Secret

Chapter 6: Passed out

Chapter 6: Passed Out

"June! June! Kar! Karlie! Wake up!" My eyes slowly flutter open.

"Huh? What happened?" I mutter. I slowly sit up and look around. Before I know it, Jake's arms are wrapped around me. 

"Thank god you're okay, I thought I hurt you or something." He rambles. 

"Jake, what happened?" I ask regaining my consciousness.

"You passed out. I think you got overwhelmed and tired from laughter." I nod and pull away gently. 

"I'm okay now." I say as I go to stand up. He pushes me back down.

"Please just rest a little longer." He pleads. I nod and lie back down.

********

"Where were you yesterday? You didn't pick up the phone all day," James asks as I sit next to him in Algebra.

"I woke up late, I fainted." I sigh. He narrows his eyes and nods. 

"Are you feeling okay now?" He asks, worriedly. I nod and open my textbook, and wait for the teacher to start talking. 

"I passed out because I was a little tired, I think, so I'm fine." I explain, when James doesn't stop looking at me. He nods again and finally turns around. I sigh silently and Mr. Laurent starts talking. 

I'm in senior year, I think to myself, just a few more months until school finishes and I can stop lying.

I feel like I should finally explain why my friendship with Jake is a secret. You see, when our families moved here at the end of elementary school. In our hometown, we got bullied for being 'losers' and when we got here, Jake was sick of it. He decided to do everything he can to become popular and by the end of the first semester of middle school, he achieved his goal and kept his role all through those years. 

I, on the other hand, didn't do that, and wanted to make friends and make myself liked for who I'm truly am, and that's how I made friends with Hazel and James. Because I wasn't popular, Jake wanted to keep everything a secret, so his mask didn't fall, and it worked. We managed to keep everything on the low for nearly seven years.

"Karlie!" James shouts in my ear. 

"Huh? What?" I stop daydreaming and look at him. Everybody else is talking and doing work whilst Mr. Laurent marks some pop quizzes.

"Were you even listening? We've been doing work for the last five minutes." He asks. Oh, shit.

"Uhh... what are we supposed to do?" I ask. James rolls his eyes and explains the task to me. I complete it just in time for the bell ring. James and I pack up our stuff and leave for lunch to meet up with Hazel.

***

"-Lucas tried to hook up with me yesterday and I was like: okay before I realized I probably shouldn't so I was like: no, sorry and-" Hazel stops talking when James suddenly stands up and stomps out of the cafeteria. 

"W-what was that about?" I ask Hazel, who shrugs and takes a bite from her pizza. I know she's lying and knows what happened, but I decide not to dig the topic with her and run out after James. 

"Jamie! James!" I shout after him as he disappears around the corner.

I chase after him and keep calling him. "James!"

"Leave me alone, Rivers!" He shouts back and starts running. I stop dead in my track, as I realize how mad he is. I walk back to the cafeteria only to see that Hazel has left too. I sigh and look at the popular table, where Jake is discreetly looking at me. I put my hand to my ear, to signal a phone, so that he calls me later and leave.

Heeyy!!! I am so sorry for not updating for a long time and a short chapter. My schedule is still not really sorted yet but will be soon.