Lexi
January 9th, 2017 | 8:00 am
Lexi despised the idea of going back to school. If it was up to her, she would have worked full time and lived in her parents house forever. She had absolutely no aspirations anymore. The only reason she was going was because Monica and Victor were not the kind of people to let their newly adopted daughter drop out. So, Lexi grudgingly went to school.
Everyone was whispering as she walked in and Lexi knew it wasn't about the fabulous outfit she had put together. No, they were all talking about her father's death and her adoption into the Summers' household. Rumors swirled around her as Lexi walked to class. Lexi tried to ignore it, but it was hard. Especially when she saw Austin and Rick around the corner. Lexi quickly walked passed without a second glance and into her class. She sat down next to Maeve who immediately began questioning her.
"How are you?"
"Have you been sleeping well?"
"Have you had any itches to get high?"
"Do you need someone to talk to?"
Lexi gave her a funny look. Why was she so concerned? Even Liam had stopped harassing her about how she felt every second of the day by now.
"Lexi, in any way I can, I want to help you," she said looking rather serious.
Lexi was starting to wonder if Liam was right, Maeve's intentions were very suspicious. Since when did the girl who spent most her time high off her ass care this much, especially about Lexi of all people? Lexi must have been giving her a funny look because Maeve frowned.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Why do you care so much?" Lexi asked exasperatedly.
Maeve looked taken back by Lexi's outburst of emotion. "I just thought friends care about their friends?" she said rather quietly.
"Are we friends?" Lexi asked. "Why did you even offer to be my friend?"
Maeve looked away and Lexi grew more upset. Her suspicions were true, Maeve didn't want to be her friend so they could just go shopping together, there was something else. Eventually, Lexi followed Maeve's gaze to the door where Austin had just taken a seat. Suddenly it all made sense.
"He paid you off to be my friend, didn't he?" Lexi asked quietly.
Maeve looked over at Lexi, clearly conflicted.
"Just tell me the truth," Lexi said, trying to keep the tears from building up in her eyes.
Reluctantly, Maeve finally nodded. "He came up to me the day of the dance and told me if I got close to you and told him some stuff about you, then he would hook me up with some pills."
Lexi stared at her newly revealed fake friend for a moment before angrily standing up and storming out of the class that had just started. She practically ran down the hallway and into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and gripped the sink tightly. This was not happening, why had Austin done that? Had he really pitied her for having no friends that he decided to buy her one? Most importantly, why would he want updates on her life?
He still cared, Lexi decided, he must still care. Lexi looked up into the mirror, she hadn't even realized she was crying. She wiped away her tears just as the door opened. Rachel rushed right past her and locked herself in the stall. Lexi was about to leave when she heard her crying.
She debated about what to do. The right thing to do would be to see if she needed help, but then again Lexi didn't really think Rachel would want her help. Lexi glanced at the exit before sighing and turning around. She knocked on the stall Rachel was crying in tentatively.
"Rachel?" Lexi asked. "It's Lexi."
"Go away," she said through her sobs.
Lexi could tell she didn't mean it. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"Do I sound all right?" Rachel said sarcastically.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lexi offered.
"Just because you became the adoptive sister of my complicated practically ex-boyfriend does not make us close," she said.
"I know," Lexi said quietly. "I came in here to cry too though, I just thought we both might need a shoulder to cry on."
Silence. A moment later, Lexi heard the door unlock and Rachel quietly opened the stall door. She inspected Lexi's face and realized that she indeed had been crying too.
"Your mascara is all messed up," Rachel said quietly.
Lexi offered a small smile. "Yours is too."
The girls quietly walked over to the counter and Rachel handed her a makeup wipe out of her bag. Both girls took off their makeup and Rachel pulled herself up onto the counter and leaned against the mirror. Lexi leaned on the counter as she got the rest of her mascara off.
"Why were you crying?" Rachel asked, looking over at Lexi.
She took a deep breath. "Austin paid Maeve off with drugs to be my friend."
Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. "Why would he do that?" she asked, confused.
"I'm not really sure," Lexi admitted. "I always thought maybe he still cared, but I don't know why he would break up with me then."
"Boys are so stupid," Rachel said shaking her head.
"Yeah, I feel like an idiot though. I mean Liam told me she was acting strange but I ignored it because he also told me I should learn to trust people."
"Isn't that the worst part?" she said bitterly. "Learning who you can and can't trust the hard way."
Lexi nodded glumly. "Why were you crying?" she asked.
Rachel sighed. "My parents are getting divorced."
