Tamara is sitting against my locker after school, watching the people scurry past her. Everyone is in a rush to go home and start their weekend. A boy hops over Tamara's outstretched legs and she glares at him. She gives me a wide smile, her eyes lit up brightly. It's almost like she is watching fireworks rather than me approaching. "Hey, Tamara. What's up?" I wave my fingers at her and she scrambles off the floor.

"I've been waiting, for like forever," she whines, pulling her hair into a messy bun. After I shove my gym bag into my locker, I turn to give her a grave look. For gym class, we had gone outside to play soccer on the tiny field behind the school. The gym teacher knew about my injury but still made me play. I am hot and in pain. All I want is to go home and sleep. Maybe read a book or two. But definitely not pierce my ears.

Seeing Tamara's excitement, I decide against protesting the trip to the mall. "I told Josh that I was going to the mall with you. He's going to tell my aunt," I say, aware that she isn't paying attention to me.

"I can't even with that guy. I don't know why you hang out with them. Aditi is alright but the rest of them are idiots." She leans against the locker beside mine, Todd's locker to be exact. I frown at what Tamara says, remembering what Blake had said to me this morning.

"What happened between you guys?" I ask. She doesn't have a chance to respond because someone wraps their arms around me from the back, causing me to gasp loudly.

"Hey Damsel, how are you doing today?" Todd asks in a poor impersonation of a British accent. He releases me, most probably realizing that my body tensed up at his touch.

"I am doing fine Thank you very much," I respond. Todd looks at Tamara expectantly who stares daggers at him. Her arms are crossed and her mouth is an angry scowl.

"What do you want?" she mutters.

"You're standing in front of my locker," he answers with a grin. She shrugs her shoulders, then pushes off the locker and comes to stand beside me.

An idea crosses my mind, one that Tamara will hate me for. It causes my mouth to twitch. "Tamara and I are going to the mall to get my ears pierced. Would you like to come with us?" It would be a great way to prove to Tamara that Josh and his friends aren't so bad, despite whatever happened between them. Cynthia is the exception. She is just as bad as Tamara makes her out to be.

"What!" Tamara screeches.

"I'm not sure if she is okay with it," Todd whispers, pointing a finger at my friend.

"We were going to take the bus. Todd, you have a car, right?" I say, looking at Tamara with my eyebrow raised.

"I am obligated to tell you that I can't legally drive my car. I only have my learner's permit," he says, placing his hand on his heart. "Yeah. I'm a fucking rebel. I know you like that, Tamara." She just rolls her eyes.

"You only have your G1?" I say, frowning slightly.

"Don't worry. I have been driving since I was fourteen," he says, slamming his locker shut and putting on his snapback. He's wearing a baggy sweater and sweats, which makes him look bulkier than he actually is.

"So, you have been breaking the law for the last two years. Yeah, that makes me feel better." I say. Tamara laughs beside me and starts walking towards the exit that leads to the student parking lot.

"You're so thick sometimes, Audrey," Tamara says to me. "He's only sixteen. Obviously, he doesn't have his license yet."

"I can't park there," Todd yells after us. "The school asks to see your license which I don't have."

"Then where do you park," Tamara says, spinning around to look at him. She puts her hand on her hip and gives him a death glare.

"Like you don't know that I live in the area," Todd says, grinning at her. Looking at me he adds, "You guys can wait here and I can go grab my car." Maybe this isn't such a good idea.

"Fine. Just hurry up then," Tamara shouts. A freshman that is walking past us jumps in surprise at her voice. I give the kid an apologetic look.

"Why so angry, Tamara?" Todd responds. "Anger doesn't work with your face." I hadn't spent a lot of time with Todd but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he is a bit of a flirt.

"I'm going to kill him," Tamara says, looking at me. Her hair flies around her as she whips her head to the side. "Is it okay if I kill him?"

"Probably not," I whisper. "Todd, we'll wait here." When he rounds the corner at the end of the hallway Tamara lets out a heavy sigh.

"Did you have to invite him?" she says. Her voice drip of defeat and sadness. It didn't occur to me that hanging out with Todd might actually upset Tamara. Guilt washes over me. Without knowing their history, I shouldn't force them to hang out. I look at my friend, surprised that she isn't angry with me.

"I'm sorry. I can tell him not to come," I answer. She bites her lip as she looks out the window at the end of the hall. There is a blank expression across her face, lost in thought. The look catches me off-guard and I raise my arms up, almost as if I'm going to hug her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Audrey," she says, turning away from me. We walk in silence to the front of the school where Todd is waiting with his back pressed against a black car. He opens the back door for Tamara with a smirk. The new car smell hits me as soon as I slip into the front.

