Chapter 4
Memories
KIM
I would be lying if I said that the dinner went great. The entire dinner was just Grace and I glaring/fighting with each other. I honestly felt bad for Jack because he didn't know what to say and was kind of awkward about it. I especially feel bad for him now, because Grace and I had been at it for fifteen minutes.
"WHY DO YOU CARE?!" Grace shouted angrily "Why do you care that I left you in the dust? You obviously don't miss me!" I suddenly got quiet and I stopped trying to speak louder than her.
"Why do I care? You honestly don't know?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.
"No, I don't. It's stupid really! That your making such a big deal out of it!" I shook my head disapprovingly at her.
"You know, I'm sure it meant nothing to you, that you didn't think I'd care, but do you know what it feels like for your own best friend to tell you that she can't hang out with you anymore because it's making her a loser?" Grace showed a flicker of guilt, but it left just as quickly as it had came.
"That's not what happened, and that's not what I said!" she shot at me angrily.
"Then what did happen Grace?" I say glaring harder, if that was even humanly possible.
"I offered you to come join my friends and I but you rejected!"
That's not what I remember.
I silently kicked the snow on my way to my Grace's house. She lived about a block away, but it felt longer in the thick snow. On top of that my sweater was as thin as paper. Don't judge me! It never snows here! The coldest it's ever been here is sixty-five degrees! But forty-two? With snow? That was just absurd, but here I was.
I started to walk a little faster, wanting to get out the snow before I froze to death. I ran up to Grace's door and practically pounded on the door. Ms. Mitchell quickly opened the door and let me in. "Hi Ms. Mitchell!" I say brightly.
"Kim, please, after all these years you can call me Miranda!" she said smiling. Though, at the the time she didn't know that this was the last time I'd see her for a very long time.
"Grace is upstairs, make yourself at home" she said before walking back into the kitchen.
I walked up the stairs cheerfully. I don't know why I was so happy! I skipped down the narrow hallway and opened Grace's door without hesitance. "GRACE! GET YOUR BOOTY OUT HERE!" I shout innocently. I expected Grace to come out rolling her eyes and laughing at me, instead she peaked her head out and gave me a serious look.
"We need to talk." The smile on my face was ripped from me as I realized that this isn't a joke, I could tell by the look on her face. I walked in cautiously. What's wrong? Did something bad happen?
"Look Kim, high school is approaching. I always imagined me walking through the doors, being the popular girl, the one that everyone wants to be friends with. With my best friend of course," I smiled, but that disappeared right after her next sentence "and I've realized that that isn't you. Your going to be the loser of high school, and so will I if we keep hanging out. I've been hanging out with Lindsay, and she told me that if I wanted to be popular than you were a definite no. I never want to see you again."
She shoved me out the door, rudely slammed it, leaving me with tears threatening to spill and a shocked expression.
"I'm sorry, I just remember the door being slammed in my face after you told me you never wanted to see me again!" she glared harder, but I was unaffected by it.
"Can you two just stop fighting?!" I sigh.
"You're right, I'm sorry Jack, I'll just leave. It's hard for me to be in the same room as that thing anyway. We can hang out tomorrow okay?" Grace was so angry she was shaking after what I'd said.
"No, I'll leave. After all, I did never want to see you again!" We fought on the way to the door. Grace angrily pulled open the door and we both attempted to walk out the door at the same time. It didn't work though, you know, with Grace being a "Fatty. . ." I mutter. But we manage to exit the door at last.
I slammed the door and we went our separate directions not forgetting to say "I HATE YOU!" After a couple of seconds I turned around only to see Grace had turned around to. We bumped shoulders on our when seeing each other "My house is this way. . . ."
"Yeah well mine is this way1" I angrily stormed home. Ignoring my thoughts on Grace, Jack, and every other stupid person who's general presence just annoyed me. I walked into my house moodily, but I stopped midway, surprised to see my dad downstairs, at the table, eating. I walked up and sat down on the table.
"Hey. . . ." I say awkwardly.
"Hello dear. What's new?" Seriously? What's new? What is he seventy-three? I keep my comments to myself and answer casually.
