Real and True

* Michelle Harrison *

When I walked into the school building, a distressed Michelle hurriedly walked up to us. It was before we could start the event I dreaded almost every day: my junior year at Deering High School.

"Daya, have you seen Dennis? After this morning, I just can't be with him anymore, but he's not answering. When you see him, tell him to call me, okay." She looked even more worked up than me.

Before my reply, Michy took notice that Jay and I's hands were intertwined. She winked at him, causing us both to blush. Jay slid his hand out of mine, never taking his eyes off Michy.

"Um, I'll be sure to let him know," I goaded as I threw daggers into Jay with my eyes.

She leaned into me, "Hey, Daya I know this is weird to ask you, but did you know what he was doing? It seems like everyone knew but me, and I should've been the first to know he was cheating."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I just couldn't get the words out. Jay said, "We'll talk to you later," and pulled me into the building. Away from that awkward conversation.

We were met with immediate shoving and pushing around by the hustle and bustle of the hall. Behind me, I felt Jay's hand contact my shoulder, which generated a slight jump that consumed my body.

"I guess we're late," I heard him say as the students hastily going to class pushed us around.

I whispered over my shoulder, "We need to get to class." The inharmonious sounds of my peers erupted throughout the hallways.

"Tell me something I don't know," he faintly spoke back to me, causing an unwanted giggle to abscond from my lips.

Putting our hands back together, Jay walked me to block one. When we arrived at the door, he looked at me with joy, "Have a good day."

I slid my hand through his roughed-up hair and hugged him before saying, "Thank you!" To which he reciprocated, "I do it because I love you." A simple reply that I undoubtedly believed and would forever continue to believe. No matter what happened.

I put on a brave face, as I did every day, and walked through the crippling expedition that was my existence. School was the dwelling place for the worst of my anxiety or at least it was.

Genuinely, it had the power to destroy every aspect of my day if I succumbed to it. The power it could have over me allowed it to send pain reeling into the depths of my soul, for no apparent reason at all. I'd gotten better at dealing with it, but if I stopped fighting, it'd shut me down completely.

Sometimes, I allowed my mind to focus only on sounds: the tapping of pencils, the voice of my teacher, and the vibration of my phone in my pocket. Throughout my day, I wondered if school was the place I should be. My family needed me, and I felt like I failed them. Taking these thoughts out of my mind, I did my English assignment and waited for better to come and save me.

Sadly, worse beat better to the punch as I walked through the halls to my next class. My green eyes saw Jay and Liv snuggled into a little corner of the hall. She ruffed up his dirty brown hair and an enormous smile was mortared onto his face. He leaned into her hair and seemingly whispered something in her ear. She playfully hit him on the side as they share a joint laugh. I could almost make out the crinkles forming in his eyes.

Moments like these reminded me of why I sat idly by and let her drive a wedge between us. She made him happy. As his best friend, that was all I wanted for him. Even if it's not me making him feel that way.

He bit her nose and pressed their foreheads together. They didn't have the same class next and I could tell that they were talking about that as she frowned slightly. He put both of his arms around her neck and kissed her.

"I miss you whenever I'm not with you," I read on his lips.

I couldn't bear to watch anymore. Looking down, I hurriedly walk passed them. When I walked towards my second class of the day, I literally bumped into some random tall guy wearing a letterman jacket. "Excuse me," I said without looking at him.

"It's fine. Is someone in a rush?" He said in a teasing way.

Groaning, I declared, "I'm not in the mood for this, sorry." I tried to walk around him but we kept stepping in front of each other.

He laughed, but when I finally looked up, he must have seen the tears in my eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

I shook my head and just walked away from him.

But when I got to class Jay's girlfriend Olivia was already there.

I just hoped she hadn't noticed me before. "Oh, Jay's friend, I barely saw you there," she laughed as she walked by with her entourage. She didn't like me, and she made that very obvious.

"You know my name Liv. And if you did forget it you can always ask Jay. You must be missing him since he didn't come and pick you up this morning." I didn't know what came over me but I had to say it.

"How do you know about that? Have you resulted in stalking my man because you have no friends?" She said like I was a baby, "Sad face."

I knew I shouldn't let her get to me, but she got under my skin. Plus, she was still around him, and somewhat right. I wasn't stalking him, but he was my only friend. He knew that and still chose to spend all his free time with her, per her request.

My third block was with Jay and it was nice to see his face again. Especially after dealing with Liv all of second period. However, the image of Liv and him lingered in my mind. It was like she enjoyed messing with me more than actually being with him.

Jay sat in the back of the room with his new friends, and I still sat in the front of the room. I got in there before him, hoping that he would choose me over them, and by doing that, choose me over Liv. He disappointed me like he did every other day and he walked right past me.

The bell for our lunch wave rang and that was exactly when I received a rescue. When lunchtime came around I saw that we were having one of the best school lunches we have, Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. Being able to see him after multiple hours filled with schoolwork and drama, I needed to talk to my best friend.

"Jayson Daniel Daralus, I am so happy to see you," I said as I sat beside him at our old bench outside in the quad.

Lately, he hadn't sat with me, another effect of the license and the girlfriend. "Where are all your cool new friends," I questioned him, my eyes wide with curiosity. When I did not get an answer, I focused my attention deeper on his hazel eyes. Then, he took off his coat and draped it onto my dainty shoulders.

"I would rather be here with you," he faintly whispered to me as he led our faces closer together. He left only a crevice in between us before he placed his soft lips on my cheek. "You weren't singing that song in class a few minutes ago."

I felt my heart skip a beat and not knowing what else to do I laid my head on his shoulder. I felt his warm arms wrap around me, protecting me from the winter snow.

"Liv found me in the hallway and told me what you said. Did you really have to do that?" Jay stroked my long brown hair as I took in his fervor.

"She started with me first. I told you that she despises me. I don't know anyone who likes me less." The feeling in my chest and the connection we shared made me want to forgive him even more. But he left me alone when I needed him most.

The realization that we've been together through this journey in life since two. He had truly always been there for me when no one else was. We had a real and true love that has extended throughout the years. Our hug was an exchange of pure joy between only us. I clung onto him and we hugged for longer than we probably should have. But that was the last thing to come to mind now.

As we leaned apart from our hug, his hazel eyes met with my green orbs before he smirked and said, "I really am so sorry." His cheeks flushed red.

"What are you sorry for this time?" I felt the corners of my lips turn upwards to reveal a smile, to which Jay took notice.

"When Liv told me that I had to choose between her and you, I should have told her no. You're my best friend. I can't give you up that easily, I shouldn't have." I could see the regret on his face.

Of course, I forgave him, maybe too hastily, and we went on with a normal conversation before he brought up the topic of my family.

"You should check up on them. If it really is as bad as we both think it is, it would probably be a good idea to talk to them." He gave me an encouraging push to call Dennis, but I was scared. I didn't know what to expect.

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