untold secrets
chapter 4
I hate you
For making me love you
And for everything
You did to me
Afterwards…
I had my iPod cranked up at full volume, blasting in my ears. I didn't care if I busted my eardrums. I wouldn't have to listen to Kora's mocking voice anymore. I hated her, but at the moment I hated Liam even more. It was his fault for what she said to me.
Liam wasn't really helping himself right now. He kept tapping me. I was trying to ignore him, but in a minute he wasn't going to have face anymore. He was just lucky I hadn't told Mom and Dad what he did yet.
He finally ripped my ear buds out of my ears.
"What the hell!" I yelled at him.
"Cailey," my mom said calmly. "We asked him to get your attention. You had your music so loud that you couldn't hear us."
"I wasn't trying to drown you out," I said in a monotone voice. Then accusingly towards Liam I said, "I was trying to drown him out. If you really want my attention, he is notthe way to get it."
"I said I'm sor—," Liam started to say, but I cut him off.
"If you were really sorry then you wouldn't have done it in the first place! Of all the people in the world, you picked her!"
"Cailey," my dad said, in a way that told me to apologize or be grounded. I did, but made sure they knew I didn't mean it.
"What did you want anyway?" I asked.
"We just wanted you to turn your music down," my mom stated. "You're going to kill your ears."
That was the point, I said internally.
The rest of the drive was silent. Mom and Dad had picked us up ten minutes after school got out and hit the highway. We were on our way to Boston for Marissa's wedding. We had to get there by five for the rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow was the wedding and the Untold Secrets concert that everyone would be going to but me. No thanks to Kora for not letting me forget.
The past week had been torture. Apparently, Carlin and Rachel weren't the only ones going to the concert. Carlin and Rachel knew not to talk about it by now. However, everyone else didn't. Walking down the halls in between classes, in class, at lunch, everywhere, people were talking about what to wear, where to meet before the concert, their favorite songs by Untold Secrets, etcetera. I tried to drown out their words by listening to my iPod, but of course every other song on it is by Untold Secrets, so that didn't help. It seemed that no matter what I did, I was stuck.
The worst was today, after school got out.
Rachel, Carlin, Jason, and I were standing around, just talking, but not about the concert, thank God. Kora was getting into her car (with Liam for some reason) when she saw us. She got back out and came over to us, with Liam on her tail.
"Hey, guys," she said, in a fake way. Then, directly at me, she said, "Cailey."
Was it just me, or did something black just flicker in her eye? I knew her gears were turning. Another battle in this war was about to go down. I had to prepare myself because she could have anything. Guns, gas, or mines.
"So, are you guys going to the concert tomorrow?" Nope. She was playing with grenades. I better put up my shields fast.
Carlin and Rachel nodded. I didn't. General OMG-I-Love-Myself noticed.
"What's that, Cailey? You didn't nod." The tone in her voice told me that something big was coming, a surprise-attack. "Aren't you going? Oh wait, you can't! You have to go to Boston to watch your cousin get married! And you don't even like her!"
BOOM! Who knew she would have a nuclear bomb? I may have just lost the war.
I held my ground, but it wouldn't last long. I had to get out of there fast.
Suddenly, I looked over at Liam. His arm was around Kora's waist. Anger was boiling inside me. They were dating?! And even worse he had told her everything about why I couldn't go to the concert. Maybe he hadn't just told her about the concert! How much else did she know?
I didn't know what to do. If I ran away, Kora would win. If I stayed, who knew what else she would say? I just couldn't win this battle.
Luckily, Rachel saved me.
"Cailey don't you have to wait for your parents? You know way over there?"
"Um, yeah, I, uh, do have to go, uh, wait for them." The words barley stumbled out.
"Well, if you have to," Kora said sarcastically. "I mean, we were having such a nice little talk."
She beamed. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of totally embarrassing me. If I was going to lose, then I was going to lose in style.
"Yeah, Kora, I do have to." Off to good start. "My cousin is getting married. I don't care how much she hates me. She's my cousin and I'm going to support her on a special day. That's what family does for each other." The last sentence was more for Liam than Kora, but she got the picture. "Like you said, nice talk. Bye."