Gangbanger Study-Buddy

Motto's and Mother's

The Thomas house operates under three key terms: Efficiency, Courtesy, and Supremacy. Nothing less than this will be tolerated in my home. It's become so engraved into our heads that my mother even had a pillow with the words made for our living room sofa.

It's the family's official motto.

And right now as I sit on the sofa next to the 'beloved' family pillow, I can't help but wish that I had a match to burn it. Why? Because at this moment my mother is going on one of her rants about my sloppy finals average that came in the mail today, which happened to be an 89.

"You don't understand Paz! This could be the deciding factor on whether or not you are able to get a respectable career at the hospital." She gently rubs her temples in exhaustion. "I will not approve of my daughter being some janitor that cleans after people!"

I try to calm the rising anger that's threatening to spill over. These outbursts of hers seem to be happening a lot more lately and, frankly, it's starting to annoy the crap out of me. "Mom, I don't think one not-so-perfect grade will not be the deciding factor of my future," I grit out, trying to reign in my frustration. I don't even know why I reply because arguing with my mom is like hitting a wall, the only person leaving with a wound is me.

She scoffs and continues to pace along the carpet. "We'll see about that. You better make sure that all of your grades next year are perfect. Senior year is the most important one and I won't have you ruining it all by gallivanting about with that no good friend of yours. What's her name? Jenny?"

I look down at my feet. "Her name's Jenna," I whisper. Jenna's truly the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for, mainly because she's the only one that ever discarded my mother's bullshit. If anything, my mom's rude remarks entertain her rather than offend her. And at 5'7 it's no surprise that Jenna could care less what my mom has to say about her, considering that she's a good 5 inches taller.

I've known Jenna for about five years and throughout that time she's become my lifeline that keeps me sane when my parents wig out. Which happens a lot. Aside from being there for me, she's also a pretty interesting person. She's not only funny with a sarcastic twist but she can silence a room just by walking through the door. Yup. My best friend just happens to be the exact opposite of me when it comes to the male species. For starters, her body is basically the perfect mixture of soft and toned. Not to mention her fiery hair that is sure to turn heads. However, her most important feature is her personality which sparks the interest of anyone who has a conversation with her. She's basically the girl everyone wishes to become. In fact, I can only hope that the tiniest bit of her confidence will eventually rub off on me.

"-so how did it go?" I look up startled at my mother's stressed face. Was she still talking? I can tell that she knows I wasn't paying attention and ironically that fact seems to make her slightly happier. It's almost as if she likes knowing that she has another thing to blame me for. I can almost hear her complaining at her next dinner party. 'Oh how Paz never listens to me. It's like she lives in her own world. She's throwing away her chances at being the greatest surgeon blah blah blah blah blah.' I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"How did what go again?" I bring a finger nail to my mouth to try and bite off that hangnail that's been bothering me for the past hour.

A look of disgust crosses my mom's face as she plants herself into the chair across from me. "Paz, how many times must I tell you not to bite at your nails?! Goodness it's like talking to a toddler! And I was asking how that study program went. Hopefully you didn't get paired with some hooligan." I do my best to hide my laughter.

If only she knew.

"I guess it was okay. It's basically just like the group I sometimes tutor for during school." Only their not criminals and their not extremely attractive and cocky. "You know. Just the usual."