Keep Your Enemies Close

Chapter Three A Sticky Situation

I didn't say anything as I processed what my mother had said. It was a lot to take in, and I wondered if she ever told Georgia.

"Don't think about it a lot, okay, Mabel? I already regret telling you all that, I just wanted you to know so you didn't have to keep wondering all the time." I took a deep breath.

"It sounds like a real love story, like in the movies. It's true love." My mother gave a sheepish smile.

"More like a heartbreak. But that was in the past, Mabel, and since I spilled everything to you, I actually feel much better, and I think I'm ready to move on." I nearly jumped up from my chair.

"Really mom? That's great!" She got up abruptly.

"Now seriously, go get ready for school." I was happy to.

*****

High school wasn't really something to look forward to since I had no friends. And if you had no friends at school, you'd be having a bad time.

I was the kind of person that made people apologize to me, I never apologized to people. Not sincerely, anyway. It was a bad habit, but we all had something in ourselves that was unlikeable.

If Ronnie and Penny were waiting for me to do something about our friendship, let's just say we would never be friends again.

Fortunately, I didn't bump into any one of them. That would've been awkward.

Most of the kids from our elementary school applied to Neon High, where I was going right now. Or they applied to Lincoln High, our rival school in sports. Penny was about to go to Lincoln, just before her and I begged her mom so that she could go to Neon. We promised we'd do Penny's mom's chores for a month. And we'd always follow the rules in school blah blah blah. So much for that.

How was I supposed to go to Penny's house everyday after school if we weren't friends anymore?

Penny would probably talk it off as no problem, which would make me mad, and then she would get even more mad. We had been a weird pairing of friends.

I had first period English, and sadly Penny took it too. The only subject we didn't have together was drama.

I walked to my class, which I was late for. I've always been late. Being late was also a bad habit, that unfortunately, was hard to break. But this time it mattered to me since it was my first day of high school.

The door was closed, and I sighed. I never could understand teachers who shut the door right after the morning bell.

I opened the creaking door and stepped in, trying to be quiet. The rain had made my hair frizzy and puffy, so I probably looked like a mess. I brushed a hand to the front and back of my hair, hoping to flatten it.

The teacher glared at me. He was middle aged, and looked very impatient. He practically smashed the marker he was holding in his hands.

"And who might you be?" He asked in a mocking tone. I shivered. Maybe it was from the cold rain. Or his deathly glare. I eyed Penny in the first row. She made eye contact, but then quickly looked away.

"Mabel. Mabel Jennings."

The teacher smirked nastily.
"Alright, Ms. Jennings. Why are you late?" He asked, his voice hostile. Some people looked amused and some just didn't bother to pay attention. Though Penny wasn't looking, she was obviously listening.

"Uh, the rain? I walked here." The teacher didn't seem satisfied.

"Ms. Jennings, rain doesn't make you late, a lack of fitness does."