What Goes Around Comes Back Around

Chapter Twenty One

By the end of my shift, my back was breaking, my feet were aching, and I wanted nothing more than to get home and curl up on my bed and sleep for a week. Or at least until Thanksgiving break, which started on Wednesday. But we only had one more day left of school, and Merlinda was going to spend the night tonight, so I used the ride home to shake myself awake by turning the radio up and singing along. Once I reached home, I saw Merlinda's car along the road, and just as I expected she was talking to my mom and aunt in the kitchen. I said hi to them all before heading upstairs to take a shower, passing by my brothers room only to find him passed out in his bean bag.

Feeling the water wash away the stress from the day was so relieving. I felt better now that I had gotten my closure with Nathan, hopefully he would get it through his head that I'd want nothing to do with him now and leave me alone, something that throughout the day I'd come to realize. My first love broke my heart and I had to move on. It seems like it always went this way, that no one ended up with their first love, and I'd just have to accept it. After shampooing and conditioning my hair and washing my body, I stepped out of the shower and began to dry off, then dressing in the softest pair of pajamas I had that I had brought into the bathroom with me. I left my wet hair alone, knowing Merlinda would pick it for me if I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. I opened the door after grabbing the pick and saw Merlinda on my bed, scrolling through something on her phone. I plopped down in front of her, shoving the pick into her face. She rolled her eyes and gave me an annoyed look, but took it nonetheless and started to run it through, getting all the tangles out. While she was doing that I told her what happened at the restaurant, her strokes of the pick getting more aggressive when my voice started to shake, but once I told her how I stood up to him she dropped the hair tool all together and wrapped me up in a hug, which was a bit unusual for her.

"I'm so proud of you Bethany, that asshole doesn't know how much of a good thing he lost," she said, giving me one right squeeze before letting go.

Before I could reply, we both heard the faint sound of music, gradually growing louder until probably everyone on my street could hear it. Me and Merlinda ran to my window to try to see what was the cause of it, and low and behold Nathan, with a boom box raised over his head, was standing in my backyard. I immediately recognized Don't you forget about me' blasting from the speakers. I felt like I was sucked into an 80's movie. What the hell.

"Merlinda, do you see this too or am I hallucinating?" I asked her, fixated on him.

"This dumbass just does not know when to quit does he," she mumbled, turning to my closet and pulling out a pair of boots. "Guess I'm just gonna have to talk to him then."

"Merlinda... I'm not sure-" I was saying but her look told me to suck that though back in. "Don't hurt him okay." And I got the look once again. "At least physically." I reasoned. She seemed to think it over before giving me a short nod and heading out the door. I looked back down to him one last time before crawling under my comforter and putting my head under the pillow. This was gonna be something no one would want to see.

*Nathan's POV*

I can't believe I'm stood here at ten o'clock at night, reenacting one of Bethany's beloved 80's movies so she would maybe talk to me. Today broke my heart in two, to see the sweet girl I'd known shake with anger that I had placed in her. I only stopped crying long enough to not crash the car on the way over here after I came up with this plan and so that I wouldn't have snot running from my nose if she did decide to give me the time of day. I heard her front door opening, my heart jumping to my throat that she would actually come out, but instead of Bethany it was... Merlinda? Oh shit. Oh fuck. Merlinda. The only thing I could think as she stalked toward me was that I could see my future death in her eyes. She stopped a foot away from me and stared, and I felt a shiver run down my spine, the cool November air suddenly feeling like an icy December night.