"Which mall are we going to?" Todd asks after he slams his door shut.

"Eaton Centre, you idiot. Which other mall is there?" Tamara shouts from the back. I don't have to turn around to know that she is rolling her eyes. He howls at her sarcasm and places his arm on the back of my seat to check behind the car.

"Aw man. I wanted to reverse but I'm not sure if I can. It's all good because I'll just use my backup plan instead." Tamara groans behind me and I place my head against the cool window. "Get it? Backup plan? Because I'm backing up."

"Yeah, yeah. We got it," Tamara says. Todd presses a button and loud music blasts from the speakers.

"Sorry about that," Todd says, turning the music down. We are silent as we drive down the noisy streets of downtown. A song by Ariane Grande plays in the background. I catch Todd singing along to it a few times but I don't say anything because he seems anxious.

"How's the whole smoking thing going?" I ask softly, turning the music up a little bit.

"Okay. I've been eating a lot of chocolate. Aditi said something about smoking damaging my sugar metabolism," he answers while his hands tighten on the wheel. I nod my head because I remembered learning something about that in biology.

"Perhaps you should talk to...a professional," I say, cocking my head to look at him. He pulls into the multi-level parking garage and finds a spot to park.

"Don't worry, Damsel. I'm doing alright. Besides I was never addicted to it," he responds, shaking his head slightly.

"If we are done talking about Todd's addiction problem, do you think we could go inside now?" Tamara says from the back.

"Do you hear something, Audrey?" Todd laughs and looks behind him. "You shouldn't be talking. I heard you got busted for smoking weed."

"Are we going inside?" Tamara asks, giving me a pointed look. The brightness from her eyes is long gone, replaced with irritation and regret.

"Yeah, we should go inside," I mumble as I contemplate asking Todd to drive us back to school. We go inside the mall and I feel a twinge of sadness in my heart. My mom had brought me here for a day of shopping followed by a movie a few months ago. It seems like ages ago.

"Come on," Tamara says, pulling my arm excitedly. She stops at several stores, not buying anything, just picking up things and examining them. Her enthusiasm is contagious and it isn't long before she has me trying on shoes that I could never wear. There is a point where Tamara's attitude changes and she starts acting like herself again. It makes me feel happy. She even started daring Todd to go up to people in the mall and say strange things to them.

"I dare you to go tell that lady that she has a smoking hot body," Tamara says as she scans the food court. She points a painted finger at a woman in her 40s.

"You guys are being ridiculous," I say, feeling sorry for the people that Todd approaches with comments that are not true. They had made me go up to a woman to tell her that she was beautiful and then ask for her number. I did the first part but I didn't ask for her number. As a result, I had been disqualified from the 'game'. However, the woman did smile in response to my comment which made me feel good. Being completely honest, I didn't really want to play the game to begin with.

Yeah. Peer pressure is something that I have struggled with since a kid.

"Don't be such a buzz kill, girl," Tamara says, punching my arm.

"Yeah, don't kill the mood," Todd adds, walking backward in front of Tamara who giggles in response. I just shake my head at them and hop to a bench. "I'm going to tell that lady that she has a great body." He jogs to the tiny woman who is standing near the escalator with bags in her hands. At first, the woman smiles at Todd's comment but then she realizes that we are watching her. She then proceeds to smack Todd with her purse before rushing up the escalator.

"Oh my god, you should have seen your face," Tamara shouts, smacking Todd's back when he returns. He pouts at her, his eyes full of mischief. My leg is hurting and I rub it slightly, thinking that it might help. Walking for long periods of time is something I should really consider not doing.

"Are you okay, Audrey?" Todd asks, sitting beside me.

"Just tired," I say quickly and grin up at Tamara.

"It's just nerves," Tamara says, waving her arm. I nod but I know it's not that. It's something much darker than that. "Come on, Todd. One more dare?" Tamara asks. "I dare you to kiss a random girl in the mall."

"Bro, Audrey looks tired. We should get her ears pierced and then go home," Todd says as he stands up.

"It's okay, guys. I'm just going to sit here for a few minutes," I say.

"The shop is right there, girl," Tamara says, pointing to a store behind me. "We should get your ears pierced now, you big baby." She grabs my hands and pulls me up. A flash of white fills my vision and I stagger forward slightly. "You good?" I nod quickly before shoveling through my bag for a water bottle.

