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Chapter 2
“Congratulations class of 2014!” The principal's voice boomed loudly into the microphone and the stadium soon rang with a chorus of screams and shouts. A moment later, blue and red caps cluttered the sky before they fell onto the Astroturf.
Finally. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and when I spotted Courtney Perkins in the midst of the newly graduates, I couldn't contain it any longer. She caught sight of me the next second and was already sprinting towards me before I had a chance to move.
“Hazel!” She cried before crashing into me and then proceeded to give the most suffocating hug ever.
“Court, can’t breathe.” I laughed as she finally let me go and I was able to get air circulating in my lungs again.
“Oh you’ll live. I love you too much to kill you. Besides, we don’t want you dead before you get to enjoy your first taste of freedom, now would we?”
“That would be correct. It would be so tragic for you to be spending the entire summer without my presence.” I teased with a wide grin.
“True that. I would just die without being sarcastically insulted every five minutes.” She smirked. This was why I loved her. She was my feisty partner in crime and the only one who could tolerate all of my moods: sarcastic, over zealous, pms and all.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment. Now how are we going to celebrate this milestone accomplishment?” Before she could suggest anything, her mother called out from behind her. As she approached us, Courtney rolled her eyes.
“Courtney baby! Congratulations! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe my little girl is growing up and going to college and everything!” She said extremely perky before throwing her arms around her daughter and squeezed the living daylights out of her. Guess bone-crushing hugs ran in the family.
“God mom, can you get anymore embarrassing?” Courtney groaned as she attempted to free herself from her mother’s tight grasp. She dismissed her daughter’s remark and turned to face me.
“Hazel! Oh my goodness, how are you?!” She cried with that chirpy voice of hers. I could see why at times Courtney would want to crawl in the corner and just hide from the humiliation, but I would kill for parents to care for me like that…even if it meant having to deal with public embarrassment.
“I’m good.” I stuck with the short response, knowing if I said anymore it would be like begging for a very unwanted long conversation about my future to join the party.
“Are your parents here? It’s been a while since I’ve talked to Lucy.”
“No they couldn’t make it. My mom is out on a job interview and my dad got held up at work.” The lie fell seamlessly out of my mouth as if I had practiced it a thousand times in front of the mirror. With let downs like your parents, it gets easier within time to come up with convincing excuses to explain their absences for occasions such as this.
I bet you they didn’t even realize today was graduation. I mean I had the invitation out for a month in plain sight, sticking it on the refrigerator with the help of a promotional sombrero magnet for the new Mexican restaurant two blocks away, and l had brought it up a few times, but they either were really good at ignoring everything I had to say or they just really could care less.
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that honey. Do you think they’ll be back later tonight? We can throw a party for the two families! Oh it would be just-”
“Mom, please don’t.” Courtney cut her off with a glare, warning her to drop the subject immediately.
“Oh sorry Hazel. I sometimes can get carried away.”
“It’s okay Mrs. Perkins. That sounds really lovely, but I have a feeling my parents are going to be exhausted when they get home. Maybe next time?” I suggested even though I knew it was an empty promise that would never be followed through.
“Yes another day would be perfect!”
“Okay mom. We’re going to go take some pictures with friends now. I’ll find you later in the parking lot. Bye.” Courtney said a tone that made the conversation final as she tugged me away.
“Alright sweetheart. Tell your parents we said hi Hazel!” She waved at us and I nodded my head before Court pulled us into a crowd and she disappeared altogether. We made our way out of the stadium towards the rest of our friends by the front of the school who were currently snapping photos of themselves with their cameras.
“Sorry about my mom.” She apologized as we walked side by side.
“It’s fine. She means well.”
“So everything cool with your parents?” Courtney asked with all seriousness. She was the only one who knew about my parents besides Claudia who I was very surprised hasn’t spilled it to half the population at Brooksdale yet since our fallout two months ago.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I replied and plastered a smile as a safety measure so she would believe me, but this was Courtney were talking about. Though we’ve only known each other since a few days after Claudia and I went our separate ways, she’s quickly become the only stable thing in my life. Trust had become extremely fragile since the incident between my best friend and my boyfriend so I shield myself off from the rest of the world. I didn’t want to feel that hurt again, but something about Court made her an exception to everyone else.
“When’s the last time he hit you?” Her voice lowered a few notches, making sure no one heard her though the nearest person was a fair distance away.
“Two, three weeks ago.” I admitted, aware that if I lied, she would have certainly caught on.
“Where?”
“My left arm.”
“I was wondering who in their right mind would wear sweaters in June. Okay, probably vampires, but clearly Edward is a special kind. I mean he certainly did not disintegrate from the sun. He sparkled like he had cannonballed into a pool of glitter. Reality check, just because you shine bright like a diamond doesn’t make you any less pale.” She smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I see you’ve given this much thought.” I laughed.
“Can’t help it. When PTA dinner meetings occupy your house every month because your mom just so happens to be president and you’re forced to be present at all of them, glittery vampires might cross your mind once or twice. Seriously, it’s like having dinner with twenty clones of her. I don’t know how I survived.”
“Well kiss those meetings goodbye hun cause those days are now officially over.” I pointed out.
“Thank god. I thought they would never end.” She cried in relief. We had almost reached the crew, when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye that caused my feet to instantly freeze in their place.
“What wrong Hazel?” Court looked over my shoulder to find the reason for my sudden stop. She started scanning the area until her eyes landed on two familiar people behind the bleachers.
