24 | liar

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

February, 2019

Ever since I arranged to meet with Dawson tomorrow, I could not shake the feeling that I was doing the wrong thing.

As I stared mindlessly onto the blank ceiling of Kaden's bedroom, the six words suffocated my thoughts. I desperately grasped onto the last ounces of trust between us, and wondered how they seemed to vanish so abruptly.

He laid next to me, silent. The T.V played in the background, but I think he was deep in thought as well. Did he feel it too? Could he sense that something was wrong?

The only thing I felt in this moment, was immense guilt. I was doing the wrong thing.

I wanted to look at him, stare into his eyes and plead for the feeling of reassurance they always gave me, but I didn't dare to remove my gaze from above us.

My entire life, I always wondered how it was possible to love someone without trusting them, but the idea no longer seemed so outrageous to me. Kaden had lied to my face, he didn't even flinch while doing so. He's been absent, for reasons unknown, put up even stronger walls around himself, and I still undoubtedly loved him.

I wish I didn't.

Liar.

If I meet with Dawson tomorrow, there is a chance that I will have quite possibly ruined everything, and lost my best friend. If I don't, I'll continue to follow Kaden blindly, I'll remain naïve.

My eyelids were getting heavy.

"Hey, are you tired?" Kaden questioned turning to meet my gaze for the first time in an hour.

Very.

"No." I answered simply, but my eyes were struggling to stay open. He nodded, and propped himself up onto his elbows.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go sleep in a guest room, you can crash here tonight Ave."

It's been a while since he's called me that.

"Wait!" I called, before he could leave.

"Yeah?" He answered cautiously.

"Is everything okay with you, Kade?" I asked him genuinely. I wanted to give him a chance to tell the truth, tell me what had been happening. Despite this, I also really deeply cared to hear his answer.

He smiled easily, an expression I was used too.

"I'm doing good Avery." He spoke, turning toward the door. I couldn't find a way to respond.

God, what time is it?

"See you tomorrow." He added. I heard a door shut.

I'm doing the wrong thing.

I fell asleep.





❦ psychotic ❦





I sat impatiently waiting for Dawson to arrive in the library. My stomach churned with guilt, I felt disappointed when I acknowledged that I was was potentially betraying Kaden.

I am betraying him. There was no other way around it. Going to someone he very much dislikes for information on his personal life... absolutely, completely and utterly wrong.

However, there was something telling me that I needed to do this, because Kaden was hiding something, I knew it. His inconsistency is undeniable, and plot holes in his stories are building up.

Dawson is the only person I could talk to about Kaden, without building suspicion in others. That's the only reason I'm here.

The library was dead silent, and nearly empty. On Friday's it was almost always clear, since it was void of students rushing homework. I sat in the far back, where we had met for detention not too long ago. The fabric chair I sat on was comfortable, as I was seated with my knees up and my textbook pushed against them, using the hard surface to start my homework.

I looked out the large windows, which always had me in awe. Large snowflakes covered the ground and had been piling up all day. It was truly beautiful.

Dawson was supposed to be here at 3:00pm, and it was currently 3:20pm. I didn't mind that he was late, as I contemplated canceling on him all day.

This just didn't feel right.

This could ruin my relationship with my best friend.

Finally, thirty minutes late, Dawson approached where I was sitting, setting his bag on the couch next to me and sitting down.

"Can we make this quick, I have to be somewhere at five." He spoke with a bored expression, rapidly typing something on his phone.

"If you would've been here on time, we'd already be gone." I snapped.

Dawson rolled his eyes. "I'm here now."

"Then let's talk." I returned, taking a moment to analyze Dawson's appearance. His dark hair was a little messy, and while he was usually a very well dressed guy, today he wore only black jeans and a black t-shirt.

He had purple bags under his grey eyes.

However, I'd never ask why.

"I'll answer anything I can about the past, and try to help you fill plot holes in the present, Avery. However, I can't answer pretty much anything regarding Kaden now, because I barely know him." Dawson spoke, sounding bored.

I took Dawson's words into serious consideration, then looked back at the window. "How do you figure out that Kaden... is not telling the whole truth?"

Dawson also looked out the window, then shrugged. "You don't. In middle school, Kaden read a lot of books about psychology. One of which centered around lying and manipulation. He changes his tells constantly, which makes it impossible to figure out."

I had never heard anything about this. "Why did he read psychology books? That never struck me as something that would interest him."

"His mom thought it'd be good for his brain, and possibly substitute a therapist. The Wells family cares deeply about their image." Dawson began scribbling down into a notebook.