"Maybe I might get my ears pierced too. Or maybe my nipples," Todd says, looking down at his chest. Shaking my head, I chuckle and follow Tamara into the store.

The lady at the store has sea-green hair and beckons me to the back of the store, leaving Todd and Tamara at the front. I can hear them bickering when the women who said her name was Amanda shows me the array of earrings. I quickly scan them and pick the birthstone for October, my mom's birthday month. "October is your birthday month?" Amanda asks.

I shake my head. "No. It was my mom's."

"That sweet," she says. Amanda makes a move for my ears and I pull away from her cold touch. My hands cover my ears and I watch her shake her head in disappointment. "Guys, your friend is freaking out." Todd and Tamara come to the back. The lighting is too dim in the back. It's an awful place to stick needles into your body.

"What am I doing? This was a bad idea," I moan, looking at Tamara with my eyes wide. Sweat is building up at the back of my neck at the thought of sticking needles into my ears.

Todd laughs and removes my hands away from my head. "It won't hurt. I promise."

"How would you know?" Tamara questions, reaching for my shoulder. Todd grasps my hand quickly and I shut my eyes when Amanda swipes my earlobes with something wet. She softly counts down from three before pressing the gun. I jump and let out a squeal, my grip tightening on Todd's hand.

"That wasn't that bad," I say, glancing up at Tamara. She gives me an encouraging nod.

"I think you may have broken a bone," Todd whines, shaking his hand violently.

"I'm sorry," I say as Amanda pierces my other ear.

"Are you okay?" Amanda asks, brushing my hair to the side. A dimple appears on her cheek when I nod. We go to the front of the store and I pay for the piercings with the money my aunt had given me last night. Amanda hands me the change but I slide it across the counter to her. "Keep it," I say with a smile. She shrugs and shoves it into the cash register.

"I'm not sure if another hole in your head was a good idea," Todd jokes behind me. I gently slap his shoulder with the back of my hand and he gives me a sheepish look.

"What should we do now?" Tamara asks. She taps her chins and studies us. When she stretches her black tank top lifts up slightly to reveal her pale skin underneath. Standing there, with her mouth in a frown and hip bent, I can tell how fierce she is. We start walking in the direction we had come from earlier.

"Go home?" I suggest.

"We should watch a movie," Todd says, walking backward again.

"If you're okay with watching a stupid Disney movie," Tamara mumbles, pointing her chin at me. I just shrug and look at my feet, focusing on the green of my shoes. My ears are throbbing ever so slightly.

"Let's just grab something to eat and get out of here. I actually have to go to the gym soon," Todd declares. He stops to look down at his phone.

"No, I don't want to go yet," Tamara groans, coming to a stop. She stomps her foot. "You didn't even do the dare yet, Todd." He watches her with his head cocked before closing the distance between them and then wrapping his arms around her. My eyes widen when Todd's mouth crashes into Tamara's. Her frantic eyes meet mine and I move toward them, intent on pulling Todd off Tamara.

"Todd!" I shout. I come to an abrupt stop when Tamara relaxes, closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss. Blinking quickly, I step back and drag my gaze around the mall just so I don't have to look at them making out. It's a strange turn of events, one that I would never have anticipated.

After about a minute Todd steps back, his face red and eyes regretful. "Crap," he mutters before turning away from Tamara and hurrying towards the exit. His hands are folded at the back of his head and his body is tense.

Watching his figure recede I ask, "What was that about?"

Tamara looks at me with flushed cheeks. "I'm not sure." We run after him, well at least Tamara does, while I speed walk to the exit. Outside the sky has darkened. The wind has picked up. I shiver in my thin sweater. Except for a few incoherent mumbles from Tamara, the car ride home is silent and awkward.

Todd pulls up in front of a big house where a thin boy is standing, his back against a black BMW. He glares at us before disappearing into the house. "See you at school," I whisper, turning to look at Tamara.

She ignores me and puts her head in between the seats to talk to Todd. "Are we good?"

"I don't think so," Todd answers. His eyes dart around his windshield, almost as if he is watching a fly buzz around in front of him. "That...it's not...it didn't mean anything and it doesn't change anything," he says finally.

"You can't blame me for being such a bitch to you guys after everything that happened," Tamara spits.

"It's not like you're innocent, Tamara," he snaps back.

"Cynthia had it coming," she says and then leaves the car, slamming the door behind her. Frowning, I wave at her as she follows the skinny boy inside.

