Thalia

Chapter 13: Hero Newbie

Chapter 13: Hero Newbie

The last two days at school were uneventful and completely Shoot-My-Eyes-Out boring. Ryan wasn't at school, which caused all the preppy wannabe's to grab their pitchforks and torches and hunt me down for information. Between fourth and fifth period on Friday they cornered me because there was a soccer game and if he wasn't there, they would blame me. Misty and her fat face didn't help either since both of our science partners were out, we had to work together. A small visual of it?

African animal wildlife physical disagreement.

I'm not a scapegoat. Blame me for your problems and watch how fast you find yourself sleeping next to an irritating equally distanced, high-pitched beeping sound for a few days. Who knows, it may even flat-line.

So here I am, stuck watching the Saturday morning cartoons in my fuzzy pajamas with some Poptarts and milk. 

"Stupid dog! You make me look bad! Booga, booga, booga!" Oh, Courage the Cowardly Dog, you'll find Muriel soon.

"Rose. . . you're up before twelve. . . what's wrong?" Mom, just because I'm up before four in the afternoon, doesn't mean I all of a sudden developed some depressing stage in my life.

"Nothing's wrong with me, I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I came down here to eat." Turned around in my chair, I face my mom with her red-brown hair looking like a hot mess. Wow. I've never seen her look so mid-life crisis-y. 

"Oh. Well, we haven't chatted in a while, sugar." I just wanted to be left alo-- okay, you're sitting next to me.

She props her elbow on the top of the couch and turns off the TV staring at me with a smile. This is just flat out creepy with her examining my face and what not. It isn't what normal mothers are supposed to do. They're supposed to sit at a dinner table across from you and talk about boy problems they had growing up and how they failed miserably.

"So!" She snatches my uneaten poptart from my hand and starts to nibble on it. "What's up?" Oh, gosh, mother. Even when nobody is around, you still find a way to embarrass me. What's your motivation?

"Nothing." Like I'm really gonna tell her all the school drama I've been having. I'm just not in the mood to be lectured and spied on. Especially that I have a boyfriend and not telling her. That's just worth a private investigator and background check situation. It's what a dad would do but since mine ditched, she's taking the gender role.

She playfully, but oh, so awkwardly punches my arm causing me to sway. "Oh c'mon! I'm not stupid enough to fall for that! I want the gossip! The besties info! The juicy stuff! I was your age once too you know."

Exactly. Once. Back in the 1840's or something.

"There's really nothing going on, mom." Just then the ring-tone I recently changed to Elmo's theme song comes out from my phone telling me there's a call. Dang. Who's even up this early? It's like ten a.m. Without glancing at the caller I.D., I pick up the phone from my lap and answer it, hoping it's not some man selling drugs from Arabia.

"Hello?" My mom leans in close to eavesdrop on the phone and I try to lean away, but see it's no use. Who cares? Let her listen. If it really is a man from Arabia, she'll probably just call dad and let him know the price.

"Rosie?" Ryan! Why would you randomly call now when I'm not being mauled at school?! I even texted you!

"Who's that?" My mom half mouths, half whispers, to me. No one. No one at all. Just a guy I'm dating because he's liked me since the beginning of time and have been keeping a partial secret from you for the past three or four days. Nothing special.