The Best Friend (17 page)

“Well, at least it's behind you.”

“Uh-huh.”

Mom handed her a tissue from her purse. “Remember, you're moving forward now, Lishia. It will get better.”

“Yeah, but I still have Riley to deal with. Chances are she'll hear about this now that the others know. Her cell phone doesn't work at the ski resort, but she gets to a place where she can send and receive messages.” She blew her nose. “She'll hear about this soon enough.”

“And when she does, you will deal with it.”

“Yeah . . . I guess so.”

Despite how hard it had been to tell the cheerleaders, Lishia felt a sense of relief to know that it was over. And for a change, she could actually sleep through the night without waking up with a panic attack. As a result, she spent the next few days catching up on sleep—as well as praying and reading her Bible. She felt like she was having her own spiritual awakening, and it felt good. She also spent some time with Megan, who was turning into a very loyal friend—not to mention an excellent listener. And by New Year's Eve day, Lishia felt stronger than she'd felt in months. Not only was there a light at the end of her tunnel, but she felt as if she'd actually passed through the darkness and was starting to bask in that clean, warm light. And it felt good!

However, she felt somewhat caught off guard, even blindsided, when she answered the doorbell to see Gillian standing on her front porch with a hard-to-read expression on her face. “Oh?” Lishia blinked in surprise. “Uh . . . what are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you. Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Lishia opened the door wider.

“Don't worry, it's not like I came over here to knock your lights out.” Gillian made a sarcastic-sounding laugh. “Although that did go through my mind last week.”

“I don't really blame you,” Lishia nervously admitted as she led Gillian into the family room. “Uh, do you want a soda or anything?”

“No.” Gillian flopped down on a chair, then stared at Lishia without saying a thing.

“So . . . ?” Lishia sat down on the edge of the couch and waited nervously.

“So . . . as you probably know, I was infuriated at you after that phone call. I mean seriously angry. And don't get me wrong, I was furious with Riley too. In fact, I was so outraged that I wanted to get totally wasted.”

Lishia took in a quick breath. “Oh no!”

“But I didn't.”

Lishia slowly exhaled. “I'm so glad.”

“Me too.” Gillian gave a half smile. “Yeah, I realized that would be like trying to hurt you and Riley by beating myself in the head with a sledgehammer. Not terribly smart.”

Lishia nodded.

“So I talked to my rehab counselor, and she said I needed to forgive you guys.” Gillian shook her head. “But that's a lot easier said than done.”

“I can imagine. The truth is, I'm still mad at Riley, and I'm trying to forgive her too.”

“Anyway, I told my counselor it would be easier to forgive you than Riley. At least you apologized to me.” She pressed her lips together. “And thanks for returning my old uniforms . . . not that I can use them. But it's kinda nice to get them back.”

“It seemed like the least I could do.”

“So anyway, I got up this morning and decided that I would try to forgive you—you know, bury the hatchet before the New Year begins.”

“Really?” Lishia brightened.

“Yeah. I guess I kind of understand what happened . . . I get how Riley could've pulled you into her nasty little web of lies.”

“But it was my choice,” Lishia admitted. “I need to own that.”

“Yeah, that's true.”

“But I really appreciate you coming by to tell me that, Gillian. You have no idea how much it means to me. I felt so bad when you hung up on me. I mean, I know why you did. I just wish I could undo it. Anyway, thanks for forgiving me.”

“It's going to take a lot longer to forgive Riley.” She frowned. “If that's even possible.”

“I know.”

Gillian relaxed a little and began filling Lishia in on how things were going with her lawyer. “Brandon is totally cooperating, and he's actually really sorry. It looks like his affidavit is going to help my case.”

As they talked about the situation with Riley, they were surprised at how similar their feelings were. It was more like good therapy than it was gossiping. Finally, Lishia told Gillian she thought there was one good thing that had come out of the whole nasty mess. “For me, anyway.”

“What's that?” Gillian asked curiously.

“It made me return to God.” Now Lishia explained how she'd turned her back on God last fall. “It was like I traded God for what I thought was going to be the best ‘best friend.' Instead, it turned out that Riley was the worst friend I've ever had in my life. Now I realize that God is my very best friend.”

