Short Story Collection

Chances

A/n: This isn't part of the sentence theme I've been going with. I just found this prompt and ran with it. 

Chances, they are something that I don't take lightly, if you were foolish enough to break my trust the first time, I very rarely give you a second chance. I've been abandoned by too many people in my life and if I gave them all the second chance they asked for then my heart would be a billion-piece jigsaw puzzle with over half the pieces missing. So, I don't give second chances...well I can't say that anymore because I gave them a second chance...

"Rebs!" Wren yells from behind me. I turn a smile pressing onto my face.

"Hey WrenWren," I say when they catch up, huffing slightly.

"Hey,"

I smile wider looping my arm around their shoulders as we press on through the sea of students milling around the halls of our High School.

"Do you have any plans for this weekend?" They ask once we reach our lockers.

"No, my parents are going to be out on a business trip till next Wednesday, so I have the house to myself," I shrug grabbing my calculus textbook.

"If you want you can come over, my mom won't mind, and the old man is on a trip too," Wren offers slamming their locker shut.

"Nah, Nix likes the company, thanks though Wren," I respond slinging my bag back on my shoulder.

"Alright, if talking to your cat gets boring my offer still stands," They close the conversation as they walk off to their first period. They are met by two of the bitchiest girls in our grade.

I watch them go, something in my gut telling me that it can't be anything good. I brush it off, Wren promised me no more rumors. No more lies. Those were the sole conditions for their second chance.

The bell chimes signaling that I have 2 minutes until first period starts, I rub my face and head into Calc.

I can't focus on the formulas and numbers being thrown around all I can see is Wren talking to those girls...my stomach is contorting into millions of knots.

"Miss Rebel?" My teacher calls, I shake my head and I look up at the board.

"Sorry Miss, what was the question," I ask.

"Will you come up and do number three on the board?"

For the rest of Calc, I banish all outside thought refusing worry to taint one of my favorite classes.

The rest of the day is much of the same, by the time the final bell chimes in 4th period I feel like I might just lose the chicken sandwich I had at lunch. I bolt out of my seat and out of the school, I sit in my car praying that the nausea passes.

I get home and trudge through my homework, eat dinner, and watch a movie with Nix laying on my lap. By the time midnight rolls around, I am still awake, staring at the white ceiling finding shapes in the stucco.

My phone buzzes, who is texting me? I grab my phone pressing my finger to the sensor on the back the screen opening showing an unread message from an unknown number. Odd, I didn't give my number to anyone new, I click it the message expanded.

Hey Rebel, this is Mar from Calc, I just wanted to let you know that Wren, Harlee, and Becca, started this rumor on the school Instagram about you.

There is a link attached to the text, I don't open it. I don't want to know. I don't care to know. All I know is that for the second time in the past year Wren managed to go behind my back. I press the power button placing my phone on my nightstand bitting my tongue refusing to cry. I should have seen this coming. I was foolish.

Chances, they are something that I don't take lightly, if you were foolish enough to break my trust the first time, I very rarely give you a second chance. I've been abandoned by too many people in my life and if I gave them all the second chance they asked for then my heart would be a billion-piece jigsaw puzzle with over half the pieces missing. So, I don't give second chances...well I can't say that anymore because I gave them a second chance...and look at how that ended.