Across From Me

Five

Clementine enjoyed getting attention. She didn't deny that. It was nice to be noticed.

But she hated the stares she got when she walked into school every day. Or the mean comments the few brave people would whisper to her between classes.

She thought by now people would have forgotten and moved on, but she was wrong.

She dreaded coming to school every day. She still did, but Beth made it a little bit better

It had been a week since the two started exchanging conversations. They realized almost immediately they had a lot in common. Two older siblings, with a passion for science and learning, could talk for hours if given the chance. They grew closer with each passing day, sometimes spreading time with each other and sometimes just going their ways. But the more they spent time with each other, the more others noticed.

It's not like Clem wanted people to judge Elizabeth. In fact, she questioned her own judgment, if she should keep going on with it, because she didn't want to bring Elizabeth down with her.

But she kept those feelings to herself, she didn't want to ruin what she already started building. It would be unfair to Elizabeth either way. And if she was honest, she wanted to be a little selfish this time. Have a friend who cares about her.

So they kept meeting and talking, laughing together.

It all backfired one Friday when Clementine's mother was late to pick her up. No big deal, just have to wait for an extra few minutes. So she sat on the steps, watching as other students walked their way home or climbed into their parent's cars to go home. She scrolled on her phone, not particularly looking at anything.

She felt a sharp tug on her backpack, pulling her backward. She sputtered for a moment before she regained her wits. Clementine turned around, patience running thin, ready to push the person who pushed her. But she only saw a face she wished not to see. A girl with purple hair and a smug look on her face. Great, Celine, just the person she wanted to see.

Celine didn't look very happy to see her either, but then again, they didn't end on great terms. They once had been great friends, all the way from elementary school to middle school to the start of high school. But by then, she started acting not like herself. Which is expected, everyone changes and grows into their own person, but man, Celine just became bitchy.

She complained about everyone and everything, every teacher she had, every classmate that wasn't her friend, and every assignment given. It must have been some shitty life she liked to live, seeing the negative in everything all the time. Clementine was being hypocritical, she started thinking that way a lot now. But she never noticed them at an obscenely loud volume, never tried to make other people's day as shitty as hers.

Celine didn't look annoyed today, she looked a mixture of pissed off and tired. Clementine couldn't blame her, she felt the same way.

"What do you think you're doing?" She snapped. Clementine sighed, not knowing in the slightest what she was so upset about this time.

"What Celine? What have I done now?" She asked her. Celine looked incredulous like she couldn't believe Clem didn't know what she was talking about.

Celine rubbed her temples, her face was going red, "That new little friend of yours! God, what was it? Elizabeth?"

Clementine was confused, as far as she knew, Elizabeth kept to herself and didn't bother anyone, "What's wrong with Elizabeth? She didn't do anything wrong!" Clementine defended her new friend, as she was supposed to. Unlike Celine, who cared only for herself.

"Don't you get it! People think you two are dating! Don't ruin your reputation more than you already have!" Celine shouted.

Clementine never thought that her mind could just go completely blank, but alas, here she was. Her mind rebooted for a second before she mumbled, "Huh?"

"Exactly! Even if it isn't true, you should watch your back, people are talking!" Celine warned, and Clementine, once she got over her confusion, found herself confused as to why she cared so much.

She stared at Celine, trying to figure her out, "Why are you warning me anyways? I thought you hated me?" She asked. Celine sighed, she looked conflicted.

"I don't like you very much, but I don't think you deserve to be bullied or mocked. I don't think what happened to you was fair. So take this as an apology or whatever," Celine mumbled, Clem, strained to hear her.

Clementine felt a feeling of rage starting to boil inside of her. As if she deserved this, and as if she was going to accept this passive-aggressive shitty apology. At that moment, she felt little care for whatever rumors were spreading around at that moment, she only wanted to prove Celine wrong.

"Fuck off," Clem replied, without any feeling or emotion in her voice. Celine looked like she had expected this, not reacting in the slightest.

Celine, now calm and collected, coolly pushed her hair aside. Clem hated her hair when she dyed it, sure she said it was cute, but like her personality, it conveyed some sort of change she didn't like. It wasn't as if she hated the color or that people dyed their hair, she just hated that it had to be Celine that did it.

"I'm just warning you, Clementine, things are gonna get worse for you and her if you guys keep hanging out," Celine said, then without another word, she walked off.

Clem had a headache. She felt like shit because she didn't know if what Celine said was true. She didn't want Elizabeth to be collateral damage to Clementine's own drama. She didn't deserve that. But what else would she do? She really didn't want to stop talking to her, and it would also be unfair to just ignore her without telling her. But she also didn't want to tell her too, because she didn't want to upset Beth. She knew all of this was dumb, but she just couldn't help but feel like this was all her fault.

Clem sighed, then got up from the ground, and walked over to her mother's car, which only just arrived.

Clem was dreading talking to Beth again. She was afraid Beth would sense something was wrong. Ask questions, things get awkward. She didn't want that to happen. But Clementine's mother always said that facing the problem was better than avoiding it.

So why was she still avoiding it?

She sat in her room, always tidy, books in the proper area, clothes put away, desk neat and organized. Her mother never liked a messy room, and always bothered Clementine to keep it clean. She was doing a crossword puzzle, faint music playing in the background. It was something she enjoyed after she completed her homework.

Her phone vibrated, a notification on her screen. She turned to look at the notification and saw it was a message. It was most likely from her mother because she was out at the moment.

The text was from Beth, come to the window, it read.

Come hesitated, fingers hovering over the keyboard, She was regretting opening the message. Maybe she could have pretended she had her phone off. But now she had read it.

She remembered the words her mother always said, facing the problem is better than avoiding it. She sighed heavily, knowing that sooner or later, she would have to talk.

Rather begrudgingly, she got up from the bed and dragged herself over to the window. She pulled her curtains back and slid the window open. There she greeted the smiling face of Elizabeth.

She smiled back, pretending she was alright.