Lexi offered an apologetic look. "That sucks."
"It's my fault," she mumbled. "It's always my fault."
"Hey," Lexi said, taking her hand. "It's not your fault, whatever happens it is between them."
"My mom encouraged me to skip meals these past couple of weeks," Rachel admitted. "She made me go for a run with her, but I hadn't eaten all day, she wouldn't let me stop and I passed out. My dad got so mad at her, they fought for hours before he finally kicked her out of the house," she whispered as tears started to fall down her face. "I haven't seen her since."
Lexi got her a tissue out of her bag and cleaned away her tears. "Hey, it's okay," she said, trying to comfort Rachel.
"It's my fault," Rachel whispered again.
"It is absolutely not," Lexi said firmly. "What your mom was doing to you is a form of abuse, Rachel. That is not okay."
Rachel took a deep breath and shook her head. "I was the one who listened to her though, and now my dad is getting a restraining order taken out against her on my behalf."
"Hey listen, you are the kid here, your mom is a grown adult who should know what is right and wrong, this isn't on you," Lexi said seriously.
Rachel nodded slowly, but her tears kept pouring. Eventually, she calmed down enough where the tears stopped. Rachel got down from the counter and looked at her face in the mirror again. She cleaned up her eyes once more and then turned and faced Lexi.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "You didn't have to help me but you did anyway, so uh, thanks."
Lexi smiled. "We don't have to be best friends or anything, but I'm here for you, okay?"
Rachel nodded and gave her a warm smile. "Likewise."
The girls walked out of the bathroom together and as Lexi passed the class she was supposed to be in, she sighed. She really didn't want to go back.
"Hey Rachel," Lexi asked. "Do you know any good routes to ditch? I'm not in the mood to go back to class."
Rachel nodded. "Sneak out through the gym and go alongside the soccer field. No one will see you," she explained.
"You're a lifesaver," Lexi said gratefully.
Rachel smiled and they said goodbye. Lexi ditched school following the way Rachel had suggested. She went to see Macy. It had been a long time and she wanted to talk. When she got there, she found Macy setting up for group therapy in the gym.
"Hey, can we talk?" Lexi asked.
"Lexi, what have I said about skipping school?" she asked, shaking her head.
"School doesn't even matter anymore," Lexi said, brushing Macy's comment off.
Macy looked over at Lexi and shook her head. "How do your adoptive parents feel about that?" she asked.
Lexi sighed, she hadn't informed them or Liam of her ditching school.
"Exactly," Macy said, reading her expression. "You need to stay in school."
"Well, I already left for today," Lexi said, rolling her eyes. "Can we talk?"
Macy nodded and motioned for her to sit down next to her. Lexi went over and sat down in the chair.
"What's up?" she asked.
Lexi explained what happened with Austin. How he has been ignoring her but he also punched a guy she was dancing with, how he also saved her from being caught in the basement of the drug meeting, how he also comforted her at the funeral, and how he paid Maeve off to be her friend. When Lexi finished, Macy looked upset.
"Lexi," she said disappointedly. "You are supposed to be moving on from him, not over-analyzing every thing he does."
"But how am I supposed to move on if he hasn't?" Lexi immediately protested.
Macy shook her head. "He's not good for you, he never was," she explained.
"How would you even know that?" Lexi asked. "You have only heard what I told you and you don't know everything."
Macy took a deep breath before turning and looking back over at Lexi. "I met him," she said quietly.
"You what?" Lexi asked immediately.
Macy sighed. "He came by the rehab center multiple times, he kept asking to see you, but when I found out who he was, I knew he was only going to hurt your rehabilitation process. I finally told him that the best thing he could do for you is to move on and make sure that you did as well."
Lexi was angry, no she was furious. She stood up and glared at Macy.
"You had no right," Lexi protested. "You have no idea what he means to me."
Macy stood up as well. "Lexi, I know exactly what he means to you. But I had to do what I knew would help you, and look at you now. You have a stable job, your grades have never been this amazing, and most importantly, you're sober."
"Correlation doesn't equal causation, you can thank my improving grades for knowing that," Lexi said bitterly. "How could you do that, Macy?"
"I just wanted what was best for you, Lexi," she said quietly.
"Austin," Lexi said angrily. "He was the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't you dare say he is to blame for any of my shortcomings ever again."
Lexi angrily stormed away as Macy called out after her. Lexi ignored her though and walked out of the building. She went home, to Liam's house, that was. Her house was locked up and on hold until she turned eighteen.