The computer class is breaking up and students are streaming out. Krystal is almost packed when she sees Oscar and Maggie with their heads bent together, already packed up. Oscar glances over at her, looking at her funny. OMG, he better not be thinking about hitting on her. She is so not into these pasty white geeks. Especially not arrogant jerks like Oz, thinks he’s so charming when he’s really only pretentious.
Kate slides into the seat usually occupied by Adam.
“What’s up?” Krystal asks Kate.
“Just wanted to ask you something.”
Kate glances around, pleased to see that the class has left them with the room to themselves.
“Sure. Just make it quick, I’ve got to get some stuff together for a meeting with my faculty adviser.”
Maggie nods her head. “It can be quick. I wanted to ask you…” Maggie studies Krystal’s face and decides to hit her with it full on. “How could you lie about dying?”
Kate notes that Krystal hasn’t even flinched.
Krystal says, “I didn’t lie to you. Why would anybody lie about something like that? You dragged it out of me, Maggie. And honestly, this isn’t in very good taste.”
Kate says, “Come on, Christine, if it didn’t work the first time why did you think it’d work this time?”
Krystal realizes the game is up. That fucking Dave. She knew he’d ruin everything. “It did work the first time. And it would have worked this time too if you boneheads would have told him. God what a bunch of losers I confided in.”
Maggie just stares at her in shock. “You… don’t think you did anything wrong.”
Krystal stares back. “Of course I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t take your money. I didn’t punch you out. All I did was take you into my confidence.”
“Yeah, it was a confidence trick alright,” agrees Maggie.
“No it wasn’t. I didn’t con you out of any money, I just I told you stuff that any real friend would have passed along to the man I loved as a kindness. But you couldn’t even get that right.”
Maggie just stares. “We were respecting your wishes.”
Krystal glares at her a minute before saying, “Bullshit. A real friend would have told Jose how awesome I was and how I needed him. A real friend would have helped me.”
Maggie shakes her head. “I guess you don’t understand respect. Any more than you understand about real friendship.”
Krystal laughs harshly. “You bitches just better be careful about spreading any slander about me. My Dad’s a lawyer and I’ll make sure you pay for it if you do.”
Maggie says, “The legal defense against slander is truth, and we have that on our side.”
Krystal glowers. “You think? I haven’t admitted a thing.”
“You told me that you were dying.” Maggie says.
“Isn’t everybody?”
“You said you had an inoperable brain tumor…”
Krystal stares at her. “Says you.”
“You did say that.”
Krystal laughs. “I think it would boil down to a classic case of she says she says in a court of law. It could go either way so you’d better not try it. My Dad would take you to the cleaners. Not that he’d get much out of you losers.”
Kate shakes her head ruefully. “Somehow, I have a hard time believing that. Especially since your mother busted you the last time. Even if your father really is a lawyer I doubt he’d risk his livelihood helping you commit perjury.”
“That shows how much you know.” Krystal stands up.
Maggie stands up too, staring at this woman she has lost sleep over, ached over, cared about, this woman she thought was a friend. Maggie says, “Do what you want, Krystal, Christine, whatever the hell your name is, but I won’t stand by and let you hurt anyone else with your lies.”
Krystal glares back defiantly. “You can’t make me leave Christie. I have the right to be here.”
“That’s up to you. But if I hear about you spreading any more lies I will bust you to the whole school. Understand?”
Krystal draws herself up. “You think? I got nothing to lose if I speak my mind. I might have to tell people about how Nick put the moves on me.”
Maggie is aghast at this threat but Kate laughs out loud. “Go go right ahead Christine. If you think you can find one person who’ll believe it more power to you. I think you’re just going to find yourself in a world of trouble girl.”
“You’re not such hot shit Kate. You’re just jealous of me.”
Kate snorts derisively, stepping closer to Krystal, getting in her face. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
“The only thing to ‘get’ is away from you losers.”
“You stepped over the line. You’ve been outed. Enough people know about your BS that any attempt at a smear campaign will backfire on you so big that you won’t have any choice but to leave the school. It might already be too late. You’re on probation. Step over the line and the sky will fall.”
Krystal glares at Kate. “You are so enjoying this.”
Kate grins, crossing her arms, “You know, I am, Christine. I am enjoying this.”
“What a bitch.” Krystal grabs her things and stomps out.
Maggie simply slumps back down into her chair. Kate turns to her friend. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. No. I guess … I guess I didn’t really believe it. Intellectually, yeah, sure. But emotionally? How could someone do something like that. I mean she is supposed to be our friend but it was all bullshit to get her the guy she wants? How could she do that?”
“Classic definition of a sociopath.” Kate says, “I think she made it pretty clear the only person she cares about is herself. We aren’t real to her.”
“You got that right. I saw it. But I still don’t hardly believe it. It’s incredible, she didn’t even really try to deny it.”
“She was expecting it, Maggie. I’ll bet you anything she saw Dave with Adam. That would explain why she skipped the meeting the other night. Lets just cut class. Go to a movie or something.”
“Or something. Hey, you know Stu said there’s supposed to be some great pinball palace downtown.”
“Pinball?”
“Yeah, they’re like really cool mechanical arcade games. They’re great ’cause you get to hit the machines.”
“That sounds cool. Where is this place.”
Oscar pops his head in. “Got it all.”
Kate looks up, “What?”
Grinning, Oscar says, “I made a surveillance video.”
“You recorded that?”
Oscar nods. “It may do no good in a court of law but it will provide excellent corroboration should Miss Krys try anything else.”
“We were thinking of calling it a day and going to play pinball. Wanna come?”
Oscar nods. “Sure. But first I think we need to find Jake.”
“Will he believe it?”
“He will when he sees the video.”
