Seventeenth chapter

"What's up Liz? Have you become a geek too or what?" Bruce asked after the teacher left the classroom. I startled.

"Your IQ level is under the frog's ass so it would be better if you study or you will clean the toilet in the school." She said. I heard a loud squeak of chair and looked over. Bruce didn't sit on his chair. I looked at Liz's desk.

"Dude stop your girlfriend or…" He began pointing menacingly at the girl.

"Or what will happen?" Liz stood up and she put her hands on the desk. "I know your secret." She smiled. "So, if you want me not to tell anyone that. Leave. Her. Alone." She said the last three words one by one. I looked at them with opened mouth. What was going on here? They looked at each other for a while, but Bruce went back to his chair. I turned forward. Izzy looked at me blankly.

"What's up with you two?" She asked. I didn't look at her or respond.

"Where are you going?" Aaron asked.

"To the restroom if you allow." Liz said. Before she went out the door, she stopped, looked at me, signaling me with her head to follow her and she walked away. I stood up and walked after her. I felt Izzy looked at me frowned. Liz stood near the door and when she saw me, she headed for the restroom and I followed her. When I got in, she looked in every sink door and looked at me, but she didn't say anything.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I thought you want to thank me or something." She said.

"This sentence sounds familiar, as if I had said similar before." I smiled. She rolled her eyes.

"No matter if there is anything let me know right away." She said. I frowned.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"First of all, Bruce is an idiot and I could list. Lastly, I did it for myself." She said.

"For yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah. You know you are the princess and I realized it can also be an advantage." She whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't be silly! Did you think I did it for you?" She laughed and she went to the mirror and looked at herself.

I was so shocked by this that I went out of the toilet. I didn't want to stay here anymore but I can't do anything just go to the classroom and sat down angrily.

"What's wrong? What she said?" Izzy asked with concern. I shook my head. Liz appeared in a doorway.

"I don't like her." I said when she walked past our desk. I heard that she stopped for a moment, but she started walking again.

Izzy still asked me about our conversation during the following breaks. At lunch, Steven and AJ appeared who distracted me a bit, while they didn't even start asking about the case.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" I asked angrily.

"Calm down wildcat!" Steven raised his hands. "I didn't mean bad."

"I'm sorry!" I said and sighed.

After our lessons were over so we left the classroom.

"You look angry." Liz said in a parking after about for minutes later. I didn't say anything. "Something happened?" I was silent and looked seriously the pebbles. "If you look so gloomy no one will like you."

"Is that what you say?" I asked in a raised voice. She looked shocked. Alex's car appeared and we got in the car.

"How was your day?" Alex asked. Liz and I didn't say anything.

"Amanda?" He asked.

"Forget it." I said without looking at him.

"Liz?" She growled.

"Okay." He said slowly.

"I'll beat anyone just say who did it." Noel said.

"Nothing happened." I said.

"Well, ok." He said.

When we got home, everyone was spread out. I did the necessary homework and watched the TV. The dinner was very embarrassing especially that Liz was trying to make eye contact with me.

"Can I go back to the living room? I don't eat anymore." I said.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked.

"Yeah." I said. He nodded.

Jason didn't call me today, so I thought I wouldn't call him either if he is doing something important. At the evening I laid in the couch and I couldn't fall asleep because I was hungry. After a little hesitation I went to the kitchen. I almost have a heart attack when turning the lights and I saw Liz. I put my hands on my mouth. She sat on her chair and her head was on her arms. It seems she slept. I slowly approached the fridge and took the rest of my food in the microwave. It weird that I found it, but I decided to eat it. While the micro roared, I watched Liz to she woke up or not. She was sleeping despite the noise of the micro. After I took it out of the microwave, I sat in front of her without sound and started eating. I constantly watched her. Accidentally my fork struck the plate and she moved. She turned her head to the other side.

"No." She muttered. The fork stopped in my mouth and I watched her that she would like to say something else or not. "Don't do it! Stay there! It was my fault." She mumbled. She began to gasp for air. I quickly finished my food and put the plate in the sink. Liz can't stay here, so I tried to lift her somehow. She moved a little but didn't wake up. It would be hard enough to take her on the stairs without we fall down, so I took her into the living room and put her on the couch cautiously. I went back and turned off the lights in the kitchen. When I got back, I saw her shape was in the middle of the couch with her limbs spread apart like a starfish.

"Are you kidding me, right?" I whispered and sighed. I lift her up again and put her away.

"It is my fault. Stay there! Died." She mumbled again and her voice trailed off. I grabbed her face that was wet with tears.

"Shh! Nothing is your fault." I whispered until I wiped away her tears. Then she said nothing. I turned to my other side and I fall asleep.

In the morning I woke up to someone shaking me up. I opened my eyes and the first thing which I saw was Liz who is sleeping on my chest. Someone cleared his throat. I slowly turned my head to him and found myself facing an incomprehensible Alex. I lifted Liz's head away carefully and I sat the edge of the bed. Alex went out.

