TRUTH OR LIE?

AN: THIS ONE IS A BIG CHAPTER, I am so excited for what's to come!🧡

EVREN's POV

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THE SIDES OF MY MOUTH keep clicking as I chew a tasting strawberry gum, while I exercise my ability to draw in the dump paper in front of me.

"Something as pure as the air we inhale to survive but, simultaneously, as dark as a sky without stars" What the hell does she mean by that?

Mrs. Sullivan was a very emotional woman, as far as I could already tell, by noticing the cautious words fall out of her mouth while she maintained a delicate, almost saddened expression.

I believe I'm going to sympathize with her, I mean, at least the professor didn't greet me like I was some kind of an unwelcoming extraterrestrial type of thing.

I shrugged, sighing in process. It's my last class before collage ends for today, but I feel like it's already been ages. Getting back into studies was going to be a legit ride for me, especially now that I have to deal with cocky football players and their irritating, crazy smitten girlfriends.

But now, I'm more focused on finding out what she wants from her art students - an abstract painting, a side-profile sketch, a dubious nature representation? I can't figure out completely, but judging by the look of my freshly new colleagues, neither do they.

"You're new to this college, so I want to know my students better... Nothing like seeing you portraying some uniquenesses after I see you decipher the task I just gave you."

Her hands here both hugging the table beside her, while she closed her eyes momentarily, not looking back at us.

"I'm not giving high marks yet, so I hope you take this opportunity to choose wisely to get it wrong only this time. The day line is in a week. I want to see those illustrations first thing Monday morning."

I watch as she grabs her dark short hair with her hand, noticing the flashing light of her wedding ring.

Grabbing her dark brown purse, Mrs. Sullivan says "You're excused."

There's no bell in the corridor, and my attention has been focused on the thin square glass inside the door for the last couple of seconds, sensing the rush outside.

Shit, I really need to think about how I'm going to do the task Mrs. Sullivan just gave us, I don't think I have any ideas. Something pure but dark? Where did she get that inspiration from?

I sigh again, knowing I should start to draw tonight, but returning to sleep and live on that house once more does not make it easy for me one bit.

I move my hand to grab the pencil case and the small pack of white pages. By the time I grab all my things, the professor is not inside the room anymore, instead, two girls with long hair and pair of fierce lion eyes gaze over me, close to the door.

Cassidy and Page.

Hum, now that I think about it, I had not seen her faces when I arrived late at the class. Guess they're two of my new colleagues - I have to be honest, I do love some competition.

Sure wasn't expecting for the vainest, superstar girls to lend me an expensive smile, yet, I was already happy to see they did not forget about me.

Cassidy has the attitude of a rich daddy girl, though she is incredibly smart, to be fair. Page used to be a cool chilled out girl, but judging by the looks, spending too much time with Cassidy inside the circle has influenced her to be more wary and silent, than talkative and an extrovert.

I don't blame her though, she probably bears loads of her friend's secrets.

My feet make their way to the door, I see them don't move an inch, rather prefer eyeing me in attempts to trigger me. Much to my surprise, my lips open before I can measure my words.

"Cassidy. Page. I see you've missed me. How is the cheerleader's team holding up without me after two long years?"

"Nobody missed you, Maddox" Cassidy answered, glinting the discontent on her fake smirk.

"And we're doing fine, by the way." Page followed her friend's comment.

"We're better off without you messing up the rehearsals every time," Cassidy added.

I laughed a bit, watching the scene in front of me hilarious.

"Don't worry, I'm not thinking about joining again ladies, I've had my fun already." I say, unpreoccupied, ready to pass by them so I could reach my locker.

But, much to my despite, I feel a cold hand reach for my pulse, pressuring the flesh beneath my skin with strength, clawing her red nails.

"Why you're back, Maddox? Haven't you ruined his reputation enough the last time?" Cassidy's voice is chilly and cold when it reaches my left ear. I'm stunned by her actions since she never used to have the guts to threaten me before.

My eyes shut as I gain control over my body, finding the focus to respond. However, my view gets in the way of my thoughts, as I catch a pair of chocolate brown orbs mirror me with hesitance - Jonathan warns me reluctantly.

"He's gone. The least you can do is respect his death." Cassidy talks, deepening her nails on my skin.

Fuck, breath Evren, you got this. I gulp, knowing I must control what I say, preventing me from ever sliding the truth accidentally. I must lie again, don't I?

"Colber ruined himself for what he did two years ago. He was never perfect like you all pictured him to be. If I had to choose, I would do the same, leaving town was the best decision I ever had to make."

I move my arm back, noticing the small traces of her nails marked on my skin. My blood is boiling, my body is on fire, and the oxygen on my lungs is pressuring the cavities of my beating heart. I don't waste another second before I finish,

"But I belong here, and you, of all people, can't judge me for returning home after things got ugly. You should know how it feels, after all, you went through it too, didn't you?"

