Chapter Four

As far as sisters go, Hailey wasn't that bad. At least Eva thought so before her sister had come running into her room at nine at night asking her to help glue things onto her poster. Eva should have probably said no and told her sister to do it all herself but the desperate look on her face was too much to turn down.

So now, Eva was stuck sitting on the floor cutting out paragraphs of text and sticking it onto a giant fluorescent yellow piece of paper. Eva winced at the colour.

"Are you sure fluorescent isn't a little too daring?" Eva asked.

"Everyone uses fluorescent," Hailey muttered. "I told you this already."

"I know but it just seems to take away from all your amazing work," Eva said with little conviction and picked up a little piece of paper packed with words. "Did you copy and paste this?"

Hailey immediately looked offended. "Of course I didn't! All of that is in my own words."

"Because you would obviously know what protracted litigation means," Eva said and Hailey snatched the piece of paper out of her hands and read it over.

Hailey glared at her sister and put the paper down. "I know what it means. Just glue it."

Eva rolled her eyes but did as asked and stuck the paper haphazardly down with glue onto the painfully bright yellow paper beneath. If the light glints off that during her presentation, then Eva was sure half of Hailey's class was going to go blind. Eva picked up the scrap pieces of paper and leaned across the carpet to put them in the garbage next to Hailey's desk.

"I thought you started this nearly a week ago," Eva commented. "So how come you're rushing to get it done now...at nine?"

"I have bad time management skills," Hailey said while intently gluing down the bottom of Italy. "At least that's what my history teacher says."

Eva shrugged. "Not everyone's good with time."

The two sisters intently worked for nearly forty minutes until the yellow paper was covered in text and pictures. Hailey grabbed an old black marker which immediately made the room smell when she took the lid off and carefully wrote the title out at the top. When she was finally done, Eva sighed in relief when the lid was put back on and the marker was thrown out of the way.

"Done!" Hailey smiled and lifted the poster up to view it more carefully.

"Fantastic," Eva said and stood up from her position on the ground.

Her legs had nearly fallen asleep and her calves ached as she stood and stretched her arms over her head. After a few cracks from her back and once the distressful pain had lessened in her legs, Eva patted her sister's head on the way out, dodging the swat that came in response.

"Thanks," Hailey shouted when Eva was nearly at her bedroom door.

"No problem," she yawned, knowing that her sister wouldn't hear.

Eva went about getting ready for bed and when she came out of the bathroom, it was just after ten. She stopped in front of her laptop that sat on her bed and contemplated turning it on and looking at the website. It was quarter past ten now. There were two more posts. Eva had always read the posts each night although she was never sure why.

But now she didn't want to. She didn't even want to go anywhere near her laptop and she certainly didn't want to see the blue website that was only seeming to cause problems.

Eva hated thinking about the new information she knew. How was she supposed to listen to the rumours about Cathy, knowing who made them? How was she supposed to even face Cathy now? The thought of just skipping photography class was very strong in Eva's mind. She had no idea what she would say to Cathy, how she would react or if she could even keep it a secret. She knew who was making Cathy nervous and scared and sad. What kind of person would she be if she kept that information from her?

If Eva just pretended like nothing had happened.

A part of her wished that she had never caught Natasha on her laptop and that she had just ignored it and walked away. But instead she pried and her head was being weighed down with more than it needed.

Eva picked up her laptop and placed it on her desk, out of the way and shut off completely. She wasn't going to read the posts. That would just be more words that she would have to carry around in her jumbled mind.

The last thing Eva needed was more reasons to feel guilty.

***

Skipping photography class was no longer on the cards.

Eva decided to just needed to toughen up and get through it. It didn't matter if she knew who created the website. It wouldn't affect her current relationship with Cathy. It's not like she was inclined to tell her in any way.

Yet the more she thought about it, the more Eva was talking herself into telling Cathy.

But either way she was betraying someone. If she told Cathy, she betrayed Natasha. If she didn't say anything, then she was betraying Cathy and the trust she had suddenly thrust upon her.

Eva walked into photography class one minute early and walked straight towards her desk. She sat down and rummaged through her back until the bell rang so she wouldn't have to focus her attention anywhere. Mrs. Campbell eventually walked into the class and began to talk for a while. Eva was thankful for that. If she was talking, then there was no group activity or project where she would be forced to confront Cathy. With the teacher speaking, Eva could just sit at her desk and think herself into a hole.

But Mrs. Campbell proved that nothing was doing well for Eva and in the last forty minutes of class, sent everyone off in pairs. Eva closed her eyes briefly and sighed, hugging her bag closer to her chest. She heard chairs scrape as people got up and a minute later, Cathy was stood beside her.

Eva forced out a tight smile. "Hey," she said. "I wasn't paying attention. What colour is it this time?"

"Blue," she said and held the camera out towards Eva.