I raised my eyebrows. "Homework? Right now?"

He flickered his gaze to me then back down at the notebook. "It's called multitasking, Avery."

He spoke in a smug manner, which made me frustrated. Dawson Johnson is a grade A asshole, and I felt like I was wasting my time with him.

"Where do you have to be at five?" I questioned.

"Not here."

I narrowed my eyes at him and he smiled a little, before continuing on with his work.

"Did he ever used to disappear when you guys were friends?"

"Only in Junior year."

"Did he lie about it?"

"Always."

I shifted. "How did you know?"

"The same way you did." He shrugged.

"But you told me."

"You wouldn't have believed me so easily if you hadn't had some speculations already."

"I-"

I paused.

"I don't necessarily believe you, or believe Kaden is lying without reason. I just want to know more before asking him about it."

Dawson laughed lightly, however it was definitely empty. "Now you're a liar."

"Yeah, because you know me so well Dawson. You can't call me that." I scoffed, now glaring at him.

"One of your tells is fidgeting, Kaden can definitely notice that." Dawson spoke easily while effortlessly scribbling French onto his notebook.

"I don't lie to Kaden." I replied, knowing that now I was being entirely untruthful.

"Then what are you doing here with me?"

"He never asked me if I was going to see you." I defended.

"Would you have answered truthfully if he did?" Dawson clicked his pen.

I looked to my feet. "No."

Dawson smirked lightly. "That's what I thought."

I angrily grabbed the notebook out of Dawson's hands. "You're an asshole Dawson. I don't need your help, you know. I am fully capable of finding this out on my own."

"Is that so?" Now he sat up, making eye contact with me for the first time all day.

"Yes."

"Then why are you here?"

The silence in the library, suddenly became deafening.

Dawson took the notebook back, however his expression remained the same.

"Because you do need my help." He spoke confidently. I felt stumped. Dawson was right, but I had too much pride to let him know that. I remained silent.

"Your help is useful, but not necessary. Besides, even if I am here for a reason, why are you here?" Now I wore the confident expression.

He furrowed his eyebrows, as if this was an entirely stupid question. "Because I told you I'd help you?"

Now I let out an emotionless laugh. "You say that like you care. We are not friends,
not even acquaintances. So, why are you here?"

Dawson's expression fell. He inhaled. "Because I don't trust him. I didn't then and I don't now."

His answer was simple, but left me uneasy. "Why?"

Dawson didn't answer.

Suddenly, I lost all sense of patience. "Okay fine, be vague. I don't care. All you've done is place unnecessary doubt with no evidence or support. You're unreliable and I don't need your help, especially if you're going to be an asshole about it."

My words were harsh as I shoved my books into my bag. The tone of my voice surprised me, how agitated I sounded.

However, Dawson quicker wiped his solemn expression away and replaced it was a small, spiteful smile. "Go ahead. Solve it on your own Avery. I don't give a fuck about you, or Kaden."

While his words were aggressive, his tone and expression were entirely passive.

I couldn't think of a reply and Dawson's eyes focused clearly on his work. He had actually looked at me a total of three times today.

Grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder, I made my exit.

I could see more clearly now how much snow there was. While continuously falling in large flakes, the white powder piled onto what appeared to be a solid foot of snow.

Anxiously, I pushed open the doors to reveal the parking lot.

And my car buried in snow.

I knew immediately I wouldn't be able to drive out of the parking lot.

Almost immediately, I turned to go back into the building and pulled out my phone.

First, I called Kendall.

"Hey Avery, what's up?" She answered, almost immediately.

I sighed, pressing my phone against my ear. "Can I ask you a big favor? I'm sorry, I know I already owe you one."

Kendall laughed. "Yeah of course, and you don't owe me one, you're completely good."

"Are you able to get your car out of the snow? If it's not completely buried, can you give me a ride home from Pine Hill?"

"I'm so sorry Avery, I'm in Portland right now. You can try Cole, he drives a massive car so I'm sure he can get it out if the snow." Kendall said with regret.

I smiled. "Don't worry about it, thanks anyways!"

"Bye Avery!" Kendall returned.

And with that, I clicked on Cole's contact.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Nothing.

I contemplated calling him a second time, but I was sure that Cole did not answer for a valid reason.

My finger hovered over Kaden's contact, as I was sure he could come and get me. However, that would evoke questions I was not prepared to answer.

Therefore, I decided against it.

The snow fell as hard as ever, but I was sure if I managed to get my car out of the parking lot I could get home safely.

Wrapping my coat around me tighter,  I pushed
open the door once again and faced the unusually large snowflakes.

