Mr. Gish carried a desk over his head and set it down next to Kris's, "There you go." He said, smiling at Jennifer, then at Kris. The two girls stuck closely together after their first meeting in the washroom and Mr. Gish decided it would be best for the two of them to sit side by side. It was almost as if the teacher knew something that they didn't. After school was over, Jennifer followed Kris closely as she showed her new friend around the school. After a quick tour they returned to their class to gather their jackets and shoes before leaving the school. "Ummm... do you live nearby?" Jenn finally got up the strength to ask. She had not said much of a word all day long. She simply sat at her desk with her arms crossed over her stomach and her eyes low. Kris grabbed her jacket, "Only a few blocks away." She replied, then started to look for the cubby hole where her outdoor shoes were kept, "I like to walk around before going home." Anything to delay facing the fury of her mother, because she knew by now the school would have called to tell her about Kris's "outbursts". Kris dropped her shoes to the ground and pulled off her indoor shoes. "Oh," Jenn grabbed her own shoes, "My mom doesn't like me being late. She worries a lot." "My mother could not care if I was dead." Kris said bluntly, "Sometimes I wish I was..." She stopped herself to late, "I mean..." Kris tried to recover herself. "I know what you mean." Jenn looked out the door. Kris stepped into her shoes, "You do?" She was now curious. Jenn turned to Kris and forced herself to smile, "Can I walk with you for a bit?" She asked. Kris gave the girl an odd look, "I guess... I'm not going anywhere special." She said grabbing her school bag. "That is alright." Jenn said still smiling. The two girls pushed through the door out into the blazing sun. They squinted against the glare. "Hey Kris!!!" Tanya came running across the tarmac (a strip of asphalt that was laid out between the west exit of the school and a string of portables.) She was dressed in a green t-shirt and skirt with her hair cleanly cut short, "Where have you been?" She asked looking from Kris to Jenn, "Who's the new girl?" She nodded towards Jenn. Kris nervously ran a hand through her hair, "This is Jenn." She said, "Sorry about lunch... I just... wanted to be alone." She lowered her head. Tanya had been her closest friend since she moved to the area two years ago. Usually Kris spent recess and lunch with the girl, however today she wanted to be along and then Jenn showed up. She didn't know how to tell her friend. Tanya eyes Kris closely, "Is that true?" Kris looked at the ground, "I..." She hated lying to Tanya like that, but the girl tended to get jealous when other girls showed any interest in her. Everyone knew that Tanya, as did a few other girls in school, had a huge crush on Kris. Tanya turned her attention on Jennifer, "So you are Jenn. When did you move to Rose Vil?" She inquired, "What do you think of Kris?" "Tanya leave her alone." Kris said walking away from the girl, "She is not like that." "How can you be sure?" Tanya blocked Jenn from following Kris, "Maybe she has not found out all about you yet?" Kris spun around and slammed Tanya against the brick wall, "Will you shut up!?!" She snarled. She sometimes wished that Tanya would keep her big mouth shut. Besides Tanya only a few others knew about Kris's budding interest in girls. Only Tanya seemed to truly understand which is why she told the girl, but now she was beginning to regret it. "Why did you lie to me then?" Tanya asked with hurt in her eyes, "I thought we were close." Kris let go of her friend, "We are... I'm sorry." Kris looked around to see that Jenn was intensely watching the two girls causing Kris to step back from Tanya. She turned back to her friend, "I was just showing Jennifer around the school, alright. I knew you would take it the wrong way... sorry I lied to you." Tanya looked down as she brushed her shirt off, "I'm sorry..." She turned and ran away. "Tanya wait!" Kris called out. She started to run then remembered Jenn and turned to her, "I'll be just one second." She darted after her friend without waiting for Jennifer's reply. Between the two friends Kris was the faster and had been part of track and gymnastics for years now. Kris saw her friend running across the front lawn towards the sidewalk. Kris ran along the side of the school. Jumping a small hedge and landed on the sidewalk that led from the street to the main doors. It didn't take her long to intercept Tanya, "Will you stop!" Kris yelled as she grabbed the girl by the arm. When she turned Tanya around the girl was frantically wiping away tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry." Tanya said through the tears, "I didn't mean to... I didn't..." Kris rubbed the back of her neck. She hated when this happened. Why did girl's have to take an interest in her when she hated herself so much. She wished there was a way around all of this. She sat down on a rail that ran along the front of the schools property, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied." "I.. I..." Tanya fell to her knees and grabbed at the sleeve of Kris's jacket, "I'm so confused. I don't know why I feel this way. You hate me, don't you?" "No," Kris held her friend, "I don't hate you. I just..." She had to think for a moment, "I