"So, how's it going?"
Ethan had wandered into the party and met a whole group of his friends. They basically hung out, did the usual (no, not THAT usual, he didn't get drunk or high or anything), until�
"Hey, where's Rachel?" someone asked.
"She's at a reunion with her eighth grade class," he responded.
"Are you sure about that?" she countered.
"What are you trying to imply?"
She said, pointedly, "Look. I just wouldn't trust her if I were you. I mean, judging from her record, I would say that maybe she's� how do I put this nicely� playing you?"
This infuriated Ethan. "What the hell do you think you're talking about?"
"Look. She broke up with� whatever his face was to get with you. Rachel played him, basically. I'm just saying that she might just be a repeat offender, that's all."
Ethan approached the girl. "Listen to me. Rachel is not like that. She has never had the intention of breaking a guy's heart, let alone Jacob's. You of all people should know that."
She raised an eyebrow. "Then I guess you don't really know your girlfriend too well, do you?" With that, she stalked off.
It was silent in the room until Laurel, one of Ethan's (many) ex-girlfriends, approached him. "Ethan?"
"Laurel?"
"Yeah. Listen� whatever happens, I'll be here for you."
Ethan said nothing, just kind of brushed her off. "Rachel wouldn't do anything like that. She's my angel."
~*~
"Be careful, Rachel!"
"Keep in touch!"
"We miss you!"
"E-mail me!"
"Take care, okay?"
"Come visit us again soon!"
"Okay, I will, I miss you guys too, I won't forget, I'll be good and I'll be here again in no time!" Rachel answered all of them. The whole class laughed. "I am going to miss you guys so much," she told them.
"Oh, me too," Kaitlyn replied, wrapping her "so-called" cousin in a warm hug. Soon Angelika, Brooke, Mikaila, Lydia, Monica, Justin, Robert, Drew, Lukas, Tyler, Alex, Vincent, and Micah all did the same.
"We really miss you here, Rachel. The class just isn't the same without you," Heather commented.
That was their cue. As soon as Heather had said that, the whole class gathered around Rachel and Angelika said, "Rach, I know how hard things have been on you right now, so I talked the class into a surprise for you. I hope this'll be something to hold on to." She smiled and a familiar intro drifted into the room. Angelika sang first.
I'm still on your side�
Right after Angelika introduced the song, the whole class joined in.
You've found a place where you belong,
new friends who can do no wrong
That's what you believe
But who's gonna be there when you fall,
to build you up when you're feeling small,
give you love that you need?
Who will?
I will
When the whole world turns against you,
ain't no lie
Don't you know that
I will stand up for you,
no matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side (still on your side)
Anytime, day or night,
don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
Rachel smiled. "Oh, guys, thank you!" She started to hug all of them as they were singing. (The class of '99 was always known for their singing abilities. In fact, at their last concert, you could hear the guys more than the girls. Hehe.) And while she was hugging them, she started to sing along too, letting each of them know that she'd always be there.
You wanna run, you wanna break free
But what you want ain't what you need
Can't you see that I care?
I know I'm hard on you sometimes,
but when you're looking for the things you can't find
don't you know who'll be there?
Who will?
I will
When it's more than you can handle,
ain't no lie
Don't you know that
I will stand up for you,
no matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side (still on your side)
Anytime, day or night,
don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
I'll be there�
I'll be there when you need me
I won't let you go
There's nothing I won't do
I'll be there
I will stand up for you,
no matter what you're going through
(Don't you know that) I'm still on your side
Anytime, day or night,
don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side
As they finished up the song, all 26 of them (not the whole class was present), there was a sense of peace, of bonding, a camaraderie of sorts. This bond would be all Rachel had once she returned home.
I will still be around
when the others let you down
I'm still on your side
I'm still on your side�
I'm still on your side
~*~
Jacob sat down at his desk and tried to concentrate on his chemistry homework. The numbers and formulas were just a jumble on paper, just like the jumble of thoughts going around in his head. Figuring that he could tackle his homework later, he glanced to the letter lying on his desk, addressed to Rachel. It took him at least fourteen tries for him to write that yesterday. Jacob told her he would be okay, that he'd always be there for her. All he really wanted was for her to be happy. So why am I acting like it's the end of the world? Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling of sadness, of regret�
Jacob sighed angrily as Leah cranked up her CD player. Sighing, he got up and poked his head into his sister's room. "Leah, please, turn it down."
