Angels Redemption

Chapter twenty seven: Moving on

(Iris's pov)
Exams. I have exams this week. Yes school will be over!! Finally. But I'm so nervous. I haven't really been all there since the sort of apocalypse and since my family died. We buried their charred bodies (not even sure if it was theirs), then I got to read mom and John's wills. Thomas and I were in it but since Thomas died everything that was given to him, was given to me. So I got everything. Even the house. At least that's one thing that's stable. Anyway so I don't have to move. That's great. But it still feels like I'm missing people. Of course I am but it will never be the same again.

Sighing I close my locker door and then grab my books. Or the last of them anyway. Today we are cleaning out our lockers and we are bringing everything home. My first exam starts in a day, I'm a nervous wreck. Putting everything in my bag, I open the locker again to make sure I didn't miss anything, then I close it and head to my last period class. We are supposed to go there to wait for the bell, and we haven't gotten our first report card yet. Which is crazy. So we are getting them today. At least that's one stress off, I'll know if I'm failing anything or not. Going into exams blind petrifies me. I sit down and normally at this point Rain would have come over and been all excited that school is almost over. That summer will be starting. But Rain isn't here.

My name is called and I go to get my report card, where I'll see my averages and see if I can raise them with my exams. I walk back to my seat and I sit there. Then I breathe deep and decide to look at my scores. This is what I see-

Math- 89%
English- 90%
Chemistry- 80%
Spanish- 67%
French- 79%
Religion- 75%
Creative writing- 99%

My grades are pretty damn good. Except for Spanish. But I knew that. Smiling softly I can now go home knowing I have one less stress to worry about.

RING!

School is now officially over. I haven't smiled like I did today in months. I feel great. Getting up and hoping on the bus, I hold my report card close to my chest and smile the whole ride home. Once I get off the bus I skip to my front door and say ,"mom! I got my report card. My marks are-" but then I don't finish that thought. I know that mom will never be there for me again. She'll never come running in and smiling asking me how my grades are, or how was my day of school. She'll never walk out of her room again. She will never be passed out on her bed, from the abuse again either. Which is good. But it's worse now, because I'll never see them-any of them- again.

My happy bubble bursts. My smile slides off my face like a knife slidding through butter. I put my bag down and stare at my report card. Nothing will ever be the same again. Whipping my eyes I unpack all my school stuff and as I throw away papers I don't need and keep the stuff I do, I look at each paper as something in my life. Each paper that I throw away is one less bad thing in my life. Each paper that sits at the bottom of the blue bin, is me looking at my past and moving on.

With a small smile creeping back onto my face I look at my exams and my life as not an obstacle that holds me back, but as an obstacle that can only make me stronger.
***
The week for exams flew by. I'm walking out of school after just finishing my last exam. I decide to walk home, I don't live that far, when a sudden thought pops into my head. I should celebrate! After all I deserve a bit of  splurging. No harm done there. Mind made up I head to my favourite store Macs. Macs is a small frozen yogurt place, that sells -obviously- frozen yogurt and other little goodies. I open the door and the cashier Tyler says "Hey there Iris! How are you doing? Haven't seen you around here lately." I give Tyler a small smile and mumble out "I've been better, thanks for asking"

Here's what I'll tell you about Tyler Wright. He's 5'11'', he's 20 years old and he has black hair that is gelled slightly and pulled to a quiff in the front of his head. It also has a bit of a curl to it. He has dimples in his cheeks, and big green eyes. High cheek bones and a great body. Don't tell Rafael I said that, he'd kill me! Tyler has worked here for a long time and we've become close friends. But ever since high school started we've become distant. So now as I walk through the store looking for something to munch on, I can feel him staring at me. "Take a picture it'll last longer" I state as I walk up to the counter with my purchase.

He blushes then says "sorry. I can't help it. A beautiful girl like you walks into my store and I'm supposed to ignore you?" He asks it like a question and I blush. "Well... I don't know. You can look I guess. But I have someone." Tyler smiles sadly, "is he treating you right?" I nod vigorously. Then he smiles brightly "ok then" I put my stuff on the counter and he rings me through. "$5.69" handing him the cash I pick up my stuff and put it in my purse. "So Tyler what's new with you?" I ask casually because I don't feel like leaving just yet. He smiles like he's glad I asked him.

"My dad got a promotion for his job, and mom is all healed and better. She had breast cancer but now she's all better. And me well nothing new with me. Still working at Macs and still going to university." I nod. Then I remember something. "Don't you have a girlfriend? Last I remember you did. Rachel? Rebecca?" He smiles sadly "Rachel, her name was Rachel. And yes we were dating but that was a while ago." "Oh... Sorry. Didn't mean to bring up past hurts" he shrugs, "S'okay" I pat his hand and then say "well I better be off now. See you again?" He smiles "sure." Waving I head to the door then he says "Wait... Don't you want to know why Rachel and I broke up?" I turn to him in astonishment. "Well it's your story to tell, and I didn't want to ask. You know? You'd tell me when you're ready" "you are so nice." I laugh "thanks. So?" He looks at me perplexedly "so what?"

I roll my eyes, "how'd you two break it off?" He looks down and swallows hard. "She...she was cheating on me. I didn't even know it. She was seeing this British guy -I don't even know how, so don't ask me- for months before I even knew about it. And by that time we'd been together 2 years. I was hurt" I frown "I'm sorry" He smiles "Don't be" I nod and then look out the store window. "What about you? Where's your guy?" I swallow now. My heart lurches in my chest and I have to breathe deep to keep from crying. "He's... Not here" I say. "Oh... What he hurt you or something?" He looks angry now. So as I step towards the door I say "Or something." Then I wave and leave the store. As I walk home I go over my chat with Tyler. Everything he said about how his girlfriend hurt him, that he's suffering too, makes me realize that I'm not the only one out there.

That maybe, just like Tyler, I can move on. That maybe one day all this hurt can be gone. Knowing that I march home with a new attitude and brand new spirit of hope flickering inside of me.