Chapter 7: Confidants

A friend knows you as you are, understands where you've been, accepts what you've become, and allows you to grow.

***

Lexie yelled for Calvis who briskly walked on mindlessly, as if deaf. When she finally caught up with him, she blocked his path, bringing him to an abrupt halt. She then angrily yanked out his ear plugs, heaving labored breathes.

"What's up grumpy?" He complained.

"You need a whipping." She scolded.

"Well go ahead Lexie, make me nervous don't you? The last person you want to see is the dean of students," he teased. She stared at him blankly, upset that he was still poking fun at her morning incident. "I'm certain she's gotten wind of what happened." Her face grew gloom.

"You're serious?" She shivered.

"Take a chill pill L, you know me..."

"Pretty mature huh?"

"C'mon love, I was only joking," he apologized.

"Got you..." She laughed, nudging him. "Fine, you win the gimmicks, ugh! Girls, more reason I'm never going to date." He muttered dismally.

"What do you mean? Are you not straight?" She taunted somewhat baffled.

"I'm not Lexie, go ahead and call me a fag."

"Wow and you're only letting me know now? You know my stance on the gay marriage and gender rights bill in the West. The Lord says-" She rambled, Cal watched her flustered.

"L, don't trip on my words dragging me to church. I'm only kidding, I mean, Natasha's pal looks pretty fine." He smirked.

"Ew! Quit grossing me out, you know I'm no big fan of theirs."

"Well excuse me, should I hit on you then?"

"Calvis, stop!" She prodded him. "I swear I'll smack you!"

"Alright, but I'm serious about dating." He stated.

"I'd love to see you fail living up to that."

"Challenge accepted!" Calvis snapped.

"So, did you mean that there's a chance Petra's heard?" Lexie asked terrified.

"I hope not, the woman's wicked." Cal snarled, Lexie shuddered again.

"I'll see you during English I'm not very hungry." She lied. Unfortunately, he picked up on her anguished tummy which rumbled. Her cheeks supped with blood from abasement.

"Crap!" She cussed.

"Aha! And you call me a liar, you shouldn't be embarrassed!" He admonished, hunkering beside her.

"Lunch is on me doll, there's nothing to feel ashamed about, come on up." He pulled her to her feet. "That happens to me every other time." He whispered.

"The rumblings you mean?" He nodded. "Ugh, fine...but only if you promise to make time to come for dinner at my place." She demanded.

"Deal."

"Uh, I said lunch is on me, your hunger could easily be likened to some kid in Somalia."

"What do you even know about Somalia?" She scoffed.

"Uhm...poverty¿"

"Good gracious Calvis! I look like a hog." She groused, staring at the mountain of food heaped on her plate.

"Nonsense! That would make me twice the hog you are, which I'm not." He repudiated her protest.

Calvis was a cool dude, or at least Lexie believed so. His naturally brown hair had since transfigured to sandy, a little of it draping at the side of his temple. He'd gotten rid of the ponytail she'd long been teasing him about since ninth grade. She smiled at the memory, then scratched her nose mortified at the stares she was getting.

"Why the beanie?" She questioned, nearly choking on her food.

"Oh go ahead and say it!" He remarked stupefying her.

"Say what?"

"That I look great!"

"Aren't you just full of yourself?" She sneered.

"Say it!"

"If it will help you sleep at night, then yes! You do look beautiful." She taunted and he scowled then shrugged. "I'll take it."

"I didn't wait up today knowing you'd come for lunch with Chelsea, where or why did you ditch her?" He inquired.

"Oh, she went home with her mom." Lexie informed munching. "Something about a doctor's appointment, Mrs. Thorne already excused her from English."

"She's sick?"

"She didn't say much but I gather she'll get back to me about that. Enough about Chels," Lexie said sipping on her soda. Cal stared at her smiling, he mused, gazing at her frustration. Her genetically mutated white curly hair strands were misbehaving on her forehead like they always did. His bay blue eyes suddenly locked with hers.

"Ahem! Why are you staring?" She throttled, raising her eyebrow.

"I take back my words, you are a hog!" He digressed. Glancing behind him, she spotted Natasha, Amber and Pearl take seats. "So, what's the name of that new Chemistry teacher?" She inquired.

