"Head of a Young Girl" (female rage collection) by Jean Baptiste Greuze, 1777

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I stared quietly at my computer. The small font letters scrolled down my screen, and I absorbed their every word and every meaning. Faster and faster the mouse-wheel rolled and the texts and paragraphs gave me the illusion that I was falling full speed off a cliff of words, grazing letters as I scraped by.

I stopped suddenly. "There you are," I quietly whispered, highlighting the state's handbook for schools and their repercussions for senior pranks. I read through it with a small tilt of my head and was pleased to note that the maximum punishment for a normal year-end prank was indeed a minor suspension.

The printer next to me turned on and gritted out the page. I leaned back into my chair and closed my eyes. Karri had gone back to school after our small walk to the park. She seemed in a much happier mood after I talked her through our problem and explained why we both had dirt on Jackson. Shannon could howl and cry wolf all she wanted, the max Karri's poster stunt could do was a 3-week expulsion.

Her grades were all top notch so they would not suffer. She would be back in time for finals and then we graduated. And this was all only if she was caught. Mr. Jackson might be on the hunt for her, but I didn't even care if he found out. He'd leave the picture once he realized whom Karri's shadow was.

I spun in my chair but still felt the twinge of an unforeseen pitfall in my stomach. If Karri's father found out, everything could change. Everything would change. Karri's father was paying for part of her college tuition along with a scholarship she was awarded. But Karri needed them both, and something told me if any humiliation was cast against his ego, he would strike back.

Mr. Hendricks was the type of man to take every slight, intentional or unintentional, and a harbor it to an extreme. And from my experience with him, he didn't forgive, and he didn't forget. He would send a slight right back at Karri and considering the only thing he could hold over his daughter was her education, I knew what the punishment would be.

I wanted to believe he would only threaten to take it away...but I couldn't. He was the type of man to completely rip up any paperwork binding his money to her school and never go back from that action. He would probably even find pride in his own actions for showing her she couldn't expect handouts from the world, especially after she stepped on someone's toes.

I sighed softly and stood up, grabbing the printer paper and the sketchbook before walking out of my house and down the road. The sun was beaming down on me as I paced quietly along the side of the road. For once my journal was quiet and didn't seem to be singing the song that was on all the sheep's lips today. For miles and miles I walked, heading closer to heart of town.

"Alys!"

I glanced over and saw Tim jogging towards me. "What are you doing outside of school?" he asked as he matched pace with me.

"I skipped today." I shrugged lightly, not caring about it. He glanced to me with a small smile but didn't say anything. "Where are you going?" I asked as I shifted my bag to my other shoulder.

"To the bureau building. Dad wants to meet me there for his lunch."

"Can I come? Just to the building?" I asked. I had yet to draw the people there.

"Sure." He shrugged and he led the way. Once we were inside, we parted ways- him promising to meet back up with me once he was done. I nodded wordlessly as he left. I turned around and glanced at all the people walking around behind me.

I slipped free my pencil and paper and drew them all as a whole. For an hour I sketched the random figures that walked through the front door and down halls out of sight. My sketchpad was near full, and I almost picked up my journal to finish when I heard his voice.

I stood silently and walked towards a small balcony to look at the floor below. Hayden stood waiting at a receptionist desk. He spoke quietly now to the woman before turning and waiting within one of the seats. I eyed him detestably but pulled out my journal nonetheless.

Minutes continued on as my hands mimicked without thought.

No one sat beside him. Perhaps it was because he wore his true face, unapproachable and dangerous. Curiosity spiked within me as I stepped closer. Whenever he heard someone approaching, he forced some passive neutral emotion to control his facial muscles.

But once left alone again, his eyes seemed to darken and his fists began tightening. I peered to the doors he waited to go through, but I couldn't distinguish any words from where I hovered.

"Is that Hayden?"

I glanced swiftly behind me to see Tim hovering over my shoulder and looking at the floor beneath us. I nodded.

"Odd one he is." Those shoulders shrugged slightly.

"How do you know?"

