Mini Ertz///USWNT/NWSL

Acting Out

Tatumn showed up to pick me up 20 minutes later. 

I got 3 days of detention after 1 day suspension. The principal had cut me a lot of slack because I'd been through a lot this summer, and then even more because the girls I fought with had caused the school issues in the past. 

But I had to go home and face Julie. Damn it. 

Tatumn talked to the principal for a minute while I sat outside, and when she walked out she looked mad. 

"Let's go." She said to me, and I picked up my backpack and followed her out. 

I sat in the car quietly, throwing my backpack in the backseat first. 

"What the bell, Britt?" She asked calmly. 

I stayed quiet. 

"Britney, why'd you do what you did?" 

I continued to stay quiet. 

"I'm not trying to be your parent. This is me asking from a best friend point of view. A sister one even. Just tell me." 

"She fucking hurt my pride. She pissed me off. I don't really know why. I don't ever get mad like that. I guess I hate being doubted, especially after everything I worked for this summer." I said. 

I finally looked in a mirror to check my face, especially the throbbing parts. 

My left eye was for sure going to be a black eye, my lip was slightly busted, and then I had a bruise under my flannel right above my elbow. 

"Checking that eye?" She asked. 

"Mhm." 

"Pretty nice." 

"Hurts like hell." 

"I'm sure." She started driving out of the parking lot. 

"Can we take the long way home?" I asked. "I really don't want to face Julie." 

"I wish we could, but I gotta get you back, kiddo." 

"Aw." I leaned my head on the window. 

"You couldn't have waited one more day to do that?" Asked Tatumn. 

"Apparently not." I sighed. "I'm afraid I'm gonna get grounded and won't be able to help you with your surprise for Ella." 

"Wasn't even thinking about that." 

"I can ask for some slack on that maybe." 

"I wouldn't push it." 

"I mean if I ever wanna see the light of day again...." 

"Exactly. Be careful is all I'm saying." 

---------

Tatumn did take the long way home, and Julie was there when I got back. 

She followed me in, because Julie wanted to talk to her after me. 

Julie excused us upstairs, and then started yelling at me. 

"Britney what the hell were you thinking?" She said. "Your first day of school. You get into a fight. You're a good kid. Why did you do that? It not only makes you look bad and reflect the house you USED to live in, but it looks bad for me as well. It looks like I can't raise a kid. And your eye! You look terrible. This is shocking to me because you were so good at keeping your calm on the soccer field. So good!" After almost every sentence, she took a pause as if I was going to say something, but I kept quiet. 

"I'm really sorry." I said. "I know that isn't enough." 

"It's not." 

She basically repeated the same thing to me just in different terms for the next 10 minutes, and I didn't talk back or anything. 

Then she went downstairs to talk to Tatumn. 

I snuck to the stairs to listen in. 

"She's not a bad kid." Julie said. 

"She's really not." Replied Tatumn. 

"I'm not entirely sure what went through her mind in that moment." 

"Well she was getting called names, and the girl made fun of her parents." 

Julie was quiet, and Tatumn told her everything she knew, from me and from the principal. 

I wanted to Julie I'd never do it again, I'd never make her upset again. I never wanted to make her upset with me or make her not like me. 

At the end of the day, I'm not her kid and she has no obligation to me at all. I just don't want to go anywhere else. I love it here, more than I do back home. Julie and Zach spent more time with me in these past few months than my parents did in almost 16 years. 

And if I'm being honest, Julie is my favorite person ever, and I never want to hurt her or make her upset or stressed out. 

I swore to myself I wouldn't act out again.