White Liar

by T. J. Sin

  Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a sip and grimaced. “God, what is this stuff? It tastes like cough syrup.”

  Giggling, Erica simply told her, “It’s more of the experience.”

  “You can keep the experience then if it taste this bad,” she retorted, pushing the cup back in her direction. “It’s so not worth it.”

  There was a commotion by the door that caught everyone’s attention. Whirling around, Chloe spotted Justin walk in with his gaggle of groupies and of course that blond bimbo cheerleader attached at his hip. She snorted. She should have known that’s who it would be before she ever turned her head.

  “Look who just arrived,” Erica spoke from her place beside of her.

  Chloe didn’t speak. She just nodded her head not once taking her eyes off of him. He walked with a confidence that ate at her like bad gastric acid. She wanted to rip down that cool confidence of Justin Pinnix so badly because she hated guys like him that thought they ruled the world. It was guys like him that broke thousands of girl’s hearts…like Erica’s.

  “He’s staring at you,” Erica whispered.

  Chloe knew that because she was staring right back at him. She was issuing him a challenge. The battle lines had been clearly drawn and she was daring him to make the next move. She watched him as he said something to the skimpily clad cheerleader who pouted in return. Then he turned and headed in her direction. She could just about bet that he had a few words for her. And that was all fine and dandy because she had a few words of her own to say to him as well.

  Justin stopped in front of Chloe and at first he didn't say a word. He just wiped his hand over his mouth and studied her. And when the moment was filled with just the right amount of dramatic tension between the two, he finally spoke. “That was a dirty trick that you pulled Chloe.”

  She slyly grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  He put his hands on his hips and leaned into her so close that she could smell the ivory soap scent from where he had just freshly showered. “You know good and damn well what I’m talking about,” he argued. “We could have lost the game you know.”

  Chloe took a step back needing to put some space between them. Justin was the type that had that overpowering aura. As much as she despised him for what he was, she couldn't argue the sex appeal that leaked from his very pores. Pulling herself together, she straightened her spine. “I fail to see how that is supposed to be my problem.”

  He scowled. “You know exactly why it would be your problem Chloe. It was dirty and I can’t believe that you would stoop so low.”

  Chloe lifted her brow and questioned him. “Lower than you offering out my goodies to the whole damn city?”

  He turned his head. “That was harmless.”

  “To you maybe, but not to me.”

  Justin shook his head and grunted. This was hopeless. He was getting nowhere with her and honestly, he was getting tired of her childish games. “Forget it. Just stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours, okay. I'm through with this!” He gave her a good once over and shook his head again before wordlessly turning away from her.

  Chloe watched him walk off. She had to have the last word. “Justin,” she called out to him when he had only managed to get a few steps away.

  He stopped and skeptically looked back over his shoulder at her. “Yeah?”

  She couldn’t help herself. The grin she wore was palpable. Chloe started to imitate a monkey dancing from one foot to the other while scratching insidiously at her crotch. Erica’s laughter could be heard from one end of the gym to the other.

  “Stupid.” Justin muttered and quickly turned away again when his phone rang.

  Chloe stopped acting out when he was no longer paying her any attention. She continued to watch him while he answered the phone, unable to take her eyes off of him. There was something in the way that he held himself that had her gut churning. His back was ramrod stiff and she noticed how he spoke in hushed tones. Snapping the phone shut, he shoved it in his pocket and immediately turned back to her.

  His eyes narrowed into diamond-like slits and Chloe could tell that something was wrong, very wrong. Blondie put an arm on his shoulder and he shrugged it off not once taking his eyes off of Chloe.

  After a long minute, he strode towards Chloe and stopped in the same place that he was standing just minutes earlier.

  “I hope you’re happy now,” he choked and that churning in her stomach plummeted into a free fall. “Because of your little stunt, my best friend is now in the hospital on a ventilator because of an allergic reaction he had to your powder.”

  Chloe's whole world just tipped upside down as his words slowly began to sink in. She was left shell-shocked. She was stupefied and mostly she was scared. Covering her mouth with her hand, all she could manage to say was, “What?” and helplessly watch as he angrily stormed past her, striding out the front door.

  Chapter 10

  All Justin could think about was how upset John’s sister sounded when she called him. Why him? Why in the hell did something like this have to happen to him of all people? John was an overall nice guy. He had good grades, he kept his nose clean and was always the first to lend a helping hand to someone in need. This wasn't fair.

  After Justin told her of all people what happened, he angrily brushed by Chloe’s shoulder and headed straight for his car. The way that he saw it, this was all Chloe's fault to begin with and when the time was right, they would have their come-to-Jesus moment, but right now his destination was the hospital to check on his best friend.