just don't feel the same way..." The truth was she liked Tanya. A lot. Just not in the same way as she did for other girls. Kris saw Tanya more as a close friend she could pal around with. Not the type of girl she would fall in love with. She looked over her shoulder to see Jenn was standing at the corner of the school watching them. Kris turned back to Tanya. She didn't understand falling in love, but she thought she was starting to understand a little more. She stood up and pulled her friend to her feet, "I don't hate you. How could I hate my best friend?" She asked with a smile. "Am I really your best friend?" Tanya said letting herself be pulled to her feet. "Silly," Kris shook her head, "We have been friends since grade two. Of course you are my best friend." Tanya forced herself to smile, "I'm sorry... I don't know what happened." She wiped the last remaining tears away. "I'll see you at recess tomorrow, for sure, alright?" Kris asked giving the girl a warm smile. Tanya forced herself to smile back, "Okay." She then turned and walked away from Kris. Kris watched her friend cross the street before turning around to see Jennifer was still waiting where Kris had left her. She quickly ran back to Jenn, who was playing with the hem of her dress. "Is your friend okay?" Jenn asked wide eyed in curiosity. "Tanya will be fine." Kris took one last look over her shoulder. She could see Tanya far in the distance as she disappeared around a corner, 'I hope she will.' Kris thought to herself, than turned around and started across the tarmac. Jenn followed closely behind her friend, "Are you okay?" She asked with a note of concern in her voice. "I'll live... I always do..." Kris said with a sigh. She cut between two portables across a small field until she reached a sidewalk that cut along behind a row of houses. Kris would spend hours treading the many paths that spider web around the neighborhood. She would keep her eyes on her feet and just watch as the pavement rolled along under her. She was told the paths existed so kids could get to school easily without having to walk around all the houses. She didn't really care about the reason for their existence only that they gave her something interesting to do in order to stay away from home. Jenn continued to keep pace with Kris. Not uttering so much as a word. Occasionally Kris would find herself looking up at the girl. She could not find her voice to talk, so she simply stared wondering why this girl would follow her. It was like something just stole her ability to speak. Jenn didn't seem to mind the silence. She treaded on beside her new friend whilst watching the scenery pass by. Kris suddenly realized that she didn't even know which way this girl lived or if she was leading her in the entirely wrong direction, "W..." Kris tried to force herself to talk "Where do you live?" She finally managed to stutter. "Wauls Court." Jenn said not taking her eyes off the many trees that surrounded the paths. "Wauls?" Kris blinked, "That is only two blocks from my place." Kris cheered inside at her fortune. "Really?" Jenn exclaimed excited by the idea of living so close to her new friend, "That is great." "Yeah." Kris said, a tiny smile escaped the corner of her mouth. Things seemed to be looking up for her for once. As she raised her head higher she noticed the path divided and she knew that this would be the point Jenn would be departing her side, "This is your turn." She said half heartedly. "It is?" Jenn looked around and noticed that they had come upon a long road. Not far away she recognized the entrance to her street. She turned around and blinked at the path, "I didn't know you could get to school this way." She said in astonishment. "Yeah," Kris replied looking back at the ground, "The paths can take you anywhere." She shyly looked at the girl, "I can show you a few of the short cuts sometime. If you like.." She trailed off shyly. "Would you?" Jenn clapped her hands together, "That would be great." She did a little hop in the direction of her home, "I'll see you at school tomorrow, kay?" "Sure." Kris gave the girl a small wave. "See you Kris!" Jenn waved back, than turned and ran towards her street. Kris stood very still as she watched Jenn bounce across the street. Kris could feel her heart pounding at the way the girl's long hair bounced along behind her. Jenn turned around once more to wave again before disappearing down the road. Kris took a long deep breath and told her heart to slow down. It didn't seem to work. The more she tried to stop it the more she though of the reasons why her heart was acting that way. The tiny smile broke out into a grin and she ran along the path towards her home. Before long the girl entered a small complex of two floor houses all set together in groups of six, three on either side of the other. Out front of each house one could see a small fenced off yards. Kris circled around the first block on the far corner. Until she reached the back door of her house where she carefully pulled her key out of her pocket and warily inserted the key in the door. She took a deep breath before turning the key and letting herself into the small house. At first Kris did not enter the building. Instead she just stood perfectly still and listened to the sounds from within it's walls. Just as she was about to step beyond the