Gillian's brow creased. “How is that even possible?”

“Because I go to God with all my problems now.” Lishia explained how she could take anything, big or small, to God. How she could pray about things, and how he could lead her if she was listening. “It's so much better than it ever was before. So in a weird way, I'm thankful for all the crud I went through. But at the same time I'm sorry for the way I hurt so many people . . . like you.”

Gillian scowled. “Riley's the one who should be sorry.”

Lishia nodded. “Yeah . . . but we don't have any control over what Riley does or how she reacts to all this.”

“Yeah, I guess I need to remember that.” She gave a sheepish smile. “Wanting to have control is one of my issues. It's like I get frustrated over having no control over anything, and that's when I want to drink—you know, to forget everything.”

“So what are you doing for New Year's Eve?” Lishia got an idea.

“Well, for sure, I'm not going out drinking.” Gillian laughed.

“Want to come to a party at my church?”

Gillian looked disappointed. “A
church
party?”

“It's actually our youth group. There are a few kids you know from school there.” She began to list some names. Then she explained that it was mostly a bunch of teens eating junk food, listening to music, playing games, and just having a good time. “And then right before midnight, we'll take a few minutes to sing some songs and pray. So it's not like it's real churchy. You know? Just kids having ordinary fun with no alcohol, no cattiness, and no backstabbing.”

Gillian brightened. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but that actually sounds kinda appealing. I think I'd like to go.”

“Great. Megan and I will pick you up around eight, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

Of course, Megan sounded totally shocked when Lishia told her the good news. “You're kidding! Did I hear you right? Gillian Rodowski is coming to youth group with us tonight?”

“That's right.”

“Wow, Lishia, that is very cool.”

And it did turn out to be very cool. Everyone was warm and welcoming to Gillian, and she seemed to have a genuinely good time. Even when it was time to sing and pray at midnight, she actually joined in, and after it was all over and done, she thanked Lishia for inviting her. She even promised to come to youth group again. All in all, it seemed a good way to start out a new year.

L
ishia couldn't believe that she didn't hear from Riley the day before school started. She knew Riley's family was supposed to get home the day after New Year's Day, and she fully expected Riley to call the next day—probably in a furious rage. But Lishia's phone never rang. And there were no text messages either. Finally, at around eight that night, Lishia actually tried to call Riley. But her call rolled over to voice mail.

“Uh, Riley, this is Lishia. I just wanted to talk to you. I, uh, I think there's some things you should know about before you go to school tomorrow. Anyway, why don't you give me a call?”

However, Riley never called. But before Lishia went to bed, she said a prayer for her ex–best friend. It was one of those “God's will be done” prayers, but she figured it was better than nothing. Then she went to sleep.

“Are you pretty nervous?” Megan asked as she drove them to school the next day.

“Uh . . . yeah.” Lishia bit her lip and tried not to think about what Riley might do when she found out that Mrs. Glassman knew everything.

“Have you heard from Riley yet?”

“No, but I'm actually praying for her today. And more than just God's will be done now. I'm praying that God will use whatever happens as a wake-up call, you know, so she'll realize that he has a better plan for her.”

“That's cool that you're praying for her. But I've been praying for you.” She gave an uneasy-sounding laugh. “That you survive this day—and Riley.”

Lishia tried to laugh, but it came out all wrong. “Thanks . . . I think.”

“And really, I'd pray for Riley too.” Megan shook her head. “But I'm afraid my prayers wouldn't be very Christlike.”

“What would you pray?”

“I'd ask God to give her a good smack down.”

Now Lishia did laugh. “To be honest, I feel like that too.”

“But what if that doesn't happen? What if she gets away with this? What if she's not kicked off of the squad? What if she makes it look like it's all your fault?”

“Then she gets away with it. I told Mrs. Glassman the truth. There's nothing else I can do about it.”

“Fine. Then I'm going to pray that God doesn't let Riley get away with it. I don't care if he gives her a smack down or not, but I hope he won't let her slide. That's not fair. Not to Gillian or to you—and not to any of the other cheerleaders either. Not to mention the real alternates.”