  The anger rose and swelled within Justin with every extra step that he took. The more and more that he thought about what had happened, the more the rage simmered in his blood. His biggest problem with the situation at hand was that it should have never happened in the first place. If Chloe hadn't been so hell bent on getting one up on him, then this would have never happened, John wouldn't be in the hospital and that was the clincher.

  Justin raced out of the house, the chill of the night air hit hitting him smack in the face but it did nothing to cool his temper. All he could see in his mind was the image of her and that smug smile of satisfaction that she gave him on the field when he had finally put two and two together, realizing what she had done.

  When he finally reached his car, Justin fumbled for his keys and didn’t even know how badly he was physically shaking until he had the keys in his hand and tried to stick them in the door to unlock it. Frustrated with his own clumsiness, he ended up completely missing the key hole and with the excessive force that he used trying to jam the key in, it went sideways leaving one hell of a of scratch along the side of the door.

  “Fuck!” he exclaimed, balling his hand into a tight fist and slamming it against the top of the car. Why is this happening?

  Pressing his forehead against the top of the car, Justin took in slow measured breaths. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They had won the game. He was offered a full ride to Alabama. This was supposed to be a night of celebration, a night of fun with his friends and now his best friend was laid up in a hospital fighting for his life.

  “Justin?”

  The sound of her voice only pissed him off more. He blamed Chloe. She was the very reason that John was where he was right now.

  “I suggest,” he started, keeping his forehead up against the car and struggling to reign in his out-of-control emotions. “That you turn around right now and just walk away.”

  For the span of several heart stopping seconds there was nothing but silence. Stone, cold steely silence. All that Justin could hear was the sound of his own labored breaths. He swallowed past the tight knot that had settled in his throat and finally lifted up his head. He had to pull himself together. He knew that there was no way he could show up at the hospital like this. Rubbing his hands over his face, he straightened his spine and steadied himself.

  With the keys in his hand, Justin took a step back and felt a soft hand pressing on his shoulde
r. “Justin, please? Let me go with you.”

  If she hadn’t been a girl then at that moment, he would have had no objections with drawing a fist back and letting her have it. In fact, opening up a big ole can of whoop ass is precisely what he was aching for right about now. Unfortunately, she was a girl and his momma had raised him better than that, so he wouldn't touch her.

  Jerking away from her, Justin could do nothing but grind his back teeth together. “I’m only going to warn you one more time Chloe, stay the hell away from me.” Not wanting to wait for her reaction, he jerked away from her touch and with steadier hands, this time he was able to successfully put the key in the door and un-lock the car. Sliding into the driver seat, he slapped on his seat belt and slammed the door closed behind him, refusing even a cursory glance in her direction.

  With methodical movements, he next stuck the key in the ignition and started the car. Then came the headlights and then Justin was putting the car into gear, peeling his ass out of the driveway. He could feel the burn of her stare as she watched him drive away but he refused to give in to the overwhelming urge to glance in the rear view mirror. She didn't deserve his attention.

  Chloe was the reason that this was happening to John. She caused this. If it wasn’t for her childish motives then he wouldn’t be where he was now. And now she has the nerve to ask if she could go with him? Yeah right, Justin loudly snorted. What delusional place in her mind ever gave her the slightest idea that he might allow her to go with him he wondered? The only explanation that he could come up with was that the chick was insane, certifiable probably.

  Pulling into the hospital parking lot Justin felt a bad sense of what was to come wash over him. All of his thoughts of Chloe had slowly started to dissipate and he was now turning to the reality of what was happening to his best friend. The feelings overwhelmed him, catching him totally off guard. He felt a strange wetness run down the side of his cheek and he slowly wiped it away with his sleeve. He didn't want to cry, not now anyway. Men didn't cry he thought to himself while he tried to force his focus on finding a parking place near the bright red sign that showed the entrance to the Emergency Room.

  After he parked his car, he stepped out of it and stared dumbly up at the large building that his friend was housed in. After several seconds, maybe even minutes later, Justin wasn’t all too aware of the timing, his feet started to work on their own. He felt dazed, confused and not one hundred percent sure of what he was getting ready to walk into.

  When he entered the hospital a cacophony of scenes, sounds and scents bombarded him all at once. The low hum of the overhead lights was almost too bright for the sterile white walls surrounding him. The smell of antiseptic burned in his nose. The noise of the intercom, paging doctors and nurses here and there, the sound of a baby crying registered somewhere along the way and then he saw her.

  Alana. John’s baby sister by three years was huddled up against the wall. At that exact moment, her red swollen eyes lifted to his and their gazes locked. He could see the pain in her face and could feel the helplessness roll off her in waves. Holding out his arms to her, Justin waited for her to come to him.

