Building on Lies

by T. Banny

  “ Samantha…he’s not cheating on you," Bethany said, softly.

  “ Yes, he is," Samantha insisted.

  “ How do you know this time?" Abby asked. This time? Had Samantha been suspicious before? Had Channing cheated on her before? The thought made me ill. I could feel my stomach churning.

  “ Exactly, how do you know this time? Because you always think Chan is cheating on you," Bethany said, impatiently.

  “ I’ve got proof this time. Real evidence," Samantha replied.

  “ What kind of evidence?" Abby asked.

  “ I found a hair on his bed," Samantha said.

  “ A hair?” Bethany repeated, sounding dubious.

  “ Yes, a hair. A long black hair”. Samantha paused. “ It wasn’t Channing’s hair, because his hair is brown, and it’s short. It wasn’t my hair because as you all can see my hair is red”.

  “ So…maybe it was the cleaning lady’s hair or something," Abby suggested.

  “ No.," Samantha said, simply. “ Channing doesn’t like for his room to be touched by the cleaning people. He cleans it himself. And even so, the Sutton's only have one cleaning lady, and she’s an old Portuguese lady with gray hair. Not long black hair”.

  “ Gawd, I can’t believe you’re going to accuse him of cheating on you because of a hair! It could be any body’s hair!" Bethany said, exasperated.

  “ Shut the fuck up, Bethany”. It was shocking to hear curse words coming from such a baby-doll voice. “I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After I found the hair, I went home, and I thought long and hard about it. About all the women who might have possibly left a long black hair on his bed. On his fucking pillow”.

  Bethany and Abby remained quiet. I tried to be as still as possible, as well. There was something menacing and creepy in Samantha’s voice.

  “ It couldn’t possibly be his mother, “ Samantha continued. “It couldn’t be you, Bethany. I know you like to hang out in his room. Even though you know it pisses me off. But, you have long blond hair. It can’t even be Gemma, the trampy little housekeeper. She’s too busy sleeping with Chan’s Dad, and anyway she’s got light hair.”

  “ How about Ty’s girl?" Abby asked.

  “ Why the hell would Ty’s girl be in Chan’s room, you idiot?” Samantha snapped, but even at her nastiest, her voice still remained sweet-sounding.

  “ And even if Ty decided to have sex with his girlfriend in his brother’s room, his girlfriend is black. She’s got short, curly hair. This hair was smooth”. Samantha paused, then continued her wild story.

  “ Anyway, I put the hair in my bag, and I brought it home, and I spent the whole night inspecting it. And I’ve come to the conclusion the hair belongs to Ava Camden. I’m almost positive.”

  “ Ava Camden? No way, Sam. Ava’s going out with Nate Harris. There’s no way she’d cheat on Nate with Chan. Chan and Nate are best friends," Abby said, quietly.

  “ You just don’t like Ava. Admit it, you've never liked her, Samantha," Bethany added.

  “ Damn right I don’t like Ava. She’s always sniffing around Channing. Smiling at him. The other day, she touched his arm. Right in front of me! Sneaky bitch," Samantha growled. Her voice had done a total change. It went from sweet and

  sing-song, to low and snarly.

  “ I’m sure she didn’t mean to touch his arm. They were probably just talking." Bethany said, soothingly.

  “ Yes she did mean to touch his arm!" Samantha cried. “ She did it on purpose! To upset me! I hate her!”

  “ Samantha, please. Don’t get like this. You know it’s not good for you." Abby’s voice assumed the same soothing tone as Bethany’s.

  “ Yeah, I know. You’re right. I shouldn’t upset myself”. I could hear Samantha taking deep breaths. “But it’s just so hard. I mean, I know…I'm positive…it’s Ava’s hair. She’s got long black hair, right?”

  “ She does," Bethany agreed. “ But it doesn’t mean anything”.

  “ You know what it means? It means I’m going to rip every strand of hair off her head. I’m going to leave that bitch bald. I’m not going to do it right away either. After all, I bought this awesome dress to go to Winter Dance. I don’t want to get in trouble and not be allowed to go”.

  “ Right, you don’t want to get in trouble," Bethany hurriedly agreed.

