For Her Undamaged (GirlxGirl)

4. They Know

Mini A/N: At work my dudes enjoy!
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Monday

Bailey's POV:

"Bailey come on I'm bringing you to school your mom doesn't was you taking the bus today." I heard my dad's voice as I was brushing my teeth, "Yeah I'll be out in a minute." I replied, I quickly finished up and I ran out grabbing my jean jack throwing it over my grey Notre Dame hoodie, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and I closed my bedroom door before walking downstairs, "Why can't I take the bus? It'll be here in a few minutes." I asked getting a mango naked smoothie from the fridge and a Ziploc of snickerdoodle cookies I made yesterday, they smell so good. "Really cookies for breakfast?" I hear my mom come down the steps and I looked at the bag in my hand.

"Oh no it's for later and I'm going to share some." I correct her, the bag is a little heavy there are probably fifteen cookies the size of my palm, I wasn't going to eat all of them but maybe I shouldn't eat any at all. I put the bag down transferring a few cookies into a small bag, it's okay. "Mhm sure, now I'm going to work you dad will pick you up after school too." She walks over to us again with her eyes glued to her phone, maybe that's why she gets pissed easily, it's that damn phone. You know I'm not going to say that out loud I need to get out of this house. "Alright bye." She kisses my dad and lays a peck on the top of my head well I barely felt it me and my thick ass hair.

"Can we go too?" I turn to the man sitting with a cup of coffee, "Yeah sure we can all leave at the same time." He shrugs downing the rest of the joe, I made my way into his black pick-up that sat in the garage and I waited for him to get in. "So what's the plan today?" He asks hopping inside and I watch my mom get into her rover, "I don't know, go on through school like normal is there something I need to do?" I ask them my phone lit up and I saw a message from mom, 'Don't do anything bad or I swear Bailey' I read, why is she still hooked up on this? "Well, maybe you could just stay low at school, don't bring attention to the situation that you cheated on a test okay, we don't need any more problems." I thought dad was on my side? "What are you talking about? Who's 'we'? Why would there be problems?" I bombarded him with questions as he drove on the road.

"One of the teachers at your school has a part-time job at the law firm, okay and sometimes she gives us news on the school and she brought you up saying she saw you go to the principal's office and that's when we got the call alright hun." So he's embarrassed? is that it. "Are you guys upset because you think I cheated or because you think I embarrassed you guys at your job?" I asked staring at him, he was struggling to prevent himself from glancing at me, they don't believe me. "Do I have the phrase 'let down' or the word 'failure' written across my forehead?" I kept going on finding the biggest words to use against him maybe then he'll realize how much this hurts.

"Hun, Bailey it's not like that at all." He stops there with his mouth agape as if he was trying to force words out, "Oh look I'm at school." I roll my eyes cutting his thoughts off, he stops at the drop-off and I jump out of the pick-up, "Bailey I promise it isn't what you think it is, it isn't that bad." I paused for a second before continuing my walk and I turn around seeing him with an unsettled face, "Then what is it like then dad? Because- never mind, I have to go." I cut myself off seeing the stares from other students as they see a daughter and her father 'fight', I wasn't going to talk back not this early in the morning I don't have the energy for it.

I walked away leaving him there without anything else, school will take my mind off this I completed what was given to me, it's a new day a new week and I get to see Carmen. I walked into the school building weaving through the moving bodies getting to a lunch bench that sits by the library where Carmen and I meet every morning. As I got closer I noticed people giving me dirty looks, I tried my best not to bump into anyone too much but I guess I did. "Oh, you're here thank God I have something to tell you which I actually don't want to tell you but you have to know." The dark haired girl got up from seeing me engulfing me in a firm hug, her arms squeezing my neck. "I missed you too." I laughed hugging her back.

We sat on the bench waiting for the bell to ring and I take out the bag of cookies seeing a bright smile on her face as she slowly takes them from me, "You should open a bakery because damn your baking can send the dirtiest of souls to heaven, not saying that I'm that sinful but these have some form of power." She compliments as she savors her first bite moaning with a happy dance. "But how come it's a small usually you'll bring those gallon bags- wait, did your mom say something about it?" She mumbles trying to fit the rest of the cookie in her mouth and I nod which makes her shake her head. "I hate her, I'm sorry I love you but I hate her. She's always somehow putting you down and sometimes I want to put her down, but you know six feet under." She comments.

It's wrong for her to talk about my mom that way but it's true if anyone else were to say something about my mom, I'd defend her name but with Carmen, she sees what many others doesn't. "Actually about my mom, since we're talking about her, she came home drunk again and you know what that means but she's been harsher I guess it's like every time she looks at me all she can see is the daughter that cheated in school, even though I didn't, it's like instant mood change in her. Then my dad has been doing the same thing, it looks like he's on my side but I think he's hiding how much this actually has affected him." I look around the school seeing people continue to stare at me, do they know too?

"I'm sorry, I know you didn't cheat like a 'hello?' who believes the principal first of all just because he controls the school everyone is wrapped against the bald man's thumb and plus you are one of the smartest people in school." She rubs my back and I give her a smile, "And I have something else to tell you." I turn my whole body to face her and she dusts her hands and lap from cinnamon and sugar, "Okay fire away." She clasps her hands together, "After the night when my mom was drunk I started going over some things. And a lot of what I've been doing is to make others around me happy, I didn't want to take these high placed classes but my mom made me, a lot of what I've been doing has been to make others see my accomplishments even if I didn't want it or didn't think I earned it and with those accomplishments, it's not like I get congratulated for it, I come home with awards, medals, certificates and I get a head nod or a thumbs up and that's it so all my life I've been thinking that no matter what I do, no matter what I achieve it's never good enough." I complain pointing out my revelation that I got in the middle of the night.

"So what you're saying issss?" She drags on the word, "I'm going to stop trying so hard when it doesn't matter at all, I won't get into Notre Dame because of my suspension so what's the point of making my parents proud anymore when nothing I do is good enough." I said almost proudly, "Hold on, are you sure you didn't get hit by someone's car side mirror? Am I talking to Bailey right now?" Carmen snaps her fingers an inch away from my face and I nod moving her hand out of the way, "I'm serious, I don't want to be this 'good kid' anymore, there's no point in trying to be this amazing academically smart student when no one recognizes it, I didn't even want this so I'm going to start being a bad kid." I tell her and she just stared at me, saying 'bad kid' is probably the cringiest thing I've ever said.

"First off never said 'bad kid' okay I think I lost a few brain cells hearing you say that and two, you? A rebel? Are you sure? How are you even going to do that Bailey? You are literally the most behaved student in the school hearing you say this makes me think something is wrong with you." She suddenly presses the back of her hand against my forehead, "I don't know I'm probably going to need some help like that girl that somehow gets away with everything." I shrug my shoulders waiting for Carmen to finish whatever she's doing.

"Right good luck with that, I haven't seen her hang out with anyone for days, oh and her name is Skylar, apparently a lot of people here don't know her name but you know, they know who she is and the important thing I needed you to know is uh, the entire school knows about your situation with the cheating thing, I'm sorry." The bell rang and we hugged each other one more time, "It's okay they can't be more upset than my parents." I joke before walking to class. Skylar, yeah I don't know a Skylar.