Chapter 9

When I'm finished with my shower I quickly blow dry my hair before plugging up my curling iron. If I'm forced to hide my bruise I might as well have a little fun with it. I pull out a tube of concealer and dab some on my bruise before spreading it over the section until it's covered. You can still see the slight discoloration but that's only if you stare at it for a certain amount of time. I begin to curl my hair in tight spirals so that when I brush them out they're softer but still defined. - Forty-Five minutes later I finally finish curling my hair, I unplug the curling iron before I lightly brush my curls together and spray hairspray over them. When I walk out of the bathroom I see Charlotte leaning against my desk while scrolling through Instagram. While she's not paying attention I subtly check out her outfit. She's wearing a white cropped tee with black skinny jeans that have a slit in the knees. She has an unbuttoned red and black flannel covering the shirt and a pair of red and black converse. Her hair is in a cute messy bun. Wow, she can pull off any outfit. "Aspen? Is that you?" I hear Charlotte ask in a tone of disbelief as her eyes check me out "Like what you see?" I joke with a small laugh which causes her Adams apple to bob up and down "Well, I'm going to get dressed. I promise I won't be long" I say which causes her nose and the tips of her ears to turn red as she looks down at her feet I adjust the short white towel that's wrapped around my body before I walk into my closet and shut the door. She was acting weird. Maybe she's catching something too. For my outfit I decide on a white ruffled tank top and a pair of denim ripped jeans. I chose a pair of white low cut converse and gold hoop earrings. When I'm finished getting dressed I open my closet door and walk towards my nightstand so that I can put on my glasses. "I thought you had contacts" Charlotte says from behind me which causes me to turn around and face her "No, Why? Should I get some?" I ask since I've been thinking of buying some for awhile now but never went through with it since I'm afraid of what Maddie will do She might accuse me of trying to fit into her social group and continue to beat me up. "You look good in everything, so that's your choice" she says with a smile which causes me to blush and look down. "Let's go downstairs for breakfast" I say before I walk out of my room and down towards the kitchen where I see my mom preparing omelettes "Oh my goodness, that smells so good" I say as I sit on a barstool with Charlotte following not that far behind My mom laughs at me before greeting Charlotte and placing down two plates that have the most aesthetically pleasing omelettes on them. As soon as the bite of the omelette touches my tastebuds I immediately moan in delight. "That good, huh?" My mom says jokingly which causes Charlotte to smirk "Mom" I say with wide eyes and blushing cheeks. As I'm finishing my breakfast my phone goes off alerting me of a text message. I look down at my screen which causes my stomach to instantly drop when I see the message. Maddie- You better watch your back today Seriously?! She has to threaten me in the morning too?! "Who's that?" Charlotte asks as she tries to take a look at my phone but I quickly turn it off before she can "It's just my phone carrier sending me one of those random texts" I say with a nervous laugh before I get up and place my plate in the kitchen sink I feel someone's eyes on me as I rinse my plate. When I turn around I see Charlotte looking at me with a look of suspicion. I quickly look away before she can read my emotions. She's always been able to read me like an open book. "If we don't leave now then we'll be late," I say as I walk to my mom and give her a quick hug "love you, mom" I say before I grab Charlotte's wrist and drag her towards her car. I have a feeling that today is going to be a long day. As soon as Charlotte and I stepped into the school I got a weird feeling in my stomach. Instead of being glared at, people actually smiled at me and waved. Weird. "Aspen? Is that you?" I hear Kayden ask as I walk into first period. I quickly sit beside him which makes Charlotte groan in annoyance before she plops down in the seat on my left. "Do you know why everyone is acting so..." I say as my voice trails off since I'm trying to find the right word "Weird?" He asks which causes me to nod my head "Yeah. You notice it too?" I ask which causes him to nod his head "Who hasn't, There's a rumor going around that you're trying to fit in" he says with a sad tone which causes me to place my face in my hands and groan This is what I was afraid of. It's like our school is afraid of change. "Obviously most of the students love it," he says in a cheerier tone "Then there's Maddie" he says in annoyance which causes me to laugh as I look at him "I wouldn't worry about her, she'll be too busy flirting with Charlotte" I say with a hopeful voice and a wave of my hand "What about yesterday when she found something else to do" he whispers as he points to the cheek I got slapped on. I just look down at my lap and hope that Charlotte didn't hear that. If she did she wouldn't even hesitate to bring it up later.