A YEAR INTO THE PAST
"We made it girls!" I yelled cheerfully, as Nina, Allie, and I strolled across the sidewalks, along the slope to my house. We had just left school 2 minutes ago. The last day of school. Nina passed her junior year, with a perfect GPA, while Allie was lucky to even be a junior. She wasn't the brightest, but she wasn't plain stupid. "You know, I'm glad next year is the last." Allie rolled her eyes.
"We won't have to see Bitchy D, and her two brain damaged minions, that's for sure." Dana and her rag tag group of misfits we're losers in my mind. Tacky and fakeness made their presence tacky and fake. But she sure seemed to be irresistible.
Someone behind us interrupted our laughing and giggling with a "Wait up!"
Austin. At the time, Austin was Allie's tutor, and he was nerdy as ever. The typical guy with the strap bag, and bony arms... But Allie, Nina, and I already knew being a nerd wasn't a bad thing. At the time these two didn't even know, that I knew what twelve times twelve was.
As he lagged behind us, we all stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Hey, geek," Allie said with a polite tone. Austin wasn't offended, and instead of making a fight, he smiled and blushed. I and Nina never suspected those two would ever be seen together. But it sure, hadn't been like that since today.
"You did it!" He reached his hand out for a high five, but Allie snuck her hands in her pocket and shyly looked at her feet, while we continued to walk the cement. She had obviously been embarrassed. Seeing Nina could have been her tutor, but Allie wouldn't allow it. "Well... are you guys excited for next year?"
How this guy became our friend? Him being so dull as well... we'll never really know. But he helped our best friend get through school, without being chopped up and boiled in a pot. "Yeah... thanks. But I'm thinking I don't need you, next year..."
"Are you crazy? You've been doing so well with me..."
"Exactly," Allie spoke forward. It sounded in the tone where Allie was divorcing Austin from her life. But really, she needed a excuse to not be seen with him, if Bitchy D was ever around. Austin's mom yelled at him to get in the car as we pulled up, and Allie blew a sigh of relife.
My House
Being the boy crazy teenage girls we are ('we're' for me) we all set by my phone waiting for Regan to call...Regan, the schools mystery senior. He was having a party for his last year. Bad boys and mystery we're all my type back in the day.
"This is stupid! Regan doesn't want anything to do with new seniors." I felt like we were in the scene with the two sisters from 'Sister, Sister' as we waited on the couch. We all gave Regan our numbers, but we were so sure he wouldn't even remember whose number he got.
To make matters slightly worse, Hailey's black leather boots thumped down the stairs. "Hey losers, still think you're going to that party?"
"Still think you're going to any party?" My sister wasn't a social butterfly, and all the friends she did have, wore black. I'm the only one who knew that before mom got sick, she wore all the colors of the rainbow. Speaking of mom...
"Maia! Allie and Nina! Let's see it!" She ran into the room with her arms reached out and her lips kissing all our foreheads. She wanted to see our acceptance letters of passing. We handed it to her in excitement.
-Your child MAIA MITCHELL will be attending Jacksonville next year with score of 1A and has had nothing above a C
Of course there was more, but that was basically all I read before I jumped up cheering for myself. Nina also had a 1A but Allie had gotten a 1B for having a D in the first quarter... and the second... then Austin came along. But Hailey was on the 1A wagon as well, which was a surprise seeing how she said she was a rebel.
"I'm so proud Maia! You to Hailey! 1A! Where's my daughter and what have you done with her!?" Mom joked as Hailey clutched into a hug with mom.
"Nina? Still smart," Mom high fived her. She then turned to Allie. "You'll do better. With help, and devotion to work, you can do it! To me a 1B is as good as a 1A!" This was the energy and care mom gave to all us girls.
And Just then the phone buzzed, before Allie could accept a hug. I was going to be the first one to reach for it, until mom coughed. A lot. I stopped in my tracks. "Mom?"
Taking Mom to Her Room
"Guys answer the phone, while I take care of something!" I and Hailey walked mom up down the hall to her and dad's room, and laying her on the bed. "Mom, are the symptoms getting better or worse? Is that doctor doing a shit?" Hailey shut the door after her.
"Hailey!" Mom didn't allow that cursing too much. "I'm fine! The doctor is really helping, Hailey calm down!" She chuckled. I didn't say a word. I was too excited for the party tonight. It's not like I didn't care, but mom always said "I'm not going know where, I'm still on the red wagon" and I believed her. A teenage girl doesn't expect her mom to die, especially when her life is ... well... amazing.
She gave us both hugs, as she said she just needed a little rest and dad would be home soon. At the time, I was positive mom would get through cancer. No telling how she even got it. She still had a pony tail, but barely. Strands of hair we're in the room everywhere. I and Hailey would clean it though; I did most of the actual cleaning.
"You two go along!" I smiled and ran downstairs whereas Hailey set on the bed next to mom. Hailey shouldn't worry so much, I thought.
Celebrating Regan
"THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW WERE COOL!" Allie fanned herself with an old science book of mine. "He said 'see you pretty ladies there!',"
I gave a light chuckle and told Allie to shut up and calm down. "What? THIS IS Regan! Oh my god he is sooo..."
"PRETTY! I know, you said it eight times today! I counted!" I folded my arms.
"I was going to say cute." Allie sassed back. Nina laughed. "You guys are my favorite TV show." She joked.
