Because of Samantha | Original Novel

04 - Because of Taekwondo

"You totally crashed in English today." Aaron, once again, was stating the obvious. I glance at him skeptically, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you not think I know that?" I say questioningly. "Goodness, Aaron, you need to wake up."

Reaching my hand out to open my locker, I recall the forty-five minutes I used as a nap time. My English teacher, Ms. Jennings, about had a hissy fit when she found out I was sleeping the entire time. I even had to stay behind for two extra minutes. Apparently, teachers get all riled up when a senior crashes in their boring classes.

"What's got you all tired, anyways?" Aaron asks.

"I'm sharing a room with Margret, now," I groan, recalling that fight we had at the dinner table a week ago. "She snores louder than a snot-nosed pig, I tell you what. I don't think I'm going to be getting much sleep until the day I move out."

Aaron clicks his tongue, and says, "If all else fails, we can beat the snoring out of her, eh?"

"Don't be ridiculous," I beg. "You can't beat up a ten year old girl. Besides. She's about four-hundred pounds, and she knows how to use that to her advantage. I guess she took Judo classes for a couple of years."

"Well, I took Taekwondo," Aaron argues. "Speed and agility weigh out, well, weight." Making a cliche kiyah noise, he swats my hand away from grabbing my heavily-loaded backpack from my locker. I make my fist connect with his shoulder, which smashed him against a random buff guy from behind us. He walks away with a hurt glance.

"Golly," he groans, rubbing where I had hit him, "This girl can punch, huh?"

"You must have forgot that I took Taekwondo with you, and won every match." I stick my finger in the air gloatingly, grabbing my backpack from my best friend's hand and slinging it around my shoulder.

Aaron looks like he ate something sour.

"I remember. You broke my nose." I can't help but bust up laughing at the memory of Aaron's mother teasing her injured son, right in front of the ER doctor. My mother wasn't hardly as pleased. She scolded me for being too harsh. Even then, I couldn't stop laughing, and Aaron couldn't either. He kept snorting out nose blood. I was promoted to an orange belt the very next day. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.

"Quit your laughing," Aaron snaps bitterly. "My nose is bigger than it was before to this day, thanks to your girl fists."

"Could be worse," I shrug. "You could end up talking like someone with a terrible nasal condition."

"Alrighty, Taekwondo Teresa," Aaron mocks, waving his hands in front of him teasingly. "Why don't we kick it over to my awesome new convertible? Drive you to your new house with some style, why don't we?"

We walk down the hallway, shoving each other into the lockers and making martial arts jokes. It brought me back to the good ol' days, when I could afford Taekwondo lessons. When dad was still around. When the Felters were some other family, some place other than my life. It made me realize how much time it's been.

I'm growing up, and it's terrifying.

***

"So, this is your new car," I comment, eyeballing Aaron's new '65 Mustang Convertible. "Why would you show me this when you know I'm quite capable of stealing it?"

"You can't drive," Aaron gloats, hopping in and eagerly setting his hands on the steering wheel. I grit my teeth and do the same, practically squealing at the neat leather seats. "Pretty sweet, hm?" Aaron seemed very proud, and he had a right to be. At least the guy worked for this.

I lean back as Aaron starts up his ride, squeezing my eyes shut as the wind gently pushes through my short hair. I could hear Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" blaring on the radio speakers, and I can't help but mimic the music video. Jamming out in the car.

"It's like rain!" I chorus, bringing my hands high above my head, "On your weddin' day!"

"It's the free ride!" Aaron continues, air-guitaring and daring to drive with no hands, "But ya already paid."

"It's the good advice, that ya just didn't take!"

We zip down the California streets, singing at the top of our lungs and executing our outrageous car dance moves. A few passer-by glanced at us with judgmental eyes, but we were the ones in the Mustang. No one can judge us when we're in a car as cool as this one. Maybe it was so cool, it made us dorks seem somewhat decent.

Like that was possible.

We drive through the lower East Side, where my family was in the process of relocating. The past week, we've been busting our butts and moving in to this small condo duplex. We were to the point where we actually began to sleep there. I still can't believe how fast things were going in this process. The wedding is in three months, and we're already getting all prepared.

We drive up my cracked driveway, where I stop. I could see Dennis and my mother, passionately showing the very meaning of PDA on our front porch. Aaron honks teasingly, wolf-whistling, and my mom shakes her head fondly.

I yell, "Get a room!"

Aaron laughs. Mom blushes. Dennis booms obnoxiously. Everyone took it lightly, but inside, even four months later, I feel sad and betrayed inside.

And who woulda thought, it figures.

***

I love Alanis Morissette. :3 She's pretty awesome, if you ask me. If you like nineties rock, I recommend this chick right here.

Anyhow, enough about my senseless music rave. This chapter isn't my greatest, but it's a good way to start adding more dialogue and such. I promise, soon enough things will actually start to happen and the story can actually progress.

This time, I actually have an ending for this book, so I hope y'all stick around long enough to find out what it is. Thanks for reading, and you're all awesome, as always.