My Annoying Neighbour

Chapter 14: Grandma Lucy

Sophie's POV

I just got out of art and it was the worst lesson ever. Yes, Josh is in my class and he does sit next to me but I'm used to that. The real reason art was horrible, was the teacher. I know. She's the chill teacher everyone likes. Or at least that's what I thought.

We had to paint our spirit animal and we had to keep quiet to find our "inner spirit". As usual, Josh was annoying me to the core. I felt like just pushing him off a cliff. But of course, being the responsible teenager I am, I pinched him so he could shut up. Guess what...he didn't shut up. He kept on annoying me and stealing my painting things. I had to steal them back and the teacher saw me.
She told Josh and I to stop messing around and continue with our paintings. A few minutes went by without Josh annoying me but then he started all over again. He kept adding pointless dots of paint to my painting and I decided to get revenge and put a huge blob of paint in the middle of his painting.

A few more minutes of the lesson went by and Josh would not leave me alone. I honestly felt like slapping him. Across the face. With a chair. We wacked each other and then we stopped instantly as the teacher came up to us. She said that she warned us the first time and she's sick and tired of us fooling around.

That's when it happened. She gave us detention on Saturday and said we better not be late. I've never had a detention before. My parents are going to flip with a capital F. The bell finally rang and I was out of the art classroom so fast, you could've sworn there was a fire. That's it. My art teacher is no longer my favourite teacher.

"I just got detention." I said dreading the words that came out of my mouth.

"Wait what?!" Hailey said surprised.

"But you've never had a detention before." Lily said.

"I know! Honestly it's ridiculous." I said.

"What lesson did you have just now?" Lily asked.

"Art." I said.

"Woah, that means your art teacher gave you detention." Hailey said.

"Exactly." I said.

Hailey and Lily both looked at each other and shrugged. I could tell they wanted to ask how I got detention, but decided against it. Good choice.

"Hey Soph?" Lily said, sort of like a question.

"Oh no, what do you want." I asked her, already exhausted from the topic she was about to bring up.

"Why do you think I want something?" Lily asked.

"You only ever call me Soph when you want something, so spit it out." I said.

"You know that singing competition we signed you up for?"

"Out of the question. I'm not doing it."

"But you have to! We already signed up your name and everything!" Lily said, feeling frustrated.

"Well cross my name out! You two shouldn't have even signed me up, you know I don't sing anymore!" I said, angry.

"We can't cross your name out, they've already taken in the form."

"Well you better find a way to get me out of this thing because I am not singing!" I said angrily leaving the table.

Ok. I didn't have to act the way I just did, but I did for a reason. My friends sign me up for a singing competition that I don't even want to be in, and then expect me to be fine with it?! That's messed up. But what hurts the most is, I don't sing anymore and my friends know why.

Let me fill you in. I used to love singing. I would literally sing all day, every day. Singing was a part of me. It all started with my beautiful, amazing grandma. Grandma Lucy. She was such a sweet soul. I remember Grandma Lucy was such an amazing singer. She used to sing lullabies to me whenever she visited. Grandma Lucy was my mom's mom, and the only grandparent I knew. Dad's parents passed away before I was born so I never knew them. From what dad tells me though, they were amazing parents to him. Grandma Lucy and her husband, mom's dad, divorced a little after my mom was born, so not even mom knows him that well.

Grandma Lucy and I had the best fun together. We played outside in the warm sun, we danced around in muddy puddles when it was raining, we baked the best cookies and we even played the best pranks on mom and dad. That was fun. Not for mom and dad though. One night we were singing karaoke and when we were done, we got a standing ovation. That night was the first time my family heard me sing. Grandma Lucy told me that I have a gift of singing and that I probably inherited it from her. I guess it kind of skipped a generation because mom can't sing to save her life.

Grandma Lucy and I would perform songs with each other Infront of our family and we loved it. It sort of became a tradition between the two of us. Our first real performance, was in my school's talent show. I remember Grandma Lucy and I were so nervous but she kept reminding me she was there for me. By the time we were done singing, we got a standing ovation and we won the talent show! The prize was 4 tickets to Disneyland! Mom, dad, Grandma Lucy and I, all went on the trip together and took tons of pictures.

Grandma Lucy passed away 2 weeks after the trip to Disneyland. When she died, so did my passion for singing. We were a team and always used to sing together. Without her, it just wasn't the same anymore. So that's the reason I don't sing anymore. Yet Hailey and Lily still signed me up for that thing, even if they knew the reason I don't sing anymore.

They just don't get it.