All I Can Do Is Shrug

Chapter 10: Beep Beep!

Its the following week and I'm at my house doing my homework.

"So when are you supposed to get to the game?" my mom asks me, while she's washing the dishes. Of course I didn't tell my mom the truth. You really think she would have let me gone? What could I have told her? 'Hey Mom! I got invited to watch an alternative band practice and I probably won't be home till 10 at night. Don't wait up!'

Yeah right. She would have put me on house arrest. And besides it's not like I'm actually gonna join it. If they were as good as Derek had described them then why would they need me?

"Well the game starts at 6:30 so I'm guessing around 5 o'clock." I tell her while checking my phone. It was already 4:30 and I told Derek to pick me up at the school at 5:20. If my mom saw him pick me up, she would think I was already messing around. I mean sure he had glasses, messy hair, and baggy-ish clothes and he looks like a total sweetheart but if my mom saw anyone who resembles a male talk to me, she'd lose it.

"Oh okay. Well you should start getting dressed." my mom tells me. I stand up and I tell her, "I am dressed." She looks me up and down and shrugs and says, "Whatever you say."

I look down at my outfit and I think it looks fine but my mom has always been judgy and she lived by the phrase "Dress to impress." We all have our differences and this is mine and my mothers.

I walk towards my suitcase to look for another outfit. I take out a white tank top and a green shortsleeved button up shirt. It was my dads and I've kept it ever since he got enlisted in the Army. I go through my makeup bag and I take out my perfume and I redo my hair, putting it up half up.. Thank God my hair was long enough to do so.

I leave my skinny jeans on and I switch my white Converse to my black high top Vans.

I get my little backpack and I apply my chapstick one more time then I check the time. It's 4:56. "Hey mom it's time!" My mom walks out of her room, all dressed up. "Oh wow. You look... nice? Where are you going?" I ask her.

My mom makes a face at me and says "That's none of your business, Roseanne! C'mon let's go!" And this is one of the reasons why I didn't want to move here when she first did.

I roll my eyes and follow her to the car.

We get to the school and I get out of the car. Before I thank her for the ride, she drives off and leaves me in the middle of the school parking lot. I stare at the skid marks her car left but then I just shrug and sit on one of the walls and go on my phone, plug in my earbuds and listen to music.

It's 5:12 and getting cold. I should have brought at least a light jacket.

"Cold are ya?" I hear someone ask. I flip my head to see who it is and it's Caiden. "No. I'm just adjusting my seating position?" I ask. I have too much pride to admit that he saw me at my weakest point. "Here. Take my jacket." he says while handing me his windbreaker. I look at it and him as if he did something to it. "Nah I'm good. I'm not even that cold." I look forward and I try to stop my teeth chattering but I don't seem to be very successful.

He laughs a little bit and says quietly under his breath, "Women." He somehow manages to slip his jacket on my shoulders and walks away from me. I look at him and he turns around and says, "Keep it. I'm pretty sure everyone in Russia heard your teeth chattering. I'm just saying."

I shake my head and yell out, "Thanks... I guess." I go back to listening to my music when I see him from the corner of my eye walking to me. He sits next to me and I scoot away to give him more space. I take an earbud out and he asks me, "Whatcha listening to?"

I give him my right bud and he puts in his ear lightly. The song, Roses by Shawn Mendes, starts to play while time passes. I hear Caiden sing softly.