Mistakes

Ch.1

Tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of the office clock is deafening as I sit, slumped in my seat, listening passively as Principal Roland goes over the restriction rules regarding me.

"Are we clear, Miss Jaeger?"

I look up from the floor to see him staring at me with a stern expression on his face. Licking my dry lips, I nod silently, not trusting my voice. I try not to squirm at the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room.

"You are free to go," he announced, leaning back in his chair. Trying to avoid eye contact, I snatch up my messengers' bag and practically sprint from the room. The hair on the back of my neck raises as I walk out of the main office and into the crowded hallway of Travister High School.

Hunching my shoulders, I beeline through the crowd in the hall to my first class, all the while trying to ignore the whispers around me. Relief fills me as I enter the somewhat empty classroom. Its only occupants are me and a female teacher.

She looks up and arches an eyebrow when she sees me.

I guess news has already spread about my return. Giving her a small nod, I slip into an empty desk chair. My gazes shoots up to the clock to see that the bell is about to ring. I jump when it does.

My heart hammers inside my chest as a steady trickle of students enters the room. All of them stare with curiously at me; the girl who messed up. Swallowing hard, I try to make myself as small as possible, as some file past me.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans as class quickly gets underway. Just a little longer, I thought as I sat bent over my desk, eyes locked on the board ahead.

The teacher reminds the class that college application week is coming up, and to have in mind what college we want to apply for. I stare down at my notebook, mind racing. I had forgotten about application week.

My attention snaps back to the classroom when the girl next to me raises her hand.

"Mrs. Martin, I was wondering. Is it possible for a criminal to apply to a college?" she asks, glancing over at me. Nausea fills me at the question. Against my will my mind thinks back to that night. That night where my life was changed forever.

~~~

"I don't think this is a good idea, Jake." I watch nervously as he breaks the glass of a small store window. He turns and grins excitedly at me. "Don't be such a wimp, Carley."

Before I could say anything, he hoisted himself up and through the window, landing softly inside. I quickly look around before following suit. Glass crunches underneath my sneakers. My eyes quickly adjust to the darkness.

Following silently behind Jake, I study the aisle of bagged food and candy bars.

"Jackpot!" Jake whispers as he picks up a box of Wibbles. Ripping open the box, he stuffs a handful into his mouth. He silently offers some to me all the while checking out other candies. Grabbing a couple pieces, I pop them into my mouth, smiling as the subtle sweetness dances across my tastebuds.

My nervousness gradually evaporates as I catch sight of my favorite chip brand. Licking my lips hungrily I reach for them. The aluminum packaging rips easily under my fingers. The combination of sweet and salty makes me giddy.

I turn to show Jake my find. The aisle behind me is empty. Frowning, I strain my neck to catch sight of him. "Jake?" I whisper. No answer.

Clutching my find, I turn down an aisle, expecting to see him stuffing his face. "Jake where are you?" a trickle of apprehension sends a quiver down my spine. My breathing grows rapid at the unnerving silence.

"Jake answer me!"

I peek around the corner of the next aisle. Where could he have gone?

"Carley run!"

I jump in fright at Jake's sudden shout. Spinning around, I look to see him sprinting for the broken window. Confused, I went to follow but am stopped in my tracks as something presses against my back.

"Don't move!" A gruff voice commands. "Raise your hands where I can see them."

Trembling, I slowly raise my hands. My heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest. I flinch as a hand lands on my shoulder, jerking me around to face my captor. I feel like I am going to faint as I stare down the barrel of a shotgun.

~~~

"Miss Jaeger?"

At the sound of my name, I'm jarred from the memories of that night. Blinking I look up to see the teacher sitting behind her desk, staring at me. "Class is over now. You are free to go."

I look around to see that I am the only student left in the room. I feel my cheeks flush at this discovery. Shoving my notebook into my bag, I sling it over my shoulder and slink out of the room.

As I walk to my next class, my mind returns to college application week. What am I going to do? I'm sure that I have to tell them about that night. About my probation. About everything.

I press a hand against my stomach as it churns at the thought. Right now, I just have to get through the day, then I can worry about that at home in the safety of my room.

~~~

My knee bounces restlessly as I stare at the college application on my computer screen. The cursor blinks rhythmically across the page. Biting my thumbnail, I start typing then stop. Shaking my head I jam my finger down on the backspace, erasing what minimal progress I have made.

A knock sounds on my bedroom door before opening. I turn to see mom in the doorway, holding a cup of steaming hot chocolate in her hand. "How's it coming?" she asked, taking a seat on the foot of my bed.

I let out a heavy sigh. "It's not. I don't know what to say," I muttered, slouching back in my desk chair. Mom stared at the screen for a minute before patting her hand on the space next to her. "Come sit down."

Pushing away from the desk, I flop down on my bed with a groan. Mom hands me the cup of hot chocolate. "Is the problem telling them about your past?" she asked gently. I nod.

"Part of me wants to hide it."

Mom shot me a warning look at this. "Carley...," she began.

I shook my head, giving her a rueful smile. "Don't worry, I'm just talking." Her eyes soften with concern as hot tears spill down my cheeks. A sob slips past my lips as all the emotions of today crash over me.

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry."

Making a shushing noise, she wraps her arms around me. "We'll get through this."

Sniffling, I dry my eyes with the back of my hand. Mom strokes my hair gently as I calm down. We sit like that for a few minutes, allowing the silence to envelope us. Mom lets go of me before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I'll let you get back to work."

She closes the door softly behind her. Taking a deep breath I sit down at my desk, fingers hovering over my computer keys. Biting my bottom lip, I get my thoughts into order then allow my fingers to fly. The rhythmic tap, tap, tap of the keys is somewhat comforting.

An hour later I finish and press send.

Word count:1965