Lishia agreed with Megan, but she also knew that sometimes things happened that weren't fair—sometimes there was nothing you could do about it. That was life. Lishia's legs felt a little shaky as she walked into the school building. She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid Riley today. But how much did Riley know? Was she waiting to pounce on Lishia? Or would Lishia still have to explain everything and then experience the fallout? It was all so stressful, but at least Lishia had used her extra-strong antiperspirant this morning. She would need it.

Glancing around the entryway for Riley, Lishia hurried her way to her locker, hanging up her coat and grabbing a couple of books, hoping to make it to her first class without a confrontation.

“Did you hear there's a meeting?”

Lishia jumped as she saw Riley peering at her with curious eyes. She had a very deep-looking tan on her face, probably the result of the ski vacation. “Oh, hi, Riley. Long time no see.” Lishia tried to steady herself, to act normal.

“Yeah, sure, but did you hear about this meeting? It sounds urgent.”

Lishia shook her head as she closed her locker. “What meeting?”

“It's with Mrs. Glassman, in her office. Amanda just told me. It's only the varsity cheerleaders—something is definitely up. And we're excused from first period. So come on, let's go see what's going on.”

“But I—”

“Come on.” Riley eagerly tugged her arm. “Let's hurry so we don't miss anything.”

“But I'm not on the squad anymore,” Lishia said as she allowed Riley to propel her down the breezeway.

“What?” Riley stopped walking and stared with wide eyes.

“I'm suspended from cheerleading.”

“Why?” Riley's eyes narrowed. “What did you do, Lishia?”

Lishia swallowed hard. “I told Mrs. Glassman the truth. I told her that I didn't deserve to be a cheerleader anymore. And now I am officially off and—”

“What the—”

“Look, Riley, it's over and I'm fine with it and I just wanted to tell you—”

“It is
not
over,” she seethed. Her grip on Lishia's arm tightened. “Come on, let's get to the bottom of this.”

“It's no use, Riley.” Lishia decided not to resist, letting Riley pull her toward the athletic department. Maybe this little walk would give her time to explain. “I'm done with cheerleading and I'm glad.”

“No, you are not,” Riley insisted. “You're delusional.”

“Mrs. Glassman knows everything, Riley.”

Riley stopped walking again. “What?”

“I didn't want to tell her about your part in it, but she forced me to tell her the whole story. She knows everything, Riley. You need to be prepared for what's going to—”

“What do you mean she knows
everything
?” Riley's eyes got huge. “What are you saying?”

“I mean she knows what you did, Riley. She knows how you tampered with the votes so that I could—”

Riley jerked hard on Lishia's arm now, pulling her right in front of her and glaring into her face. “You better be making this up, Lishia Vance.”

“Hey there,” a guy's voice said. “Easy does it, Riley.”

Lishia looked up to see Grayson joining them. He was followed by Megan and Chelsea and Janelle. Her youth group friends made a semicircle around her and Riley.

“This is between Lishia and me,” Riley seethed at him. “Butt out.”

“It's over for me, Riley.” Lishia tried to move away from her. “Go to the meeting and you'll probably find out that Mrs. Glassman knows everything. I have no idea what she'll do about it, but she does know.”

“You ungrateful little bi—” Riley raised her hand with her bag in it, swinging it toward Lishia, but Grayson stopped the bag in midair, and the girls pushed Riley away from Lishia.

“You need to go cool off,” Chelsea told Riley.

“Go to your meeting,” Megan said. “Find out for yourself what's going on.”

“And leave Lishia alone!” Janelle yelled.

Riley looked shocked, and Lishia couldn't help but feel encouraged by the support of her friends. Even Janelle had stuck up for her!

“Fine.” Riley straightened herself up, holding her head high. “I'm sure that it's nothing like you're saying, Lishia. I just need to straighten Glassman out. Once she hears my story, she will know that I'm innocent and that you're the one who messed everything up. I should've known not to trust you.” She turned and stormed off.

“Wow.” Grayson shook his head. “She's a real piece of work.”

