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“That will do,” she said as she pulled her sides back and clipped the barrette at the back of her head. She pulled out a tube of sparkly pink lip gloss Vivian had in her drawer and applied just a little to her lips. She moved her lips about, spreading the gloss across her wide mouth and noticed it tasted fruity, almost like watermelon.  She licked her lips again and then looked at the bottle of gloss to see if she was supposed to wear it or eat it. “Watermelon flavor,” it read, “I guess you do wear it.” She stepped back to take one last look in the mirror and Henry called to her.  “Vivian?”

“Coming dad!” she called back to him as she ran down the stairs. When she reached the landing she noticed Jeremy standing at the front door with his backpack on.

“Hey Jeremy!”
Violet said wondering what he was doing here.

“Hello Vivian,” he responded, smiling at her as if he were looking at her for the very first time.

“Are you ready?” he asked her.

“Ready?” she replied a little confused about what she needed to be ready for with Jeremy.

“Uh umm.”
Henry cleared his throat to interrupt the awkward moment. “I thought Jeremy could give you a ride to school since you seemed kind of reluctant to drive your car all summer,” he announced.

“Oh…sure…I guess that would be fine if it’s okay with you Jeremy?” Violet looked to Jeremy to make sure he understood it was just a ride. A ride and being friends was all Violet could give and she needed to make sure Jeremy was fine with that.

“Absolutely!”
He said a little too excited, leading Violet to believe the worst about his intentions. It seemed to put Henry’s mind at ease, so Violet figured she would ride with Jeremy to school at least for today.

“Just let me grab my book bag and we can leave,” Violet said.

She watched as the two men began to exchange peculiar glances of encouragement to each other that seemed almost sweet to Violet. Henry was very fond of Jeremy and it was easy to see why. Violet herself felt the same way about him, but it was just a complication they did not need during the mission.

“Okay, ready,” she said k
issing Henry goodbye and headed
out to Jeremy’s car. He opened the door for Violet, which she again thought was sweet and then he got into the driver’s seat and started the car.

“Vivian?” he said softly.

“Yes
Jer
,” she said feeling her guilt all over again.

“I just want to say you look absolutely beautiful today.” Jeremy’s face was so completely sincere.

“Thank you
Jer
,” she replied and then tapped his hand a few times before saying, “Now let’s get this senior year started!”

They arrived at school and parked in the lot on the side of the building. Jeremy and Violet walked together but Violet made sure to stand far enough away so as not to give any mixed signals to him.

“I don’t bite
ya
know,” Jeremy said to Violet, noticing the distance between them. Violet turned to him feeling awful and wishing that she didn’t have to hurt him.

“You noticed huh?” she said embarrassed.

“Jeremy, I’m just not sure what I should do. I mean I hate hurting you but
I
…,” she stopped mid-sentence trying to find the right words to make it all better.

“Vivian, it’s okay…really,” he said.

“I told you, I can handle being friends and you’re not hurting me, so please just treat me like you would any other friend you would be walking in school with.  The last thing I want is to make
you feel uncomfortable with me.  We started as friends and to tell you the truth, that is what I miss most about not being with you,” Jeremy confessed to her.

Violet felt relieved and actually very lucky to have Jeremy as her friend. She loved his honesty and appreciated his effort to try and make things as easy as possible for her.

“You know something Jeremy?” she asked. “You really are a very good friend!” Violet leaned into him, shoving him a bit with her shoulder and smiling.

There was a crowd of students gathered at the front steps of the school waiting for the bell to ring. As they got closer, the crowd parted and Violet saw him again, Carter, standing in the center of them all. Carter saw her immediately and smiled that flirtatious, debonair smile of his right at her. He stepped away from the crowd, moving toward them with his eyes locked on Violet. They met at the sidewalk and stopped.

