.."Justin, I can't be your girlfriend. And I can't go to prom. I don't even know if I am going anyways. I'm sorry. I just have a lot going on at home right now and it's really crazy. You understand right?"
"Yeah, totally. I shouldn't have asked. Forget it ever happened."
"Justin, I, I'm sorry."
"Relax." He smiles, allowing that one dimple to appear. "I'm okay. No harm, no foul".
I smile back.
"What's that?"
"Oh yeah! I have a baby." I say showing him Jayden.
"A Latino baby at that!" Justin says.
"What's his name?"
"Jayden. Jaden Chase Rodriguez".
"Well good name Allie Darlene Reynolds".
I cover my hand over his mouth. Justin licks my hand and I sling it away.
"That's gross!" I say wiping my hand on my pants.
"Well then, why'd you do it?"
"Because, I hate my middle name and you know it!"
"Why? It's soooo cuteee!"
"Shut up!"
"Make me!"
I stick out my tongue and cross my arms over my chest.
The office door comes open and Justin and I look at each other. It's Mr. Watkins, the high school principal, and Mrs. Wilson, the Middle school principal.
I grab Jayden carefully, trying not to make him cry, otherwise they'll hear us.
We make a slow run to the stage, and hide behind the stage curtains.
"Hey, do you think they saw us?"
I put my finger over Justin's lips, he looks at my finger and back at me. I roll my eyes.
They walk outside of the school and into the parking lot.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and put Jayden's carrier in my free hand.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Aren't you? And who said I was in class before you got here?"
"Get to class Williams." I walk off into the Art room, setting my bags and Justin's carrier down.
I pull my laptop out of my satchel and open it. I log on to my email and notice that I have an unread email from SCU.
"Ms. Reynolds, we noticed you have applied to Southern California University, I am sorry to tell you but you will not hear your news until next semester. Everyone who has applied this year will not know their news as well as you. We will mail you our decision. If you have any questions, complaints, or quantities, feel free to let us know."
I open my phone and check the time, 3:25, the bell rings at 30. I trash the email and I log on to the school's website.
"Prom is two months away!!"
"Graduation is in two months!"
"Buy your class rings next week, they're 25%off!"
I already bought my class ring, matter of fact, I'm wearing it right now. I look at the small ring with a yellow birthstone color in the center of the ring. My name is carved in the band, as well as the year I graduate. 2017. Then I begin to think..
What are you going to do Allie? You have a half semester until you hear from SCU, what if you don't make it? What other college are you going to that will accept you in such short notice? What if no one accepts you? If you don't go to college are you just going to stay home and help take care of Lilah, and your dad?
Are you going to watch your mom and dad suffer in silence? Are you going to make something of yourself?
The bell rings, I pack my stuff up and get on the bus.
••••••
I get off the bus, walk up to my porch, and slip the key into the doorknob. I open the door and find my self audio exposed to a crying Lilah, and two parents arguing.
"I'm home!"
They still argue.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm home from school!"
"You're never here! How are you always working extra shifts at the theater but we're always broke?"
"No, I'm paying bills!"
"Well it's kinda funny because we're still behind, and we are almost to the point where we have to cut off our internet."
"Well then that's just another bill we'll have to catch up huh?"
"You damn straight! Maybe if you actually worked we'd make some money."
"Hey! I'm home!" I say while slamming the front door again to get them to stop yelling at each other.
Remember when I said I'd rather hear yelling than silence? Yeah, I take that back.
The both walk off into their room, I guess they're going to argue behind closed doors.. Lilah is in her baby bed, standing up and crying.
"It's okay sissy, everything's okay."
I rock Lilah until she falls asleep in my arms, then I carefully lay her down, making sure I don't awaken the beast, because if I did, all hell would break loose.
I turn on her night light that covers the white pop corned ceilings in green stars. I bought her the Dream light for Christmas and she loves it, just as much as her Baby Alive, which is also in her crib.
I walk across the hall, into my room. I sling my bag off my shoulder into the floor, and literally plop onto my bed with a groan. I kick off my shoes without untying the laces and then go to sleep.
••••••
It's third period, I am tapping my pencil on my desk staring at the clock. Omigosh... can you like, hurry up???
The bell rings not even three minutes later and I go to Art, which is my actual class period.
Mr.Rieves takes the freshman out side so they can learn how to 'properly' take pictures while I film pictures for the class that they've taken.
I walk into the darkroom and turn off the lights.
"Hey!"
I turn the light back on.
"Justin, what are you doing?"
"Skipping football practice and still life sketches".
"Your Dad's going to kill you if he finds out."
"I don't care. He doesn't understand that I don't like football anymore. He wants me to go to Baylor on a full ride scholarship, after all, it's supposed to be the best college in the United States."
"Are you sure you don't want to play anymore? You're really good."
"I'm a hundred percent sure. I just wish my Dad was more like yours, you know?"
I sit down beside him after bringing a chair beside his.
"Lele and I were talking in the hallway earlier".
"What'd she say?"
"Hi."
"Really? She said 'Hi?"
"Yeah."
"Mhm.. Do you still have that picture of us at the Carnival?"
"Oh yeah. Good thing you reminded me, I can go ahead and film it."
"Well, you can keep it, if you want. Hey, could you maybe email it to me?"
"Sure. I'll just use our school mailing accounts."
"Okay. I was thinking maybe we could put it in a photo album."
"That'd be cool."
"Yeah. So, what are you drawling?"
"Just dumb things. Nothing really." He closes the book and stares at it.
"Can I see?"
"Umm, yeah. Here". He hands me the book. I flip through the pages carefully examining each and every detail that he made with his sketching pencil.
"Wow. You're, wow".
He looks at the book with me. I flip through the book until I catch sight of one particular page. It's a girl holding a camera, standing in front of a run down building.
"Art, like mortality, consists in drawling the line somewhere". I say aloud.
"Gilbert K. Chesterton" Justin adds.
"Would you want to go see a movie this weekend? You could pick".
"Sure. I have been dying to see before I fall. I heard it's supposed to be great".
"Well it's set then. Say, Friday night? Seven o'clock?"
"Sure."
I pull out my English homework and start doing it.
:Circle the verbs, underline the independent clauses, and highlight or shade the fanboys (more like fangirls😂😂)
I finish the paper in five minutes and shove it loosely into my satchel.
"So what college do you want to go to?"
"Sorry?"
"What college to you want to go to? You said your Dad wanted you to go to Baylor,, I just assumed you didn't want to".
"Oh, Nivarro. It's just a community college. I don't know how my mom would do if I went to another state for four years."
"That's a good college. I have had my eyes set on SCU, it's a really good college. In their flyer, they listed the majors that attract their students then most. Photography was in the top 10, just underneath Nursing. I also thought about that, in case photography doesn't stick."
"Why wouldn't it? You're really good at what you do. You'll do fine."
"Thanks."
"You're really smart, actually, you're smarter than me. What's your class rank?"
"15, out of at least 100 kids. What's yours?"
"20. Like I said, you're smarter than me."
"Hey! You're smart too. And I am not smarter than you. Have you seen my grades? I have one A, you are the opposite. Straight A's!"
The bell rings, I gather my bag and binder together. "You're smart JJ, you just have to believe that". I walk out to the school since I have seven classes. Thank the work program! I go to the car, and unlock the door.
I drive to work, aka, the diner downtown. I clock in and pin my name tag to my shirt.
Published:
Last edited: 3/16/17
Word count: 1594
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Tenacity {COMPLETED}
Random••• After everything we'd been through together, would time, space, and separate lives prove to be more than we could conquer? {COMPLETED}
