I woke up this morning drowsy, and not thinking straight. I tried to call for my dad twice before I could take in the events of yesterday. I was still a little in denial, thinking, he was just visiting my sister and they’d both be back soon. Then the reality kicked in when I opened my bag and reviled the track shoes. Today was going to be the longest day of my life.
I walked to the bus stop in a haze not thinking about anything but literally walking. I came to the stop sign and Andrew was already standing there. He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and turned away. He turned back to me, “I’m sorry for the other day, I was having a bad day, and-“He stopped looked at me and asked, “Are you ok?” My fingers brushed the underneath of my eyes. When I was sad or frustrated, I cried without even knowing. “No.” I said. The last thing I needed was for a guy to spill my guts to and fill me with hope, then crush me. “Do you want to talk?” I looked at him confused. “what?” he asked. “Nothing, your bipolarness is just giving me whiplash.” I didn’t mean to sound rude. It just happened. “I’m sorry.” I said, but instead of him getting mad, he started laughing. “It’s fine, I was a jerk yesterday, I deserve it.” He smiled at me, a warm, and sensitive, smile. It was a smile I’d never thought I’d see on him, but it fit him perfectly, he was perfect. He kept our gazes till the bus appeared then asked, “So about that History project?” I looked down at my bag, unzipped it, pulled out the packet, and handed it to him. He looked into my bag. “You run?” I look up, “kind of…” He walked up the steps of the bus and looked back, “That’s cool.” He said smiling as he walked to the back of the bus.
Yesterday was a pain, but the good thing was Track tryouts were canceled, but today everyone was yelling and screaming down the halls. I hated this part of high school, this and all the flyers on the wall for prom… but this years prom looked fun. It was titled, “Creatures of the night,” and showed everyone dressed in black, so as everyone was saying the theme was, “Emo,” or, “Goth” Even though It would take more than just to dress all black to get even close to any of those labels. Some one behind me whispered, “Those freaks don’t have to act,” I turned back to see two girls laughing, I looked back at the flyer and the whispering continued, “They can be freaks together.” Said one. “Who her and Andrew?” Asked the other, with a quite yes and more laughing the girls disappeared around the corner. “Don’t listen to them,” Said Tori appearing at my side, a smile nowhere to be seen. I was still a little curios why little miss captain of the varsity volleyball team and student councils MVP, was here talking to me.
“There jealous.” “Of what?” I ask. “Listen your beautiful, and smart, and you could even be gifted. If you got out there, you could ruin their business. They’d be guy less, because every guy would have their eyes on you. Heck I know at least one who already does.” She said. “Who?” I asked. She looked confused, “Andrew of course,” With that she turned and walked off. She did that a lot. I walked into class and took my seat. Andrew walked in and what I saw shocked me.
He came into class with a busted lip, black eye, and a lip in his walk, I also thought I saw him bleeding, but was not sure. He saw my worried glances as he sat down next to me, He was not on the bus, and I didn’t think much of it till now. I looked at him, I couldn’t look away but I knew one of two things would happen, he would get mad at me and go off, or tell me he’d tell me later. I didn’t want to take the chances so I found the strength to look away. Someone yelled from the front of the classroom, “Finally got what you deserved?” Another person asked, “Is daddy back in town?” Andrew laid his head on his desk into his arms.
I couldn’t take it I stood up And headed to the front of the classroom, Mr. Roberson nowhere in sight. Someone named Logan was on the verge of saying something with Tyler at his side laughing when I walked up to him and grabbed a fist full of his hair. I pulled his ear down to my mouth so he could hear me speak, looking from Tyler to Logan I whispered, “You are pathetic! Everyone knows you’re doing this to impress your boyfriend over here, so instead of being a douche and making peoples life’s a living hell, turn your heads, and keep them turned, and don’t say a word.” I flung his body into the desk next to us as the third bell rang. As I walked back to my seat someone whispered, “Don’t mess with her.” Mr. Roberson was still nowhere to be seen. Andrew lifted his head the look of astonishment on his face. I had not even taken my seat before Tyler fired back at me, “Like you have room to talk daddy’s girl.” I turned around and walked back up to the front of the class, as Andrew followed vastly behind me. I was a foot away from Tyler right before Andrew picked me up off the ground and tried to take me back to my seat.
He set me down and took my face in his hands, “Don’t do this, you know this isn’t what your father would want.” I was sobbing holding his hands now trying to speak, “You. Don’t. Know. My dad.” I tried to rap my brain around how much and how Andrew knew about my family. All I heard was the low mutter of the word you would use to call a female dog in heat, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I took off running. Before I knew it Tyler was on the ground gagging, and I was spinning, not really, just my head was. I was lying on the ground holding my head. My whole world spinning. The last thing I saw was Andrew standing over me picking my up, and someone shouting, “Get them out of here, now!” Before I faded into the darkness.