Tim's eyes glanced to mine, "We are both on the varsity soccer team. He's just, I don't know- different. I've tried to talk with him couple of times, but it doesn't feel like he's all there." His eyes glanced back down to the man beneath us, "I guess he's here at the bureau pretty regularly though, now that I think about it. Maybe's he's got a relative here too. "

I slipped my journal in my bag and walked away from the balcony while Tim followed after. "That or he's in some legal trouble." Yet I wouldn't put it past him to talk his way out of stuff like that though, so perhaps he really had other reasons for being here. "But speaking of legal problems," I tucked some hair behind my ear, "I think I need your help."

Tim's eyebrows rose slightly while he held a door open for me, "Ah, so that's why I'm honored with a conversation longer than 5 minutes with you." He laughed heartily.

I glanced towards him, remembering Karri's deal where I hung out with Tim and Megan and I got a sketchbook out of it. I knew she was trying to make me continue my progress with them, somehow capturing a normal life... a healthy life. And it didn't go over well with her once I had ended it. And now I found myself faced with her obvious attempts, no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, that I should go out with them again.

I felt slightly bad for having those ulterior motives of appeasing Karri and getting a sketchbook, but I found my voice saying casually, "Don't be like that. You know I've been on edge with my mother after her discovery of you and Megan. But if it makes you feel any better, I really would like to..."... Say it Alys, say those words.... "to hang".... SAY IT..... "with you guys."

It was hard. Even then I wanted to yell, "Just kidding!" and run back to my cocoon of assorted insanities. Perhaps it wasn't my mother's mental break down that I feared the most, but my own.

"Really?" he asked hopefully, "Megan will be ecstatic to know you're coming along. God knows she'll finally have someone to talk to about Channing Tatum or somet-" his smiling eyes found my face and a barking laughter tore out of his mouth suddenly, "Oh my god Alys, your face!"

I realized how deep my frown felt the moment he brought my attention to it. "Okay," he said lightly, "I guess she'll be shit out of luck, and we'll have to run for the hills the moment she tries to bring stuff like that up."

"Sorry," I smiled lightly, trying to get rid of my scowl, "I just, yeah- I don't think I could... uh, have that type of conversation with someone." I felt awkward even having to clarify that Channing Tatum was not high on my discussion lists.

"But legal matters are prime topics to talk about?" He said casually.

"Yes," I nodded and opened another door to meet the street outside, "Did you see those posters in the hallway at school?"

He glanced warily at me, "Alys, don't tell me that was you. They're funny- don't get me wrong, but still- putting a target on the back of your skull isn't wise."

"Well, that's the thing, they aren't mine."

"Whose then?"

"Well, she has bright green eyes and Hitler for a father."

"You've. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me."

"No," I handed him the school legal repercussion forms from my bag, "If she's caught, she'll be gone for 3 weeks." He glanced through them, shifting each paper over the other as he scanned them one by one. He seemed to know the main question to be asked. "Can she still graduate?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you; I want your opinion as well. She should be fine. But I'm treating this all like she's already been caught." I stopped walking and faced him, "Someone's bound to have seen her putting them up. And considering we overheard Shannon telling Mr. Jackson that she wants whatever bitch that has done this to pay, I'm going to assume he's going to try and beat the school regulations and ruin Karri's life. And if that's the case, I need your help."

"How do you know he's going to help Shannon with something so absurd?"

"He will, trust me. And though I have a feeling that, uh- well let's just say he'll back out in the end," Tim's eyes narrowed slightly at me but I pretended not to notice, "I still have no doubt that before then he'll hand over all his work to Shannon to show what a good job he's been doing. "

"And once he's out of the picture, I'm sure she'll pick up from where he left off." I concluded softly.

The reason why I liked Tim was his ability to see things easily and not be overwhelmed. Even as we spoke, he was nodding his head and murmuring his own guesses, treating my fears as if they really could become reality.

"Okay, I see where you are coming from. We need to be prepared if need be. But even still, I think we should be fine. One of my dad's friends represented the kid who stink-bombed the whole school to the point no one could go in it for two weeks. Families tried to sue, but since it was a senior prank, other families tried to defend them and there was that big case out of it. In the end, as long as a senior prank involves neither bodily harm nor property damage," he whacked those regulations within his hands, "Three weeks was the decided punishment by school law."

"Great," I smiled at him. He handed me back my printouts and I placed them against my journal.

As I set them beside my sketchbook, I realized I had put my drawing away without closing the cover.