  “ But after Winter Dance, I’m going to get that bitch. I’m going to take a knife and I’m going to scalp her”. Samantha began to ramble. “ I’m going to scalp her just like the old tribes used to do. Because that’s what they used to do to their enemies, you know? They used to scalp them bald. That’s what I’m going to do to her. And then let’s see if she’ll ever touch Chan’s arm again!”

  Abby and Bethany didn’t respond. I wondered if they were as terrified of Samantha as I was now. Or were they quiet because they were used to her threats?

  “ And if you two even think about going to anyone with this, I swear you’ll regret it’, Samantha finished, and her voice switched back to honey.

  “We won’t tell anyone, Sam, we promise," Bethany said, softly, fearfully.

  “ You know what makes me so angry?" Samantha continued. “ She left hickeys all over him. I hid in his closet while he was changing. His chest, his stomach…ugh. He won’t have sex with me, but he’ll fuck Ava, right?”

  I couldn’t help but wince at her nasty words, and my hand accidentally passed in front of the toilet flushing sensor. Our school toilets flushed using a motion sensor, not regular handles. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but it seemed like it was the loudest flush ever.

  I had no choice but to come out of the bathroom stall. My hands trembled as I turned the stall handle. I closed my eyes and took a deep swallow to calm my nerves.

  I walked swiftly out of the stall, and went directly to the sink to wash my hands. I decided I wasn’t going to make eye contact. I would wash my hands, and walk out as if I didn’t give two cents about their conversation. Maybe they would buy it. I was an Egg Cove girl, after all. Why would I care about what A- girls’ did?

  Someone coughed nervously. I didn't look up, instead I focused on dispensing soap onto my hands.

  Samantha approached me from behind. Our eyes met in the bathroom mirror and she smiled. She really was a very beautiful girl. Her lips were a full pout, her nose a smooth button, and her eyes a beautiful blue gray. Her eyes were not only a pretty color, they were also kind of dreamy and heavy lidded, like a sleepy little girl’s. She had intensely freckled skin which would have looked geeky on anyone else, but on her it was like speckled porcelain. Her hair was definitely her most amazing feature. It was a bright, almost tomato red, but it was thick and shiny. She resembled one of those old fashioned porcelain dolls in antique shops. A porcelain doll in designer clothes.

  “ You’re Nellie, right?" she asked, and she reached out and lifted my hair. I pulled away from her, like she’d burned me, but she didn’t seem to notice. “The girl from Channing’s study group?”

  “ Yeah," was all I could bring myself to say.

  “ I think you’re so pretty Nellie. I really do. Every time I see you, I tell my friends, isn’t that girl the prettiest Portuguese girl you’ve ever seen? Don’t I always say that?”. She turned to Abby and Bethany.

  Abby looked away, but Bethany nodded.

  “ She is cute," Bethany said, flatly.

  “ I know. I think she’s so cute. She’s so little," Samantha said, even though she was barely taller than I was.

  “ I mean, if you think Portuguese girls are pretty. I think most of them look kind of cheap," Bethany added, nastily.

  I looked at her, my eyes widening. She blinked at me a few times, and I knew she was just trying to distract Samantha.

  “ Aw, Bethany. Don’t talk like that. That’s not nice," Samantha said, pouting. She continued to stroke my hair, even though I’d moved away from her.

  “ It doesn’t matter," I said. “ I’ll see you around”.

  I started to walk a
way, but Samantha stopped me. She came up to me, stood right in front of me, her eyes locking with mine.

  “ Let me fix this for you, sweetie," she said, smiling, but her sleepy eyes were flat, expressionless. She lifted the collar of my sweater. “ You’ve got a red mark on your neck.”

  My hand flew up to my neck, but I managed to give her a shaky smile.

  “ Th-thanks," I stuttered, and then raced out of there, as fast as I could.

  “ It’ll be OK, Nellie. Trust me, it’ll be fine," Ro said later on that evening. We were in our bedroom. I was so shaken by what happened in the bathroom I couldn’t stop pacing. Ro had to stop me from biting my nails.

  My mom came into my room, concerned. “Nellie, did you see a spider? Do you want me to make you some tea?”

  “ She’s fine, Daisy," Ro told her.

  “ Are you sure? I can hear you pacing downstairs, Nellie.” My mother put her hand to my forehead.

  “ I’m OK, Mom.” I wrapped my arms around my chest. “ I’m just feeling anxious”.

