Waves

Chapter Six: Only a Picture

Chapter Six: Only a Picture

“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” –Andy Warhol

Photographs are a reminder of what has happened in our lives. They remind us of a past that we have long forgotten and remind us of the future that is sure to come. They remind us of people that have come and gone out of our lives, holding constant the memories within the frame.

            There are many pictures in the world, whether it is a chart or a painting or a photograph. They all represent something to be remembered and cherished.

Life is too short to forget things. It can be taken from us at any given time. Humans tend to take life for granted because we just know that we’ll wake up the next morning and continue living. But life can be put to an end abruptly, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Maybe there is a life after death. No one will know until their time is up. Maybe there’s a heaven and a hell, if you believe in that sort of thing. Maybe there’s nothing but darkness. I don’t know.

I woke up from my nap, feeling a little better.Lying in bed, I thought about Cory. Why had he vandalized my locker if he didn’t hate me? Maybe he did hate me and lied about it. I didn’t know. It made me angry that he could be so cruel and I was angry that I couldn’t seem to figure him out.

            I got out of bed and sat at my desk, opening my laptop. Picking up my phone, I checked the time. It was after noon. My friends would be here soon. Even though it had only been a few hours, I missed them and needed them by my side. I logged onto Facebook, hoping that I could find some dirt on Cory. Months ago, I had deactivated it, but I needed to find some way to get back at Cory.

            I typed his name and clicked on it, taking me to his page. He didn’t post anything much, unless it was about football. For the most part, I saw a bunch of girls posting on his wall. He replied to some, and not to others. I assumed that the ones he didn’t reply to weren’t as pretty as the others.

            I went through his pictures and immediately wished that I hadn’t. Why was he so damn attractive? That made things a lot harder. I couldn’t stand Cory, but he was hot. There was no denying that.

            I didn’t find anything incriminating, so I went through the pictures he’d been tagged in. Smiling, I printed out a few pictures that I could use to my advantage. I printed out the one of him chugging a bottle of vodka and I printed one of him holding the bottle up like a trophy and the one of him dancing with a girl, bottle in hand. I’d get my revenge, all right.

The doorbell rang at three. Thankfully, Rick wasn’t home. And thankfully, I’d decided to clean the place up some before my friends arrived. Hailey would be home soon. She got a ride from her friend, who lived around the corner. I took her to school and her friend’s mom brought her back.

            When I opened the door, Eliza, Ryan, and Lucas poured through the door. One by one, they gave me hugs. “Are you okay?” Ryan asked. “Eliza told me what happened. I should go and knock him out for what he did to you.”

            I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. I have a plan.”

            Eliza raised her eyebrows at me. “What’s the plan?” she asked. I didn’t say anything. Instead, I led my friends upstairs to my room. I showed them the pictures I’d printed out.