After accepting the confession, Claire went back to her cla.s.s as if nothing had happened. She sat down next to Simon and ate her lunch with a smile on her face. Speaking to her friend as if the previous conversation never happened.

"So, what were we talking about?"

Claire and Simon continued as normal until the next day when the evitable rumours started spreading.

"I hear you have a boyfriend," Simon said as Claire sat down one day.

"Oh?" She replied. "Y-yeah, I do…"

They both sat next to each other unable to continue the conversation. Simon sat playing with his thumbs whilst Claire antic.i.p.ated the conversation to be carried on.

"W-what do you think about him?" Simon said hoping that was a normal thing to say.

"He's nice," Claire said as she had nothing else to mention. "He's shy, but it's cute..."

"I see…" Simon said.

"Yeah…"

The day continued with that being the extent of their conversation. Throughout the day Claire hung out with her new boyfriend and spoke to Simon less and less as the days carried on. Eventually, her new boyfriend replaced Simon who eventually moved on with his life and didn't think about Claire. He tried several times to talk to Claire but she never seemed happy, she would reply with one or two-word answers. Until one day where Simon was pulled to the side by Claire's boyfriend.

"You need to stop talking to her," he said to Simon who couldn't make eye contact.

"S-sorry... She's my friend…"

"No, she's not. You'll stop talking to my girlfriend. She doesn't want to be friends with you."

"Sorry…"

From that day, Simon and Claire stopped speaking to each other. From Claire's view, Simon gave up on her for not trying, but from his view, he was forced to leave her alone. Claire and Simon both acted cold to each other and only spoke when they had to. Eventually, when their seats changed in cla.s.s they were put at opposite ends and the only way they would have had to speak to each other was lost.

# # #

One day, after school at Claire's boyfriend's house. The two of them sat on his bed talking to one another. They sat not like a couple would and seemed cautious of each other and getting on with their own activities.

"Simon is strange," Claire's boyfriend said. "He doesn't speak to anyone."

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"Yeah…" Claire responded as she had to. "He is strange."

"Why did you hang out with him?"

"It's a long story..."

"Hmmm? Anyway." The boyfriend said. "Why don't we do something?" He hugged Claire from behind who couldn't move, like a boa constrictor around her neck she was trapped with it whispering into her ear, trying to keep her from leaving.

"Who needs him…" He said. "I'm your boyfriend."

Claire didn't react to the boy that moved his hands up and down her body. Her eyes as blank as the cloudy night sky.

"Sorry…" Claire said standing up and pus.h.i.+ng the boy off her. "I don't feel well. I'm going home."

"Come on… Let's have some fun. That'll cheer you up."

"No…" Claire said aware that she wasn't going to get her way. "I'll be going."

The boy jumped on Claire but didn't use any force. He tried to talk his way to get what he wanted. Too afraid to use any form of violence.

"I'm leaving… Sorry…" Claire pushed the boy onto his bed and ran out the door back to her house on the coldest night of the year. Her tears froze her face and but melted when she continued to cry in the bath that night.

The rumours at the school spread even more. Rumours that they had broken up but that Claire tried to force him to do what she wanted. Claire didn't deny any of them. Even Simon, who knew they would never be true, didn't deny the rumours. The two of them had separated and they wouldn't be able to fix it easily.

Claire attempted to try and speak to Simon again even after they broke up, but Claire's ex never stopped speaking to Simon. He kept taunting Simon and threatening him.

"If you speak to her… I'll expose her for what she is."

Simon didn't believe it at first. But to say that the possibility was non-existent was a lie. There was always the chance of it being true and that the worst would happen if they spoke. Simon, who was stuck inside the snake pit, being watched by the leader who disguised themselves as a normal student, for the rest of his secondary school life. Couldn't speak to his old best friend. His hatred that he felt towards the boy was turned onto himself, for believing that the rumours could be true and betraying his best friend.

# # #

With the distance now between them, a few years would pa.s.s before Claire encountered something that she would call eventful. Walking around the town, shopping for whatever she could find, she encountered a small girl whose voice seemed familiar to her.

"Sorry…" The voice said defeated at the conversation. "I'll be back…"

The girl ran away whilst Claire stood and watched. She followed the girl who ran to the bathroom and didn't understand why she went in with her.

b.u.mP

"Ouch!" Claire said as she ran straight into the girl.

"Sorry sorry… it's my fault…" The girl said. "I should have looked where I was going…"

"No…" Claire said. "It's my bad. I'm Claire."

To introduce yourself to a random stranger was a strange thing to do. Especially when you've just run into them on purpose. Claire's mind didn't see reason at this point. She knew this girl and needed to know more about her. She couldn't get the thought of Simon out of her head. She was trapped in her head screaming about the mistakes she made and was going to try anything she could to make it right.

"I'm Kaylee, Nice to meet you…"

Their first meeting was anticlimactic and it was forced by Claire. She didn't know what came over her to have done such a thing. The memories of the two of them at that party all those years ago wouldn't leave her mind. Claire and Kaylee would continue to talk for about a year until one day Claire stopped responding to her texts. The day she found out Simon and Kaylee were dating. The day Claire wished she could give up.

Perhaps if she did she would never have met Simon again. Perhaps she would have met him under different circ.u.mstances. Maybe, all the praying she did every night for the last 12 year ended up working.