Page coughs beside me, the surprise in her face is evident, and I'm sure she is impressed about what I said to her best friend's face. Cassidy becomes rigid like rock, her expression is one of pure hatred and disgust, yet I couldn't care less. She's the one who needs to be extra careful before talking shit.

I am quick to leave the place, clouded with suffocating air, but my eyes don't miss the odd nod Jonathan gives me.

My job's done here.

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Before sunrise, Monday in Highland Bricklane feels a lot like a nostalgic cubicle, but if there's something I will never discharge is my longtime habit to have a great iced coffee in the late afternoon, though this time it feels different, in a good way.

"I wish I was in your class. I have Mrs. Sullivan as the practical arts professor and she's already given us a hell of a jigsaw to solve." I told Valerie, who sounds bored too.

"Oh be grateful. Her ex-husband is my art history teacher. I have 200 pages to read until Wednesday, I think I'm going to die." Ex-lovers, with the same melodic old fashioned historian charisma, but art teachers with different teaching methods. That's funny.

"Isn't it weird she still wears her wedding band?" I ask her.

"Now that I think about it..." Valerie laughs, taking a sip out of her iced tea. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Reaching for her black backpack, I see Val take out a newspaper, lending me it. "I noticed you haven't been too keen on reading the news, so I brought you this. I hope it helps."

"Uh, thanks." I say, reading the headline immediately.

BREAKING:

TOWN'S TOP STAR COLBER FOSTER FOUND DEAD IS HIS HOUSE - The viral Horror Party

how must we cope, heal and move on?

"You don't know much do you?"

"I've heard people talk on the street." I touch the newspaper so I can close it, preventing me from seeing disgusting bloody pictures. "I know he died from bleeding too much. Knife deep cuts and square purple bruises. It just feels weird." I tell Val, noticing how she agrees with me.

"Right, it screams pleasure. Someone was really dying to see him gone, I mean, uh, literally." She says, scratching the back of her head.

"They put his body inside the bed after he stopped breathing, what kind of psycho does that?"

"One of them did it, I'm fucking sure."

"About that... I need to tell you something about Rhys, Evren." Valerie puts down the glass, bitting one of her nails before opening her mouth. "He was there too, at the circle meeting. He came after the party started."

Oh shit, I had been so lost in thoughts to even have the chance to put the pieces together. Of course, Val told me he belonged to the circle, he had to be there that night too.

"How do you know that?"

"The cops are recruiting some scholarship students so they can find out more about the origin of the golden circle three years ago, since Colber's friends remained silent. Some of them are in my class, they said the cops let some information slide on purpose." Well, that makes sense.

"The cops are playing their cards. But they won't find out shit. If this case can be solved, it has to be done from the inside."

Marking my words, I move my tongue to taste the iced coffee once more. I bet my money the police is lost right now.

"You're right. But I didn't finish what I had to say... by the way you greeted Rhys early on today, I got under the impression that something skipped you. Rhys is innocent - by the time he reached Colber's house, he was already dead."

"It just so happens it was unfortunate for him to find Colber's body. They were best friends, Evren."

My mind clicked - yesterday, at the public library. The image of the man holding his daughter's hand while they both got out of the place. "But dad, they were students at my school and buddies." The girl said, after saying Colber's name out loud, making me look at her.

The troubling look on his eyes when he caressed her cheek and said "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. True friends don't do horrible things like that. True friends are adventure partners, honest and sometimes awfully harsh with one another but they cry and suffer alone when they lose someone they love."

"I...w-what? I don't get it." What she's talking about? I'm his best friend since forever.

"I told you, he was the exception. After you left, Brendan entered high school as a new student months later. The circle had already been formed but Colber got close to Rhys. He was a troublesome, orphan, poor kid with a miracle sports scholarship saving his life. Colber helped him make it to the team, and they were inseparable ever since. Eventually, he became famous too so it didn't take too long before he was added to the group."

"But for some freaking strange reason, you had no idea about anything of this. How? Colber protected you the most, how he never mentioned Rhys to you, not even once?"

My mouth wanted to open and the back of my voice pressured to make some sort of a sound but I was hopeless. Valerie was right. And the realization of it, pierced through my heart like I was being sliced into million pieces.

I feel hurt, but mostly, betrayed.

"I- I don't know."

"The weird thing is, he doesn't know about you too. You're complete strangers with a best friend in common. I've been thinking about it... That's got to be a reason why Colber never introduced you two."

My brain keeps accelerating more and more, my hands are nervously shaking on my legs, yet my lips are only able to ask one more thing.

"Val, does he know? About why I left?"

She watches me, worried. "I don't think so, if he knew he would have already exploded into your face. But it's only a matter of time until people talk about it again, now that you're back. Sooner or later you'll have to talk to Rhys, Evren."

"Whenever that is, I just hope he won't make a scene. But judging by the importance of the matter, I think Rhys will flip out when he finds out how close Colber was to you...

When he finds out about what Colber did to you."

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To be Continued

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I freaking loved to write this chapter- the bomb is about to explode!! What do you think Evren is talking about?

Love,