Jovial Memories

Chapter 18

            Monday morning rolled around, and for once, Mandy was somewhat excited to go to school. She awoke to the sound of her beeping alarm clock, and at the thought of attending school, she felt her heart and stomach flutter with the faintness of excitement, a feeling she rarely got.
            Confused as to why she should be excited, on a Monday morning especially, she decided to let the feelings work as they were. She happily rose from her bed and trotted down the steps to retrieve her breakfast, wondering if perhaps something exciting would be happening today that she forgot about. But after going through the schedule as she munched on her breakfast, she realized it was only a normal school day with regularly scheduled classes.
            Shrugging it off, Mandy got dressed for the day and grabbed her backpack, heading to the front door. Her mother was up now and sitting on the couch with the morning paper, a cup of steaming tea resting next to her.
            "Bye, Mom!" Mandy called out of the ordinary. Normally her mother would be the one to wish her good-bye.
            "Have a good day," her mother replied as Mandy stepped out into the cold snow. For some reason though, her eyes were attracted to the icy crystals that attached themselves to the streets, and she somewhat enjoyed listening to the sound of her boots crunch on the powdery snow.
            Other students were waiting at the bus stop impatiently, some of them looking half-asleep as they endured their first day of the week. Mandy though felt more awake than ever, and when the bus pulled up beside her, she was the first one on. She found her normal seat near the back and watched as the others climbed onto the bus.
            The bus took off slowly and began down the familiar road to school. Mandy glanced out the window, her mind drifting to Roy and Iris. She winced as she felt that fluttery feeling again inside her. Could it be excitement to see them?
            She had forgotten what it had felt like to arrive to school and know friends were waiting to greet you and chat with you. She had pretty much come to accept that Roy and Iris were now a part of her life, even if it was a minor one, and that they weren't going away anytime soon. This thought excited Mandy, but Jessie still sat in the back of her mind. There was no way her best friend would ever be replaced.
            I have to be careful, Mandy reminded herself, vowing to visit Jessie in the Year Dimension after school. She knew it was probably healthy for her to return to making friends, but she still could not give up her past no matter how hard she tried.
            The bus came to a halt outside school minutes later, and Mandy heaved her heavy backpack over her shoulder and came down the steps of the bus, making her way inside the school building. She glanced around for her friends but found they were nowhere in sight.
            Sighing and wondering if she had gotten her hopes too high up, she switched books out of her locker, jumping as someone spoke near her.
            "Hey, Mandy!" someone called.
            Mandy spun around and noticed Iris standing happily by her locker, a pile of books in her hands.
            "Hey," Mandy replied, trying not to act startled.
            Iris giggled a bit, which lightened Mandy's mood some.
            "Didn't mean to scare you," she confessed. "Have a good weekend?"
            Mandy nodded, explaining how her father had bought her some delicious pie which they'd shared the night before. It was a small act, but to Mandy, it seemed even the tiniest things in life mattered now.
            "Sounds delicious," Iris admitted. From behind her, Mandy caught sight of Roy, whose gaze fully rested on her. She caught his eye and he turned away, as if he hadn't been looking.
            "What are you looking at?" Iris wondered, turning around. Upon seeing Roy, she waved and shouted, "Hey, Roy! Come over here!"
            A bit blushed and embarrassed, Roy came over, chatting a bit about his weekend too. As he spoke, Mandy eyed him with suspicion, wondering why he had been watching from afar. She noticed him staring at her oddly at times now, even more so than usual. Perhaps he had realized she wasn't a fun person to hang out with at last.
            As the bell rang, Mandy waved good-bye to her new friends and headed off to class. Despite her poor expectations for class, her classes didn't drag on too long, and she found herself actually able to pay attention in a few, which she guessed would make her mother proud.
            When the bell rang for lunch, Mandy quickly rushed out of class to her locker where she exchanged books. She then headed for the cafeteria, finding Roy and Iris already sitting in the familiar spot. She caught sight of them and let out a faint smile, which they happily returned.
            She headed over toward them and sat down next to Roy, opening her lunch bag. Iris was chatting about one of her assignments in class. Though Mandy didn't really care, she happily bit into her sandwich and listened, glad to be a part of some conversation.
            Her mind lingered back to lunches in the bathroom and hallways, and though they had only been but a few weeks ago, Mandy felt like it had been an eternity. She couldn't even imagine sitting alone now. How had she been doing it for years?
            "How were your morning classes?" Roy asked.
            "Not that bad," Mandy admitted, watching as he bit into an apple. Some bits of apple juice sprayed from it as his teeth bit down, and Mandy shrieked, covering her face.
            "Sorry," Roy said, embarrassed.
            Mandy shook her head and giggled, Iris doing the same.
            "Hey, Valentine's Day is later this week," Iris pointed out.
            Mandy was taken aback. Time seemed to have passed more quickly this semester than normal. Was it really nearly the third week of February?
            Her mind thought back to when Dustin had asked her to be his valentine when she in eighth grade. It had been her first time being asked to be someone's valentine, and she wouldn't have wanted anyone else to ask her.
            She recalled their date as well. It had been nothing special. Actually, it wasn't really special at all. Dustin had tried to get them reservations to a nicer restaurant, but upon calling several places, he found them all booked. So instead, they spent their evening catching a movie, which was fine on Mandy's part, and then finished it off with dinner at McDonalds. Mandy still remembered them sitting in the restaurant late at night, listening to the sound of people coming through the drive-thru and the beeping echoing from the kitchen.
            She grinned thinking about how they'd shared a box of Chicken McNuggets and had finished it off with none other than two M&M McFlurries. Despite Dustin's fail, it had been one of the funnest days of Mandy's life. But by the next year, Dustin had moved, Jessie was dead, and whatever fun and excitement had been in Mandy's life had vanished.
            With these grim thoughts entering Mandy's mind, her happy thoughts of Valentine's Day quickly vanished as she thought of older memories where she and Jessie had spent one afternoon baking heart-shaped sugar cookies for the entire class.
            "Are you okay?" Iris asked, noticing Mandy's facial expression had changed all too quickly.
            "It's all right. I'm not that into Valentine's Day either," Roy said. Mandy glanced at him, thankful for his comment. Obviously noticing she was upset, he had shifted away from the idea.
            "That's because you've never had a valentine," Iris teased.
            Mandy quickly watched Roy's face turn a beet red. "Iris..."
            "I forgot to grab a book from my locker," Mandy lied, wanting to be free from their conversation. The thought of the past had made her suddenly feel a bit ill, and she didn't feel in the mood to socialize anymore.
            "Want us to come with you?" Iris offered.
            Mandy shook her head, packing the rest of her lunch away. She rose from the table, noticing concern shining in Roy's eyes.
            "See you after school," he said.
            Mandy waved good-bye and headed off to class, arriving first, though it didn't really matter to her. Soon, her other classmates entered, and the rest of the afternoon passed by a bit more slowly. It took Mandy a little bit harder to concentrate, and all she focused on now was going home and using her Time Precedent. She desperately wanted to see Jessie again.
            As soon as the bell rang that marked the end of school, Mandy rushed out of class and to her locker, quickly grabbing the needed materials for the night. She noticed Roy and Iris lingering around and talking in the corner of the hallway, and though she desperately wanted to chat with them a bit before the school bus showed up, she wasn't in the mood, and she quietly exited the building without them noticing her.
            Mandy climbed onto the bus and anxiously awaited her return home. While the other students on the bus chatted noisily, Mandy only wanted some peace and quiet. At last, the bus came to her stop, and she climbed off, making her way off the bus.
            A light snow had begun to fall, and Mandy grabbed her scarf and lifted it to cover her mouth, shivering as bits of snowflakes landed on her hair and clothes. She trudged through the snow back to her home, longing for a warmth and a nice bed to crawl into.
            Finally reaching her home, Mandy pulled open the door and stepped inside, glad to be greeted by warmth. She threw off her coat and snow boots, glancing at her mother who still sat on the living room couch, this time a laptop on her knees.
            "Is it snowing out there?" she wondered.
            "A bit," Mandy explained, glancing at the white tufts sticking to her long hair.
            "How was school?"
            "Fine," Mandy replied, beginning to make her way toward the staircase. "I'm going to do homework upstairs. I'll be down for dinner."
            "Wow, big assignment?" her mother wondered.
            "Yeah," Mandy lied, rushing upstairs into her room. As soon as the door was shut, she pulled out her Time Precedent and entered the year, collapsing onto her bed as she pressed the equal sign.

