“It’s so great to have you back. You seriously almost gave me a heart attack when you fell off your chair that day. I thought you were dead or something.” Elena said as she closed her locker and turned to face you. There was something about that red lipstick she was wearing today, it somehow gave you the creeps. She had always been about following the latest trends, but this was new, especially for her. You tried not to stare at the contrast it gave against her white teeth as you let your eyes wander through the hallway, looking for your other friend. Usually James was always around and since he had known you were coming back today you had expected him to be here to greet you. You hadn’t seen each other for a while now and you were wondering how he was doing. “I know who you’re looking for, and he’s not here. He was meeting someone, so he’ll pop in later.” Elena said, a look of disapproval plastered all over her face. You on the other hand, were just merely surprised. James wasn’t the kind of person to skip classes, especially since his parents would kill him if they would find out. Out of all three of you, you were sure he had the most horrible parents. Your weren’t that great, but you’d rather be left alone than having to live with two people who wanted to know and control every single detail of your life. They even picked out his clothes for him until a few years ago, it was terrible. 

“So, who do you think it is?” You asked, as you grabbed your books and the two of you began to walk through the hallways together, looking for your next classroom. A few people waved at you, some said hello and asked you how you were doing. Others acted exactly the same as they had done before and pretended as if they didn’t know you. Not that you minded, you weren’t interested in being friends with any of them. If there was one thing you learned about going to a school where everyone was wealthy, it was that no one could be trusted and that rich people were the worst on earth. They weren’t just cruel to those who were beneath them and who didn’t own as much as they did. They dared to destroy everyone who even as much as tried to step above them. No one liked a threat and no one wanted to get their image damaged. “If you’re asking me about the gender of his person, I’m doomed to tell you that I don’t have a clue. But, I think we both know that the chance it’s a girl is really small. Just the fact that he refuses to tell us anything about it and he tries his best to keep t a secret proves it.” You nodded, and pouted your lips thoughtfully as you tried to think of anything suspicious that had happened the past few weeks. Elena and you had always been convinced that James wasn’t ever going to pick a girlfriend. But you had always thought that he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself, and surely not to others. Yet, if he was starting to see other guys and he was meeting them secretly that meant he was making progress. 

“He does know that we wouldn’t judge him right, no matter what happens or who he likes, right? I mean, I get it if he would be embarrassed to admit it, but he knows that we’d support him if he comes out, don’t you think?” You had never wanted to give your friend the intentions that you wouldn’t accept him for who he was, but you had never really told him that. Because you had always thought that he didn’t want to talk about it, that he didn’t want to know that you knew. But now you were scared that you had pushed him away from you, that you had made him believe that you weren’t there for him. The only thing you wanted was for him to be happy and to be able to be himself, you would never judge him for who he loved. And you surely didn’t want him to have to hide things from you, and do everything behind your back, because that would only make things even worse. “Of course he does! We’re his best friends. If there’s anyone who will always have his back, it’s us. Now, enough about that, you better tell me how you are. I felt horrible because you didn’t let me come over. Are your parents giving you a hard time again?” She asked, linking your arms together as she leaned her head on your shoulder. You should probably warn her that there was still a chance you might infect her with your illness, but the contact felt so right you couldn’t force yourself to say it. The two of you stopped at the doorway and you looked at her as she straightened and gazed back at you. “It’s fine, they just wanted me to rest, that’s all. Why don’t you tell me what I missed these past few days, any gossips?” 

There she was, right in front of you, your partner in crime and you were lying straight into her face. Guilt was gnawing at every single bone inside of you as she smiled at you, believing your every word. Why would she doubt you? The two of you had never had any secrets from each other, you had always been honest. There was no reason she would think you’d start lying to her now. Your secret was laying on the tip of your tongue, ready to roll over your lips because you had the feeling you couldn’t take it anymore. If you’d only be able to tell someone, the one person you could trust, you’d feel so much better. Maybe then you’d be able to push away all t