Just a Memory

A Slightly Disastrous Breakup

5

The next Monday morning, a wave of gossip pounded through the eighth grade classrooms. I had no idea what was going on, as my parents had grounded me for the rest of yesterday for not doing my homework. Of course I didn't have any, but I had a whole day of loitering in my room on my phone. It must've been some serious shit that went down yesterday, because Reece didn't show up for carpool and Kyle called in sick.

I near crashed into Hallee Davidson on the way to math. "Hey," I said, grabbing her shoulder. "Have you seen Reece?"

She snickered, but her eyes screamed murder. "Why do you care?"

"I need to talk to her," I said, wondering why Hallee had acted like I said that I wanted to make out with Joey. 

"Haven't seen her," she responded curtly. I rolled my eyes as she walked away. "Well you obviously know where she is!" I called down the hall after Hallee's retreating feet.

I shoved my homework in the return box and took my seat next to Austin. "Do you know what's going on here?" I asked him.

"You haven't?" he asked. "I thought you'd be first to know."

I groaned. "Can someone just tell me what the fuck is going on?"

Austin pointed at one of the girls who sat in the corner of the room. They never spoke, but at lunch they were the loudest people in the entire school. In class we referred to them as the koalas, whereas at lunch they transformed into frikkin parrots. "That is what's going on."

The blonde he was pointing to was Gabby Marshall, an incredulous party girl who thrived on the fact that her older sister supplied her with endless friends. I never spoke to her, in fear that she may eat me alive and I'd never see daylight again. Gabby wasn't even popular, just annoying. 

"What does she have to do with Hallee, Reece and Kyle?" I asked, hoping that someone would cut to the chase and tell me the whole story. Austin finally did, and it wasn't pretty.

Apparently yesterday after Reece left Kyle's house, she forgot her phone or something, and when she came back, she caught Kyle sitting on the couch, making out with Gabby Marshall like she never mattered. Gabby left almost immediately, but Reece and Kyle got into a fight. No one had heard from them since.

I was surprised. After hearing Kyle go on non-stop for years about how much he wanted Reece, cheating on her was the last thing I expected from him.

"How do you know that's even true?" I asked. "And don't give me that crap, 'someone happened to be walking their dog when they saw'."

Austin pointed at Gabby again. "She told us. Came to school shaking saying some shit about how she had ruined a 'true love'."

I rolled my eyes. The thought that Reece and Kyle were in love disgusted me, and made no sense to boot. But then I thought about how crazed Reece looked when I grabbed her hand, and how many times I had seen them making out and I started to believe it. 

The bell rang, and I turned around, thinking that Mr. Roberts would walk in any second. Instead I saw Reece Hale. Her eyes flickered over to meet mine, but they shifted away just as fast. Hallee and Lena swarmed her. I kept my distance.

Nobody paid attention to the lesson that day. Well, a few kids who didn't know Reece or Gabby did, but otherwise, all attention was directed at the tension between Gabby and Reece. The ending bell rang, and I dismissed myself early, hoping to catch some gossip out in the hall. I didn't have to wait long.

Gabby ran after Reece. "Oh, Reece, I'm so sorry, I had no id-"

"You shut your whore mouth," Reece snapped. I had known Reece all my life; and if I knew her half as well as I thought I did, this was about to get a lot uglier.