If I wasn't in such a shitty position, I'd admire them quite a lot more than I was.

Lifting my boots gently through the mounds of snow, I finally made it to my car.

I couldn't even pry the doors open.

"Are you struggling?" I heard a voice behind me question, causing me to jump.

I turned to see Dawson now in a black winter jacket, thick snowflakes clinging to his deep brown hair. He looked amused at my suffering.

I looked at my door again, trying once more to pry it open. "No." I simply stated.

He tilted his head mockingly, smiling a little. "I can tell."

I scowled, now kicking snow to the front of my car in attempt to get the door open.

Dawson laughed at this, which pissed me off. "My car isn't buried like yours, do you want a ride home?"

Being trapped in a car with Dawson wearing that dumb smug expression for ten minutes sounds like hell. "No."

"You're not gonna get your car out." Dawson spoke in entertainment.

I huffed. "I will, now go. It's cold and your hair is almost completely white."

Dawson rolled his eyes. "You'll be out here all night."

Finally, I slammed what I could of my door and locked it. "Then I'll just walk."

I trudged by him, nudging him slightly with my shoulder.

Dawson lightly caught my wrist. "That's a horrible idea, it's thirty degrees."

His eyebrows were raised and he laughed a little while he spoke. His light attitude put me in a worse mood. "I'd rather freeze then get in a car with you."

Dawson rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself."

He let go and turned towards a dark grey Mercedes. The car was much bigger than mine, therefore substantially less covered.

I rolled my eyes at how rich the students at this school are.

Dawson got in his car, and I looked at the sky which was getting noticeably darker.

I'm freezing.

With a groan, I walked begrudgingly towards Dawson's car.

I approached the passengers side and noticed Dawson sitting on his phone with his car started.

I knocked lightly on the window.

He turned to me with wide eyes, as if I scared him a little. Then, he smiled slightly and rolled down the window.

"Can you drive me home?" I muttered, not making eye contact.

He laughed a little. "Just get in Avery."

I quickly tied my hair up to prevent it from dripping onto Dawson's seats and hopped in. He car was surprisingly clean, with nothing but textbooks and a backpack in the backseat.

"Just put your address in the nav." He stated, putting his car into snow mode and carefully backing out. He had to slam on the gas, but after a minute or two he had no problem getting out.

"Thank you." I stated, feeling bad about my hostile attitude.

Dawson shrugged. "You don't have to thank me, most people would've done the same thing."

"I need to get a new car." I muttered to myself.

"It seemed fine to me." Dawson added.

I laughed a little. "It's shitty. It always breaks down and it's really old. It wasn't much of a problem before I moved here, but it doesn't snow a foot in February in California."

"One thing I love about California is that consistent weather. Maine is all over the place." Dawson replied.

"I don't mind the snow, though. Its kind of a pain, but it's pretty." I muttered while looking out the window and admiring the fluffy flakes slowly drifting down.

"I like the snow, especially during the Christmas season. I don't like that it gets everything wet and muddy though." Dawson replied lightly, and I turned to look at him briefly.

Pieces of his hair clung to his forehead, and what was once white flakes in his hair now melted into plain water. I looked down at my shoes and noticed that puddles of water pooling beneath them.

"I'm sorry I'm getting your car all wet." I spoke genuinely, trying to angle my shoes so they'd drip less.

It was no use.

I sighed. "And I'm sorry about calling you an asshole earlier. I still don't like you that much but I was harsh."

My apology made Dawson laugh. "Don't worry about the water, it happens a lot. Also, sorry for being late."

"You're not sorry for what you said?"

"Not really." Dawson smiled mockingly.

I rolled my eyes, and we pulled into my empty driveway.

"Bye Dawson. See you around." I said simply, shutting the door and walking towards the entrance of my dark house.

I didn't look back but I heard Dawson pull out of the driveway.

My phone buzzed as I unlocked my door, and Kaden's contact popped up.

I answered without hesitation. "Hey, is everything alright?" I spoke while shutting the door behind me.

"Yeah, my dad's just here and he won't shut up about college. Can I come over?" I could tell Kaden was pacing, and his familiar voice made me smile.

I approached the mirror by my front door and looked closer at my wet hair. I smiled.

"Yeah of course, Kade."



Authors Note

HELLO!!!! okay so i know its been 7 months i know but i swear i will finish this book & there's probably only around 10-12 chapters left 😳

ANYWAYS I HOPE U GUYS ARE DOING GREAT!!! i miss writing so much i will try & update more. i am also quitting my job which will give me more time.

i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter <333

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net