Jovial Memories

Chapter 24

The rest of the week did not prove to be that much better than Monday morning. Mandy was constantly filled with hatred, anger, misery, and sorrow over the events that had occurred the past weekend. Often times she sat in disbelief, still in shock that her planned meeting with Dustin and Abby had gone so poorly.

She knew she had to get over it soon, but the memory still remained locked inside her head. She knew the opportunity would never come again to reunite with them, and in that short span of time things had managed to go her way, she had ruined it all, and now her chances at getting at least a little bit of her old life back had fallen apart.

Mandy hadn't even used her Time Precedent since the failed meeting for fear of seeing Dustin and Abby. She knew the Dustin and Abby in her Year Dimension were different and kinder, but she was still so frustrated that she didn't even want to see their faces. Still, the longing to see Jessie and tell her her troubles was great, and Mandy had a feeling that she'd be returning soon.

In addition, she didn't enjoy the sympathy she was getting. Her mother was acting a bit kinder, and Roy and Iris especially were offering their support, but she shuddered at their comfort. Her mind flashed back to years before with Jessie's death and all of the other terrible situations she had endured. She didn't want to crawl back into those dark days, and she secretly wished the comforting would stop.

It seemed now that pure anger and hatred had replaced the misery she had once felt. She was now furious at Dustin and Abby for refusing to give her a chance to speak and was even more angry about how rude they had acted toward her. She had hoped this anger would help her get over them quicker, but it didn't. She was mixed with too many feelings to decide whether she still genuinely cared about her old friends or not.

Finally, Friday fell around, and Mandy was filled with joy after she had encountered such a long week. She rose to find that some of the snow had begun to recede from the ground, a sign that spring was surely coming.

Perhaps good things will come soon, she wondered as she noticed the small pink flower trying to escape from the dense snow that held it tightly.

She threw on her outfit for the day, hoping that the day would pass by quickly and not be as painful as the days that had followed. She crept downstairs to find her mother had left breakfast prepared for her once again (she'd been doing it since the fateful day). Mandy ate her breakfast quietly, hoping that today she'd actually be able to pay attention in class and not be constantly filled with anger.

Even as her mother said good-bye to her as she exited the house, however, she could already feel her mind mentally preparing herself for an encounter with Abby on the bus, and immediately she was filled with the same anger that had kept hold of her all week.

In a sulking manner, Mandy trudged to the bus stop, crushing the snow beneath her feet. The bus pulled up within a few moments of her arrival, and she readily climbed on. Already, Abby had caught her eye. She was chatting and laughing with one of her friends, their chatter falling silent as Mandy approached.

In an attempt to piss her off, Mandy sat directly across from Abby and her friend and throughout the whole bus ride, she attempted to listen to their quiet whispers, knowing for sure that it had to be about her. What else could be so interesting?

The bus pulled up to school minutes later, and Mandy departed, feeling a bit better that she had quieted Abby by sitting across from her. Still, anger still flowed through her veins, and she caught herself glaring at Abby's back as she and her friend headed off to class.

As soon as Abby was out of sight, Mandy felt herself relaxing some, and she headed to her locker to grab her books for class. Iris and Roy appeared only a few moments later, asking her how her evening had been, what plans she had for the weekend, and so forth.