18 Years

The Biggest Mistakes

Sebastian

Intelligent or not, we all make mistakes and perhaps the intelligent mistakes are the worst, because so much careful thought has gone into them.

-Peter Ustinov, a British actor

Why was everything so messed up in this world? Why was everyone so cruel and horrible to each other? After school Beij, Drip, Clyde, Sharky and I all went downtown to a little ice cream parlor. At first everything was going smooth, we were all having a good time. But Beij was acting strange once again. She's become so moody and distant lately. Maybe she misses her planet, I get it. Sometimes I miss home too. She was totally being rude to Drip, and going on and on about how Drip was trying to copy her and ruin her life? Even worse, Drip asked about my scar. Clyde is my friend now, and the past is the past, right? I don't hold anything against him, and he doesn't hold anything against me. But it was still kind of painful to bring up the subject. Everything about my past is sort of painful. I don't like to talk about it. At school the next day, I was hoping everything was cleared up between the girls. I hoped they just forgot about what they said the other day and moved on. I wanted everyone to be friends again. But of course, that didn't happen. I had just come out of the bathroom, looking to see if Beij was going to make things right again. Sharky was waiting at the lunch table, waving his prized jelly sandwich at me. I could always count on Sharky to soften the blow of everything. I sat down next to him, when he pointed in Beij's direction. Clyde strode over to where Beij was grabbing her textbooks, when Drip came sauntering over. She draped herself on Clyde's shoulder, and rubbed his arm in a "I'm-so-much-better-than-you" way. I didn't really know what to think of Drip, really. When we first met she seemed nice, like she wouldn't hurt a fly. But now I saw her getting all up in Beij's space bubble, and shrugging her off like she was some old piece of junk at my neighbor's garage sale. Clyde had turned even paler than his usual self, and I didn't see him talk all that much. Drip turned away, trying to drag Clyde away from the alien girl. But then I saw a light flicker. Then another one. Sharky's soda can began to shake.
         I knew what was going to happen. I've seen this once before, at the starting of the school year. I made direct eye contact with Beij's pearly white eyes, and mouthed "stop" at her. It was like she was in some sort of hazed delusion. She couldn't be stopped though, she couldn't. I don't even think she could hear me, even if I screamed right in her ear. She pushed Drip to the ground, hard. Drip's blonde hair was streaked with blood, and she had started to cry. Clyde lifted her up, swore at Beij, and ran off. Beij had started crying sinister, deep red blood. Blood of defeat. Blood of loss.

Everything that was done in the last two days was just some freak accident, a mistake you may call it. Beij didn't mean to insult Drip. Drip didn't mean to be racist towards aliens. Clyde didn't mean to give me my scar. I didn't mean to send that text to Beij. All of this was a mistake. All of this was because of me. If I just would have shut up and not done anything, maybe everyone I ever loved wouldn't hate each other. Maybe everyone's lives wouldn't be ruined. Maybe I would be happy.

-R