Simple As A Song (School of Rock)

fourteen - hateful ever after

THE LIBRARY IS QUIET as I plop down at a wooden table, my lunch box landing with a soft thud. Mom is already sitting down at the table, slumped over from exhaustion. She's barely eating any of the carrots she packed herself, her eyes dark as she stares at the library's front desk. I shift my gaze over there to see an older woman with graying hair sitting behind the desk, her back ramrod straight. 

I look between Mom and the woman, feeling the obvious tension between the two of them. Mom hasn't said anything about what's going on during the day because she usually asks me how my days are. I open my mouth to say something, but looking over at my mom, I decide to shut my mouth for the time being. 

She knows about my little dilemma, and she's not happy about it. Tomika isn't speaking to me because I kept my little band a secret from her, which isn't fair to me because she kept her band a secret from me, too. Riley is distant from her other friends, and we've been spending more time together, our sadness driving us toward the Battle of the Bands. I know Riley is feeling the drawback from her other friends, though. Maybe that's why she didn't come to school today. Zack claimed she was sick, but I think I can guess the real reason she didn't come.  

Mr. Finn has been trying to keep the class under control, but he's struggling. It isn't easy to teach a divided class, especially one that's divided into two different bands. If they only allowed Riley and me to join School of Rock, none of this would have happened. Riley hasn't told me why she didn't join their band (at least, I don't think she has), but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her not wanting to join or them not wanting her to join. 

"Miss Velasco," the older woman says, her voice sickly sweet, "I'm going on my break now. If anyone comes to the library, would you take care of them, please?"

"Of course," Mom says, perking right up. She forces a smile onto her pretty face, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I won't let you down."

"This time."

The woman tidied up her space and quickly left. Mom slumps back down to the table, pushing her food out of the way. "What's going on?" I ask, pulling my peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of my lunch box. "Why did she say 'this time?'"

Mom sighs, blowing a dark curl out of her eye. She looks at me, and behind her dark eyes, I can see the unmistakable look of sadness. "I messed up ordering books," she says, closing her eyes for a second. "That hag didn't show me what to do, so I tried to do it on my own, and I failed . . . miserably."

"It's not your fault, though."

"Well, it kind of is," she says, opening her eyes. "I could have asked for help, but she was already disappointed with me because I put some books in the wrong area of the library." She shrugs, but I can tell that she is struggling to come to terms with everything. "I just can't believe that things are happening this way. I got fired from my regular job, we lost our house, and now we're living with my sister." She lays her head on the table, and my heart drops in my chest. "I'm sorry, Harlow."

"Hey, it's not your fault," I say, setting my sandwich back in the tupperware. I reach out and place a hand on her arm. "Life is hard, but we're surviving."

"That's a good mindset to have."

"I learned it from you."

We share a smile before it drops off of my face. "I don't know what to do about my friends," I say slowly. Mom wasn't happy that I kept something from Tomika and the rest of the group, to say the least. "I feel bad that Riley and I kept this secret from them, but they did the same thing."

"Two wrongs do not make a right, sweetie."

"I know that." I let out a sigh, shaking my head. "Whatever, I guess. Riley and I are still going to perform in the Battle of the Bands against School of Rock, and we'll see who wins."

Mom looks at me, and I can tell she's weighing her options. Deep down, I know I should apologize to Tomika and tell her that this could have been avoided if I told her about my duo. But then I remember that she did the same exact thing to me, and my anger flares in my chest. How can she act like his when she was doing it in the first place? 

I don't have to think too much longer when Mr. Finn enters the library. Mom and I are hidden from the main doors, but there's a small hole through some books that I can see through. He's glancing around the area, and Mom makes a disgusted sound. Suddenly, AC/DC music blasts through the library, making me jump up from my chair, and knocking it to the ground with a loud clatter. 

"He does this almost every day!" Mom says loudly. She gets out of her seat and stalks toward the front of the library, and I slowly follow her. "Sir, you need to stop this right now."

Mr. Finn turns the music down, but he doesn't stop it. Instead, he flashes my mom a quick grin, but I see the way his grin makes my mom flush. "You like it when I play loud music in here," he says, brushing his blonde hair out of his eyes. "Right, Miss Velasco?"

"No, I don't," she growls. She marches forward and snatches his phone out of his hands, tapping the screen. The music stops playing, leaving the three of us in complete silence. "You need to stop coming in here to play that. This is a library, where everything remains quiet."

Mr. Finn pouts. "But, where else am I supposed to play loud music on my lunch break?"

"The parking lot."

They stare at each other for a second, and I watch as Mr. Finn's cheeks fill in with color. That could be because he's upset about getting kicked out of the library, but I know that my mom is an attractive woman, and Mr. Finn is a weak, weak man. 

"Okay," he says, nodding once. I'm surprised that he's backing down this easily. He grins at me, saying, "See you later, Harlow." Then, he looks at my mom and winks. As bile rises in my throat, he says, "And I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Velasco."

With that, Mr. Finn saunters out of the library. Mom and I watch him go, and I can feel the anger rolling off of her in waves. But there is something else beneath the surface that I can't quite read. Glancing over at my mom, I see an unreadable expression on her face. I hope she doesn't like Mr. Finn because I am not becoming his stepdaughter. 

"Let's finish lunch," Mom says, her voice steady. "And then I have to get back to work."

"Good plan."