High School Years

Chapter Six

Lex came over later that day. Her and Winter did all they could to make me forget about Alex but sometimes you just can't avoid your neighbor, no matter how hard you try. I had never felt anything more right than when we were together, but nothing good ever lasts. Especially not in my world.
"Summer, c'mon," Lex poked me trying to convince me to eat some of my dinner. Her attempts were fruitless. I simply was not hungry. Skipping a meal or two couldn't do me any harm, anyway, I have some pounds I would love to shed.
Some time after dinner Lex, Winter, and I were in my room. They watched Girltective, the hottest series ever on my tv while I looked at various celebrity magazines.
"Maddie is just such an empowering character and promotes such girl power. She is obviously the best detective at the agency. She's gonna solve it." Winter said.
"I beg to differ. I feel that Sasha is the most girl empowering character due to her humble beginnings in the country. She stands on the beliefs that she can do whatever she sets her mind to. She
may not be the smartest detective at the agency, but mark my words he will be the one to solve it." Lex countered. As they got into a friendly debate over Maddie versus Sasha I immersed myself in celebrity drama in attempt to forget my own.
It turned out Lex could not sleepover so around ten she had to head home. I settled myself into my pajamas and just as I was heading to the bathroom to wash my face Winter's phone beeped.
"I have to go. My mom just texted me saying there's a family emergency or something." She told me.
"Yeah go ahead I'll see you at school tomorrow!" I said back.
"Are you sure you'll be okay without me tonight." She asked me.
"Winter you worry too much I'll be totally fine. Let me know how your emergency turns out." I told her. Secretly I was kind of relived to have some time to myself. It was so rare for me nowadays so I always cherished my moments to myself. Winter gathered her things and went home. I picked up where I was before she left and went to go wash my face.
Waking up the next morning, I felt completely refreshed. My brain does funny things while I'm asleep. Funny dreams. But sometimes beneath the stupidity of my brain, there is some brilliance. I woke up with a plan.
I showered, grabbed my clothes and threw them on, quickly did my makeup taking extra care with my red lipstick, skipped breakfast, and headed out the door to the bus stop.
The other boys were at the stop, including him. I decided the best strategy was to pretend the past six months never happened and we were still not on speaking terms. I pulled out my phone and simply ignored all of them as they talked about guy stuff. It felt like it was pre-eighth grade.
Actually seeing him for the first time since the breakup made me begin to wonder. Would he go sit with someone else at lunch? Would he be leaving the group. Would he sit with the bus boys in the back like he used to again? I just had to wait and see. The bus rounded the corner and I, as usual pre-last year, was the first one on. I sat in my seat right in the front. As I expected Alex brushed past me to the back. Just like old times. He didn't even glance at me. Exactly like old times.
We got to school and I hurried off the bus to my locker.
"Hey hey!" Winter said bubbling up to my locker.
"Only two heys? What's up?" I asked.
"Well if you must know I heard someone making fun of... Never mind," she said.
"Making fun of what Winter?" I asked. She stared off into space.
"Were they making fun of," I lowered my voice to a whisper and continued, "the T thing?" I finished my question. She nodded.
"Ok who was it I'm gonna teach them a thing or two. Was it Adam again? Just nod yes or no." I asked.
"Yes. Him and his crew." She told me.
"Okay I'm going to ask you one more question and you are going to answer. Okay?" I asked. She nodded.
"Has Alex rejoined them?" I stated my question blankly. She nodded just as blankly.
"I'm gonna teach them a thing or two about Tourette's Syndrome." I said as a matter of fact.
Then the bell rang.
"Wait Winter I nearly forgot to ask you! I'm thinking of starting a band. You interested?" I asked quickly telling her the plan I woke up with this morning.
"Totally. See ya!" She said and with a spin she was off. And so was I.
Math. First class of the day. Winter didn't end up with me this year but guess who did. Alex and his old crew that he has according to Winter rejoined. Time to find out some things for myself.
The group walked into class lead by Adam and sure enough, Alex was front and center. I listened in to their conversation.
"Guess what I have!" One of them says while flapping their arms. Another started making odd vocal noises. They all laughed. I wasn't going to take this from them. I walked right up to them and turned on my sass.
"You know I certainly hope you aren't making fun of Tourette's." I said.
"And if we are so what. It's funny." Adam snapped back at me.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's absolutely hilarious to have people look at you weirdly in public or have people tease you for something you can't help." I said real calm.
"How would you even know?" He asked.
"Cause I have Tourette's. See, not all Tourette's kids are in special ed. Some are like me. Some hold it in all day in fear of uneducated idiots like you. But I think it's time you become less of an idiot. Tourette's is not something to make fun of. It is a neurological disorder. Something a person can't help. People with Tourette's are some of the strongest people around. So many other things to hand and hand with Tourette's, a major one being OCD. And trying to hold in a tic is like having a thousand mosquito bites and not being able to scratch. People look at you weird when you do tic and sometimes even mock you. If you still feel like making fun of Tourette's get a fucking life." I gave him the speech I had wanted to since the first time I heard him make fun of Tourette's.
"Alex tell your girlfriend here to mind her own business." He laughed. Surely Alex would defend me even with our circumstances, I thought.
"She is so not my girlfriend" he laughed with his friends.
"Like I would ever want to date an asshole like you." I snapped at him.
As soon as I sat down back at my seat I realized what I had just done. I had told my whole math class I had Tourette's. By lunch the whole school would know and it would happen.
I asked the teacher if I could go to the bathroom and for the second day in a row I cried in the bathroom stall.