“I thought you said he was still trying to win you back?”
“He was.” Somewhere deep inside, hurt pierced through my heart. I was done with him and I was done with her so why did I feel this way?
Maybe because once upon a time, they both meant something to me...and then they let me down. It was heartbreaking and miserable, but the worst feeling was betrayal. I didn’t think either of them were capable of such a thing, but I guess I underestimated them. Mark stabbed me in the back and Claudia turned the knife.
“Hazel, staring at them is just going to make you feel worse. C’mon.” Courtney tugged me and she made sure I didn’t turn around to hurt myself anymore. “She’s a bitch and he’s an asshole. I’m so glad you stood your ground all this time when he wanted a second chance because he didn't deserve it then and he doesn't deserve it now. He's just a douche bag who wanted the satisfaction that he could get with any girl. Don’t waste another second of your time on him. He isn’t worth it and neither is she.
“They’re in the past Hazel. Leave them there. You’ve got one more summer here and off to Penn State right? That’s your future and they don’t belong in it anymore.”
“Thank you Court.” I stopped and hugged her tightly, bringing my arms around her neck and squeezing her. It was nice having someone there with all the right words to say.
“Anytime. Now, let’s go enjoy our summer. We’ve earned it.” She linked her arm with mine and we didn’t take a single glance back.
***
“I’m sorry, but can you please repeat that?” I asked again with wide eyes.
“A week’s trip in Paris is going to cost you around twenty two hundred dollars.” The travel agent replied for what was probably the fiftieth time, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around the words spilling from her mouth.
I should’ve expected a large price tag; it was Paris after all. I guess I had my head up in the clouds for far too long, thinking that this was finally going to be my ticket out, my final chance to have a taste of freedom before I go off to college.
“Oh okay, but I think I’m going to pass. Thanks for the help though. I really appreciated it. Sorry I wasted your time.” I sighed in defeat, grabbing my bag from the ground and pushing in the chair I was previously occupying.
“If you decide to change your mind Ms. Scott...” He handed me a brochure with papers about airline tickets, hotels, and prices sticking out in all directions.
“Thank you again.” I said with a smile before I made my way out of the cubicle and exited the building altogether. The hot, humid air instantly rushed over me. Taking the sunglasses previously perched on my head and placing them over my eyes, I began walking back home.
What was I going to do now? Spend my entire summer hanging out with my intoxicated mother in the basement and being a daily punching bag to my father? No, seventeen years was enough. Another three months without some sort of an escape would just be overkill.
I had it all planned out too. Paris in August and Penn State bound in September. I had to get away. It wasn’t a choice anymore. It was something that needed to be done, but now I have hit a slight (okay that’s a complete understatement) pothole in the plan.
Just calm down girl and think. I spent the next thirty minutes trying to come up with ideas and when I found myself on the front porch of my house, I was still as clueless as I was before. Obviously the heat was not a good brainstorming assistant.
I decided against the front door just in case my father had come home early and demanded where I was at which would probably lead to a bruise or two. The weather was getting way too warm for turtlenecks and jeans so I couldn’t risk anymore black and blue marks on places where I couldn’t hide them easily.
I jumped over the side fence and peered into the living room window to find my mother passed out on the couch with I Love Lucy reruns on the television. A sense of relief fell upon me when I realized my dad had yet to return from work, but another glance at my mom erupted an unfamiliar feeling.
Even though I practically had to raise myself as she extremely lacked parenting skills, it’s her I feel sorry for. I had a future and control over my life whereas my mom fell victim to intoxication and hangovers on a daily basis. She had potential in life, but got herself lost in a world of parties and alcohol. She was troubled, but she would never admit it and I’ve given up trying to help.
I made my way around back and jumped into my bedroom window, which I left halfway open whenever I went out without my parents’ knowledge so I could return without notice. I moved the chair previously propped up against my door back to its original place and grabbed my piggy bank from the top of a bookshelf.
“Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” I whispered to myself, rubbing my hands together like an evil mastermind. I felt like such a criminal as I was about to commit murder on this pour ceramic pig.
“Thanks for being there for eight years piggy. It’s for the best.” I said a few final words to the inanimate object before smashing it with a hammer. I was glad my mom was too knocked out to hear and my dad wasn’t around to question. After sorting out the bills and coins, I counted out seven hundred and some odd number of cents.
Great just need fifteen hundred to magically appear out of my pocket now. How was I going to muster up the rest of the money? Rob a bank? I’m not going to lie; I was highly considering doing so. That’s how badly this trip means to me, but clearly it wouldn’t be much better spending the only days of freedom I had behind bars.
“Stealing the money is out of the picture. What else?” I muttered as I scanned my room for ideas. My eyes landed on a glass of lemonade on my desk. A lemonade stand? Seriously was I seven, but I was running dry of options and I was desperate.
So I found myself at a farmer’s market the next day with freshly squeezed lemonade in Dixie cups lined up on the table. Let’s just say business was turning out to be such a bust. Only few people decide to tough out the insanely hot conditions to come out today and those customers decided to flock over the frozen yogurt stand instead. Should’ve gone with soft serve. What an idiot.
As I was mentally pounding my head against a nonexistent wall, a shadow fell upon the table. Oh my god, a customer. Finally, the fourth one in the past two hours. I managed to plaster a very convincing smile over the misery I was enduring and glanced up, ready to offer the stranger a cup when I realized who it was.
“Hi Hazel.”
“Ian?”