“Hey Vie!” Carter said still flashing the smile. Jeremy just looked at them dumbfounded by the greeting and the nickname he had just called Vivian. Vivian hardly knew Carter Stone and Jeremy couldn’t imagine how or why the two of them seemed like they were more than casual acquaintances. After a silent awkward moment, Carter realized Jeremy was there too. He quickly extended his hand to greet him as well. Jeremy was not pleased; he was beginning to feel like a third wheel standing there with the two of them.  Jeremy knew he couldn’t cause any trouble because he promised Vivian he would be her friend and he couldn’t go back on his word.  He gave Carter a disapproving look and reluctantly shook his hand because Vivian was watching carefully. Jeremy noticed right away that Vivian was pleased by the cordial greeting.

“I wasn’t aware you two were friends,” Jeremy stated waiting to hear a reply or rather looking for an explanation.

“We…uh,” Violet stumbled over her words and then Carter came to her rescue.

“Actually, we aren’t friends really,” he said.  Violet shot him an angry look. “We more or less just…hmm, how shall I say this…connected recently.”  He finished his thought with a sly grin that was pleasing to Violet and it reaffirmed the connection he had with her.  Jeremy knew there was definitely information to be read between the lines, but he decided he should go to avoid saying something he would surely regret.

“Vivian, we should probably head in now?” he said as he put his arm on the small of her back directing her to walk inside the building with him. Carter gave Jeremy a displeased look.

“Umm, if you don’t mind
Jer
, I’d like to talk to Carter a minute, but you go on ahead?” she said hoping he didn’t mind. “I’ll see you after school okay?” she said dismissing him gently.

“Sure, after school Vivian!” Jeremy huffed away knocking into Carter’s shoulder as he passed through him.

“Later
Jer
!”
Carter called out, showing he was not bothered in the least by his actions. Violet just tilted her head to the side and gave Carter a disapproving look for the obvious display of manly, immature behavior they were performing for her benefit.

“So, I see you made it home without any hitches last night?” Carter
stated,
more in the form of a question.

“Yep, I told you I was a big girl and could manage to get home all by myself, safe and sound,” she said matter-of-factly.

Carter was just about to ask how she arrived at home before he did, given that he left the parking lot ahead of her.  He was quickly interrupted by his friend Bull, who tackled into him like a wrecking ball hitting a building. Carter did not waiver at all in the surprise attack by Bull. He stood steady as a rock.

Bull was Carter’s best friend.  He played on the Newcastle High football team, better known as the “Trojans”, as their trusty linebacker. He was a big,
burly
guy twice the size of Carter. He had a heart of gold, but wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.  He loved football and Carter was his football God.  The legendary quarterback who managed to bring the state championship trophy home to their school three years in a row. Carter was nothing like Bull at all, as Violet quickly observed, and she wondered how the two of them became such good friends. Tess Montgomery followed behind Bull to greet her friends.  Violet was well aware from the file on Vivian who Tess was.

Tess was a person who befriended Vivian after her mother died, stirring up all kinds of trouble for her. She was a popular girl with drop dead gorgeous looks and a body to match. She was the head cheerleader at Newcastle High and was the girl everyone wanted to be close to. Not because she was kind hearted or caring, but simply because she was beautiful and popular. Tess was pretty in a heavy make-up sort of way with long bleached blonde hair that was pin straight and glossed. She was wearing a really short skirt that looked almost painted on her perfectly toned bottom with an extremely low cut halter top that barely covered her over-proportioned chest. Her skin was bronzed, but not naturally by the sun, rather by a spray tan booth.  She wore a pair of stiletto sandals that were beautifully bejeweled.
Violet wondered how on earth Tess could stand in them, let alone walk
.  But Violet saw right through her within seconds, noticing that Tess’s beauty only ran skin deep.

“Vie you remember my friend Bull, our football teams linebacker?” Carter hinted to her in case she couldn’t recall him with her amnesia.

“Oh, yeah!” she said quickly catching his clues. “Hello …Bull,” she said looking at Carter for reassurance.

