Free Chasing Rainbows by Linda Oaks Page B

as I headed up the steps, pushed open one of the double doors, and slipped inside. Only then did I allow myself to turn around and look through the door's slim glass panels out into the parking lot.
    A large crowd had gathered, and I couldn't see anything until they moved aside, allowing the security guards into the barrier they had formed around Chase and Chance. They were circling one another with their fists raised and already, they'd drawn blood. The evidence was smeared on both of their faces.
    "Good job, slut," Miley sneered, and I turned to find her and Mia standing behind me. "You couldn't be happy with just one of them, could you? No, you had to be a greedy little bitch."
    "You don't know what you're talking about," I replied hoarsely and gritted my teeth as I pushed past them. Running into the two of them made things a million times worse. I may have walked away, but their mocking laughter followed right behind me.
    "By the end of the day, Addie, everyone will know what a whore you really are!" Miley yelled after me. I hated her! I hated this school, and I hated Chase Logan!
    After I rounded the next corner, I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. As I leaned against the wall, silent tears streamed down my cheeks. I hated what I'd done. Even though it hadn't been my intention, everyone would think the worst. High school was good for that. It was the one place where every move you made was scrutinized like an intricate game of chess. Make the wrong move, even if it was unintentional, and the entire meaning of your existence went straight to hell. The bell rang, but for the moment, I chose to stay right where I was. Even though, I couldn't sit in the bathroom stall all day, I needed a few more minutes to pull myself together. It was one thing to have made the mistake of climbing onto that bike with the wrong brother, but it was a totally different story to have to walk into the classroom with everyone knowing my shame. It was one walk I wasn't prepared to take…not yet.
    "You in there?" A familiar voice asked, and then a slim, tanned hand with hot pink nails waved back at me from underneath the stall door. "Addie, I know that's you," Kara said. "Those red toenails and flip flops are a dead giveaway. You can't hide in here forever. Open up."
    I slid the lock from the door and pulled it open a tiny crack. "Aww, baby," Kara cooed when she saw me, sounding so pitiful, I started crying once again. She pushed open the door the rest of the way, stepped inside the stall, and wrapped her arms around me. "Shush," she whispered soothingly. "It's alright. No one was hurt too bad, but I think Chance may have broken Chase's nose again. Oh, and Chase busted Chance's lip. That's all. They're suspended for the rest of the week though. No biggie."
    She drew back and looked down at me with eyes that shone of both pity and love. Her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, and the bright red streaks ran along the side of her head like flames. Her teal eye shadow complemented the look and drew attention to the striking color of her blue eyes. Her lips were iced in her favorite, Goddess Pink.
    "It's not as bad as you think. After what I saw no one with any brains in their head will say a word to you about what happened. Chance was a maniac. They had to pull him off of Chase."
    She let me go, bent and grabbed a huge wad of toilet paper from the roll and shoved it at me. "Blow your nose. Dry your eyes. No more pity." she said with a gentle but firm smile.
    I did as she asked then she ordered me to the sink and held back my hair while I splashed water on my face. "Let's get to class. I'm sure we'll have detention together after school for being late. Brandon and I will give you a lift home. I'll be so glad to get my car back. Brandon's in an eighties phase and if I hear "Take on Me" one more time I just might rip my hair out."
    I laughed even though I didn't want to. She grabbed my hand, pulled me out of the bathroom and into the