“You better watch out for that girl,” Janelle said with concern.

“Thanks.” Lishia smiled weakly at her friends. “I really appreciate your help.”

“I'll try to stick closer,” Megan promised. “I'll meet you at your locker before lunch. Okay?”

Naturally, Lishia didn't protest.

By the end of the day, the whole school was talking about it. A few had heard twisted versions of the story, but most of them had gotten it somewhat straight. Three cheerleaders had been suspended from the squad. Lishia was off, due to the fact that Riley had tampered with the votes and she never should've been on in the first place. For that reason Riley was no longer a cheerleader either, and she was also suspended from school. It seemed that Mrs. Glassman had found evidence that Riley, while acting as academic assistant, had gotten into her computer more than once.

Lishia was slightly surprised to hear that Vanessa was also suspended from the squad for hosting the drinking party where alcohol was served to minors. Apparently someone else had come forward with this information. And a couple of the other cheerleaders were placed on probation because they had attended that particular party. All in all, it was not a good day for the Kingston Cougars varsity cheerleaders. Lishia felt partly to blame. But only partly.

“You're not going to believe this,” Gillian told Lishia when she found her in the locker bay after school.

“What?” Lishia could tell by Gillian's expression that this was good news.

“Mrs. Glassman has asked me to return to cheering!”

“No way!”

“It's true.” Gillian nodded with a serious expression. “My attorney sent Mrs. Glassman a letter, explaining about how my case has changed thanks to Brandon's confession. And Mrs. Glassman called me to her office this afternoon. She told me she knows about the other cheerleaders who were partying just like me and how she decided to put them all on probation. They can still cheer, but if they step out of line, they'll be suspended too.”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Lishia admitted.

“So she had the squad vote on whether I should be reinstated and placed on probation as well. And they voted to bring me back!” Gillian had tears in her eyes. “Can you believe it?”

Lishia hugged her. “That's awesome, Gillian!”

She nodded. “Unfortunately, they can't reinstate you too.”

“I know,” Lishia said. And I'm okay with that. After all, I wasn't even a
real
alternate.”

“Yeah, that's right. And now Michelle will be on the squad. She's totally jazzed.”

“That's great.”

“So, anyway, I know I promised to do coffee with you and Megan after school, but I need to go to practice now. We have lots of catching up to do.”

“I'm so happy for you, Gillian.” Lishia grinned. “Seriously, that's the best news of the day.”

“Thanks . . . I mean for everything.”

Now Megan came over to join them, and Gillian said she couldn't go for coffee, but Lishia explained why.

“That's so cool,” Megan told Gillian. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks.” Gillian grinned.

“Make us proud,” Lishia said.

“Too bad we don't have a good basketball team to cheer for,” Megan teased.

“Doesn't matter.” Gillian looped the strap of her duffle bag over a shoulder. “I'm just happy to be cheering again.”

As they walked to the car, Megan asked Lishia if she was worried about Riley coming after her now. “I mean, she must be pretty furious.”

“I'm sure she's mad at me, but I'm not too concerned.” Lishia shrugged, then smiled. “For starters, I have some pretty good friends helping to watch my back.”

“Yeah, that's true.”

“But besides that . . .” Lishia sighed. “I know God's looking out for me.”

Megan nodded but still looked a little concerned.

“And I think that once Riley realizes it's really over—you know, when it sinks in that she can't control me or manipulate others—well, she'll probably want to keep a low profile for a while. Don't you think?”

“I hope so. And it'll probably help that she's suspended from school for a few days. That'll give her a chance to cool off. But I don't know, Lish, I wouldn't put much of anything past that girl.”

“No, me neither. I guess I learned that lesson the hard way.” Lishia pulled on her coat. “And as weird as this might sound, I think I learned a lot about friendship from Riley too.”

Megan looked doubtful. “How is that possible?”

“I learned that instead of looking for someone to be my best friend, I need to learn how to
become
a best friend myself. Because if I can't
be
a best friend, I probably don't deserve one. You know?”

Megan gave a sheepish smile. “Hey, I'm willing to give you a try . . . I mean as a best friend.”