Parker Stevens, I Can Hold a Grudge

Parker Stevens; Chapter Twenty-Six

I skipped school on Monday.

                I faked being sick the whole weekend; meanwhile I was wallowing in self-pity. My mom and dad babied me but I pretended to sleep so they would leave me alone. I ended up watching the Notebook on repeat- finally realizing who Noah Calhoun was. Parker Stevens was no Noah Calhoun and I would take Ryan Gosling any day.

                Oddly enough, I never cried. It wasn’t like I was in love with him, right? It was just a stupid crush that I would get over and realize that boys, in general, were not worth all the trouble. I didn’t need to reproduce. I would just stay single forever and rely on cats. If I had a bunch of cats, I would never be lonely. There, problem solved.

                Thankfully, March break was next week and I was going down to Florida like I did every year. My grandparents had a house in Fort Lauderdale, they were retired and Fort Lauderdale was the place to be, right?

                This year, for once, I had practically forgotten all about it. Florida wasn’t really my thing, along with airplanes. Airplanes really weren’t my thing either. I could practically feel my stomach churn just thinking about being so far up that if you fell out from one, you would be nothing but ash when you landed.

                I was a very optimistic person.

                Monday, I ate ice-cream out of a small tub. It was triple chocolate and I ate it in ten minutes.

                Bri had convinced me to give her my phone right after she dropped me off at my house on Friday night after Parker called it six times and texted it 25. I was guessing Harris gave him my number or something, and thankfully I had caller ID so I didn’t answer it. God knows what would’ve happened if I heard his voice on the other line, tempting me to forgive him. The least I could do was hear him out right? That was wrong, according to Bri though. I was just supposed to move on and forget all about him. I was also supposed to find ‘a-hottie-with-a-body’ when I was down in Florida. Were there people other than the elderly in Fort Lauderdale?

                Tuesday morning came faster than I wanted it too. But I had to show him I was better off without him, so I pulled on a pair of tight black skinny jeans and a ruffled white blouse. I wore my ankle-boots without a heel because I was so beyond tired of heels, and curled my hair so it was wavy. Simple black eye-liner lined my eyes and I paired it with a bright red lipstick that clashed perfectly against my dark hair a bright blouse.

                I had an air of confidence about my look, but how the hell could I be confident when I knew I was going to have to face Teagan and Parker?

                It was weird how I adjusted so easily to the stares and whispers last week. This week though, I felt like their words were piercing holes into my spine even though I couldn’t hear what they were saying. They all knew what happened on Friday; Carrie must’ve spread it like wildfire. It didn’t surprise me though.

                Briana suddenly appeared by my side, looping her arm through mine. I smiled at her, but I knew she could tell it was forced for the audience.

                “Here’s your phone back,” She muttered to me, quietly enough so only I could hear. I felt the plastic slide into my hand. I forced my hand to grip it.

                “Hey, Bri? Can I catch up with you later? I kind of want to face my locker on my own,” I said to her as we approached my hallway. She looked at me with a knowing stare but sighed and nodded anyways. We both knew something, or rather someone, would be waiting at my locker. I took a deep breath before turning the corner to the hallway.