  “ Anxious about what, meninha?” my mom asked.

  “ Just stuff. Winter Dance. Exams. Joaquim”, I said. I couldn’t meet her eyes because I really felt like I was going to cry.

  “ I’ll be downstairs if you need me, Nellie," my mom said, and I think she understood there wasn’t anything she could do to help.

  “ Maybe you should call Channing," Ro said, once my mom left. “ I mean, even if it’s just to warn him about the other girl. Ava”.

  “ Yeah, but then if he confronts Samantha, she’ll wonder how he found out. And then she might find out about us," I said.

  “ He could say Bethany told him?” Ro led me to my bed to stop me from pacing. “Nellie, you need to calm down. You’re going to get all worked up like when you get your panic attacks”.

  I tried to calm myself down, but I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, and my palms were sweating like crazy. I rubbed them up and down my jeans.

  “ I can’t do to that Bethany," I said. “ Ro, you had to hear that girl. She sounded so crazy. And I don’t mean crazy like Ty. I mean crazy like dangerous”.

  “ She has to be mental if she’s got a guy like Channing sneaking around scared. He's a smart guy, you know? If he’s so cautious around her, it must mean something”. Ro took my hands, and held them in hers.

  “ Ro, my hands are all sweaty," I said softly, but I was grateful for her comfort.

  “ It’s OK," she murmured, holding them tight. “ Just relax. I’m sorry you had to hear Samantha talking like that. It must not have been easy”.

  “ I just wonder how a sweet guy like Chan got involved with someone like that in the first place," I said, closing my eyes.

  “ Well, maybe she wasn’t so weird when they first got together," Ro said. “And she’s been through a lot, too. I mean, she’s only seventeen, and she’s been pregnant, and had to give up a child. She’s possibly dealing with some mental issues”.

  “ And she’s in love with someone who doesn’t love her back," I added.

  Ro looked doubtful. “ I don’t think she’s in love with Channing. When you love someone, the last thing you want to do is hurt them. Or force them to love you back. I mean, I’m positive Joaquim is in love with you. But I don’t think he’d ever try and force you to be with him, or do things to try and hurt you”.

  I considered this. Ro was right. I was in love with Chan, and as much as I wanted to be with him, I’d never force him to be with me. If he ever told me he wanted to be with Samantha instead of me, I’d respect it. I wanted him to be happy.

  “ So, Tommy’s writing a speech of what he’s going to say to your Mom," Ro said, cheerfully.

  I was grateful for the change of subject. “ That’s so adorable, Ro," I said, squeezing her hand.

  “ Isn’t it? I told him he should just say what’s in his heart, but he told me he wants it to be perfect”.

  “ So, we’ll be planning a wedding, soon huh?" I asked. “This will be fun”.

  “ I think so," Ro hesitated, then asked, “ Do you think Tommy is hot?”

  “ Um…yeah. He’s cute”. I didn’t really know how to reply. Tommy was not as hot as Channing, or Joaquim. He was kind of stocky, and he wore his hair in a low buzz cut that made his hair look electrified. But he had really nice brown eyes, and dimples when he smiled.

  “ And he’s funny, right?” Ro seemed to be thinking aloud, but I answered her anyway.

  “ Sure. He can tell some funny jokes," I said.

  “ No, I don’t mean is he funny like telling funny jokes funny. Like is he funny because he’s just funny?”

  “ Ro, what are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

  “ Ty Sutton gave me his cell number today," Ro muttered, letting go of my hands. She inspected her nails as if it were the most serious thing in the world.

  I gasped. “ He gave you his number?”

  “ Yeah”. Ro looked at me with an unsteady smile. “ He came up to me today, just before school let out, and he gave me his number. He said to give him a call if I ever wanted to hang out”.

  It took me a moment to get my voice back, I was so shocked.

  Ro saw my expression, and laughed. “ I know! Crazy, right?”

  “ But how did he give you his number? Was he all flirty about it, or was he friendly…what?" I asked her.

  Ro shrugged. “ I couldn’t tell. He just kind of came up to me and gave me his number. It was surreal”.

  “ Was anyone around?”

  “ No, not really. It all happened really fast.” Ro glanced upward, as if she was still trying to fit the situation in her head. “ I’m not calling him, of course. I’m practically engaged”.

