Chapter 15
A car hit a puddle and the puddle hit me. It added to the rain and made it extremely cold. Someone has it out for me, I don’t know who I just know that there is someone out there trying to make my life miserable. Two more cars passed me. One car reminded me of Michael’s and I sighed. Why couldn’t he have picked his phone up?
I heard some screeching behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. The person did a neat u-turn and was headed back towards me. I continued to walk as the car approached. It slowed down and inched down the road next to me. I watched as the person rolled down the window. There was a very worried Michael.
“Bree?” His voice was shaky.
He looked at me expectantly. I couldn’t think, so I just got in the car. We sat in silence before he took off. I can tell that he noticed my wounds almost immediately. I watched out the window as we drove. I didn’t want to talk; I was all talked out for the day.
“Are you in pain?” his voice was a whisper.
I bit my lip; I didn’t want to lie to him but I didn’t want him to worry. The only way to do that is just twist the truth a little. “Not at the moment.” In truth, it didn't now. Later, though, I would be in a lot of pain.
He didn’t say anything else until we were in his drive way. The car stared at the house and the big windows stared back. Michael touched my shoulder gently. “You’re lying, and that’s okay.” He got out of the car and marched into the house. I followed his lead.
The smell of Gwen’s cooking filled the whole house. I walked into the kitchen and found her cooking away. Michael was eating an apple as he watched his mom cook. Both of them noticed me walk in. Gwen turned around and gasped. She dropped the fork in her hand. Grease splattered everywhere, Gwen didn’t care. She came up to me and gingerly touched my face.
“W-what happened?” She asked; tears welling in her eyes.
“Nothing,” I sighed.
“Bree,” Michael started.
“A girl beat me up, okay?” I was more annoyed with the fact that they cared. Normally I would’ve been yelled at, normally my mom would think that it was all my fault. Tears welled in my eyes and slid down my cheeks. I turned around and ran up the stairs wincing at the pain from my ankle.
A few minutes of being in sweet silence I heard pounding footsteps. They were Michael's. I knew they were coming to me but I almost didn’t want them too. I wanted him to go back downstairs and eat with his mom and forget about me. Against my wishes Michael’s door opened. His footsteps lead to his bed. Then I was embraced. I let my tears flow freely; Michael didn’t seem to mind.
“Bree, why don’t you come downstairs? My mom has something to tell you.” I nodded and got up.
Michael’s hand was on my shoulder as I walked down the stairs. It was the first time I really noticed the house’s décor. It was kind of rustic and modern. The two themes didn’t really clash, they meshed perfectly. There would be a nice plasma T.V., and then there would be a grandfather clock. An old looking, but nicely polished coffee table with a very modern and comfy couch. It was a really nice home and I was happy that I could live here for a little bit.
Gwen was already sitting at the table and snacking on the dinner prepared. She smiled at us as we walked in. I sat down right across from her. She didn’t’ seem to be in any hurry to talk about my misfortune; that was okay with me. I took a bite when the conversation started.
“Now I know that you know about the wedding coming up, but I don’t think you know the location.” I looked up at Gwen. There was a blush on her face and she had a small half smile.
“What’s this about?” My eyebrows furrowed. Where would the wedding be?
“The wedding is going to be in….Hawaii.” The location was said so quietly, but I still heard it. I choked on my water and looked up at her; my eyes were wide.
“Gwen, I can’t afford a trip to Hawaii!” I exclaimed.
“I know that, that’s why I’m paying for you.”
My mouth dropped open. “G-Gwen I can’t let you do that. That’s too much!”
“Think of it as an early birthday present.”
I bit my lip and looked at Gwen. There was no winning with her. What she said was final. I thought back to all my other birthday presents and none of them were quite this nice. Especially the ones from my mom. One year she bought me groceries, so I could cook dinner for her! Gwen was like the mom I never had, but always wanted.
I ate in silence. Michael and his mom talked freely. I feel so bad, I shouldn’t take their money. If I don’t except their gift then I’m a horrible guest, but if I do except their gift I’m a mooch. Neither outcome is very good! I wish there was some way to come in the middle. I can’t very well pay my own way. I could help out at the house as much as possible. Cook dinner, clean.
