Wish We Could Turn Back Time m.c

Chapter 11

Since the day Al and Lance got in a fight, Charlotte has turned the whole school against me, saying I started it and now everyone is openly staring at me and talking about me just like after Michael left. And I thought things were finally starting to get better.

Al really did get suspended, so I had to endure Thursday and Friday that week all by myself. The only slightly bright side of this whole situation was that Lance got suspended too, not that it really mattered much since Charlotte still had her army of skanks to follow her around and lick her high heels. Metaphorically, of course.

When I walked into school on Monday morning the next week, whatever rumor Charlotte had started about me this time was still going strong because everyone jumped out of our path like I had some kind of disease when Al and I walked up the stairs of the school's entrance.

"Geez, when you said Charlotte made up rumors about you, you weren't kidding. And all this for standing up to her one time and me getting into a fight with her boyfriend?" Al exclaimed as he stared at a pair of girls whispering and glancing at us from the corner.

"No. She's still mad at me for something else," I continued to look down at my converse as I had been doing since we reached the school grounds.

"What?"

"I've got to go to class, I'll see you later, Al," I said slamming my locker shut and walking briskly to my history class.

"Wait!"

I kept walking.

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The rest of the school day was hell, and Al failed every time he tried to start a conversation with me. It wasn't just the rumors, or my family's situation, or even not winning the art contest. Not getting the tickets meant I couldn't meet Michael, but more importantly I couldn't take Al with me to the concert. Jasmine had told me that she couldn't take my other ticket because her parents wouldn't let her fly to Sydney, so I had planned to give it to Al. I've tried lying to myself, but the truth is I really like him, even though it's impossible for him to like me back. I can barely even muster up a personality around him! How could he have a crush on the girl that will never talk to him?

I was lying on my bed thinking about everything, as I often do, when my mum's voice calling from downstairs startled me. I forgot that she doesn't have an afternoon job anymore.

"Lacey! Come down here and talk to me!" Grudgingly, I rolled out of bed and did as I was told. I found my mum in her room, looking at some mail.

"Yes?" I asked from the doorway.

"What is this?" She held up one of the papers and it was my report card which showed that I got all A's except for a B in algebra and a C in history. Great. I forgot those came in the mail today. I tried to explain to her about losing that important report, and about the struggles I was having with math, but she wasn't having it.

"Lacey, I have enough stress right now with work and trying to support the family. There's no need to make excuses, you just need to try harder so that you can get a scholarship for college. I really want you to have a good education, you know." The disappointment in her eyes made me angry, because she has no right to be disappointed when she's the one who keeps losing her job, but it also made me sad. She's just confirming all the things Charlotte says about me being a failure.

"But mom-"

"No. I really need to see improvement this last semester. Finish out your junior year strong, Lacey," she looked down again, sorting through the pile of mail. I wanted to say something back to her, to tell her I was trying, but I just couldn't. She was right.

My feet felt heavy climbing up the steep stairs of out old house. I crawled into bed again, feeling worse than before, and having no desire to do any of the homework all the teachers had laid on us this week. Something else was starting to occupy my mind.

When Michael first left school and Charlotte turned everyone against me, making me a social outcast, I was having a lot of bad thoughts about myself at the time. I knew that there were other people in the world who were bullied a lot worse than I was and that I should feel grateful that I still have a home and a family, even if sometimes my mum does put a lot of pressure on me, but it didn't stop me from letting all the negativity get to me. Some days, I would come home from school, and just want to die.

And that's exactly what I feel like now.

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Michael's POV

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Well, it had been a little over a week since the art contest ended and while I was happy with the winner as I said before, I just couldn't stop thinking of the other drawing, the one of me and the girl with brown hair. Honestly, it was because it reminded me too much of Lacey Palmer.

I was sitting in our hotel room in Japan (where our tour had taken us at the time), wishing that I could somehow meet whoever drew that picture, when suddenly an idea struck me. Grabbing my phone and my laptop, I went to the contest website and scrolled to the very bottom of the home page where the charity had their phone number posted for further donation purposes. I dialed it.

It rang once, twice, three times...

"Hello, Open Arms Charity?"

Pause.

"Yes, this is Michael Clifford, from the band 5 Seconds of Summer who sponsored the art contest."

Pause.

"Uh huh, I was wondering if I could have the email address from one of the entries?"

Pause.

"Oh, I see. You can't give out private information," I leaned back on the couch where I was sitting and propped my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. I knew how to pull strings.

"Would you, by any chance happen to have a daughter? Oh, uh huh. And how old is she? Right, well, I think there may be a couple tickets available for the... Where do you live, sir? Right, for the Denver show..."

And things went smoothly from there.

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End of Part 11.

Just imagine Michael trying to act all professional on the phone like that. XD

Okay, I know Lacey was having some scary thoughts there, but this is not a sad story, I promise. Things only get better from here.

No one has any thoughts on what's up with Charlotte???? I thought for sure one of you would come up with some kind of conspiracy *cough*  *cough*

Thanks for reading though, love y'all. <3

-SJ