She took it and stood from her chair before the two of them walked out of the class. Eva tried to calm herself down but she just kept getting that tightness in her chest. Eva didn't even notice that they had walked outside of the school and were now stood at the empty bleachers that looked out onto an equally empty football field.

"Did you think of something blue out here?" Eva asked, wandering around a little. "I'm not sure we can do a bleacher again."

"You told people," Cathy said and Eva turned around to find her hands balled up into fists at her sides.

"Told people what?" Eva asked, confused.

"About my parents divorcing, Eva," Cathy said. "The whole school knows my dad cheated. It's on the website!"

"The website?" Eva frowned.

But that means that Natasha...

"Yes, the website," Cathy said angrily. "The one that's making a fool out of me every day."

"I haven't even seen yesterday's posts, Cathy," Eva said.

"You were the only one I told," Cathy said. "You were the only one who knew about my parents."

"I didn't tell anyone," Eva said. "Why would I? What would I possibly gain from that? You know me, Cathy-"

"I've know you barely a week," Cathy said sharply.

"But that's enough," Eva pleaded. "Come on, Cathy. I know you'd never do anything like that to me and I've only known you a few days. It has to be the same the other way around, right?"

Cathy sighed. "You were the only one who knew Eva. What am I supposed to think? There was no one else here, just you. And the next day it's on the website? How do you think that looks?"

Eva breathed out lowly and pulled her hair out of her face before looking at Cathy in shock. "You think it's me, don't you?"

"I don't know what to think."

"I didn't make that website! I didn't tell anyone about your parents. You have to believe me Cathy, someone must have been listening."

"Or maybe you did just tell someone," Cathy said. "I get it. Everyone else is talking about me, why don't you join in the fun, right?"

"Cathy..."

Cathy shook her head and turned her head away. "You're just as bad as them."

Eva watched as Cathy walked away and clutched the camera tighter in her hand. She followed a few minutes later and they both ended up back in class early.

For the first time they had no pictures to show.

***

Taryn was wolfing down a sandwich as Eva sat opposite her and Carmen in the cafeteria. Natasha was in the library getting work done which left Eva with the perfect opportunity to ask them about the website. But it was still a touchy subject to try and bring up given that the two of them had ridiculed and laughed over Cathy in every conversation.

Eva took a sip of her water and thought about how she would bring up the website. But luck seemed to be on her side as Carmen brought it up all by herself.

"You saw the website update, right?" Carmen asked, mostly directed towards Taryn who nodded. "I can't believe her dad cheated."

"The whole family is weird," Taryn commented absentmindedly.

Eva picked at her water bottle for a few moments as they spoke.

"But, the website is a little bit much, don't you think?" Eva asked.

Carmen looked up and frowned. "What do you mean too much?"

"I mean, it's a little excessive. To make a whole website just to get some laughs out of someone else's expense," Eva said.

Carmen shrugged. "You're making it sound way worse than it really is."

"Am I?" Eva asked then turned to Taryn. "You've got to know it isn't right. Don't you?"

Taryn looked down at her food. "I don't know. It's not nice but it has nothing to do with me."

"You saw the website, it has everything to do with you," Eva said.

"What are you suddenly? A teacher? Some freedom-fighter?" Carmen asked. "Just stop for a second. Taryn's right, it has nothing to do with us."

"So you're just going to pretend you saw nothing? That you didn't see Cathy blatantly get bullied through that website?" Eva asked.

"It isn't bullying," Carmen scoffed.

"Yes, it is," Eva said and finally things clicked into place.

It was bullying. Everything that was happening wasn't just a joke, it wasn't just some fun. Cathy was sat crying nearly every day and someone was to blame. Natasha was to blame.

"Why do you suddenly care?" Carmen asked. "You were laughing at the website. You thought it was funny!"

"Thought," Eva said. "I used to think it was funny. Someone's posting things about Cathy twice a day. That's not funny anymore, it's an obsession."

"Just leave it alone, Eva," Taryn added in. "Just forget about it. It has nothing to do with us so it doesn't matter. We're fine."

"I'm not worried about myself," Eva frowned. "I'm worried about the website."

"A website which we didn't make," Taryn said. "But someone else did and if that someone can make a whole website about Cathy Ricks then they can make a whole website about me, or Carmen, or you. Just leave it, Eva. Is it really worth it?"

Eva knew the answer but she didn't say it out loud. Instead she picked up her bottle of water and shoved it into her bag. She stood up from the table and hooked the bag over her shoulder.

"I get it," Eva said. "What's the point in helping someone defenceless if you're going to be laughed at too, right?"

She didn't wait to hear their response and walked out of the cafeteria towards her locker where she changed her binders and slammed the door louder than necessary.

