The Bad Boy I Once Knew (Sequel To The Bad Boy)

Chapter Six

I spent the entirety of that week going back and forth from using my essay as an excuse to get away from my Mom and then using my Mom as an excuse to not write my essay. Conclusion, my Mom's still sick and I'm still illiterate. I tried so many times to write about what I knew. But doing that only made me realize that I don't really know anything. I ended up writing some bullshit about my Mom's illness but it was anything but personal and I hated it. I think it would be less embarrassing to say I can't write than to hand that essay up.

Nevertheless, I went back to the community centre, hanging my head in shame even more than usual. I sat down next to James, throwing him a short smile before turning to face the front. I could feel his gaze lingering on me for a while before he faced the front again. "Now I know I asked you to write an essay for the person sitting next to you to read, but I would prefer if you gave it to them at the end of the class. I want them to be able dwell in your words for the week" I rolled my eyes and I could hear James snigger beside me.

The rest of the class was a blur, all we did was talk about other writers and their styles. I thought this was a class for finding out what kind of writer you are, not what others are.

Eventually it was over. "Now class, please swap your essays with the person next to you and then you may go" She told us. I stood up to take my essay out of my bag. "I'm warning you right now, this is probably the most atrocious piece of writing you will ever read and I'm very sorry for it" I told James as I handed it to him. He laughed as if he thought I was joking. "I'm serious" I said in an attempt to be more convincing. "It's going to be great don't worry" He said taking it from me. He handed me his hesitantly. "Mine is really short but it's really heartfelt" He told me and I nodded in acceptance.

We both went our separate ways with each others work. I watched him as he walked into the coffee shop by the corner. I squinted my eyes in thought. There was something about him that was so familiar, was it his voice? His walk?

I came out of my trance and walked to my car. I noticed that the essay was no more than a paragraph so I decided to read it there and then.

'Do you ever feel like you're just not enough for somebody? No matter what you do or say to make them feel like they're the only person in the world. It's never enough. It doesn't matter how much you fight for them, it's never enough. Yes, I let her walk away that day, but so did she. She had a choice and I wasn't it. I would have giving anything to just chase her down and tell her I had to have her, that being civil wasn't going to be enough for me.  But there is only a certain amount of time you can fight for someone until you realise you're only fighting with yourself. She never wanted me. She knew she was too good for me so she left me. How long did you expect me to chase you? You took everything I had out of me and left me with nothing. Are you happy now? Because I'm not. You will always be the one to me it's just sad that you can't say the same about me. I always thought we had too much history for you not to care but I guess thought wrong because there is no way you could have walked away from us if you did. I just thought after all we've been through that I would be enough. Maybe I should have done less thinking and more doing. Maybe I'd be in a better situation right now.'