“And Tess, always a pleasure,” he snarled somewhat condescendingly at her. “No uniform today for the pep rally? You are the head cheerleader still right?” Carter said throwing Violet another bone.

“Duh!” she replied snidely. “You don’t see Vivian in hers do you?” Tess rolled her eyes at him.

“Yeah Vie, where is yours?” he teased knowing the person he spent the day with would probably rather die than be a cheerleading sidekick with Tess. Violet gave him a look that could kill before she answered wisely.

“Um Tess, I hate to break it to you but I can’t be on the cheer team this year,” Violet said. Carter watched, wondering how she was going to wiggle out of the cheerleading thing.

“WHAT?” Tess said like a viper ready to strike.

“I’m sorry, I really wish I could but its Dr.’s orders I’m afraid….so bummed though,” Violet said hanging her head in disappointment. Carter smiled at her, impressed by her quick and resourceful thinking and even snuck
the
thumbs up sign of approval.  Carter knew she was making an excuse not to cheer with Tess.  He knew full well what her physical capabilities were from their little adventure up at the Black Hills on Sunday.  Carter was becoming more and more fascinated by the girl he called Vie with every moment they spent together.

“Oh,” was the only response Tess could conjure up.

“That really is a shame. The cheers got new uniforms this year and I think you would look fantastic in it Vie!” Carter said completely straight faced and having fun.

Tess was really beginning to get annoyed by the playful banter the two of them had going on. She felt like she was the butt of some bad joke and she wasn’t happy. “Well I suppose we can have Vivian wear her uniform and cheer with us from the sidelines if it would make you happy Carter,” Tess said.

There is no way I can parade around in one of those short tight uniforms jumping around and cheering for a bunch of boys that tackle each other to the ground like a bunch of Neanderthals. “Vivian, why would you choose to join such an activity? And why are these two going at it like they are arch enemies? You can cut the tension between them with a knife. What is going on with Carter and Tess?”

“Tess I’m afraid that won’t work either. I have so many doctor appointments and therapy sessions to attend, I’m sure they will conflict with the game schedules for the next few months. But you can manage without me I’m sure, right?” she said to Tess.

“No problem Vivian!  And might I add I’m glad to see you’re functioning at full capacity!” she said with a harsh undertone.

“Sorry, I’m not quite sure what you mean?” Violet replied.

“
You standing
here with Carter.  Come on Vivian, it’s so obvious that you’re mad at me for not visiting you in the hospital,” Tess said. Violet just stood with a blank expression on her face, not having any clue as to what Tess was talking about.  Tess could see it too. While Bull and Carter were huddled in a conversation of their own, Tess saw Carter shooting several more endearing glances her friend’s way and that infuriated her further. She had her sight set on Carter Stone for quite some time now.  Vivian knew this, but Violet had no clue. Tess grabbed Violet’s arm and pulled her over to the side away from the guys.

“What are you doing?” she snarled harshly in her face.

“I’m sorry?” Violet responded confused about Tess’s anger.

“You…Carter….don’t think I can’t see what’s going on here!” she continued with her rant.

“Look Tess, I’m not really sure what the problem is here but if you would like to tell me what it is that has you so upset, I’m sure we can work together and figure out a solution,” Violet said trying to avoid a conflict with Tess.

Tess looked at her friend as if she were looking at her for the very first time and then backed up a few steps and started hysterically laughing at her.

“Oh my God!” she pointed at Violet. “You really don’t know what the problem is
do
you?” Tess said to Violet as if she had just found the missing piece to a puzzle.

“So it’s true?” Tess questioned.

“What’s true?” Violet responded confused again.

“Your brain?
It’s a little out of whack.” Tess said almost teasing her about it. Violet just thought how truly cruel this girl was and couldn’t believe that Vivian would be friends with her. There had to be a reason why.  Violet couldn’t find one redeeming quality about her that would justify calling her a friend.