It was two weeks later and the month of May had just begun. The flowers were in full bloom, the leaves back on the trees, and the days were getting increasingly warmer and brighter.
It felt as if all was right with the world. I looked in the mirror and scrutinized my outfit. The day was unnaturally hot for New Jersey, so I was wearing a sleeveless romper and black vans. The chic, sophisticated style I had perfected a few months ago was now mixed with my old, mismatched one. I felt like myself again, and I couldn't have been happier.
The past two weeks I spent a lot of time with Carter as he went through the school making amends with the people he hurt. We quickly realized that we were meant to be friends and nothing more, especially when I told him about what had been happening recently with Nick. Carter actually made a surprisingly good listener, and I realized that he hadn't changed as much as dug the good part of him out from the depths of his body and put the bad part to rest.
Everyone forgave him, even Madison. It was hard not to when you saw the amount of emotion he put into each one of his apologies, how truly sorry he what he did in his past.
I smiled at my own reflection, grabbed my backpack, and ran out the door with a quick goodbye to my mom who was eating breakfast before she went to work.
I stood at the bus stop, and smiled as I thought about how I would count down the minutes until I would get to see Nick every single morning. How I would wait at the front of the bus for him, and smile uncontrollably at the sound of his voice.
This past year had molded me into a happier, more out-going version of myself. I took a seat in the middle of the bus, a compromise Nick and I came to a week prior. I thought about how I never would have ended up here if I didn't drop my lyrics in the middle of the hallway. In some weird, twisted way I owed the majority of my happiness to Carter, if it wasn't for him helping me gather my papers Nick and would have probably ended up leaving this town without uttering another word to each other.
"Hey, babe" I knew that voice anyway, and I instantly melted when I looked up to see my handsome boyfriend take the seat next to me. He grabbed my hand before saying, "What are you up to?" referring to the papers that were in my hand.
"I was writing a new song" I said to him, taking the opportunity to look down at the scattered papers of lyrics on my lap.
"Maybe I could help?" I gave him a really? look, "I actually like writing songs, and I would be honored to work with someone as talented as you" I got this warm feeling in the pit of my stomach, the feeling that you only got when you were truly, undeniably happy.
"Well, let's write ourselves a song then!" I said excitedly as we excited the school bus, hand in hand as we walked into school. We were greeted by the rest of our school group, smiling and laughing as we all walked to our first period classes.
As I looked around me, I realized that this was all I wanted and needed. The best friends I could ever ask for, and the greatest boyfriend in the universe. Everything was going great, I understood the happiness that the flowers felt when they popped up after a cold and long winter.
"Nick?" my happiness was halted suddenly when one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen walked up to us. She gave Nick a tight hug, and he let go of my hand to slip his arms around her tiny torso.
As his fingers unwound from mine, I felt my happiness and confidence slip away. My entire group of friends and I watched as the two of them held each other tightly and comfortably, as if they had done it many times before.
I had never felt more alone and more unsure of who I was in that very moment. Before the tears could fall I turned on my heel and walked briskly to my class. I sat down and opened up my book, Siddhartha, and began reading.
It was as if nothing had changed. Nothing at all.