"Nothing much. Straight A's, jerky girls, pizza, had my first kiss, you know the usual!" I covered my mouth. What did I just do? I was never going to hear the end of this! Maybe they didn't hear! Maybe it would just pass -
"YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS?!" My dad exclaimed choking on his spaghetti. I bit my lip. My mom came running in with Mike. She hastily put down our dinner plates and sat down staring at me.
"Did I say that out loud?" I asked hopeful I had imagined it all.
"What?" Mike asked cluelessly.
"Kim had her first kiss!" my mom said cheerfully, he just shrugged though.
"Oh yeah, whole school is talking about it! She's famous now!" I covered my face in my hands.
"What happened?" My mom says jumpy. I hate my life, I hate my life, I hate my life. . . .
"Well the school's sophomore Mr. Popular invited her to sit with her at lunch - I know shocking - then out of the blue he grabbed her and kissed her, the cafeteria was silent for a good five minutes."
"I thought you had lunch after Kimberly? Since your a junior?" Mike nodded.
"Yeah, but I wasn't kidding. The whole school is talking about it. Even the older kids. Jack Brewer is like the most popular kid in the sophomore group and Kim is like the biggest loser in her grade." I glared at him, the smiled sarcastically.
"Wow, thanks Mike! Glad you filled us all in!" he smiled innocently.
"Oh you're more than welcome Kimberly dear!" I bot my lip. Would I get in trouble if I ripped his head off the threw it into the dumpster? Probably. . . . I can rule out that one.
"My little girl is growing up so fast! Her first kiss! James, we have to meet this boy!" My eyes widened.
"Oh no! Jack and I aren't dating!" I say quickly.
"But you kissed him?"
"First of all, he kissed me. . . . Besides, I'm pretty sure it was just to make his girlfriend who cheated on him jealous. It wasn't that big of a deal!"
"Pretty sure? What'd he do after it happened?" I never got the chance to answer, due to Mike doing it for me. He put on his girliest face and girliest voice.
"They stared into each others eyes for an eternity!" He fluttered his eyes. See what I live with? That . . . thing!
"You know, how about we all just eat?" I ask attempting to change the subject..
"Oh, but Kimberly! Why would we do that when we could talk about your simply delightful first kiss?" I grabbed a knife and stabbed it right in between his fingers, glaring.
"Look at you! You just killed a place mat!" I stuck my tongue out.
"Shut it, Michael. Oh yeah, I went there." You see the both us hated our full names, so we called each other that so we could annoy the living hell out of each other.
"Whatever, stupid."
"Retard." We also did that on occasion. To show how much we really cared for each other. The rest of our dinner was in silence I didn't say anything when I was done, I just got up and left.
I went up to my room and pulled out my homework. I had something due in . . . everything. I groan and lie back on my bed. Why must homework exist? Is it just so the teachers can watch us suffer? I'm beginning to think that's the reason why.
I felt something crawling of my face. 'Get off me!" I mutter to my four month old puppy. I look at her as she just lies on top of my stomach as if she's queen of the world. Her ears are bigger than her head, I called her Dumbo sometimes and tell her to fly.
Normally I'd just lie her next to me as I did my work, but right now she was my excuse to not do work ("But mom, Gray is just so comfortable - I'd just hate to have to move her!").
"Gray! Come eat your food!" I looked at her frowning at her.
"Please don't leave to fulfill this awful fate! I'd rather be thrown to Tartarus!" She left me though, just like any dog would when they heard the word "food". I make a loud over exaggerated groan and sit back up. I look around and grab a book. It was Catching Fire. Knowing me, I'll probably read this then realize I have homework that I didn't do. I'm beginning to believe I have ADHD. Or TDMOGT (Trying to Distract Myself in Order to Get out of Things).
I put the book back and reluctantly grab my homework. I pull it over to me and stare at the paper for a good five minutes. I probably would've done that for another twenty, but my phone rang.
"OH, THANK THE HEAVENS!" I quickly grabbed my phone that was bursting out Call Me Maybe and lie back on my bed. Why would I have that as my ringtone? Well, if I was lazy and my phone was across the room, I would get up just so I wouldn't have to listen to the song anymore. Don't get me wrong, Carly has a great voice, but after listening to that song for the twenty millionth time it gets on your nerves.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Hey, it's Jack!" I quickly sit up.
"How'd you get my number?!"
"I asked your science partner. . . ." My eyes widen.