"Where is Liz?" Noel asked from Alex .

"In the living room." He said.

"I'm going to wake her up." Noel said devilishly. I got up and walked to the door.

"Good morning!" He said when he looked at me.

"Good morning!" I said and walked out. I didn't want to be here when Liz woke up. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Noel!" She shouted. He laughed. "How the hell did I get here?

"Don't ask me!" He said and I heard he walked past the bathroom. I heard that Liz stood up and she stop near the bathroom door. I took a deep breath and waited. I looked in the mirror the door. After a while I heard she is stepping fast and going up the stairs. I blew out the air.

Today nothing exciting happened until lunchtime. Liz didn't look at me or talk to me. Izzy and I were talking during the breaks. She told me about her brother get disciplinary because he wanted to climb out the window and she told me about her makeup routine too. At lunch break Valerie also appeared in the canteen.

"Hi guys." She said.

"Hi." We said in a same time.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing special and with you?" Izzy asked.

"A live dog had to be painted on a Drawing Study Group yesterday." She said.

"Did they let a dog in here?" Izzy asked.

"It was a chihuahua. It was quite cute until it started barking because Nick dropped his paintbrush towards the dog." Valerie said.

"Who is this Nick?" I asked. Valerie blushed.

"Just a guy in my group." She began to curl her curly hair with her finger. Izzy laughed.

"Just a guy? You mean the second handsome guy in the school, who is a friend of Aaron and has been buzzing in him for two years since he praised one of your paintings." She said.

"Izzy!" She whispered angrily. We laughed.

"Aren't you interested in the Drawing Study Group?" Izzy asked from me. I shook my head. "Tomorrow will be the Drama Club. In about two weeks we will perform the Romeo and Juliet."

"Really?" I asked with a wide grin. She nodded. "Who are the main characters?"

"Liz and Aaron." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Who would have thought?" Valerie asked poetically.

"What do you mean?" I asked frowned. She sighed.

"We perform a play four times each year. There were few plays in which Liz was not the protagonist and Aaron." Izzy said. I nodded.

"They must be too good." I said. Izzy shrugged. "Anyway, I love Romeo and Juliet and I can tell the whole short story." Izzy's eyes lit up. "You should come to the audition tomorrow. Liz's surrogate broke her left forearm. So, there is no one, who will jump into the role of Liz if something will happen with her."

"I don't know. It comes with a lot of responsibility. I don't think Liz want to see me there." I said sadly.

"I'll protect you! Liz can't bother you. She has nothing to do with it anyway." Izzy said with a smile. "Please!" She begged.

"Ok I will try." I said.

"Yes!" She shouted. Some students looked at us from a couple of tables, but as soon as they found out there was nothing interesting, they turned back and continued to eating.

I left the classroom after the lessons. I saw Liz were walking in the opposite direction with a couple of girls, so I went after her.

"Liz where are you going?" They are turned.

"We have a pom-pom workout." One of the girls said disdainfully and they are turned back and started walking again. Liz too.

"Who was she Liz?" The girl asked in a high voice.

"I don't know." She said. Then I saw that they went into a room. I looked after them shocked. I turned away and headed for the exit. Alex's car stopped just then, and I got in. Alex and Noel were still interested in my day, but I told them nothing noteworthy happened.

After we got home, I didn't wait for Jason to call me, so I called him.

"I'm working now. Tell me quickly." He said.

"She upset me." I said.

"Who?" He asked.

"Liz!" I said in a raised voice.

I told him what happened yesterday and today.

"Weird." He said. I heard someone in the background called Jason.

"I need to go. It's Paul. I'll call you later. I promise." He has already put it down. I threw my phone on the couch. I heard a car stopped. Liz also came. I sat down quickly to learn if she would come in, but she didn't come in. What did I really expect?

Jason called me in the evening as he promised.

"I'm here." He said.

"Hurrah." I said without enthusiasm.

"Don't be moody." He said.

"I can't change." I said.

"It's up to you." He said. I sighed.

"How could I change her?" I asked.

"A person cannot really be changed. Do you want to be good with her right?" He asked.

"Yes, but I don't know how." I said.

"I don't know what you want to spend the money on, but you can use a small part of it to buy her something." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"Maybe chocolate. The girls love chocolate." He said.

"It's sounds good. Thank you for your help." I said happily.

"Anytime." He said.

Then we didn't talk anymore. I hope the money will be here tomorrow although it should have been today because we will fail, and Noel will be sad. At dinner Liz behaved quite naturally, as if everything was fine. We both know this isn't true.

The next morning, I woke up to someone was shaking me, so I was looking at this person tiredly and I rubbed my eyes. Alex stood with a thick envelope in his left hand and looked at me questioningly. I guess the money arrived.