24

CAROLINE'S POV

1 more minute. JUST ONE TINY MINI MORE MINUTE...

30 seconds...

5...4...3...2...1.

*ringggggg*

I stood up immediately. The 3 hours of detention with two monkeys is finally over. I took my bag and practically ran out but Miss Gladstone stopped me.

"Not so fast" she said with a smirk

"But it has been 3 hours" I defended

"Yes, it has been 3 hours and it's time for ME to go" she said taking her bag, "you three however, can leave after arranging all these books" she said walking out.

My eyes fell on the piles of books left behind and my eyes widened.

"Oh, hell" I said as I sat down

"Hey Care. We can just leave you know. No one's gonna notice" Nick suggested and I glared at him.

"Leave now and have another 3 hour detention with you tomorrow? No thanks" I replied sarcastically

I stood up and started arranging and I saw Damian sitting down playing with a fidget spinner. I threw my bag at him.

"What was that for?" he asked innocently

"For not helping. Get your a*s out of that chair and HELP" I said

Nick laughed earning a glare from me and Damian. He silenced himself after that.

1 hour later

We were still arranging the books. Not even half the pile was done yet. We had a long, long way to go. I was feeling extremely drowsy because I was the one doing ALL THE WORK. Damian was busy using the book as a basketball and twirling it around while Nick was busy staring at me. I sighed and sat down.

"You know, if both of you stop doing stupid things and help we can finish this much faster" she asked tired.

Damian finally decided to give a helping hand and stood up. He started arranging the books quite fast actually and the whole time he had a frown on his face. He never told why he was in detention the whole time. He just sat, either with a frown on his face or a glare which was pointed to Nick. I finally got brave enough to ask him what happened.

"Hey Damian. You never told why you are in detention?" I asked

"Its nothing. Just a stupid fight" he answered and my eyes widened

"A fight? What fight?" I asked him

"It's nothing Caroline" he said looking uninterested

But I wasn't gonna let it go. It was his senior year and having these fights will not help with his grades or reputation. He wouldn't be accepted in a college if he behaves like that.

"Who was this guy? Did you start it or did he?" I asked further.

"Caroline its nothing" he said tiredly

"No it's not nothing. What did he say? Why did you get so angry?" I kept asking him

He didn't answer. I kept thinking what could have angered him until he hit a guy. Everytime he hit someone it was usually for me. When someone teased me he would try to hit them. Maybe that's what happened. So I asked him. I know.it sound cocky but I had to ask.

"Did that guy say something about me?" I asked slowly and his head snapped towards me.

"Caroline, will you just stop it?" he snapped at me standing up.

I stood up with him.

"Why are you shouting at me? I just asked. Are you angry at me?" I asked innocently.

I seriously didn't know what was going on. Why was he shouting at me?

"Oh my god, Caroline! Stop this! Not everything is about you! Get over yourself!" he screamed in my face

I stood there wide eyed. He has never spoken to me like that. Does he really think I'm like that? Like I only care about myself? My blood started boiling. Why would he talk to me like that? I've never been anything but nice to him. And yet he thinks I only think about myself. When I was drowning in my own thoughts I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Caroline. You okay?" Nick asked me.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said .

I continued arranging the books, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill.

...

After hours of arranging library books. I said to Nick that we will do our project another day and decided to stop by at Phoebe's. I needed to rant about Damian to someone and she is the perfect person to rant to. I was mentally cursing the irresponsible students who left their books un-arranged in the library as I entered Phoebe's house. When I went in her room I saw her studying.

"Hey, Caroline. How was detention?" she asked me writing something.

"Horrible! And what question is that? I came back from detention not from a movie theater" I said as I seated myself on her bed.

I started explaining to her everything that had happened.

"And then he just walked of like nothing happened. What does he think I am? I'm not a-" I stopped halfway when I saw Phoebe not even listening and doing her work.

I felt extremely annoyed by this.

"Okay can I just ask. What is it with all my friends ignoring me these days?" I asked angrily.

This caught her attention and she looked up.

"I'm not ignoring you" she said innocently

"Really? Its obvious that you were focusing on your work"

"I can multitask Caroline" she answered looking a little annoyed

"Why can't you just keep it aside for awhile. It's not like I'm gonna talk forever?" I asked sarcastically

But I guess she took it seriously.

She stood up,

"You know what Caroline? You know why I cant just keep it aside? Because I don't have perfect grades like you. I can't just push everything away and listen to your stupid story which is not the most important thing in my life. And guess what? If you have the chance you WILL talk forever. I have better things to do Caroline!" she screamed.

For the second time in a day had the same expression on my face. Shocked and hurt. Without saying a word I took my bag and left. I could hear a regretful sigh coming from her room.

"Caroline?" she came behind me

I ignored her completely and continued walking.

I wanted to go to Elly's house. But i had a gut feeling that I'm gonna go back home with the exact same expression if I go there. I reached home and stomped to my room. Throwing my bag to a corner of the room, I fell on the bed groaning. As I was drowning in sorrows I heard a knock on my room door.

"Come in" I said burying my face in my pillow.

I felt the bed dip at my side. Lifting my head I looked at the figure in front of me. Damian.

"Cici," he started

"SHUT UP AND GET OUT!" I snapped

"I know you're angry but just listen"

I covered my ears.

He sighed and continued.

"It was Troy. That guy that used to be in Nick's group... And he didn't talk about you. He talked about my parents."

Hearing this I looked at him

"He said that my parents were irresponsible and they probably also faked their deaths so that they wouldn't have to deal with me." he said, a hint of moisture on his eyes.

"They said I was a bad child for letting them get killed. He said that if he was there he would have done something. He said that I was a coward. He said-"

"Hey, hey. It's okay." I said rubbing his shoulders.

He was starting to cry visibly. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. And he had hiccups.

"He said...he said-" he started again

I cut him of by hugging him.

"Its okay Damian. He's a jerk. Don't listen to him. You were 10. You couldn't have done anything" I said soothingly

His head was at the crook of my neck as he cried his heart out. After crying fully he stood up.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you. I was angry" he said wiping his tears

"Its okay. Apology accepted" I smiled reassuringly

Saying this I thought to myself. What if I was actually being annoying to Phoebe? What if I was thinking about myself? I turned to Damian

"Damian?"

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna ask you something and you're gonna answer honestly okay?"

"Okayy..."

"Am I an annoying, clingy person"

He gulped and I saw his Adam's apple move up and down.

"Caroline, what happened at the library was a mistake,"

"I'm not talking about the library incident. I mean, overall."

He looked at me with a sceptical look. He sighed and continued

"Not always. But sometimes you know. Just sometimes. You are a little, tiny bit annoying. And sometimes you're a little clingy" he said rubbing the back of his neck.

I threw a pillow at him

"What? You asked me to be honest."

I laughed at his remark.

"Okay. I gotta see someone" I said as I walked out.

It was already dark outside but I had to see her. On my way out I saw the calendar. My eyes widened. It was Friday. No! I ran out. Phoebe is supposed to leave to her grandma's house today. I wanted to say sorry before she leaves or this will become a bigger issue. She won't be back for a week and the internet there is unbearable. I ran as fast as possible and reached in about 10 minutes...

Only to find the house locked and her mom's car missing. They left. I sighed and walked back home, calling Elly on my way back.