I looked out the bus window and watched as the high school disappeared into the distance and we headed up the ramp to the highway. We were on our way to nationals- the very last marching band competition I would compete in before graduating!
"Ugh, I'm totally failing," Z groaned, referring to whatever she was doing a few rows behind me. I turned around and peeked over the back of my seat.
"Like how Lizzie and W's relationship is failing?" Rachel, another one of our teammates, joked.
I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I did, because she was right. The two of us were on our last straw and our entire team, who were unfortunate enough to have to always listen to our arguments at practice, could tell.
"Guys, our relationship is like this mac and cheese," I explained, holding up my empty styrofoam cup and scooping a teeny bit of cheese stuck to the inside with my spoon. "I'm still trying to get something out of it, but there's nothing left anymore."
My fellow senior teammates in the back of the bus burst out into laughter, but unfortunately, my partner, in the seat across from me didn't find either joke funny. They gave me an annoyed look.
After we'd chatted and joked around a bit more, I turned around to face forward again and tossed the trash from my lunch into the bag that was a few rows up from me. From my backpack, I pulled out a book and a bag of gummy bears.
With one hand holding the book, and the other shoveling gummy bears into my mouth I began to read, but that was when my partner, still sulking in their seat, decided to hold my hand across the aisle. They grabbed the one that I was using to eat.
We held hands for a few minutes, but eventually, I wanted to eat my gummy bears again. I wriggled from their grip and plunged my hand back into the bag.
After throwing a few bears into my mouth, my phone buzzed and I pulled it from my pocket.
"Why won't you hold my hand?" My partner had texted me.
"I'm trying to eat," I responded.
"So first you hit me this morning and now your stupid gummy bears are more important than me?"
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"Are you talking about that thing with your hair? I told you it was an accident and I apologized."
"Why are you such a jerk?!"
"Do we really have to do this now? Just leave me alone."
"No your being a jerk."
"Alright, how about we just break up then?"
"No you cant break up with me over a text."
I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed before turning my phone off and looking up at them. They looked back at me defiantly. I glanced at all of our teammates sitting in the seats around us.
"You really want me to say it out loud?" I asked.
A few people heard me and stopped talking to listen in. They looked at them all before scowling at me and turning to look out the window.
Argument ended successfully, I guess.
YOU ARE READING
Look What You Made Me Do
Non-Fiction"Don't tell anybody about this." "If you just ignore it, it'll stop." "There's nothing I can do to help you." And so I did everything I was told. I shut up. I put on a brave face. I followed all the rules. But that was the past and it's not who I am...
