12 Commencing Step 2

Freya's Prov.

"So that is how I meet Lacey Bennett..." my voice trailed to a softer tone, "And how I ended up getting food spilled on me."

The corner of my eye focused unto my mother to witness her reaction. A wide smile, filling her lips from each side, consumed her. Her reaction created a lump in my stomach that dropped abruptly.

"That's great news honey!" her thrilled voice shot into car, "Finally. You can ditch those other people and get some actual friends."

Though it should've brought easy unto me that my mother would be so happy, it hadn't. Maybe because I acknowledged she had been excited for all the wrong reasons. I slumped into the car seat whilst drawing my attention to my side window. We had an agreement that once I built new friendships, I'd allow my old ones with my friends to vanish. It hadn't mattered much since she hadn't held her end of the bargain, and I would rebel by slipping out the house to meet them. Yet, a sadness lingered unto recalling it.

All those friends had done was accept and support me.

"So..." my mom chipped in once again, "I think you should invite Lacey over," she rose her eyebrow unto me, "It'd be healthy for your friendship to hang out outside of school."

I nodded my head in agreement, feeling rather reluctant. I hadn't been in the mood to appease her with false sincerity or enthusiasm. Maybe she had noticed it. It could have been why she pressed to inviting her over to break our silence. Or maybe she hadn't. At that moment in time, I hadn't really cared less what she observed from me.

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Lacey's Prov.

Earlier

I sighed deeply as I witnessed Freya travel along the halls alone. It would have been better for me to accompany her, but I didn't press. My gut told me she had needed a little bit of time to herself. I scuffed as the notion remained lingering in my mind. To be frank, I never would take into account if a person rather me not with them. I simply tagged along side them, whether they had agreed to my nagging or not.

It hadn't been because I meant to be rude, but the opposite. I did this because usually my intuition would be right.

"Lacey!" a voice calling my name echoed through the hall. Curious, I shifted my eyes over my shoulder to find the source. My vision caught unto the flickering short wave of a hand, that hand had been attached to a teenage boy with slicked black hair. He smugly locked unto my eyes.

A sarcastic, halfheartedly smile slipped unto my lips. I redirected my vision to forward of me without halting in my steps. A irritated noise flicked into the atmosphere. Footsteps came at a moderately quicken pace towards me. A tug captured my arm, causing me to stop in my tracks. I rolled my eyes as I turned to face O'Conner.

"You're becoming more and more crabby lately," he stated whilst observing my expression suspiciously, "How'd it go?"

I sighed momentary as my arm yanked itself through O'Conner's grip. "Fine," I mumbled, then met his eyes, "I just don't approve of your 'methods'."

"Really? That's all?" he chuckled as his head swayed side to side, "Are you going soft on me Bennett? You hardly would flick an eye to this before."

Unfortunately, O'Conner had been right in stating that. Our mutual pact in his scheming all began freshman year in a plot seeking to destroy a guy we equally despised. The guy had been an asshole, and very much deserved each ounce of pain we sought unto him. Yet, there had been bystanders and others who were harmed that may have not needed to be. To Jackson and I, it justified itself as a means to an end.

My head shuffled left and right delicately. "I know Jackson," I breathed, "Maybe Freya's different. After all, didn't you want to 'make her yours'? I don't see how humiliating her helps that."

Jackson released an aggravated grumble from his lips. He swung his hand into the strands of his hair as if he had been under distress. An internal stun gripped unto me as I observed him in an unseen state. I never had witnessed Jackson under pressure.

"Look Lacey," he snapped.

Two breaths flowed his mouth as he paused, as he seemed to think better upon speaking. After releasing them, his strained posture dissipated. "It worked," his tone fell into a more relaxed manner, "Didn't it? Freya trusts you now. You were there for her, and would've been regardless right? Whether it was a ploy by me or some horrible occurrence."

I could tell Jackson had been exerting himself, as he spoke, in an attempt to choose the correct words. His words stressed themselves upon being borderline desperate; they sought out understanding.

I nodded my head. "It did Jackson," I found myself reassuring him, "And I guess..." I paused as I scanned over the halls, "I can move on to step 2 now. And it's thanks to you."

Jackson nodded his head in more than one stroke, pausing in between for lengthy moments. His eyes concentrated. "Good," he spoke. His hand tumbled out from the roots of his hair as he laid his eyes back into mine, recollecting his focus. "What is step two?"

A sly smile slipped its way into my lips. "What you asked me to do from the beginning. I have trust, now I just need to know her."