Throw Back Thursday

Twenty Three

Another letter clinked through the letter box. Another letter which was addressed to Elizabeth-Anne's parents. Another lecture of how she was failing at her life, and yet another  rant at how she should tell her parents everything and trust them. She couldn't be bothered for this. And that was the truth.

"To the parents of Elizabeth-Anne Carter,

I'm sorry to have to write this, but due to her act of what is classed as bullying towards Priscilla Hart, she is suspended from school for a month. A month with no sob-story allowances or go-backs or "whatever".

She should learn her lesson. She needs to know that harsh actions come with harsh consequences. Now referring to my last letter; she is still very much in her shell. Love is still un-divulged and she still complains. Help her, please. I think that she should have a good talk to me when she comes back to school. She saw me once I had sent my first letter, and I ask her to do the same once she has done her month and she has read this. Let her read this. This time, she should. She needs to read this. This is normally confidential for parents and teachers, but she needs to know."

Millie sighed. She wished her daughter trusted and wanted to talk to them. Why was that not the case?

The door swung open and she placed her hand on her spouse's shoulder. The letter remained glued to her hand with sweat. Words. So many harsh words. She waited for his reaction, studying his furrowing brow and his concentrated expression. Finally, he exhaled in frustration.

Yes, he felt the same as I. For hours we talked through the letter and about our daughter. Worries, thoughts, dreams, hopes we had of her, that she never wanted to tell us about, punishments that were too harsh for her that she was just going to have to deal with... Regretfully, we decided to give her the letter. It was for the best.

About eleven paces later, we reached her room. Miguel grabbed a pen out of his back pocket and scribbled a short few sentences. I kissed the paper.

"Honey, don't hate us. It's school's choice. We love you." I clenched my hands into a fist and forced myself beside my husband as the paper slipped gracefully underneath the door.  I waited for her to burst out of the door in a fit of pure anger but nothing. Not a single word, sign of tears, bang to signify that she'd punched the wall, nothing. Just silence. Eerie, deadly silence. And we hated that. I know that he did as well as I. That's one of the things we did agree on in our marriage. I sadly smiled to myself.

*    *    *

While I still felt the need, I grabbed my mobile from my desk. I was currently sitting on the floor cross-legged, my stereo system blaring as I was trying to do homework. I don't know why, but for once I tried, and actually wanted  to do it. Absentmindedly, I dialed Reno's number from the top of my head.

She picked up on the first ring. "Girl!" she said in a nonchalant manner, "How ya doin'?" I was silent for a couple of seconds as I genuinely didn't know what to say. "Girl?" Reno's voice turned into a whine of concern.

"Yes? I'm okay." I dragged out, before proceeding to mentally punch myself in the face repeatedly. I didn't want to come off too emotional right now.

"Came an, wassup?" Her tone slightly scared me.

"Fine." I brushed my thumb across my fingers. "I got a letter and I think it's from school."

"What?! Okay, let me add Aims to this." but before I could protest, a third voice came chiming in.

"Oh my Gawd! Reno just text me! What's up with 'u?" She sounded as gossipy as ever. Barf. (By the way, the 'u' isn't slang. She really did speak like that.)

I slapped my forehead and let my hand drag vertically down my nose and mouth. God, sometimes friends were just a little annoying. I exhaled before putting the phone back to my ear.

"I've gotten letter from school and I know it's bad."

"It's stupid punishment, school are stupid."

"I don't think they know what they're talking about. Do they even know you?"

"She's probably in trouble 'cause of Priscilla. She's the one who done it, right?" I held my breath anxiously on the phone. I opened the letter and read it, my eyes skimming for the crime I'd committed. Ah! There! Right there! I knew it. One of the teachers had ratted me out! They haven't mentioned it to keep their poor dignity. Aww, bless!

"Actually, no. It's my fault. I was the one who hit her, see she spread a rumour about me and I couldn't keep my mouth or fist shut!" I hated it, but there was silence on both ends.

"Oh my God, that was you?"

"That rubbish on Facebook was about you? You were the one with the STD? You've been doing-"

"NO!!" I screamed. "It wasn't me. NONE of that was me. It was a lie, it was total shit she made up. None of my doing, never was. She's just stupid. Always has been." Again, silence. Until..

"Oh! See, we knew you'd never do that!" They said lovingly in unison.

"Well you seemed pretty damn convinced!" I retorted while I still could.

"No! No!!" They  said, again in unison, before catapulting into laughter which made me feel a little awkward.

I watched the clock tick tock and the hands overlap each other. Ah, it was so relaxing. Relaxing while two hyenas were howling making you deaf! I was thirty over laps before silence reigned once again. God, that was a wait.

"Don't you know how to annoy someone?" I sounded angry and unappreciative, but I have a right at this moment.

"Sorry!" I heard rustling from the other ends of the phone. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, our moms are making us go to bed. We gotta go, girl. We love ya. Talk in the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah, speak about twelve-ish?"

"Okay." God, I laughed at Reno. Sometimes I loved how that girl had no idea of morning. It made me think that I could have a gorgeous lie in on days like this and that I could just forget the world. Wait, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. I crawled up onto my bed and changed into my pyjamas.

"Good. Night." I switched the light off and snuggled under the covers. Suspended or not, I was determined to make the best of my life. Whatever was thrown at me.