I stared at the image before me, staring at the new face I had captured.

Hayden's charcoal expression was turned slightly away, but his eyes drew me in like a well of gravity.  In a sudden, painful moment, I knew that face; that distorted emotion that bled through.

I hadn't recognized it while drawing it, but like a flash of sudden light- the memory was illuminated there in my head again; my own face with that same emotion as I stared in the mirror.

I finally understood what disfigurement lay within my pages.

Pain.

My hands shook as I covered the drawing as quickly as I could and put the paperwork in the bag.

"You headed back to school now?" I asked Tim, trying to hide my unease and discomfort.

"Yeah you?"

I shook my head, "I.... I think I'm going to go home. There's something I need to do. Thanks for talking with me Tim."

And before he could say anything further, I walked away from him, clutching my side bag tight.

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The smell of food was in my nostrils. I opened my eyes and realized that it was evening and that my mother was home. I sat off my bed and stretched lightly, pondering my dark and blank sleep. I glanced to my phone and saw the many texts were lit up upon its screen.

I narrowed my eyes at the illuminated words. Karri had texted me four times, Tim three, and my mother once.

I pulled up Karri's first and read through all the lines.

[Hey, where did you go? I'm taking it you're skipping the rest of the day too? Geeze Alys. You owe me; I'll snag your homework for you, you lazy turd.]

[Alys... you're not going to believe this... the posters have made it into the news. The class is freaking out because Mrs. Luther turned on her TV to tune in. She seems to think it's funny but I'm freaking out.]

[Shannon's bragging right now. Said "Austin" is going to demand the police get involve and press charges. He's apparently got it all figured out.]

[You told Tim?! Warn me first! I about cried because I thought everyone found out!]

From Tim:

[Okay so I just ratted you out to Karri. But I had to, she looked like she was going to scream at any moment, and I wanted to assure her that she hadn't broken any of the limits that would constitute harsher legal actions. I think she's better now.]

[It's all over the news. Have you seen it? Why aren't you answering right now? You're sleeping, aren't you...]

[Okay, meet me in the parking lot in the morning, we might have a problem. I'll talk to you then.]

I creased my brows at his last text before my mother opened my door suddenly.

"Are you ignoring me?" She said after a moment.

"No, I just woke up," I looked down to her text, [Guest for dinner. Get up and dressed NOW.]

"Oh." I said blankly.

"We'll be expecting you shortly," she said before walking away. I pulled off my clothes that I slept in and slipped on a loose t-shirt and some jeans. I walked towards the door while brushing my hair quickly, before I finally walked downstairs.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Hello Alys," The woman said a little too sweetly. I glanced to my mother who seemed somewhat agitated.

"Hello Doctor Augustine." I walked around and sat at the table since they were obviously waiting for me.

"Oh dear, it's so good to see you again," She reached out and gently patted my hand. "So good."

My mother sat stiffly across from me, but by her cautious movements and narrowed eyes, she reminded me all too much like a cat.

"And so, what do we owe this unannounced pleasure Dr. Augustine?" she began cutting into her steak.

"Well of course," Dr Augustine squeaked from her side, "Did you not get my message? I've had a full schedule and had to change our date to check up on Alys' wellbeing. As you know, the State needs to know how she's doing, and what a better way for a true evaluation than these fun little changes in the schedules!" She chirped cheerfully for my mother, but my mom and I both knew there was never any message; this switch up was undoubtedly planned.

Her eyes held my mother's. I could see her thoughts easily. Dr. Augustine wanted her to remember exactly who was in charge here.

Dr. Augustine's eyes shifted to me, "It's been four months, Alys. How have you been? Anything new that I should know about? Anything... you have been struggling with?"

"No." I said.

"Are your emotions still like an exposed wire? I'd like to try a new psychosis drug and measure the results if so. It would help you greatly, I'm sure. We want to make sure there are no relapses of course."

"No." I said stalely again. My eyes scanned over hers. Matilda Augustine, my old psychiatrist. The State issued one who still has some distorted legal job to check up on me and run back to the State and whisper about my progress.

She had never forgiven Dr. Hathaway and his grand thievery of me. Once out of her grasps, I had started making progress. I tightened my hand on my fork as I watched her. She was overweight, had overly highlighted hair, wore a heinous perfume, and had bright brown eyes that unfortunately missed little.

