A's Wish

Chapter 2

Ever since I was little I have wanted a pet. In fifth grade, I moved because dad and mom got divorced. I never saw him again until seventh grade. In Eighth grade, the only person that kept me going was my grandma but she died midway through the year. That year I learned how important she was in my life. She was alway there for me when I needed her most, like pets. Pets never seem to go away; they always comfort you, never leave your side, and are always excited when you come home. That is how I viewed the perfect parents, ones that never leave my side when I needed them most.  As a child nobody was ever there to tell me everything was alright besides my grandma when we visited her. I never knew if everything was going to be ok otherwise.
I always get this weird feeling when something is wrong, like something is out of place. Waking up after my dad came felt like that. Something about today does not seem right because when I turn and stretch I see a folded piece of paper on my nightstand and when I look at it I see that it is from my father, I tear it in half. I should probably read it before I get mad at him again. We did make up yesterday. I get out of bed quickly and run to where ripped piece of paper is and put them together to see that the note reads, "I love you Annabelle! See you next time! I'm glad everything between us is good between us. Love, Dad." Looking at the letter makes me cry, I throw the letter as far from me as possible. How could he think that things are STILL good? They have never been good between us. To top it off, he gave me a check for $1,000. If this is how people show that their newly established relationship is fine then I do not ever think that I will find love. Does he see what he is doing to me? How can he just pretend that everything is fine when they are clearly not. I wish I could just keep him on a leash.
...
On my way to school I run into Zella driving and she offers me a ride after. Zac is in the passenger seat so I sit in the back. Finally when we get to school, Zac hurries and gets out of the car and I open the door just in time to ram his body against the car next to us on accident. I didn't realize that he was opening the door for me so out of pity I closed the door so he could move. When I opened the door again I could hear him trying not to look like he is in pain. After grabbing my stuff, I tell him I'm so sorry. He said it was fine and that it didn't hurt at all but I could tell it did.
"It's fine, I probably deserved it," he said in pain.
"Yeah. You did," I am not sure if he did or not.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I say embarrassed trying to sound convincing.
"I don't know...you just seem different today," Zac says; I just shrug it off and head inside.
When I get inside the Science team waved me over to talk about strategy for the science meet coming up soon. Walter, the head of the science team, could see that I was nervous for the meet so he was trying to explain how things will work until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I see that it's just Zac, "What do you want Zac. Not to be rude but I'm kind of in the middle of something."
"You forgot your lunchbox in Zella's car," he said handing the lunchbox to me a little embarrassed then walking away.
I turn toward Zac and say thanks sincerer than I did before. Walter asks me if Zac and me are together. I have never seen someone so annoyed by someone else when Zac turns around and says annoyed, "Can you just stop Walter. What's in it to you. Why don't you just kick her out too?"
"Zac what are you talking about?" I ask him but before Zac could answer me Walter buds in and asks fed up, "Are you going to annoy us all day?"
"You know what... You're right. I'll let you get back to your nerd group." He says meanly gesturing all of us at the table then he walks away.
"Why did Zac have your lunchbox?" Walter asks.
"Zella, Zac's sister, gave me a ride to school and Zac happened to be their too."
"We'll just make sure that you don't forget your lunch box again," Walter said sternly. I wanted to say yes sir but I just said ok and forgot this ever happened, we all go back to what we were working on.
    What just happened? That must have been the weirdest conversation I have ever had. First, I forgot my lunchbox. Next, Zac gave it to me and then Walter had a big fit about it? Aren't we in high school? It looks like they were friends before but got in a fight. I feel really bad for both of them because I hate when people hate each other. That is a real disappointment because my life has always been full of disappointments. Maybe my life isn't so bad after all? The only problem is that I don't like Zac the way he likes me or the way I think he likes me. People probably have it much worse than me. Anyway, as I walk into Algebra we have a long worksheet that we have to work on. I was already started on it when someone asked, "Can we work with partners?" My hand hit my forehead, are you kidding me?
"Get with you partners everyone!" The teacher yells so that we all can hear her.
Right before class ends Mrs. Cranberry says, "Do not forget to finish the packet with your partner tonight if you did not finish. It is due tomorrow!"
Zack turns right to me and asks, "Do you want to come over to my place to finish the packet?...," I am already out the door, "Well ok." He catches up to me and asks me again.
