Shift

Choice

I snuck in the back door after school on Wednesday,  not wanting to be caught by my stepmother. I was in a great mood after my day with Jessica and Erik, and I didn't want Amanda to ruin that.

But, with my luck, she was there in the kitchen, like she was waiting for me to sneak in through the back door.

Amanda resembled a panda at the moment. She was fair with bleached hair and had dark brown eyes ringed with dark dark dark circles, and her stomach was enormous and round because she was eight months pregnant. She had a habit of ruining my whole day just by being in the same room as me.

"Hi, Stacey! How was your second day of school?"

"Fine."

"Did you see your new friends?"

"Yep."

"Did you like your classes?"

"Yep."

She looked a little hurt, but she smiled at me. I felt bad about my shortness with her, but I still resented her marrying my dad, moving in, and trying to be my mom after my real mom had only been gone for three years. Now it had been two years, and it looked like she was staying. And she was pregnant. My dad was going to have a child without my mom.

I grabbed a cookie.

"Oh, but dinner will be ready in ten-"

"It's just one cookie. I'll be fine, Amanda."

I turned away from her, grabbed the things I'd dropped on the table, and headed up to my room.

My mom and I had redecorated my room the month before she died. She'd picked everything out, and I was grateful. My seventh grade self would never have chosen the chic, cute decor that I was lucky enough to have now.

The walls were a deep, royal purple, and the furniture was all black and iron. The bay window had a black window seat with black silk pillows and black lace curtains. The bed had a black lace canopy, white sheets, and a thick purple and black patchwork quilt. There was a huge black gilt-framed oval mirror across from the bed with an intricately designed frame. 

I dropped my things on the black glass desk and plopped into the black rolling chair with the purple leather back. It was my favorite thing in the room, because we had worked so hard to find one with the purple back.

I logged onto my Facebook instead of opening a word document to start the hundred-word essay over my summer to be written completely in French...due tomorrow. An instant message popped up from Jessica Smith.

Jessica: hey!

Me: hey jess

Jessica: any sight of mystery boy?

I laughed.

Me: Chris?

Jessica: yeah.

Me: nope, not today. no text, either.

Jessica: jerk.

Me: well i almost killed him, i'm not surprised

But I was. I'd just known he would contact me after the way he smiled at me and kissed my hand. It was bothering me more than I was willing to let on.

Jessica: his loss.

I rolled my eyes. It was not his loss. It was most definitely mine. I couldn't even blame him for not contacting me.

Jessica: GUESS WHAT

Me: What?!?!

Jessica: erik is into you