  She didn’t hesitate. Jumping up, she ran into his arms and he wrapped himself around her, holding onto her for dear life. He'd known Alana since she was nothing more than a toddler. She was aggravating most of the time, infuriating at others, and irritating the rest, but she was like a baby sister to him.

  He felt the wetness of her tears begin to soak through his shirt and squeezed her to him a little bit tighter. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her hair. “He’s strong, he’ll fight.” At this point Justin wasn’t sure if he was saying those words more for himself or for Alana. She didn’t offer any response, only burrowed deeper into his embrace. Closing his eyes, Justin prayed to God that he was right because a life without John just didn’t seem feasible.

  “You didn't have to come, Justin.”

  Lifting his head, Justin opened up his eyes and nodded a greeting to Mr. Rhodes, John’s father. John was his best friend and he wouldn't be anywhere else right now. His hold loosened on Alana and at the sound of her father’s voice, she turned around and stepped out of his arms. She haphazardly wiped at the tears that were trailing down her face with the back of her hands, trying hard to put on her bravest face.

  “How is he?” She asked, attempting to compose herself and her voice barely audible.

  Mr. Rhodes frowned and Justin heard Alana choke on another broken sob. Feeling so helpless, he placed his arm over her shoulder and looked up expectantly at Mr. Rhodes.

  “He’s in a coma right now. We…,” he stopped and Justin watched as he huffed out a forced breath before continuing. “We don’t know how long he was unconscious before we found him. His throat was already swollen closed so we don’t know how long he was without air. The next twenty four hours will be the most telling.” Mr. Rhodes turned his head and covered his mouth with his hand. He shook his head, looking like a man who was wrestling with every emotion that a worried father would and should have right now. Defeated, he turned his sad eyes back to Justin. “That’s all we know right now.”

  “Mrs. Rhodes?” he asked. “Is she…”

  “Yeah,” he motioned with his head behind him. “She’s in there with him now. They will only let one of us in there at a time.”

  Justin could only stand there, not really knowing what to do or say. He still had his arm around Alana and Mr. Rhodes just stood in front of him. They all had their own thoughts but none of them were up to voicing them.

  A door opened just a few feet from the trio, Mrs. Rhodes walked out. She had the same swollen eyes as Alana and another chord broke in Justin's chest. This was bad, he thought to himself, real bad and what was worse, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  “Justin,” she hoarsely croaked out and stopped. Their eyes connected and for the second time since he received that damning phone call Justin felt the definite sting of tears burning behind his lids. Unable to speak, Mrs. Rhodes walked straight up to him and engulfed him in a motherly hug. Justin closed his eyes and selfishly soaked in the hug, not only because she needed it, but because right now he needed it too.

  All too soon though, she let him go and took a step back. He could tell that she was schooling her features in that motherly way of hers. “Justin,” she sighed. “There is nothing you can do here tonight. Why don’t you go home and I’ll call you the minute anything changes.”

  Everything in him wanted to rebel at that statement. He wanted to stay until he knew that his friend was out of danger. He needed to make sure that he was okay. But by the determined look on her face, Justin also knew that what he wanted wasn't up for discussion. This was family time right now and it didn’t matter how badly that he wanted to be here, they wouldn’t let him stay.

  Feeling his heart sink into his stomach, Justin glanced up at Mrs. Rhodes and asked, "Can I at least see him before I leave?” Mrs. Rhodes sadly looked back at him and said, "No, that's not a good idea right now, he's not doing too well." Unable to hide his own disappointment, Justin looked back up at her and pleaded. "If anything changes, will you promise to call me and let me know?" .

  “Yeah,” she agreed, placing her hand on the top of his head. “I’ll call you the minute that anything changes.”

  Unhappy about having to leave, Justin could only take what they offered and glumly nod. “Alright.” Turning to leave, he stopped and grabbed Alana’s hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “He’s going to be okay,” he told her again, wanting nothing more than to reassure her. “This time next week, you’re going to be screaming at him for stealing your bras or something else stupid like that.”

  She chuckled but Justin could tell that her heart really wasn’t in it. She wanted to believe, needed to believe what he had said to her was true but when her brother was in a hospital room just a few feet away from her, unconscious and having to depend on machines to breathe for him, it was hard. It was ha
rd to believe that anything in her small world would ever be the same again.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told her knowing that whether he got a call or not, he would be back regardless.

  She nodded and then released his hand. He watched her turn around and go to her father who draped his arm over her shoulder. With nothing else left for him to do, Justin left feeling more exposed and raw than he had ever felt in his entire life.

  One minute Justin was mindlessly walking through the halls of the hospital and the next he found himself walking in the parking lot. All of the minutes in between were pretty much a blur to him. Trying to accept what had happened was tough enough, but understanding the why of it had him utterly stumped.