    After Social Studies I start heading to my Science team mates when Zella waves me over like she wants to tell me something, "I heard you're coming over to my house today but instead you are their because Zac invited you," Zella sounds cheerful but also calm at the same time.
    Before anybody could admit the ideas they have about me and Zac, I clarify firmly and calm, "Just to finish homework because Mrs. Cranberry said we had to finish it with our partners. Zac happens to be my partner."
    "How did you two become partners?" Zella asks suspicious and curious.
    "Mrs. Cranberry had a chart already made, so bad luck I guess," I admit.
    "Why don't you watch a movie with us while your at our house and sleep over?" She asks.
    "I feel like you have something suspicious going on," I lift up one eyebrow to look suspicious, "But only because WE are friends."
    "Good. Meet me out front after school," She demands.
. . .
    When school is over, I wait outside of the school to wait for Zella's car. Right when I get out of the school she calls me and tells me that she went over to Daniel's house to do homework and to wait for Zac. I couldn't believe how long I was waiting. After I saw most of the cars gone I decided to walk home and do the homework alone. I start walking when Zac runs up to me wondering where I'm going.
    "Well...I was waiting for you but you took too long so I decided to go home and do the homework myself." I tell him calmly then exhaling heavily.
    "I'm so sorry," He pauses, "Can we just go."
    "Fine. Only because I promised your sister we would hang out afterward," I warn him.
    "Dude. Is this your girlfriend?" Zac's friend asks while Zac makes the 'cut it out' motion.
    "Pff," I say walking away.
    "Oh! This is the girl you like?" His friend says like he just solved the cure for cancer.
    "Dude!" Zac yells embarrassed then says quieter to him, "Way to keep a secret."
    "Sorry man. Hey, you better catch up with her she is half down the street," his friend is laughing his head off now.
That's all I heard. After that I started to walk slower thinking about what had just happened today. Zella must have known that Zac liked me and thought it was the perfect time to set us up while I had no idea of what was going on. Why would someone go through so much trouble for a crush? Endless I was more than a crush? Hopefully not. A few moments later once his car finally caught up to me, I got in. Only because I need to know if that guy was telling the truth or not. If he is then I will finally know what it's like to have someone actually want to pay attention to me. The only thing I'm worried about Zac knowing that I kind of like him too. I don't want to like him. I've always been the kind of person that will like someone, like everybody else will, but never admit it because I am too shy to say anything. We don't talk the whole entire ride home except for when I asked him if his friend was right about the whole crush thing.
    "Listen, I like you. Yes, I want to be with you but the thing is that our relationship will never work," Zac tells me like I don't already know.
    "You're kidding me right? I don't like you at all. Why are you telling me that our relationship will never work? The only reason why I talk to you is because we are partners for Math," I tell him but then realize what I said, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to make that sound as mean as it did."
"Well maybe if you get to know me you would like me?" Now Zac sounds like he is trying to negotiate my feelings for him after telling me our relationship will never work out.
"Yeah. Ok," I say sarcastically laughing.
Once we get to his house we do our homework then I ask him, "What's with you and Walter?"
"What do you mean?" He says confused looking away from me and getting out his homework.
"When you and Walter saw each other it looked like you too used to be really close friends and now you too hate each other."
"Yeah me and Walter used to be really close friends until I started dating Stephanie. Once I started dating her Walter convinced the all the members to kick me off of the team."
"Why did Walter want you off of the team?"
"Because he thought that I spent too much time with Stephanie and not enough time preparing for the Science team finals."
"Did you prepare at all for the finals?"
"No."
"Did you guys win?"
"No."
"Did you guys have a chance of winning if you studied?"
"Yeah we did. I remember the guy asking me a really simple question and knowing the answer but I saw Stephanie in the crowd with a sign that said 'Zac is a nerd'. I got the answer wrong on purpose to show her that I wasn't a nerd and that I could be popular enough to hang out with her clique."
"You got a question wrong to show that you weren't a nerd? Why did you care what Stephanie thinks? Why would you go out with her at all?" I ask him.
    "She thought I was cute and said she could make me from drool to cool. She was also the first popular girl flirt with me. Stephanie is the most popular girl, most prettiest, and if you date her you are ranked goes up to the top in the school for a lifetime. Besides I was a freshman last year, I didn't know better."
