Flawless Lies

note again at l

wless gir

to watch

to the edge of her lock

it still clung to her skin like sweat. Every voice in the hallway felt too loud. Every gla

into Chem

Zahra never came late. That

k of the class - to Tyler, arms folded, hoodie up, scr

eyes

blin

did

e look

s arriving early, always leaving alone. Something about the way he moved, like he knew how to

t even know

hy pe

im... why t

rves had become

g apart her sandwich more than eating it. Across from her, Aaliyah

ooked like she dipped her face

e, but her eyes were sc

t close eno

d them, flanked by two boy

t picked

ght he

id, slowing as

rked up im

Zahra repl

cking over her like he could tel

tated. "

lowered, just a touc

him, trying to

like someone who had just left

he'd always been

aid, too quickly.

mething, then stopped. His jaw ti

plit second of silence - Z

sli

mething?" she ad

returning. "Nah. Just checkin

how he s

it was

he truth he'd

ed back to Aaliyah, who was n

ped, more harshly

ard. "Nothing. You just... sna

ough her nose. "N

u've been weird all d

"Maybe it's the Milo f

hra didn't miss the way her ey

tching her

gauging h

throat

it be

She liked attention. And she'd been weirdly possessive lately. Almost

pe

eren't h

su

po

e, she'd say it with lip gl

at her now. Sweet smile. Glitte

y felt the ur

the library - not to study

ering over a textbook. Zahra ducked into a

ut again, flattening

wless gir

d they

is didn't just w

ted her

ow

lic

s the r

eone was watching her. Studying the way she moved, the way she

tal at

d the sig

s in her life, it alm

. Jonah, the artsy boy who once as

red if J even stoo

tood for som

ick

ali

ossed her mind, the li

ot until she heard the c

sat

nvi

est th

g. Just looked at her

d. "Do you...

ed to the pape

e. He'd

cked back up

e careful," h

ine stiffe

tching. You kn

clenched aro

ly and turned to leave, pa

his shoulde

ants to see you

at, he vanished

or a long time, t

yler was warning her

thing wa

e had s

lready a piec