The Bad Girl

The Long Walk Home

Chapter 14: Long Walk Home

" What do you mean you know what me and Ally did?" Even though the words just left my mouth I am already sweating. Just anticipating his response hoping that he was wrong.

I see a smirk play at his lips. He knows he is dragging this on, increasing my anxiety and he's enjoying it. Almost like he is getting off on the fact he is making the bad girl nervous. "Well I remembered about a year or two ago hearing from one of my friends that her cousin got kicked out of her foster home. She told me about how the whole family's money was tight, and when her cousin's parents passed away they couldn't afford to keep her out the system. Fortunately she had been with a good family for quite some time. Until she started hanging with the wrong group of people."

Like I had said, Ally was my partner in crime since she was born. Of course the things we did began to get progressively worse as time went on, but everybody has to start somewhere right? I knew where this was going, he was ultimately beginning the story of one I hoped to forget, that I genuinely couldn't forgive myself for. I didn't want to show too much vulnerability around the topic though. "Where are you going with this? I don't see how this has to do with Ally and I." I say hoping he will think he has the wrong girl.

He pauses, almost shocked I wasn't admitting it right off the bat. "Well I'm getting to that part. She told me the girls never really got into too bad of trouble, until they broke into the house of a young woman, stealing her valuable jewelry that was worth over 6,000 dollars. The police were called and the girls were arrested and found with the jewelry on them. The poor girl who had just tagged along was now deemed just another troublemaker, a product of the system. In which case they told her to leave." He pauses at the end of this story. I remember the girl perfectly, a bad girl doesn't feel emotions everyone knows this. Unfortunately, this was my soft spot. Me and Ally felt terrible for the girl. I was only 16 at the time though and I didn't understand how serious this was. 

Her name was Liza Becker. We tried to find her afterwards, but it was like she was too far gone and  without a trace. I realize I'm lost in my thoughts and I don't even realize Collin was speaking. 

"So of course I asked her who the bad crowd was, and she told me the Bradshaw's with no hesitation." 

He knew. He really knew. What am i going to do? Conoway was able to help diffuse some of the heat off of us when this happened, hence why not many people know the true story. I go to turn away, and do what I know best. Walk away.

"So you're just gonna walk away from me?" he says as he goes to reach for my arm. I pull my arm back aggressively. Why is he digging skeletons out of my closet, then believe I want to stand here and talk with him. 

"I really suggest to never try and do that again if you like your fingers being attached to your hand." His arm falls immediately and I go to turn away again, before leaving I turn back around to face him one more time. "If you tell anyone else about this story, I promise you will find out why no one messes with a Bradshaw. We'll talk again when I clear my head."

With that, I left. Although the school is not far from my home I take my time. It was the reason me and my mom didn't get along anymore. She blamed me for that situation, and for allowing Ally who was just about to turn eleven at the time to take part. Of course I felt terrible, and I know what I did that day was wrong. I was young though, and had no concept of what it was like for a foster kid and the severity of their consequences. Everything we did just seemed fun at the time, until I realized how serious the stuff we were doing really was. It seemed though that to my mother I that's all I would be, and so it was who I became. I guess after that, it's also who I thought I was.

I was no longer just Aria Bradshaw, I was the bad girl.

A/N: Okay guys it has been sooo long. So I don't know if any of you even still have this in your library or even still care about what Aria and Ally did. But for those of you who do, welcome back my loves, let's get to know each other again. I was 12-13 when we met and now I am 21. I may one day go back and fix some of my editing, but for now I will give you my updates the best I can to not leave some of you on a cliffhanger that you despised me of!