"That's it. You guys have to tell me what the heck is going on?" I say, turning to look at Todd. He backs out of the driveway and is quiet until we reach a red light. "Josh told me to be careful around Tamara. Why?"

Todd taps the steering wheel and lets out a sigh. He then wrinkles his nose and groans loudly. "She used to be friends with Cynthia in grade seven, best friends," he says, watching the car in front of him. His left knee is shaking anxiously and his hands are tight around the steering wheel, the knuckles pale. "Then Tamara met Gabriel and she became a totally different person."

"Gabriel Maloney?"

"Yeah. Tamara was jealous of Cynthia because she was dating some guy they both liked. It's stupid, I know. But Tamara thought it was a good idea to mess around with Cynthia's guy." He falls silent as he makes a right turn after waiting for a kid to walk across the intersection.

"Wait, that's it?" I ask. "I'm not trying to be insensitive but isn't it silly to become enemies over some guy. Not to mention the fact that they were both thirteen at the time."

"Not exactly. Cynthia had this sleepover thing where she invited some girls from school to her house. At the time, she didn't know that her boyfriend was cheating on her with Tamara." Todd falls silent and his face pulls into a look of concentration. A few minutes later we drive into the parking lot for my aunt's condo but I don't move to get out.

"Todd, what happened?" I ask softly.

"They got drunk, really drunk." He shakes his head as if he is trying to forget something. "Cynthia went to take a shower, not knowing that Tamara was in the bathroom. Next week there were pictures of Cynthia going around school," he finishes, leaning his head back.

The way he says it makes me realize that the pictures weren't just unflattering shots of Cynthia but something much worse.

"No way," I murmur. "Tamara didn't, she wouldn't do something like that. You're wrong."

"She admitted to taking the pictures, Audrey. Posted them online and everything."

"That's awful," I say, thinking about how terrible Cynthia must have felt when she saw the pictures. Rage directed at Tamara spread through me like a wildfire but I clench my jaw, remembering how she had let me sit with her on my first day at Lakewood and brought Timbits over for me a few days ago. "She said something about guys beating up her brother."

"Yeah. Cynthia was pretty messed up after the whole thing. She got Blake and a few other guys from grade eight to beat up Tamara's brother. Cynthia had to leave school for a bit after that. Her parents thought it would be good for her."

"They brought an innocent person into their drama," I mumble but he ignores me.

"Josh tried to talk Blake out of it but it didn't work," he continues. "I think the fight is one reason why Blake got held back a year. That and the fact that he never went to his classes."

"Blake is supposed to a senior?" I ask. Todd nods.

"Josh and Blake don't really talk about what happened that much. They prefer to keep it in the past. Blake was going through some shit at the time," he says, finally turning his car off. It makes sense because they both weren't so keen on talking about it with me. Then again, I haven't really taken the chance to get to know them better. Despite not knowing Cynthia, I had assumed that she was a terrible person who was out to get Tamara. It makes me feel guilty.

"Do you think that's why Cynthia is...you know?" I ask, looking at him for help.

"She's a bitch to you because of your friendship with Tamara, her enemy," he answers, putting his head on the steering wheel. A thought occurs to me. The day I had left my drawing unattended in the art room Tamara had been there. Could she have been the one who had painted over my canvas?

"But Tamara's nice," I say. But as soon as the words are out of my mouth, they sound untrue to me. What Tamara had done was unforgivable.

"You think everyone is nice," he responds, his voice muffled. He groans loudly. "I'm so stupid. Why would I kiss her?"

"Do you like her?" I question.

"No," he answers quickly. "I did a long time ago. Way before Gabriel showed up and screwed with her head."

My heart hurts at the sadness in his voice. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" I nod my head, a hollow feeling settling in my stomach. "It's all just stupid drama. Stupid high school drama." His arms tighten around the wheel and I shiver at the intensity of his voice.

"What should I do?" I ask, remembering what Blake had said. I am who I surround myself with. I cringe at the thought of doing something as horrible as what Tamara had done.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Be careful around her."

"Thanks for coming with us," I say, leaving the car and waving at him. It isn't until I reach the door to the complex that I hear his car come back to life.

|| Author's Note ||

Finally, someone told Audrey about Tamara. Thanks for that, Todd. Everybody was so hush hush about it. -_- Anyways, let me know what you think.

Chapter question: What do you think Audrey will do about the whole Tamara thing?

Peace out. XD