A feeling of nausea hit me. I excused myself from the table and walked towards the little bathroom. My stomach was churning. I tripped over the rung and fell to the floor. Well that kind of hurt. I crawled the rest of the way to the bathroom and sat near the toilet. I feel like I’m going to get sick.
Today is just so overwhelming. First I get beat up and now a trip to Hawaii. Granted some things are good but still… I just wish that life was a bit more boring. I wish life was boring again, back to the way things use to be. Not when I showed up a few guys at a race, not when I let Michael give me a lift home, not when I talked back to my mom. Sometimes I really hate myself.
I threw up and then walked back to Michael's room. He wasn’t anywhere to be found. I put on some of his clothes; they were bigger and more comfortable. As I was leaving Michael’s room he plowed in to me. Before I lost my balance he steadied me. Before I had time to walk past him he pushed me into the room and shut the door.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“My idiotic step-brother is here and I don’t want you to meet him.”
“Michael,” I whined.
“Please,” he begged.
“Fine, let’s watch a movie or something.”
He accepted my idea and picked out a movie. I didn’t see what it was but I figured it would be some horror movie. He loved those types of movies; I don’t really mind, they don’t make me squeamish. I laid down on his bed and got under the covers. His bed is really comfy I have to say. I looked up a the T.V. mounted on the ceiling.
Michael put the movie and stripped down to his boxers. He crawled in next to me. I was right, he chose one of the Saw movies. I felt tired and the movie hadn’t even started yet. I don’t think that I will make it through this movie. I gave a really large yawn and Michael laughed at me. I glared at him before I snuggled into his side and closed my eyes, the movie started.
Somewhere in between the game starting and the people waking up in the bathroom is when I fell asleep. Surprisingly enough I can manage to fall asleep when people are freaking out. Good to know.
A week passed by. Nothing happened. The days turned into a big blur. After I got beat up I could hear the whispers, I could feel the pointing and stares that followed me in the hall. I tried to shrug them off as much as I could. Sometimes it just kind of got to me. All in all things started to settle down again. I went back to seeing Dan after school and getting some ice time after hockey practices. I sat alone at lunch and Will was no longer my science partner. Actually I hadn’t talked to Will that much since the day I was beat up. I was thankful for that. Things felt normal again.
My nervousness increased as the trip to Hawaii grew near. Gwen would talk about it nonstop when I was home. It didn’t help that I felt really bad about taking her money and going on an expensive trip. Each time I tried to mention that to her she just shrugged it off, “It’s a gift from me” she would say.
I ate a turkey sandwich alone at my table. There was a notebook sprawled in front of me. I had a English paper due tomorrow and I wasn’t very close to finishing. I wrote down a few sentences and then put my pencil down. The thing I hate most about writing is the cramps in my hand. Chatter filled the lunchroom. All of a sudden everything got quiet. I looked up and noticed everyone looking towards Bianca’s table. I tried to keep myself from looking but I just had to know what was going on. There she sat crying.
Her sobs were very clear in the eerily silent lunch room. Everyone was trying to listen in on what happened. Everyone but the jocks who were eating outside today. It was a rather nice day considering the time of the year and how crappy our weather has been. I mean it’s rained for a week straight so far. I shook my head a focused back on the sobs. “H-he broke up with me,” she said.
Gasps filled the room. “Bianca I’m so sorry,” one of the girls who attacked me said.
“You were like, totally perfect.” I sighed. So this whole thing was about Tod dumping her. Figures, anything could set that girl off. But I know not to get on her bad side. I don’t even know what I really did.
A billion questions were asked at once. The lunchroom got louder than usual. I picked up my things and walked out. The halls were empty. Either everyone was in class or they were eating lunch. I walked to my locker and put my combination in. When I opened my locker a white piece of paper fell to the floor. I put my things on the little shelf and knelt down to pick the paper up. There was something written on it.