To me, she was the deadly sins; pride, wrath, gluttony, envy, and greed.

The grotesque sins.

"I haven't been drugged in a long time, and I never will freely again." I told her.

"And there was never a reason to begin with," My mother interrupted, but I didn't mind. Our stance against Dr. Augustine was mutual. "My drugged daughter walking around the house was a disgusting misconduct by you doctors."

The hairs rose upon my arms, the hazy years of my later childhood still weirded me out. And though I hadn't had medication in my system for almost eight years, Dr. Augustine still pressed on; always at first curious about my continuous lack of medication, then demanding I should have more demanding therapy and counseling... from someone who would always keep me under their nose- with pills in hand.

It seemed right on cue, her mouth trembled slightly and the crumbs from her garlic bread fell down to her purple blouse. "Yes, well I would think we should be giving something to help, since Dr. Hathaway reasons that it's all well and fine to just leave her unsupervised for months at a time. Most all of us know she never healed right, no matter what she says to the lessers downstairs."

The lessers downstairs were the other psychiatrists who were available upon request for extra counseling. And they were the ones my mother had signed me up to. But unlike Dr. Hathaway and Dr. Augustine, they had very little knowledge about my past. And my mother fought to keep it that way, wishing someone would just fix me without stirring the settled dust.

I watched Augustine's smile, small but only because it was pursed so tight to keep the triumphant grin from spreading across her face. She knew that they couldn't help me either. No one could help me...

But Dr. Hathaway got pretty damn close.

"Yes, but I see Dr. Hathaway regularly. As the State has required," I nodded my head softly to her. "And every time he tells me how I'm practically normal and to stop listening to people like you who are merely drug happy puppets for the Insurance and Medical Companies and Agencies. He even implored me on my 18th birthday to flip you all the bird."

"Alys!" Two voices gasped at me. I glanced to my mother who seemed to shake visibly. I smiled at her, and it caused a slight chill to sweep across her face. "Too rude?" I asked, "Let me perhaps try again." I looked back towards Augustine and studied her face.

"You're unwanted here. I don't care the State requires inspections between psychiatrists and child services... it means little to me. But my mother would hate for you to think we are anything but the happy normal, wonderful, and ideal family. So, eat your steak," I pointed to her plate, "And I'll eat mine. And maybe within all this awkward silence, we can pretend that you are my dad or something. And that this wasn't abnormal from the moment your presence walked through the front doors."

My mother slammed her hands down so hard that they shook the table. Dr. Augustine watched me silently, but she seemed very pleased with what she saw.

"Yes, I think you still suppress much anger." A cheshire grin curled upon her face, "Perhaps I've been wrong. Perhaps you do still suffer from that Tick where you panic and then start to draw uncontrollably?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "No not anymore. Otherwise, I would have perhaps hysterically grabbed the ketchup and blessed us all with the accurate representation of your face."

....

But in truth...

In secret veracity...

I could hear it. Upstairs. Banging on my bedroom door.

My journal was howling...

My demon was screaming...

My hands were aching and I felt the walls closing in.

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I walked slowly towards the school. The morning air was crisp against my nostrils as I breathed it in lightly. My stomach rumbled softly and seemed to ebb deep within itself in anger and protest. Dinner was left untouched last night, before my mother even demanded I headed towards my room I was already there. Much to Dr. Augustine's displeasure as I'm sure she wanted to pry into my cocoon and see for herself what she accused me of.

I didn't even bother with breakfast, not wanting to be in the house a second longer. But each long stride and each minute that passed seemed to press on me that I better grab something to snack on. Another growl moved inside of me, and I opened my phone and dialed a quick number.

By the time I made it to the school parking lot, I knew instantly I had arrived before Tim. There were plenty of students but not enough that a moments search wouldn't show me if he was standing there. I hunkered down by the main entrance and waited patiently, but it didn't take him long.

"I thought I'd be here before you," he said as he walked up from the street. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged lightly. Behind him I realized Megan was approaching. "Hey Alys," she greeted, but there was something off about her tone. I glanced to Tim too as he sat by me.

"She knows?" I guessed.

"I know." she sighed as she sat across from me. "And I know more than you think..."