"But I think you might like this song, Jake. Listen."
I wrote a letter yesterday
I was trying to explain
Couldn't find the words to say
'cause you are so far away,
so far away
Jacob inhaled sharply. "You're right, Leah. Leave it on. But turn it down after the song's done, okay?"
"Sure thing, Jake." Jacob went back to his room, the words still echoing in his ears.
I wrote a letter yesterday
It's so hard for me to face
that it had to end this way
but my love will never change,
will never change
When I search my soul to find the truth
about the love we shared,
I wonder why you're no longer here
You can just walk away,
but I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you,
breathes for you, sings for you
and those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you
Without realizing it, a lone tear started to make its way down Jacob's cheek. He knew she never meant to hurt him, but� he couldn't forget how she looked the night of Mid-Winter, the lingering kiss she left him with, how pretty her smile was. Never before had a girl impacted him like this.
I've been talking in my sleep
about the way it used to be
Girl, I pray that you'll hear me
and that I'll see you in my dreams,
oh, in my dreams
Well, I can't forget the words you said
to move on with my life
And no matter what, I'll carry you inside
You can just walk away,
but I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you,
breathes for you, sings for you
and those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you
Sooner or later, you're gonna realize
that this kind of love happens once in your life
So open your eyes, girl, and see what we could be
Come back to me
"Rachel�" he whispered. "Come back� why did you have to leave me?" Suddenly, he slowly walked to the bathroom and opened the door, staring at his grief-stricken reflection. "I can't do this again. No."
But he did.
You can just walk away,
but I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you,
breathes for you, sings for you
and those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you
~*~
Ring!
Rachel cursed silently as she rummaged in her purse for her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Rach. Hey."
Rachel smiled. "Hey, Ethan. What's up?"
"Nothing much. What about you?"
"Um, I'm kinda driving right now, so it's not a good time."
"You're driving? Really? Where?"
"Home."
Ethan found this a little bit odd. "Rach, is there anyone else in the car with you?"
"No�" she answered, slowly.
"Oh, my God, Rachel! What do you think you're doing?"
"Coming home. Look, Ethan, I'm not that far away from home. I'm passing by school, okay? If you want I'll drive to your house just so that you know I'm okay."
"Okay. Do that. If I don't see you in ten minutes I'll start worrying."
"Okay. I'll be there in a few."
"Rachel?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever do that again. You know you're not supposed to drive without someone over the age of twenty-five in the car."
"Well my parents aren't here."
"So that gives you the right to just go out and do whatever you want? Rachel, please, it's dangerous out there. You could have been killed."
Rachel's voice toned down. "Ethan, I know. Look. As long as my parents don't know about it, it'll be okay."
"Rachel-" Ethan interrupted, exasperated.
"You didn't let me finish. I am sorry for scaring you like that. Look. I'm in front of your house. Let me park and I'll be right there."
"Okay. But we need to talk."
"Sure." Rachel pushed "End" on her phone as she parked her car. As she walked up his walkway, the door opened and Ethan stepped out. "Rachel." He closed the door and waited for her to reach him. When she did, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. "What-what is this for?" she asked.
"I missed you. Even though you weren't supposed to drive home by yourself."
"Ethan, look, I know it was stupid, but my parents decided to stay in Lacourth an extra night and I need to go to school tomorrow. I know I shouldn't have done it. Really, I am sorry."
"That's okay. I'm just glad that you're safe." He kissed Rachel's forehead and she smiled. "So did you have fun?" he asked.
"Yeah. I saw all of my friends and everything. What about you? Did you have fun at the party?"
"Well�" Ethan hesitated. He didn't want to tell Rachel about the rumor that had started, but at the same time, he didn't want her to find out from someone else. He decided not to tell her. "It was pretty uneventful, but I had fun. It was kind of boring without you though."
