Mending|a.i

Chapter 2: A Thirty Second Friend

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

I walked through the door to my home. I heard the whistles and yelling of the soccer game from another room. I walked through the hallway, seeing all the pictures of my mom, and her with my family. I walked into the living room and saw chips and popcorn scattered on the floor. There were beer cans on the coffee table and bowls of chips and dip. My dad and his other three friends were sitting on the couch. He turned around and saw me and smiled.
"Hey, May, wanna watch the game?" He asked. I smiled at him and nodded. I jogged upstairs and threw my backpack on my bed. I closed the door and ran to the living room.
"Hey, Maisie, how's it going?" My dad's friend, Matt, asked in a happy voice.
"Great." I said. At least I was right now. My dad and his friends were my only friends.
"School's good?" My dad's other friend, Chris, asked.
"Perfect." I lied. It pained me to do so. I really wanted to stand up and yell. Saying it was not okay, it was never okay, but I couldn't. It'd bring everyone's happiness down.
"And your grades?" My dad's nerdy friend, Nathaniel, asked. He wasn't really nerdy, but we just called him that. I made a name for him when I was five.

"Hey Mays!" My dad yelled. I dropped my Barbie and ran to him.
"Do you think Nat is nerdy?" He asked. I looked at my dad's friend then back at my dad.
"What's nerdy mean?" I asked. My dad smiled. My dad picked me up and rested me on his hip.
"You know like-"
"Don't even think about, Chase." My mom said from the living room.
"Uh oh, Mama Woolf is mad!" Chris said. Matt howled and Chris joined in. My dad rolled his eyes.
"She's gonna find out eventually, hanging around Nat." My dad said.
"Hey!" Nathaniel defended, "I'm not nerdy!"
"What's nerdy mean?" I asked again. My dad smiled at me.
"It's when someone likes stuff a lot and is super weird and wears glasses." My dad said. I looked at Nathaniel. His glasses were slipping off his face, so he pushed them up. He was wearing a soccer jersey and sweatpants with socks and sandals. He looked weird. He had glasses. He loved soccer. Nathaniel was nerdy.
"Yep! He's nerdy!" I said happily. Nathaniel glared at my dad.
"Yes! See! Even Mays thinks you're nerdy!" My dad said swinging me around.
"Great job, Chase." My mom said rolling her eyes, but smiling at the same time,"Maisie do not use that word at school. You'll get in big trouble." I nodded and smiled at her.
"I won't, mommy." I said happily, "But can I call Nat that?" My dad laughed.
"Yep, as much as you want." My dad said. I smiled and looked at Nathaniel.
"You're new name is Nerdy Nat!" I squealed. Nat widened his eyes at me. I smiled and laughed. I jumped out of my dad's arms and started running around the hallways.
"Nerdy Nat! Nerdy Nat!" I chanted loudly. I heard my mom and dad's laughing in the living room. I looked back and saw my dad hug my mom and kiss her forehead. I ran to my mom and dad and my dad caught me. He held me up and kissed my cheek. My mom took me from him and hugged me.
"I love my little Maisie." She said sweetly.

The team we were rooting for made a goal. My dad and all of his friends stood up and started yelling and jumping around, like girls at a One Direction concert. My dad yelled happily and picked me up. I squealed and he threw me back on the couch. I started laughing and watched as they all jumped up and down. I love them so much. They're my only friends I've ever had. Scratch that, they're family.

+*+*+

I ran into the bathroom to eat lunch. I hated it, but I also hated staying out in the open to get food thrown at me from across the room. I opened the bathroom door and was immediately hit with the smell of disinfectant and bleach. I walked over to a stall and put the toilet seat down. I closed the door and sat down. I picked up my fork and looked at the spaghetti in front of me, which would have seemed delicious if I wasn't in the bathroom. I sighed at the dish in front of me and dropped my fork and put my tray on the ground. I sat there for a second and looked at the meal before me, again. I felt my stomach growl and my mouth water at the though of tasting the seasoned spaghetti sauce on my tongue. I heard the bathroom door open and many silent giggles. I heard quiet footsteps almost a tiptoe. I sighed and started at the bathroom stall covered in writing. Then, out of no where. Spaghetti was flung into my lap. I screeched and then heard laughter. This was a planned prank. I stood up and brushed the spaghetti off of my lap and onto the tray. It landed with a disgusting splat. I cringed at the goop on my pants and hands. Then I noticed a white piece of paper in the heap of spaghetti. I pulled it out and looked at it. You can't hide forever. The note said. At the bottom I saw a familiar signature, Ashton. I stared at it, until I saw a drop of water land on the piece of paper and collide with the red tomato sauce. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. I unlocked the bathroom stall and stepped over the tray to wash my hands. I rinsed my red hands under the warm water. I dried my hands and got a dry paper towel. I started wiping the thick sauce off my pants. I heard the bathroom door open and a girl walked inside. She looked at me with wide eyes.
"Oh my god. Are you okay?" She asked quickly. I glanced at my pants and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." I said quietly.
"Do you want to borrow a pair of my pants?" She asked. I looked at her in awe. Did she just really offer to let me borrow her pants?
"Uh, no. I'm okay, really." I said smiling at her.
"No you aren't, come on." She said digging around in her bag.
"It's okay." I said. She pulled out a pair of leggings and offered them to me.
"No, please. I insist." She said. I looked at her and then back at the pants. I grabbed the elastic fabric and she dropped her hand.
"I'm Cress." She said sticking out her right hand.
"Maisie." I said shaking her hand. I nodded at her and went and changed in a different stall. I came out and she smiled at me.
"Ooh, they fit you so well." She said complimenting me.
"Thank you." I said smiling. She nodded happily. We heard the loud bell ring and her smile dropped.
"Um, just return them later. I have P.E last and then I have volleyball, so I won't be at my locker, but, um." She wrote down a locker number and handed it to me, "My friend always stops by my locker to put away my book bag for me before she goes to Homecomimg Committee. Just meet her there with the pants." Cress said quickly. I nodded at her and thanked her once more, before she raced toward her next class. I casually walked to Pre Calculus, feeling the slick material on my legs stretch with every step.

+*+*+

I did exactly as Cress asked. I stopped at the locker and saw her friend. I handed her the pants and went on with my day. I walked home again and immediately marched upstairs wanting to hurry up and change into something more comfortable. I pulled on some sweatpants and pull on a big, baggy shirt that my dad gave me. I opened my laptop and started to watch Netflix. Midway through my movie, I heard the door slam and footsteps through the living room.
"Maisie!" I heard my dad's voice yell. I paused the movie and raced downstairs.
"Yeah dad?" I yelled down the steps. I looked around and didn't see anyone. My dad appeared from his bedroom.
"I'm going to be gone for a little while." My dad said unloosening his tie from around his neck. I nodded and walked to the kitchen.
"I'll be gone for at least three days." He said, leaning against the kitchen island.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Harvard, I'm going to be demonstrating how the heart beats." I nodded.
"That's cool." I said, still nodding. My dad looked up from the kitchen tiles to me.
"I'm sorry." He said. I looked at him for a while.
"I'm sorry for leaving." I shook my head.
"Dad, it's fine." I said in denial. My dad looked up at me and smiled.
"You look just like your mom." He said. I smiled.
"Except, I have your eyes." I said. He chuckled, his bright blue eyes sparkling.
"Yeah you do." He said, pulling me into him and hugging me.
"But, a friend from work is going to be checking in on you." My dad said, "Her name is Mrs.Irwin." My heart started to pound in my chest. Irwin.