***

Mr. Colt wrapped up English class relatively fast and Eva was thankful for that. She spent the last ten minutes drawing circles on the sides of her papers. She shaded them in and let her pencil go crazy in random movements along the page. Everyone else around her was talking and deep into conversation but even though Eva actually knew people in this class, she wasn't in the mood to actually converse with them.

Eva knew that Taryn and Carmen probably wouldn't help Cathy. Why would they? They had nothing to gain and too much to lose and if she knew anything about her friends, she knew that they only did a deed if they could get something back in return. Helping Cathy, admitting that it isn't right and telling someone wouldn't give them a boost in their eyes. It would just make them vulnerable.

It was clear that Taryn was scared. Scared of being laughed at, scared of getting her own website made because she interfered. And Carmen just wanted nothing to do with it. She would talk about it and laugh over it but Eva knew she would never actually do anything to go against whoever made the website.

And it was fairly obvious to Eva that they both had no idea it was Natasha.

She was tempted to tell them. But what if they didn't believe her? What if Natasha had already come up with a backup plan if Eva did say something? If Natasha denied it then who would they believe? Eva or the most loved Natasha?

Eva knew the answer would always be Natasha. But that just made her want to help Cathy more.

The bell rang and Eva headed towards her locker, dumping all her binders and packing up her bag. She took a little longer than usual and so by the time she closed up her locker, most of the hallway was empty.

She headed towards the main doors to get to the buses when she noticed Natasha at the end of the hallway, talking to a small group of people. The people departed and without realizing it, Eva walked closer until she was right beside Natasha.

Natasha looked up at her and smiled, sorting through her bag in her locker.

"Hey," she said. "I haven't seen you today. How are you?"

"How did you find out about Cathy's parents?" Eva asked.

Natasha put her bag down and turned to Eva. "I overheard it."

"You mean you overheard me say it, in a private conversation," Eva clarified.

Natasha shrugged a shoulder. "Doesn't matter how I get the information as long as it gets to me."

"How were you even there, it was during class?" Eva asked in bewilderment.

"I had gym outside so I might have taken a little detour during the laps," Natasha said. "No harm."

"You keep saying that but there is harm being done," Eva said.

Natasha closed her locker up and held her bag on her shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Natasha asked. "You were fine when I said I made the website, what's suddenly changed?

"You listening in on Cathy's conversations and taking something you knew was spoken to me in confidentiality. You knew Cathy would blame me!"

"As always, you're thinking way too hard about this," Natasha said.

"No I'm not," Eva said. "You're obsessed, Natasha."

"I'm not obsessed," Natasha hissed, "with a pathetic girl like Cathy."

"Well then you're obsessed with putting her down," Eva said.

Natasha sighed and hiked her bag up on her shoulder. She looked at Eva and shook her head slowly.

"Why can't you just leave it alone, like everyone else? Why did you suddenly decide to go on this weird guilt trip?" Natasha asked. "You're supposed to be my friend first, Eva. You barely even know Cathy."

"But I know when something's right and wrong and this is getting out of hand, Natasha, you know it is," Eva said. "You're posting personal stuff about her, really personal stuff. Things that the whole school learns overnight because of this website."

"What do you want me to do?" Natasha huffed out a laugh. "Walk over to Cathy and say sorry? You don't get it, Eva. This stuff happens. You might not think it's nice but no one else is taking it this seriously. No one else cares. Because everyone is laughing at it. Just take a second to see the humour in this like the rest of us. Cathy's fine, she's a big girl, she'll get over it."

"No Natasha, you don't get it," Eva said. "This isn't something you can joke about. Cathy is a mess and you don't even know. You're making her entire life worse. You're making her scared."

Natasha took a step towards Eva and glared at her.

"Just back off Eva," she said. "Or do you want your own website? There's plenty of trash going around about you that could fill tons of pages."

Eva blinked in shock and Natasha walked away. She stood there in the hallway as it was left completely empty apart from her. She sucked in a harsh breath and gripped the handle of her bag tighter.

She was just threatened by someone who was supposed to be her own friend. Someone who had been to her house, talked to her parents, laughed with her sister. Eva hated this side of Natasha. But maybe this was the side everyone else saw and they just hadn't cared. They'd gotten used to it.

Eva turned back down the hallway and didn't notice when her eyes started to blur over a little with tears. There weren't many but they were there and they were noticeable. Eva still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Natasha made that website, that she found fun out of this and that she would even spread rumours about Eva if it stopped her talking.

Eva's lip trembled.

The pain in her chest was nothing compared to this agonizing ache that went through her whole body. She didn't know what to do. Where she could go or who she could turn to. But she knew she had to do something. No one else was there to help her or Cathy. No one else would stop Natasha. Eva had to fight for herself now.

She found herself stood outside the open door to her English classroom. She took a deep breath and wiped her cheek before knocking on the door. Mr. Colt looked up from his desk and Eva wrung her hands together.

"There's something I need to tell you."