Paying Attention

CHAPTER NINE


While driving to school with Mariah, I hear here break her conversation with herself and turn to me and say, "So do you want to know why I've been hanging out with you and your friends more lately?"

"Only if you want to tell me."

"Well I want to tell you because I hate not telling anyone and it's driving me crazy... So last week Rachel, you remember Rachel, right? So anyways, she saw me with Austin and she likes Austin I guess. I didn't know this. So she comes up to me after History in the hallway and say's to me, 'Stay away from my boyfriend Mariah!'

"And I said, 'What are you talking about?'

"And she was like, 'You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm with Austin and you just think that you can jump right in and think, oh just because I'm pretty, I can get whatever guy I want. Well you can't!'"

I can see the beginning's of tears in Mariah's eyes, but she continues on. "I thought that he liked me. I had never seen or heard of them being together. I thought that he was MY guy. But I guess not. So in the end I found out that Austin was cheating on Rachel with me, and so I ended up being the other girl without knowing or wanting to be. And now because of this, everyone hates me. I've lost ALL of my friends because they think that I did it all on purpose just to spite Rachel, but I didn't! I was just going after a guy who I thought liked me, but turns out he didn't." Now that she's finished saying all of that she lets it all go.

"It just hurts!"

And while she cry's, I part the car in one of the spaces, and lean over to give her a big hug. "Mariah, no one hates you. Your friends are obviously not very good friends if they just abandon you like that without getting the whole story. And you can always hang out with me and my friends whenever you want." Man, I really feel like mom right now. This is a little weird, but I know that since I am the sister, I should do whatever I can to reassure her, and let her know that people have her back. "That Austin guy is just a douche bag. You deserve way better than him."

And while she cry's, she whispers, "Thanks." And then we get out and walk to the school to go to our classes.

***

When walking down the hall I see Rachel walking with her friends. I can't help it, but I give them all, the dirtiest look ever. How could they just ditch my sister? Jerks.

"Hey Sam." Rachel smiles at me.

I force a smile and say sarcastically, "Oh. Hi. I haven't seen you in a while it seems. Why's that?"

And then her smile stays ever so calm as she say's, "Oh, I don't know! We should totally hang out sometime!"

"Yeah, because I hope that there's nothing going on between you and Mariah. Because that would be really STUPID if there was. Wouldn't it?"

Now she realizes that I know, and her smile disappears, and she simply say's, "Yeah."