"Alex Paulman, why do you ask?" Cal and Lexie turned to face whoever had butted into their conversation.

"Tasha," Calvis spat sardonic.

"My name."

"When will you ever learn to mind your own?!" Lexie revolted.

"Walk the hell back to your groupie." Cal barked, she gnashed her teeth and stepped back bemused at his hostility.

"That's harsh!" Amber muttered loud enough.

"Chill out dude! Just wanted to ask you a..."

"I said go Tasha!" She scooted back to her table wordlessly.

"What's wrong with you T?" Amber grumbled.

"What is it to you?" She replied.

"Why go talk to them? They aren't our friends!" Amber argued. "Isn't Lexie poor? Why does Cal even bother with her...?” They gossiped.

"Also, was it not obvious she was crushing on the new Chemistry teacher today?" Pearl added.

"I doubt Lexie is interested in him, she was just embarrassed about getting late." Tasha refuted. "Pearl, why would you assume that? Are you..."

"Well..." Amber stammered.

"Unbelievable numskulls!" Lexie growled overhearing their banter.

"You sound stupidly jealous, I know you'd have loved his attention." Tasha said passively.

"You're the stupid one! Approaching them like that T." Pearl replied.

"Had my reasons P, now can we stop arguing, it’s ridiculous! Guys are staring."

"Cal, cool down they're just a bunch of idiots." Lexie urged him to unclench his fist.

"You're right about that."

"Thanks for lunch, don't bail out on dinner. Promise?"

"Promise." He said reassuringly.

"Great." She smiled. "I'm heading somewhere don't miss me." Cal stated as they stepped into the arched hallway. "Don't sweat it, I know where you're headed!" She cajoled, a light laughter lingered.

"You only think you do."

"Go piss Calvis." She grinned.

"How wrong you are." He took off.

***

Richard Burton was an old man whose reputation preceded him. The last thing Kayla needed was for him to have a bad opinion about her and as scary as this meet seemed, she'd managed to pull her head together.

"Rosemary, please give Lexie these keys when she arrives from school. I'm headed somewhere and it might take me a while." Kayla explained.

"Where to? I thought you had a day off?" Rose inquired.

"I thought wrong. I'll talk to you when I get back, I'm running late." She handed the keys to Rose then walked away.

On her way, she thought of Rose, their friendship was dissociated, they'd be okay for a time then she'd distance herself other times and this bothered Kayla. However, she always gave her space to self-heal from her marital problems. Tomlin was one to heap abuses and occasionally, she endured battering when she'd dare question his promiscuity. His dimwitted parenting accompanied by alcoholism was a preset for tragic memories to their kids. Kayla feared that some bad blood had embroiled, perhaps because she lived peacefully.

I really should get my daughter her set of the house keys, she thought wistfully. Then, I won't keep pestering Rose.

"Miss! Hey miss, pay up!" The cab driver distracted her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized finding notes from her purse.

"Time is money you know?" The cabbie stated, riled up. Kayla groused, angrily stepping out of the cab. It sped off leaving a cloud of dust settling on her neat outfit. She was glad it wasn't any muddy in Rosewood Villa Street as was the case in Riverside otherwise her attire would have been brought to ruination.

Dusting off his insolence, she looked up and caught a view of the infamous manor. She then glanced at her watch and cursed.

***

Calvis apparently had business to sort out, she walked herself down the corridor and her locker didn't open when she got there. She was enraged at this point, her hairline sweaty from distress. "Kimberly Curtis you are so...dead!" She heaved a sigh of relief upon guessing the combination, she picked her English books straightened her top and hurriedly made way for her afternoon class.

She colluded. What in the world? Her books and set of keys fell adjusting her posture while writhing in pain. A lowly curse escaped her throat, she groaned, flinching from the pain throbbing in her forehead. She struggled to recollect herself. "What's your problem?"

"You, seemingly." A cocky response resounded in an anguished voice, "could you be any clumsier?!" He bellowed, unperturbed by her semblance. Simmering anger boiled within her, she swore she'd have slapped him if she was on her two feet but her head twirled as though a whirlwind swooped her. A starry cloud floated above her flustered headspace. "Dammit!"

***

A/N: Thanks for reading 