Malory and Kyle must participate in the annual April Fest production as the leading co-stars. If they can cooperate by the end of the production, their long records of uncivilized behaviour towards each other will be forgotten. 
Malory and Kyle attempt to cooperate, grabbing the opportunity to make a positive impact on their own future. In the process, they become entangled in the chaos of the other’s personal life. Malory learns of Kyle’s disturbing reality, and Kyle learns of Malory’s scarring past. Can these two brilliant but messy teens learn to rely on each other in the face of their silent battles?

Between The Lines

 “Strange,” Katy says, when I explain the situation to her in between tending to customers. 


 “Right?” I say. “I didn’t tell Olivia or Ron about the bruise I saw, though. Not yet, at least. I know Olivia. She’d either talk about it too loudly or try to sneak a glance at it –but she’s too obvious and she’ll sell me out and then Kyle might actually kill me. And if Ron finds out well... honestly I don’t know what would happen, but I don’t want to have any part in jeopardising their friendship. Let Kyle destroy that on his own.” 


 “Who would he get into a fight with if he keeps to himself so much?” She asks. 


 I shrug. “Who knows? I have my suspicions. I think if it wasn’t some lowlife gang then it was probably his uncle. That’s just a suspicion, though. Kyle is so unpredictable I don’t want to get ahead of myself at all –especially when it comes to him.” 


 She frowns. “Either way, a purple bruise to the face? Kinda leaves the impression that whoever hurt him wanted to teach him a lesson he should never forget.” 


 “You should have seen the size of it, Katy,” I exasperate. “I could have sworn I was probably seeing things. But his hair is so thick and messy and annoying that it actually hides everything. I think one of these days I’ll do him a favour and chop some of it off, myself.” 


 “Do you think you can get a picture of it?” 


 “You’ll have evidence of what you’ve seen in case you need it later on,” she says. “The bruise will only be there for so long. Aren’t you the one who likes to hoard blackmail on people? All I’m saying is a picture of a bruise that bad might be useful.” 


 Pondering over her logic, I silently agree. “I... can try to get one, I guess.” 


 After a moment of silence, Katy turns to me and scoffs. 


 “It’s funny...” She says. “You supposedly hate this guy and yet here you are worried about him getting beaten up. Thought you’d be celebrating.” 


 “Hey!” I say, defensively. “I can fight him. I choose not to fight him because I am a civilised human being. We annoy each other but we wouldn’t go so far as to actually kill each other. I don’t think so. You do know the only reason we get away with hating and annoying each other is because we have excellent grades, right? The school would never allow that kind of behaviour otherwise. The school doesn’t get involved in our fights unless another student accidentally gets caught up in the action or gets hurt... or if the school’s reputation is at risk.” 


 “But you’re not denying that you’re worried about him.” 


 I can’t lie and say I’m not worried. I can’t. The bruise I’d seen felt like a scar dug open on my own skin. Damn my empathy. 


 I’ve known my own bruises. I never wanted to reopen wounds like those, but Kyle had managed to vividly bring it all back to me in just a couple of seconds. 


 “I’d be worried about anyone I see with a bruise that big, Katy.” I say. 


 “Even for, and I quote,” she clears her throat, “the disgusting dog that is Kyle Davidson?” 


 I scoff, thinking back to all I’d said. It’s true, I don’t quite like him. He makes my blood crawl and I usually get a headache the minute I hear his name or see a single strand of his hair flip as he appears from around the corner, but seeing him hurt that bad –especially by someone else who might have had other ill intentions for him- makes me feel really bad. My eyes become sad. I turn to Katy. 


A Strange Case [3]