Even If It Kills Us (On hold)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Standing in front of the mirror, Ember examined herself while she washed her hands. It was one of those long days at school. It was just third period, yet it felt like she had been in school for hours. Seeing Justin this morning put a smile on her face because she has not seen him all weekend or Monday. Since she left without uttering a word, her parents told her that she was not allowed to come back. It's not that Ember planned on going back home anyway. She could not, not after what she had done.

If word got out people would look at her differently. It was one of the main street rules in the book, but Ember was not a part of any of that. She was never built for that type of life. Her father was though. She could not wait to see the look on his face when the day would come. He would soon be getting a taste of his own medicine and so would her mother.

One of the stalls opened, then shut. Glancing up in the mirror, Ember could see Namiko. Namiko froze for a second but continued to the sink beside Ember's. It was silent before, but now it was just a bit awkward. Deciding to remove herself, Ember dried her hands and placed her bag on her shoulders.

"You look pretty today." Namiko blurted.

Namiko wanted her friend back more than anything. She didn't care about the relationship with Tyrell anymore. She has said this once before but now she was serious. All she wanted was closure, yet somehow, she fell in Tyrell's trap again.

"Thank you." Ember tells her.

"Can we talk, please?" Namiko asked.

"Why?"

"Because I owe you an apology and an explanation."

Ember sighed, "I'm free after school."

"We could meet at the public library right after. Got some work to catch up on, if you don't mind."

"Okay."

After leaving the bathroom, Ember stepped out into the hall. She scanned the sea of students that were rushing to get to their next class. The one person that she was hoping to see was not around. She was starting to think that he was just avoiding her. Ember did not blame him though. Things were so complicated.

On her way to class she bumped into Trevor and Malik. They were walking up the hall together and conversing. She had no intention on interrupting their conversation, yet she was curious. She wanted to know if Adonis was okay.

"Hi Trevor, hi Malik. Have you two seen Adonis? Is he at school today?" Ember asked.

Malik raised his brow, "Nah, I don't think so."

"Oh well. How is he doing?"

"Adonis always tell us that he good. I know he not. Something be bothering him but he ain't talking about it." Trevor explained.

That feeling of guilt returned. Ember knew they needed to talk but she  didn't think that Adonis was ready. She herself was not ready either. Ember wanted someone to talk to but no one knew about anything but her and Adonis. She needed his listening ear, his shoulder to cry on and his comforting words.

"Do you know what's going on, Em?" Malik asked.

Ember nodded a little, yet she could not tell them. If Adonis had not said anything that meant that he was not ready for people to know. She wasn't either until they talked about it together, "I can't say anything much about it."

She was tearing up again. Ember walked around school wearing a smile and hiding her pain. She didn't want anyone to know about it or ask her questions. It was quite obvious which was why she continued to wear T-shirts. Students were nosy and they would question why her stomach was not showing anymore. They would probably accuse her of lying or make an abortion joke. They were all just that childish.