Rosemary's School For Extraordinary Teens

29. the diary

I flip open the first page and immediately start to read it.

  "Are you gunna help" my dad asks before walking over to the stereo and playing Christmas music

  "Hold on" I say as I read about my grandmother talking about her first day back for her senior year and how she missed her friends Betty and Carol.

  "All I wish for is an unproblematic year" yah me too grandma.

   I flip to the next page and continue reading when it start to talk about a boy named Clayton.

  "I saw Clayton today for the first time since the year started, he's not to speak to me I already know it but I also know him and how that won't last long"

  "Who is Clayton?" I ask my dad looking up as he starts to string the lights

  "Not a clue" he says before going back to humming to jingle bell rock.

  I go back to reading and begin to skim a bit as she talks about her classes and the teachers. 

  "Clayton talked to me today, I knew it wouldn't take long. He's started to hang around Irene a lot more now, it's probably for the best. For both of us."

  What in the world happened between her and Clayton? Holy.

  I skim a few pages more until I'm in January before reading Clayton name again

  "Lately I keep seeing him a wishing I was different. The nights have started to feel darker and the days don't feel as bright either. I have tried to keep to myself and forget about things I can't control but it's nights like these that it gets to me. I watch him with Irene and I still catch him looking my way, he has to be going through the same things. Right? Maybe he's grown"

  Was Clayton her Ex boyfriend? I'm confused.

"Well are you going to be helping at some point today?" Dad speaks up again.

  "Yah one second" I say flipping to the last entry

  "Today will be my last day at Rosemary's, it's heartbreaking to know I will never be around so many individuals like ourselves ever again. Its my last day and all I can think about is how I hope Clayton wasn't the one, it's slowly becoming my biggest fear but I'm only 17, maybe in another life things would be different, I can't help but feel I'm making a mistake but it's time to look to my future now. I'm terrified but today is the first day to the rest of my life"

   Wow. She loved this boy named Clayton? I wonder when she finally met grandpa. Sadness washes through me at the thought of how my grandparents got divorced after my mom grew up. What if this Clayton was really the one? I force myself to close the book and help my dad decorate the tree before my mom eventually came home and helps aswell.

  After the tree was finished mom ordered Chinese and dad went to pick it up while me and mom wrapped tinsel around the banister.

  "Why did Grandpa and Grandma break up?" I ask out of the blue, it's been on my mind. It keeps making me think of Dawson and me and how Dawson is in an arranged marriage and what if he does marry Natalie and he is the one? Could Dawson be the one? Will I marry someone else and eventually divorce, dying alone just like my grandma?

  "Back then when people got pregnant it was very common for them to get married" Mom says while finishing up wrapping the bottom of the banister. "I think they learned to fall in love with each other after time but I think if things where different they wouldn't have gotten married in the first place, Mom always seemed like she preferred being alone rather than being with Dad now looking back"

  "How did they meet?" I ask sitting on the step watching as mom cleans up the rest of the decorations and puts the empty boxes away.

  "Uhm, I think they met at a Bar?" She says trying to think about it

  "Why do you ask?" She asks turning back towards me

  "I found her old diary from her grad year at Rosemary's, she just talked about this guy so I was just wondering when she finally met grandpa" I say before following her into the kitchen to wash up for supper.

  A few minutes later dad walks back into the house carrying take out before placing it on the table as we all gather around to eat. After supper I washed up with mom before heading up to my room to read more of Grandmas diary.

  X.

I wake to a phone call and when I pick my phone up it's Dawson?

"Hello?" I say before yawning

"Did you just wake up?" He asks

"Yah why?" I say before realizing I fell asleep reading the diary? How late was I up tell?

"It's 1:30 in the afternoon" he says confused. It may sound bad but that's not even that bad for me, I've slept in tell 5 pm before. Those where darker days but it's happened.

"Sorry, I was up late last night reading, what's up?" I ask sitting up in my bed

"When's this supper?"

"Oh, shit. Probably like 5? That's when we usually eat" I say hoping off the bed and walking to my bathroom to turn the shower on and heat up.

"Should I bring something? Is this formal or?" He asks and kind of sounds nervous?

"Wait are you nervous?" I ask sitting on the side of the tub

"Answer the question Mary" he says disregarding my question. Oh my god he is!

"No it's fine, you don't have to bring anything and it's casual my parents aren't like that. Dawson you don't have to be worried I'm sure this is just them scoping you out to make sure your not some tatted Junkie hood rat who will hurt their precious only Daughter"

"Alright, I'll see you around 4:45 then, send me your address, I got to go" he says before hanging up. I've never seen Dawson nervous about anything. Oh my god.

I hop in the shower and quickly wash my hair before hoping back out and getting changed into leggings and a hoodie before doing my makeup and drying my hair. I don't think Dawson's ever seen me with makeup on, it's just not something I ever think about at Rosemary's but back in my old high school I would wear makeup all the time.

X.

"Your boyfriend is here" I hear dad yell up to me from the living room and when I look down at my phone it's 4:39pm" I guess I just got caught up in listening to music and taking my time finishing my make up the time just flew past.

I quickly get up and rush downstairs to find mom cooking in the kitchen and dad watching the hockey game. When I look out the window I see a black hummer parked out on the street then Dawson walking up the driveway. My heart starts racing.

"And he's not my boyfriend" I yell quickly to my mom before opening the door meeting him in the doorway.

Here goes nothing.