Heading To the Party
My mom knew me. I might've seemed like a brat, but she knew I wasn't Allie. But the truth was Allie wasn't always boy crazy. She's understanding and smart when she wanted to be and doesn't care what anyone thought about her. That's why we're strong friends. Plus she saved my ass in first grade whereas Dana showed her ugly face.
"So Maia," Mom said before I left with Allie and Nina. I turned around slowly. "Yeah?"
"Well you know the rules. You're responsible. But besides that... I wanted to give you this." My mom took a book from behind her and I realized it was a journal, and it was coming into my reach. I really enjoyed writing, but Allie was looking right at me. To be the leader, I didn't want to be a geek who wants to be a bestselling author when I grow up. Allie thought fashion designing was more me, the way I acted sometimes."Thanks mom. Leave it on my desk?" I smiled.
"My mother gave it to me when I was a little girl," she continued. "I wrote in it a little... and I know you love to write... so."
"MAIA! Are you coming?" Nina made her car honk which irritated me at the very least. "Allie, you too?" Allie had run away from my front door and into Nina's 2013 Jeep. I frantically panicked thinking I'd be late. "I appreciate it mom!" I said when I saw Hailey walk down the stairs looking at me like I was a villain. I pushed mom's journal toward her, and smiled. "But I don't wanna be late!"
Mom gave a little smile. "Oh, right. Have fun."
I wasn't looking for a journal, when I could be going to the party of the year. Only I didn't know for sure my mom was going to die that night. I wasn't informed until after I was drunk and about to make a big mistake with Regan... in bed, that is. Something was telling me to stop but I didn't. I kept going until my phone rang, and I got off of Regan. Right when they told me my mom had gone, I left Regan half naked, and ran out of his party without hesitation. I knew from that day that being a slut queen bee was not my lifestyle. I couldn't be anymore.
I didn't really believe she was gone, until I arrived and saw the ambulance take her off.
Three Days after the Incident
Dad hadn't left his room for some time. He had a bathroom connected in his room, and that was really all a man needed. Besides Hailey bringing him nachos every few minutes so he wouldn't die of hunger.
All I did that summer was stare at my wall, hoping mom would appear at any moment. But she didn't. All I could do was open her journal and read. When I did it felt like she never left for a moment. It was saying how she wasn't going know where, and that if she does, I and Hailey can handle ourselves in the world. A tear shot down my eye; Two...three and then a unstoppable pond. It's like reading ''Being Nikki" but only mom couldn't get her brain transplanted to another dead person.
I finally grabbed a marker and started to write, where mom left off.
DEAR MOM'S JOURNAL
Well it's finally Summer Vacation, and I was planning on having the perfect one just like in those summer movies like Judy Moody where everything is just so perfect...Or becomes perfect anyway. Her mom doesn't die, everybody lives. But actually reality called. Who knew that my mom would suddenly die? I didn't. And I was too stupid not to notice, she didn't have long... how can I even be Blair Waldorf about this? She's really gone, and my dad isn't even moving from his bed. Hailey doesn't mention it and my friends have no idea. I don't answer there texts, but they've already must've heard about what happened in the papers by now. I have no one. And all those years acting like a five star celebrity has finally made me realize that, that's not who I am. My mom would want better. I would know.
And I'm not Blair Waldorf.
The Past - Ross
Fucking great; how was I getting out of this?
ENGLISH PAPER
D-
"Ms. Hans?" I asked walking up to her desk. Ms. Hans, I use to love to daydream about her until she gave me a grade with a minus on the side. Every guy would love to be with her. But no one at Constance would actually do it. I really didn't care, because I was in to many relationships anyway.
Constance has been the third school I've been to during my highschool years. My parents say it's for my own good since I have a pretty bad past. I'm a party animal, and unlike my parents I'm not afraid to say it.
"Ross?" She looked up from grading papers. She edged her glasses and looked into my eyes. She was so gorgeous, with those nice brown eyes and perfectly coordinated face. Everything about her seemed perfect. "Are you sure this is the grade I deserved?"
I was the only one failing in this, and I WAS FREAKING ENGLISH! I'm not plain dumb, I just seem that way. That's how I want people to view me. "Yes. Take a seat."
I lowered down. "Can you at least consider re reading it?" I said with a lower toned voice. Her eyebrows went up and she took her glasses off. "No need for re reading Mr. Lynch .I was pretty clear about your grade. Now take a seat."
Facing My Parents
My dad had a long talk with Ms. Hans, and he ended up making her give me another chance to redo the paper. I knew that after he seen that I got a D, that this teacher was now a threat. "Ross, how could you even get a D in English?" He snatched the paper from the coffee table. Just wait till mom comes back from work. She'll have a worse fit.
Mom worked as a lawyer, and that earned us some big bucks, whenever she won a case.
Redoing my Paper
I might as well just have made myself useful and get to work. Only then did I get a call from Ms. Hans herself. When I heard her voice it made me float off into space. Sure, I flirt with a lot of girls but this teacher was just so sexy. Plus sex for grades? That would be cool!
"Ross, I was just heading to the museum, and I was wondering if you wanted to go for a individual field trip?" She asked. She always substitutes in for the History teacher, and must've seen my grades in that subject to. They we're a C average and I'm lucky when I get C+, and usually I wasn't lucky. "And I could probably recheck that paper of yours..."
What was the change of her heart?