threshold a voice called out from the bawls of the house. "Kris is that you?" Her mothers voice echoed from the kitchen which was to the right of the door she was now closing. "Yes mom." Kris spoke softly. Almost afraid to let her voice be heard. Her mother came around the corner from the kitchen. The woman was short and very thin with long straight bleach blonde hair that ran down her entire back. Her face was wrinkled from stress lines and her eye had a deep set quality to them. She wore a pair of tight jeans and a brown shirt that showed how thin the woman was. A beer mug was in hand, which she was currently in the process of drying with a blue striped hand towel, "How was school honey?" Her mother asked cheerfully. This was always a tricky question. Kris never knew exactly how to answer for her mother always told her she never wanted to hear about Kris crying in school and yet she also told her never to lie. So Kris just stood like a deer in headlights. Her mind reeling over the question and the many answers she could give. She could feel her hand begin to betray her so she quickly hide them behind her back, "It was alright." She finally managed to voice. Almost the moment she said the words she wished she could take them back. Her mother's eyes never left her's. They felt like they were burrowing into Kris's soul. "Is that so?" The woman slowly put the mug down on the counter and set the table cloth next to it, "That is not what I heard from your principal." Kris began to back up. She was almost positive none of the other teachers had seen her break down and was confident that Mr. Gish would not have told on her, "I... I just..." How did her mother always seem to know when she slipped up. Kris tried to find a way to escape, however knew it was already to late. "So are you telling me that you lied to me?" Kris could hear the strain in her mothers voice. It was like the woman was trying to restrain herself, "I try so hard to give you everything you need and you always have to be so difficult." Her mother was now grinding her teeth and clenching her fist on the counter. "Bu-" Kris was about to protest when her mother suddenly threw the mug against the wall over Kris's head with such force that it made a hole in the drywall before toppling to the ground and shattering. Kris cringed against the sound of the glass. "What is wrong with you?" Her mother hissed as she approached the girl, "You are no longer a child. Why do you have to keep giving me so many problems?" The woman's voice rose with each question causing Kris to cringe further and further against the wall, "All I ask for is a normal child. Lord why couldn't you have given me that?" "I'm sorry..." Kris whispered. "Your sorry?" Her mother closed in on her, "Your sorry?" She struck out at the child and hit her across the cheek, "You should have thought about that before making a fool out of me. I'm tired of moving all the time so this is going to have to stop. Understood!" She emphasized her statement by knocking Kris's head into the wall. She than grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her to her feet, "You are coming with me." She shook Kris as she dragged her down the hall than up the stairs to her room. As they reached the top of the stairs Kris's little sister stepped out of her room. Even though the girl was two years Kris's younger she looked almost Kris's age. She had long blonde hair, just like her mother, and wore small pink rimmed glasses. She blinked at the couple as they approached her, "Mommy are you alright?" She asked then looked down at Kris, who was trying hard to stand properly, "Is Kris in trouble?" She inquired with her big green eyes. "Get back in your room, Rebecca." Her mother commanded, "Do your homework." The girl didn't wait to be told a second time, "Okay." She said turning around and slowly closing her door again. She stopped for a moment to take one last look at her older sister. The two girls exchanged a knowing glance. Kris nodded at her sister and gave the girl a weak smile before seeing the girl close her door. Their mother opened the door to Kris's room and tossed her to the ground. It was a small room with only a single bed, a tiny dresser and a desk with a overhead lamp. The woman grabbed the desk chair and pulled it out, than seized the girl by the arm and dropped her in the chair. She grabbed a pad of paper off of one of the desk shelves and a pencil. "I want you to write 'I will never cry again' five, no make it, eight thousand times." She slammed the pencil down on the pad and pushed Kris's head down over the desk, "and I don't want to see you cheating or it will be ten thousand." She let go of the girl and stormed out of the room slamming the door behind her. Kris stared at the paper in front of her. She picked up the pencil and set the tip on the paper when she hear her mothers voice ring out inside of her head, "Never EVER lie." Kris felt her hand begin to tremble. How could she possibly write something that she knew would be a lie? She couldn't just stop crying when she wasn't even aware of what caused her to cry in the first place. Her head began to hurt. A tear fell onto the paper. Followed closely by another and another. Kris buried her hands in her face and let out a tired sob. ******* To be Continued....
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