“I’m sorry for what she did to you”, that was all the note said. There was no name or anything to say who they were talking about. But I knew exactly who they were talking about. It was obviously about Bianca. It narrowed down the people it could be. I shoved the note in my pocket and grabbed a few of my binders.
I felt as if someone was watching me. Paranoid I looked over my shoulder. There was no one. I walked towards the art room with the feeling draping off me. I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter where I was. It seemed that there was someone following just behind me. Luckily the art room was a safe haven. As soon as I walked in and sat down at my easel all the feelings slipped away.
A blank canvas was in front of me. It was a Friday, Fridays are free days. I looked at the paints. What should I paint? I’d say I’m okay at art, my teacher would say I’m great. Just like music. All types of arts just come to me naturally. I started by outlining the shape of a cow. Then I made the details and the sky. Last was the background and the field.
I was halfway done when I felt a tap on my shoulder. A girl that I rarely noticed was behind me. She was a mousy girl with short brown hair. Her glasses continuously slipped down her face, making her push them up frequently. There was a small smile playing at her lips. “I just wanted to say that your painting is amazing.”
“Thank you,” I said to her quietly.
She leaned forwards a little more to whisper in my ear. “I heard about Bianca. I’m sorry. You know I was thinking we could hang-out sometime.”
I looked at the girl. Was she the one that put the note in my locker? “Yeah, that would be cool. Give me your number and I’ll call you some time.”
She wrote down her number on a piece of pink paper. It didn’t look like the kind I found in my locker. I took the paper from her hands and shoved it in my pocket with the note. She walked back to her own canvas where she was painting the night sky. It looked like a masterpiece that deserved to be hung in an art gallery.
I turned back to my work and started to paint again. Hopefully I’ll finish before class ends. It’s no loss if I don’t, though, I have many unfinished pieces.
My mind wandered to the girl. She seemed nice and I noticed she was on the quiet side too. Maybe I’m making a friend. I’ve never had a friend since I’ve moved here. Well there’s Michael, but I want to have girl time like I use to. We could hang out and talk about boys. She seems to love art, she’s good at it too. I’ll definitely be giving her a call.
The final bell rang and I grabbed my bag. I slung it over my shoulder and headed for the doors. Everyone was scrambling to get out at the same time. The halls get crazier on Friday afternoons. I managed to squeeze my way through the crowded halls. It came with a price; I was elbowed a few times and I got stepped on more than once. Can’t say that I haven’t seen much worse. I shuddered at the thought.
The rink isn’t that far from the school. Lucky for me, it makes it much easier to walk. The hockey team was already ahead of me. I waited for them to get on the ice before I even made an attempt to hide underneath the stairs. Things are just beginning to be peaceful, the last thing I want is another encounter with them.
I slid into my hiding space and pulled out my notebook. I will conquer this English paper! I wrote and took breaks as my hand cramped. It took me almost an hour to finish. I moved on to other work as I waited for practice to finish. I blew through all the other work and finished it with half an hour to spare. I curled up and took a small nap.
When I woke up I instantly noticed I wasn’t alone. However, when you wake up to someone’s smiling face right in front of yours you tend to notice. Will had a very creepy smile on as he watched me sleep. On reflex on slapped him. He hissed in pain. “Sorry,” I muttered.
“Hey, Brenna.” I frowned at him. “Come on.” He pulled me to my feet and started to drag me towards the rink. He half carried me so I didn’t even notice I was wearing skates. The first thing to come to mind was that Coach was waiting. To my relief he wasn’t.
Will pushed me out on the ice. I instantly recovered from a near fall and started to skate. Will was right behind me. That feeling of being followed returned. Was Will the one following me earlier? Did he put the note in my locker?
“What do you want?” I asked him.
“Well I just wanted to hang-out, get to know you better.”
I snorted with laughter. He stopped both of us. I looked at him expectantly. He started to get closer to me so I pushed him. All of his body signals told me he was going to kiss me. I did not want that. As soon as Will was away from me I continued to skate. He easily caught up with me and stopped me again. This boy is persistent.
“Brenna, I have something important to tell you.” I looked up at him. My mind was racing with thoughts. “I am-"