  “ Yeah. You are," I agreed. “ And you’ve liked Tommy for a long time. Such a long time”.

  Ro nodded, but then she looked back down at her hands again. “ What’s with these A-boys falling for us Cove girls lately, huh?”

  “ I don’t know," I murmured. “ But they’re trouble. Trust me, I know”.

  Ro laughed. “ Yeah. But darn it…Ty Sutton is kind of sexy”.

  “ Sexy is not the word!" I agreed. I was crazy about Channing, but Ty Sutton was definitely sexy. Sexy and funny, and a little wild.

  Definitely not the kind of guy for Ro. Ro needed someone steady and responsible, like Tommy Garza. Ro had had enough chaos in her life.

  “ Anyway, doesn’t Ty have a girl? What’s with these Sutton guys and cheating?” Ro said, but the she clapped her hands over her mouth. “ I’m sorry, Nellie. I didn’t mean it like that”.

  “ It’s OK," I said. “ Anyway, you’re not entirely wrong. Samantha did say their dad was cheating with the housekeeper. So maybe Ty and Chan think it’s normal”.

  “ Well, I hate players. Bad guys get me down," Ro said.

  “ Chan’s not a player. Or at least I don’t think he’s one on purpose. But Ty? I’m not so sure. He’s cute and he knows it," I said.

  “ Yeah. You’re probably right," Ro said.

  “ Beside, Tommy would make mince meat out of Ty if he ever came near you. Tommy’s bananas over you," I said.

  “ Yeah, he is pretty crazy about me, isn’t he?" Ro said, smiling happily.

  “ So, have you seen the ring?" I asked. “ Did you pick it out?”

  Ro put her hands over her heart. “ Oh, Nellie, it’s so beautiful! It’s not anything fancy, but it’s just perfect for me”.

  Ro began to describe it, and then we started talking about what kind of ceremony she should have. We were so caught up in talking about Ro’s dream wedding we didn’t pay any attention when the doorbell rang.

  A few moments later, my mother opened the door to the room. “ Nellie, there’s a young lady here to see you.”

  Ro and I exchanged glances.

  “ A girl?" I said. “ What does she look like?”

  “ She’s tall, blond”. My mother made a funny face. “ Definitely not a girl from around here from the car she’s drivi
ng. Says her name is Bethany, and you two go to school together. Should I send her up?”

  My heart started pounding again, but I managed to speak. “ Yeah, she can come up”.

  Bethany entered our bedroom a few seconds later. She looked nervous, and stressed out…nothing like the sassy Bethany from the bowling alley.

  “ What’s up, girls," she said, hesitantly.

  “ You tell us," Ro countered.

  “ I came by to talk to Nellie about what happened in the bathroom today," Bethany said, awkwardly swinging her hands at her side.

  “ I’m not sure I want to talk to you, Bethany," I said. I wasn’t sure whose side she was on. Yeah, she’d helped me patch things up with Channing, but I still wasn’t sure she could be trusted.

  “ Listen, Nellie, I didn’t mean what I said to you in the bathroom. I just didn’t want Samantha to think I knew you, or that we were friends," she said, apologetically.

  “ I figured that”. I gave her a small smile to show it was OK, but then I looked over at Ro. Ro wasn’t smiling at all. Her blue eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

  “ You came all the way from A-Park to apologize to Nellie?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “ No, not just for that”. She stopped swinging her arms. “ I came by to ask Nellie not to say anything about what happened today to Chan.”

  “ Why? Why shouldn’t she tell Channing? Nellie was really upset over what she heard, Bethany," Ro informed her. “ I mean, I’ve only just got her to calm down”.

  “ Ro, trust me, I feel bad Nellie had to hear Samantha talking like that, too. Abby and I are used to it, but I know it must seem really weird to people who don’t know Sam”.

  “ Why are you even friends with someone like that?” Ro wrinkled her nose in disgust. “ A girl who threatens to scalp people? Who goes around collecting hairs? How freaky is that?”

  “ I’ve been friends with Samantha all my life. Just like you and Nellie. And trust me, if I could get rid of Samantha, I would. But she’s not the kind of person you can just cut out of your life. She’s really cruel, and vindictive. And her parents practically own A-Park," Bethany explained.