"It seems over rated."
    "Well, it is now. Now that I realized that all she wanted to do was have me fall in love with her them make the the laughing stalk of the school," he tells.
    "Really? How would she do that?" I ask him as Zella walks into the dining room where we are. I take a quick glance at her and then look back at Zac.
"Did I interrupt something Annabelle?" She asks me confused.
    "No, we are just talking about how much of a witch Stephany is," I reassure her.
"Oh! Like the time last year when Zac almost got voted prom king last year until he pulled himself out of the race!" She tells me excitedly sitting in the chair next to me grabbing grapes in the bowl on the counter.
    "You almost won Prom King? As a freshman?" I say shocked.
    "Yeah he would have won too," Zella reassures me.
    "Except Walter told me that I was going to be the laughing stalk of the school if I went on that stage," Zac says like he is looking back at a horrible childhood memory.
    "What would have happened if you did go on stage?" I ask calmly wanting to know really bad on the inside.
    "Zac would have had eggs dumped on his head with feathers and then crowned 'king of the dorks'," Zella starts, "At least that's what happened to the other guy that got crowned king."
    "Wow that would have been awful. I feel bad for the other guy. What happened to him?" I ask.
    "He transferred schools," Zella says taking out two pizza's from the oven. After we clear both pizza's their parents come home so we decide to go downstairs and watch a movie. I decide to pick the movie High School Musical because who doesn't love a classic Disney movie? I settle in on the recliner chair while Zac and Zella take the couch. Once we finish the first one we start High School Musical 2 but right when Troy starts singing "bet on it" I fall asleep.
. . .
Waking up in a cold sweat isn't the greatest feeling but waking up in a cold sweat while not knowing where you are is worse. I open my eyes to see myself looking at Zac and Zella are clonked out on the couch. After I look at my phone to see what time it is, 5:30 AM, then I remember that I didn't tell my mom that I was sleeping over. I let out a big sigh and notice that I woke up Zac when I just realize that I am going to be grounded for life.
    "Everything Ok?" He whispers moving away from Zella trying not to wake her up.   
"Um...Not really. I forgot to tell my mom I was sleeping over and if I don't get home before she wakes up I will be in so much trouble," I whisper to him.
    "Annabelle. Chill out. Your mom isn't going to flip out," Zac says quietly.
"Yeah she is. One time my dad got home earlier than usual and took me in the middle of the night to spend time with me without telling my mom. I didn't come home until noon that day and she started flipping out on how I was never to scare her like that again. If I ever was not home in the morning she was going to send me to boarding school," I say worried as quiet as possible.
    "Okay. Okay. If it really bothers you I'll drive you home now before Zella wakes up," Zac reassures me.
    "You would do that?" I say surprised catching myself to make sure I do not get too loud.
    He shrugs yes and we go upstairs, get my stuff, and drive to my house. Once we get to my house I grab my stuff say thanks and head inside. Being me and worried I think of what I'm going to say to my mom if she gets suspicious about me not coming home. I figure that IF she asks I will say 'Zella wanted me to watch a movie with her and we fell asleep accidentally and I felt bad about not telling you so I walked home before you woke up so you wouldn't get bad.' I know that I am NOT mentioning that Zac was there or that we were alone before Zella came home.
"Hey, where did you go in the middle of the night?" Zac asks driving out of his driveway.
"Where did I go? What are you talking about?" I say confused.
"Yeah, you got up around two or three and left then came back like an hour later."
"Really? Because I was sleeping on the couch all night," I say laughing a little; he sounds crazy.
    "Really? That's weird. I swore you left...Guess you didn't. Never mind then," he embarrassedly laughs and keeps his eyes on the road the rest of the time, clearing his throat every now and then.
    After I get home I get ready and my mom still isn't up yet so I grab a bowl and cereal. Right when I get to her room to wake her up before I leave. I hear a honk from outside and decide not to check on my mom and let her sleep.
I want a pet that can be loyal to me. I want a companion that will never let me down no matter what because no matter how mad I  get their cuteness will make me forgive them. I want a friend like that. People that I could tell everything to, do everything with, and people that would do the same for me. I thought that could never happen but I think that that has happened.  Will they stay like that? I don't know. I hope they do.