The notebook was waiting on my desk when I arrived at school. I walked in late, and it was the first thing I noticed. I never thought sparkles could be menacing. I never thought I'd look down at that stupid notebook and think; what if there was another way? What if I didn't have to do this?

    Once I sat down, they noticed me. Stacie sat to my left, and Nina next to her. Stacie leaned over me, opening the notebook and pointing to her handwriting. Below hers was the neat cursive of Nina. She smiled sweetly, then turned back to her desk. She had a tablet on her desk, and she was planning an article for the school paper.

    I looked back down at the lined paper. I didn't feel anxiety creeping up on me. No. I felt something worse. Anger. At myself. At my so-called friends. At everything. I was tired of living in the shadows, but I had to, so I read the plan.

    The original plan was for me to blackmail some freshman that angered her. Nina added that I should post a picture on her locker, just like I did in my brother's case. The thought made me sick, but I swallowed down my pride.

    Or, was this all for my pride?

    "Hey, Stac?"

    "Yeah?"
    "Why did I have to ruin Nel's reputation? What did he do to you?"

    She glanced up from her tablet with zero sympathy in her eyes. "Oh, I was angry at his friend. I wanted to ruin his life. But, your brother is kind of annoying. Besides, who wants to date a cheater?"

    I clenched my hands into fists. "Nelson isn't annoying."
    She pursed her lips. "I thought you weren't talking with him."

    "He's my brother, and it wasn't right. This isn't right," I hissed.

    "Yeah, and you know what, Kiley?" She leaned in closer, and I could smell the peppermint in her breath. "What you did wasn't right, either. He didn't deserve that."

    I try to block out the flashbacks. "I thought you were my friend."

    She shrugged. "Maybe our friendship ended that day. Maybe I can't forgive you, and you shouldn't forgive yourself."

    "That's enough!"

    Both of our heads snap up. I hadn't realized tears had started pouring down my face. I hastily wipe them away with the back of my hand.

    "This is none of your business!" Stacie snapped.

    Kalila crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, it is."

    Nina stood and walked up to Kalila, who stood taller than her. I held my breath.

    "Get lost before we make sure to ruin you. Your reputation. Everything," Nina said.

    "Isn't that what you did to Kiley?"

    My breath caught. I couldn't breath.

    "Kiley, do you know this girl?"

    I didn't want to deny her, but I couldn't say I knew her. It wasn't just for me. It was to keep her and August from the wrath of the evilest girls in the school.

    "No," I responded, my voice soft.

    "Is there a problem back there?" The teacher asked.

    "No!" Stacie responded. She lowered her voice, leaning across the desk towards Kalila as the last of my hope shattered. "Never come near us again, and there won't be consequences."

    Kalila looked to me. She shook her head, then returned her attention to Stacie. "You don't scare me."

    As she walked away, I looked after her. She'd never forgive me. She's tried to help me, and I did was turn her away. I let the only real friends I had walk away, because I knew August would be angry, too. Kalila had seen too much into my reality, and I couldn't let her become the next victim.

    §

    After school ended, I sat in my car on my phone. I scrolled through the photos Stacie had sent me, and I still felt horrible about it. I just- couldn't. I couldn't ruin someone else's life. Not to protect myself. I'd already hurt my brother. I couldn't hurt a random freshman.

    The car door opened, and it slammed shut. I quickly turned off my phone and placed it beside me. My brother tossed his bag into the back seat. He didn't speak until our eyes met. He let out a breath, crossed his arms, and slouched down in the seat.

    "Someone put rotten eggs in my locker."

    "Nel, I'm so sorry." My voice cracked at the end. I meant it.

    "It's not your fault. I heard you defended me to your friend today," he said.

    I blinked. "How?"

    He shrugged. "Someone heard you. Anyway, thanks. Everyone else thinks I'm annoying."

    "You know, I think I'm more annoying than you," I admitted. It was true. He wasn't a coward hiding behind a secret. He wasn't ruining people's lives.

    ""I'm your brother. You should talk to me."

    "I have nothing to talk about. I just- I just don't like people treating you like this in school. Or the way I've been treating you. I'm sorry."

    "What happened? A few months ago, you changed." He leaned back in his seat and watched me, eyebrows furrowed.

    I turned on the car and put it in reverse. "Nothing. It's just-" At that moment, I debated telling him. I couldn't keep it in. he was my brother, and here he was trying to care. Maybe we needed to be there for each other. "It's just, my reputation, it isn't me."

    "Then who is it?" He scoffed.

    I pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the road. My fingers clenched around the steering wheel to keep them from shaking. "My..." I couldn't call them my friends. They weren't. "Stacie and Nina."

    "Your friends?"

    I shuddered. "No. My enemies posing as my friends."

    "Then, why do you hang out with them?" He asked.

    I glanced over at him, trying not to let any emotions slip onto my face. "I have to."

    "No, you don't. Is this why you've been distant? What are you hiding from me?" He shouted. "I'm tired of being lied to. I'm tired of being treated like a child. You're the one who made Dad tell me the details of the divorce last year. You're the one who's always stood up for me. Why change?"

    A tear fell down my cheek. "I've changed, Nel. We've both changed."

    "You're my sister. I can make fun of you, sure. But if someone else is hurting you-"

    "Just worry about yourself," I said sharply. "Tomorrow, talk to the school. Have them help you with the bullying. They better live up to their anti-bullying campaigns." It felt so weird to talk to him. We'd drifted apart after the incident, but he didn't know about it. He hung out with his friends, played his video games, and kept more to himself. I wallowed in my one misery. I missed my brother. I really did, and it broke me inside. I couldn't tell him everything, but maybe just a bit was a start. A start to something.

    Maybe we only had each other in a school full of vultures.

    "Fine, Kiley. Be like that."

    I kept my eyes on the road, trying to shove away my emotions. "I don't want to fight anymore."

    "Me neither. I have enough fighting to do at school," he grumbled.

    As I stopped at a red light, a really looked at him for the first time. I noticed a bruise on his jaw.

    "Who did that? Kids are actually beating you up over this?"

    He quickly looked away, shielding his face. "It's fine. Don't tell Dad."

    That was the last straw. I was going to contact the freshman alright. I was going to find out what she knew about Stacie. I was going to find out why Stacie needed her taken down.

------

Sooo, thoughts? Predictions for the last part? Please vote and comment!

I have a final for my summer college class tomorrow *looks at time* hem, today, then I can enjoy the rest of my summer free! Yay! I shouldn't be writing this at almost 3 am when I have to wake up early. Whoops. Inspiration doesn't care.

Also, people can't freaking drive here. Seriously. I've almost been hit several times, and I've witnessed an almost accident. Like why. And when it rains, it's insane. Anyway, it's supposed to rain so wish me luck on the road tomorrow lol. But I still love having a license.

Happy Fourth of July everyone in America! I know it's the next day but shh.

-Sarah