When Mandy opened her eyes, she found herself in none other than Jessie's bedroom. The young girl sat on her bed, coloring what looked like sheets of paper.
            "Jessie?" Mandy asked.
            Jessie turned, not noticing Mandy. "There you are!"
            "I've had a rough day," Mandy explained.
            "I know, I know. You look like it," Jessie replied.
            Mandy grinned, remembering how her friend always knew when something was wrong with her.
            If only I'd been able to do the same with you, Mandy thought.
            "I'm making Valentine's Day cards," Jessie explained. "Remember when we were younger and used to make them for the class? We always gave each other ones."
            Mandy laughed and nodded, recalling the several cards she'd gotten from Jessie. It had been a shame that she'd thrown them out over time. She remembered the kind words Jessie had written on them, emphasizing how she really appreciated her as a friend and hoped they stayed friends for a while.
            "Let's get working then," Mandy agreed.
            For an hour or so they had fun making cards for each other. Mandy felt like a ten-year-old with crayons and markers, but she decided to simply accept the immaturity of her current project, working her hardest to make the card for Jessie perfect.
            When she had finished decorating, Mandy read over her card, hoping it didn't sound too cheesy: Dear Jessie, it read. You're my bestest friend in the whole wide world. Times have changed, and I'm sorry for things I failed to say, things I failed to do, and my inability to notice that not everyone can have a smile on their face all the time. Thank you for always gifting me with joy, happiness, and love. I hope you have grown to appreciate my friendship as well.
            As Mandy placed down her pen, she realized she'd been at work for well over an hour. Fearing her mother might check in on her, Mandy sighed and rose.
            "I've got to go," Mandy explained. "But this card is for you," she explained, handing the pink sheet of parchment paper to her.
            Jessie grinned and exchanged her card. Mandy grabbed it and grinned. It was pretty simple, reading only "Happy Valentine's Day to a great friend," but those words were enough to warm Mandy's heart and for tears to gather in her eyes. She recalled Jessie writing the same thing years before.
            "Thanks," Mandy whispered.
            Jessie nodded, and in a few short seconds, Mandy had pulled out her Time Precedent and vanished, the memory of her friend still locked in her mind, where she would never leave.