X-Kid

Save Your Heart

A week later, I was about ready to explode.

I had been sitting at the dining room table, scribbling down notes for my history class even though it was now Friday night. My friends had been over earlier, but they had left roughly an hour before. My mother shuffled in the room, but I continued working in the hopes that she would just ignore me. Of course, I couldn’t get that lucky.

“Nora, we need to talk,” she greeted, placing her hands on her hips assertively.

“What did I do now?” I groaned. Sometimes she got angry at me for asinine things, so I could only assume that this is what this was.

She sat down in the chair next to me, making sure she was comfortable before she spoke. “It’s nothing you did, but more what you might do.”

I stopped writing and gave her a sideways glance. Was she trying to accuse me of something? “What is it?”

“I think we should put you on the pill,” she said, looking me dead in the face.

“What the hell? Why?” I shouted, my sudden outburst causing my pencil to fly across the room.

“I don’t want you getting pregnant in high school. I don’t care if you have sex, but you need to be prepared,” she explained.

I gaped at her. “Mom, I’m 15 years old. That’s not exactly a good age to lose your virginity at. Anyway, it’s not like I have a boyfriend, and I’m not going to go around having sex with random people. I’m not an idiot.”

“Nora, you’re always around boys. What am I supposed to think?” she questioned.

“Um, maybe that they’re just my friends, and that I’m not a whore who does everyone she sees?” I retorted.

“What about that one you’re always with? The one with the hair?” she asked.

“You mean Jack? Why would I be having sex with him? He’s just a good friend,” I mentioned.

“I’m sure he is,” she scoffed. “You need to be having safe sex.”

“I’M NOT HAVING SEX,” I screamed. “And definitely not with Jack considering he’s got a girlfriend.”

Her face was red with anger at this point, so I could only imagine mine. “I already scheduled you an appointment at the clinic for Monday after school. You’ll be taking the pill, and that’s final.”

With a huff, I gathered up my homework and stomped to my room, turning on my stereo and blasting Green Day through its speakers. I paced my room for awhile, debating whether or not to bunch my bedroom wall before finally getting on my computer to watch some Supernatural. It didn’t help me calm down any.

I emerged from room, only to find the house dark and quiet. I had apparently been watching TV for a lot longer than I thought. I went back into my room and picked up cell phone to call Jack, knowing I needed someone to talk to.

“Hey,” he answered. “I was just about to call you.”

“Can you come pick me up and we’ll go to the park again? Sounds like we could both get out of the house,” I said.

“Yeah, I’ll be there soon,” he replied before hanging up.

I quickly slipped on a jacket before sneaking out the front door quietly and waiting on my front porch for Jack. He soon arrived, dressed in dark skinny jeans and a hoodie. We were silent as we walked to the nearby park, Jack seeming to sense my seething anger. We climbed the hill in the center of the park, and my skunk haired immediately laid down while I began pacing again.

“Would you like to go first?” he asked with a slight laugh.

“My mom wants to put me on the pill, Jack,” I responded.

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me curiously. “And that’s a bad thing? I mean, that’s like a get out of jail free card to have sex.”

I rolled my eyes. “I realize that you’re a horny teenage boy, but that’s not the point. She essentially implied that I was going around having sex with you and the other guys, like I’d be that irresponsible.”

“She really said that?” he questioned.

I nodded. “You shouldn’t sound so surprised. I’ve told you that she’s a bitch before.”

“Yeah, but she’s always seemed so nice when I’ve been over,” he replied.

I laughed. “Yeah, because she’s like that when other people are around. I have my reasons for hating her.”

“Like what?” he wondered.

“She favors my brother, very obviously. Not to mention, she’s been addicted to prescription painkillers and won’t stop breaking promises and shit,” I said, a tone of bitterness to my voice.

He paused and looked at me closely before speaking. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It’s whatever.”

“Listen, at least you’ll be prepared for when you do have sex,” he pointed out.

I shook my head. “Yeah, no. Nobody’s going to want to have sex with me.”

Jack grabbed my hand to stop my pacing. I felt my cheeks get warm, but ignored it. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. Now sit down, your pacing is distracting.”

I sat down next to him with a sigh. “I was just saying.”

“Come on,” He said, nudging me playfully with his shoulder. “I bet there’s a ton of guys at school who want to jump your bones.”

I giggled. “Oh really? Like who?”

A blush crept onto his cheeks in a shade so pink that I could see it in the dark. “I dunno.”

I then remembered the dream I had had about him, and wondered if he had had any about me. I shook the thought away. “Anyway, enough about me. What’s up with you?”

“Nothing, it’s just...Kasey broke up with me earlier, and i’ve been kinda bummed,” he mentioned.

I gasped, then threw my arms around him in a hug. “Oh no. I’m sorry, Jack. That sucks.”

I felt him shrug beside me. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“You know,” I said, pulling away from the hug. “You and I keep getting fucked over in relationships.”

He laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

“We better end up with our soul mates after all of this,” I stated.

“Let’s make one of those pacts. You know, like if neither of us are married by the time we’re 40, we’ll get married,” he suggested.

I found myself smiling. “That’s a great idea! Let’s do it.”

We shook hands on it, and talked at the park until the sun started coming up. He took me home and we said good night. I couldn’t help but hope that now with Kasey out of the picture, something beautiful would happen with Jack and I. That still didn’t seem very likely to me at that point.