Oh So Sweet Revenge

Chapter Two

The stares were unnerving but justified. If I drove passed a girl that had tears rolling down her face and a blank, glazed over look in her eyes, I’d stare and wonder about her too. Oh but the students who attended Belford High knew- all 6038 students with the help of Facebook and every other social networking sites, of course.

That did not sit well with me.

Peyton Daniels did not take embarrassment well due to a dangerously low self-esteem. Having your personal thoughts read out loud to a crowd of strangers was a shy girl’s nightmare. Imagine watching people blatantly laugh at the fact that you had a crush of the school’s “it” boy and remark that a pregnant whale had a better chance with him. Definitely cringe worthy.

Once I reached my house, I regretted leaving my car at school. My feet felt like they’d disconnect from my legs at any second and take a much needed break. I wiped away the remaining tears and took a deep breath.

While calming down, I took a few minutes to fully examine the place I called home. The house was bigger than I had liked. My parents wanted a big family but because they were busy taking care of me and my dad's sudden death, the dream never came true. My house surrounded by a garden that had seen better days. It was a cream color with brown accents. There were three floors, the attic being my personal abode.

After a few minutes, I opened the front door. A fake smile was plastered on my face.

                “I’m home.” I shouted, dropping my bag on the floor.

                “I’m in here sweetie,” my mom responded. I followed her voice to the living room where she was sorting through a stack of papers. Oh the perks of being a personal assistant.

                “Hi honey,” my mom greeted and smiled but it failed to reach her eyes. Since my father’s passing, it seemed like it was the only smile she could manage. “How was your day?”

                “It was great as usual, you?” I lied. I always lied about my social life. My mom probably thought I was a social butterfly with the way I talked about school, like it wasn’t hell to me. But my mom had enough to worry about – the mortgage and the bills that followed, coping with the loss of her husband and raising her child. Complaining about a few bullies would only add another burden to the list.

                “…Good. Listen Pey, your uncle Ollie called.” I moaned internally.

My mother’s smile wasn’t the only thing that changed since my father’s death. Too often, random family members would call the house to check up on us. Nothing helps with coping with the death of a loved one than having a million people remind you of it every day.

                “Anyways,” my mom continued. “Back home in Ireland, your grandma Rose is sick. Your uncle Ollie can’t stay home and watch her because he has to work. Your cousins are busy with senior year and college applications. Knowing their attention span, they can’t afford to miss any days.”

I knew where this was going but I decided to keep quiet and hear all the details.

            “That leaves you. You know Irish like the back of your hand! Before you ask, yes, I spoke to the school and due to your amazing grades; they’ve agreed to send you the work you miss while you’re down there.

             "Please say yes, Pey. I would go down there and help my mother myself but this teaching job prevents me from doing so. You’d only be there for the summer. Your cousins will be able to take care of her afterwards, because of their flexible college schedules. If you agree, we’ll fly you out this Sunday.”