Rachel smiled. "Well, I'm glad you had fun." She looked at her watch and said, "I better get going. I have things to take care of at home."
Ethan couldn't help but wonder what she was going to do. She had said that no one was home� Ethan, no. You know she's not like that. "Okay. Hey, Rach?"
"Yeah?"
"Did anything� happen over in Lacourth?" He regretted asking, but he needed to know. That b*tch. How could she ever suggest that Rachel would be a player? Now she has me doubting her.
Rachel cocked her head. "Like what?"
Ethan shook his head. "Never mind."
Rachel shrugged. "Okay. 'Bye, Ethan. See you tomorrow." She gave him a hug, and then kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Rachel." He kissed her once more and then watched as she headed home. "God, how could anyone do that to her? She wouldn't do anything like that� would she?"
~*~
As Rachel walked into her English class, she noticed people start to whisper as soon as she entered the room. She decided to shake it off and went to her seat. But as the period went on (after announcements, a few snide comments from Mr. Stanton, and a huge debate about The Taming of the Shrew), Rachel noticed that a lot of people were staring at her and giving her bad looks. She locked eyes with Alyssa and Jeni, who were oblivious to this. They were wondering, too, as Nick, Ashley, Elijah, Patrick, and a few others continued to glare at Rachel.
This continued on for a few days, with Rachel becoming frustrated and lashing out at certain people (Stacey, for example), until one day, while she was in line for lunch, she overheard two girls talking.
"No, what happened?"
"Well, apparently, she got with this one dude at Mid-Winter, but dumped him two days after to go out with this other dude, and then, she dumped him to go out with this dude from her old school, I think it was her ex. So yeah, now she's all sleeping around and stuff, she's like a slut and everything."
"Omigod. Really? What's her name?"
"I don't know, but I think it was like Rachel or something."
Rachel, who was holding her wallet, dropped it, and as she fumbled to pick it up, asked, "Excuse me, but where did you hear that?"
"Oh, I heard it at a party I went to last weekend. There was this one girl, her name was Jane or something, and she kept telling everyone, even that one girl's boyfriend. And oh, man, did he get mad."
"Was his name Ethan?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, yeah, that's his name," the other girl pitched in. "He got all mad at her and stuff. It was pretty crazy."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." Rachel decided to get out of line. She didn't have much of an appetite anymore.
~*~
By the time she had reached her history class the next day, Rachel was furious. She didn't want to talk to anyone; the slightest thing would set her off. During history class, the person next to her kept bugging her during the test, asking Rachel to give him the answers. Finally, all the anger she'd been holding in exploded. "I told you, I'm not going to do it, so leave me alone!"
"Fine, trick," he replied.
"What did you call me?" Rachel demanded.
"I called you trick," he repeated.
That did it for Rachel. Instead of backhanding the guy and making him fall so that his head hit the desk and he went unconscious, which she wanted to do so badly, she calmly replied, "I am vehemently opposed to any kind of profanity, especially when used in a degrading manner to other people. I am not, in any way, a harlot, a shrew, a 'slut,'" here, Rachel made the quote sign with her fingers, "or whatever you choose to call it. I am a honorable, decent, prudent young woman, and though I know I may come off as egotistical, I do not engage in any kind of activity which is inappropriate for people of our generation." And then, just because she couldn't help it, she slapped him.
The look on the class' face was priceless. Mr. Cavanaugh started to applaud. "Very well worded, Rachel."
"You go, girl!" Evelyn cried out.
Jacob, who sat behind her, patted her on the back and said, "If you hadn't done anything worse, I would have beaten up that guy."
"Thanks," Rachel replied. "But please know that whatever you hear about me is not true. I would never do anything like that."
"I know, Rachel, I know," Jacob said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "If ever there was someone who could confirm that rumor, it would be me. But I assure you, Rachel hasn't done anything bad."
Then he whispered, "If ever you need me, Rach, I'm still on your side."
Rachel didn't know how much she would need that.
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