Resentment - (18+)

C9

MIA

Sixteen weeks before prom.

MIA: Just wishing you good luck one last time for tonight's game! :) I just finished my second piece for Western Peak and will finish the other two next week. I'm going to get some ice and heating pads and I'll have them ready for when you get here later. I love you...

I'm not sure if he's already on the field or not, but I don't waste any time heading to CVS and picking up all the things I've promised. And even though I just told him that I'm finished with my piece, that's a lie.

My mom came into my room and tore apart my sketches just as I was getting started. She went into a rage like I'd never seen, taking all of the art supplies that I had out and pouring them down the drain. Then she screamed at me for submitting a formal "No Thanks" to Harvard, demanding that I call them immediately.

When I refused, she screamed at me even louder and accused me of chasing pipe art dreams just like my brother. ("Do you really want to be like him? Tattooing junkies just to make it day to day? Do you have any idea the awful life that an 'artist' lives? It's not worth it, Mia. Let me save you.)

I wipe away a tear as her words replay in my head, and my heart hurts to think about just how hard it's going to be to finish my portfolio for Western Peak. I'll have to start all over, and I'll have to use a good chunk of my summer job money to replace everything she destroyed.

I'll also miss the rest of Justin's playoff season more than likely, since the remaining games fall under hours when my mom won't be home and the best lighting is in my room. I'll also have to find ways to make it up to him because I know he's gotten used to me being on the side lines supporting him.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to hide the truth about Western Peak from him, but I've noticed a distance in him lately, and I think he's dealing with something much darker so I just hold back.

As it turns out, I'm not sure if that helps or harms us in the long run...

Ten weeks before prom.

"Happy Birthday!" Autumn runs up to me in the hallway and hugs me. "Will I be seeing you later tonight?"

"Not at all." I smile and mock her voice. "I have a boyfriend."

She laughs and hands me a card. "What do the two of you have planned?"

"He hasn't told me yet. He just told me to meet him at Main Park tonight at seven."

"Hmm. Interesting! Well, if you two get done early, let me know. I've been downgraded from being grounded to having "permission" to work at the ice cream parlor, so I'll be there all night. I'll treat you both if you come by."

"Autumn, it's a Friday. You're off on Fridays."

She shrugs. "Okay, so I'll be in the parking lot with Jacob, but my mom does not need to know that." She hugs me once more. "Call me later, okay?"

I shake my head at her as she walks away. I stand at my locker for twenty minutes, waiting for Justin to show up to take me home, but he never does. He'd said he was coming to school today after missing four days in a row, but he's a no show once again. I call his phone and there's no answer, but I don't panic.

I'm sure this is all a part of something bigger that he has planned. He's already had two massive bouquets of roses delivered to my house this morning and he somehow managed to have a teddy bear with a "I love you" tag stuffed inside of my locker.

Shaking any negative thoughts away, I take the bus home and start to get ready for the first time I'll actually celebrate my birthday for a full night. (My mom has never really been one for birthdays. Just a simple card, a cupcake, and a "You entered the world on today. Remember that and keep your mind sharp. Very sharp.")