"How did he get my number?!" I heard Jack laugh on the other line.
"Aww, he has a crush!"
"Albert, has my number. Albert!" I shiver in disgust.. Could this day get worst? First Grace, the my family talking about my first kiss, now this?! "Why are you calling me?" I ask annoyed as I try to change the subject.
"Well you and Grace kind of stormed out. I just wanted to make sure you two didn't, you know, murder each other or scratch each others eyes out. . . ." I laugh.
"We almost did. . . ."
"What happened between you two?" I frown.
"Exactly what I said. I was keeping her from becoming popular, so she ditched me." He was silent for a while, Actually a long time. I had to check and make sure he hadn't hung up. "Jack? You there?"
"Yeah, I'm just thinking. . . I'll call you tomorrow okay?"
"Okay?"
"Bye!"
"Bye. . . ?" With that he hung up. That was weird. . . What was I doing again? Oh right, I was reading Catching Fire. I smile as I lay down more comfortably and open up the book to read it again for the five hundredth time. I pretended not to notice the homework that was so obviously in front of me as I flipped the pages. Before I knew it, it was ten and I had finished the book. What an awful cliffhanger. When I first read the book I had made the mistake of doing my usual bad habit of reading the last page and giving myself that spoiler. That happened to me with so many books, but I couldn't help it - I wanted to know if there was a happy ending or not. I sit up, exhausted, and finally register the homework in front of me.
I groan once more and lie down again, putting the book over my face as I make pouting noises. Then I had that great realization that it's Friday. I jump up and literally push my homework off my bed and start dancing terribly. My mom walks past my room, but stops and stares at me. I stop in mid-dance.
"Should I ask?"
Awkward. . . . I feel my cheeks flush. "No . . .?" My mom continues on, pretending she hadn't seen anything. I stop dancing though, because I was too afraid someone would walk in again. I was suddenly wide awake - which happens when I realize it's the weekend. This usually results in me got to bed at twelve am to about three am. Yet I'll still manage to wake up at seven through nine..
Though surprisingly, I was even worse on Saturdays.
A/N: Well that is all for today! You may have noticed that there are quite a few Hunger Games references in this chapter. Well, that's because the new movie comes out in less than two weeks! Do you guys have any idea how long I've been waiting for this? HOW MANY TIMES I'VE WATCHED THAT TRAILER? I have it memorized!. I know, I'm crazy. . . but I love the Hunger Games! I read the books when I was nine, and the movie was fairly good compared to the book unlike some movies *cough* Percy Jackson *cough*. Anyway, I'm going to the midnight premiere! I can't wait! Then it's going to Christmas then New Years! The year has gone by so fast!
Also, this entire chapter was pretty much my life. Gray is my dog whom is currently curling up next to me sleeping. I do have a bad habit of reading the last page of a book before the first one. That's how my sibling and I talk to each other, I really am like that with my homework and weekends. Although my weekend is on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. So I shouldn't be so bad when it comes to homework, but ugh! I. HATE. IT. The only thing wasn't my life was the beginning of the chapter with Grace and when the whole "first kiss" thing happened.
Oh yeah, and shout out to Hannie597 for being my 50th reviewer! Yay! Thank you all! Seriously it's the third chapter and I've already passed 50. My new review goal is 75. Can I get 75 review this chapter? 75th reviewer gets a shout out? Ooh! 75 reviews in honor of the 7th annual Hunger Games! Sorry, that's currently all i can think about. . . .
Also, although the most of you wanted Jace. It must be Jika, because Grace's character isn't exactly going to get any nicer after this. She probably won't be nice until like the last chapter so sorry Jace lovers! Jika has to prevail!
One last thing, if you have any ideas for this story pPLEASE PM me about it or leave it in a review. Because I have the general idea but I've been getting WB lately!
Oh yeah and if you review this chapter, I will be giving a sneak peek because I was going to make this chapter longer, but it just wasn't working. So I have about five paragraphs of the next chapter done.
REVIEW GOAL - 75
Alright that's it. Super long authors not. Or not. Idk, I can never tell if they're long or not until I post it. Either way if you read that, say you love the Hunger Games in your review and you'll get an extra long sneak peek. Even if you don't, lie about it, I won't know!
Alright, now I'm done!
Byeee!
~Juliana