But before she could finish, a car squealed to a stop by us. I glanced up, saw the burrito logo, rummaged through my pockets while stepping away for a moment, coming back with a hot breakfast in my hand and beginning to eat. "Continue." I said blankly while beckoning her with my free hand.

"Uhhh..." They both turned and watched the burrito car drive off before looking back at me. Tim started laughing, but Megan was still unsure whether to join or scold me. Finally, she shook it off with a smile.

Megan eyed Tim for a quick second, seeming to contemplate something before she finally turned to face me. "Karri confessed everything to me last night because I asked her point blank about it all. No one had to tell me she had anything to do with it... I could see it clearly written across her face. At first, I couldn't believe it though; it didn't seem like something she would do, but why else would she look like she was on the verge of tears when we walked by Maggie and Mr. Jackson gawking at the backgrounds to all the computers. I realized someone put those posters as the wallpapers and locked them there."

"What was Jackson saying?" I asked softly.

Megan pondered my words for a moment, "I'm not really sure. But does it matter?" She titled her head unsure, but I didn't enlighten her about Jackson's sin. She finally continued on from the pause without realizing my intentional withhold of information. "I don't think Jackson suspected it was Karri. But I did, she looked so guilty... and after I got home, I texted her and called her out point blank. She told me what Tim told her and so on so forth."

I sunk my teeth into the burrito while watching Megan. Finally, my eyes glanced to Tim. He had been watching Megan quietly, but he seemed to sense my gaze.

"I think I know what Jackson was saying." He said while leaning back, "Maggie shares my 6th period class. The moment I saw her, I knew something had gone wrong. She seemed pretty damn pleased with herself. I think they found a plan or loophole. And like you warned me; it was Jackson who passed it on."

I sighed and leaned back, banishing the rest of my burrito away from me. Without even asking, Megan swooped over it before leaning back and began nibbling on it. I couldn't help but to laugh some. But still, it only lasted a second. I had been hoping to beat Jackson to the punch, I had been hoping to step in his way before he had a chance to play Shannon's game. But I had been wrong.

Before I could try to decipher what the plan might be, the morning bell rang letting us know class would begin in twenty minutes.

"Let's get going," Megan sighed and we all stood and began walking into the school.

I separated from her, but Tim followed after me since his locker was towards mine and Karri's. My stomach felt low again, not from hunger... but from the pitfall that seemed to be there ever since I realized how bad this could be for Karri.

I tightened my fists as I tried to let go of my internal struggle.

She will be fine.

Tim's fingers slipped against elbow as he pulled me to a stop. The movements brought me back into reality, but any intention of asking what he was doing stopped the moment my mind left its inner world. I knew something was wrong. Tim and I warily met each other's eyes as we heard screaming and yelling. There seemed to be a fight happening and the moment I heard female voices; my heart fell away.

As I turned a corner, Karri met my eyes. Shannon stood in front of her, a crumpled poster within her hand. "Well, that was fast," said Tim detestably. I realized there were teachers there, but they didn't seem too keen to have pulled Shannon away from Karri. Instead, they looked rather uncomfortable; like they'd rather not be there- just wishing some other adult would handle this.

"You fucking bitch! How dare you make these! How fucking dare you lie about this."

Karri had tears streaming down her face. She had a hand mark embedded into her face, but none of those teachers seemed to want to take note of that. Only Mr. Jackson had a wary expression as he stood farther back, staring at Karri- knowing whom she was.

But it was too late. He had told whatever he found to Maggie. Though he wouldn't touch Karri now, the others wouldn't stop. There was laughter and cheering overlaying the screaming at the center. All the student around them were frenzied and mad...

"Punch her again!"

"Take her out!"

"Let's film this!"

They were crowding her now, their disgusting smiles and gleeful eyes watching every movement and every breath. Karri ground her jaw slightly as Shannon raised her fist, "You're the one, aren't you!"

But before Karri could do anything, my voice tumbled away from me,

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"It was me."

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A/N:

I hope you guys enjoyed "Veracity". I had fun writing it. The next few chapters are going to be very chaotic, bear with me if there are any errors or obvious mistakes. I am dyslexic, and while I'm pretty well trained at finding my own common errors, sometimes I miss them.