So today is Tuesday... I love Tuesdays. In fact, I love every day. :) And what I also love is reviews... Last night I posted a Smitchie oneshot called 'Remember Me' on my profile page, and when I woke up this morning I had 14 reviews in my inbox! I was so excited! So thank you to anyone who reviewed either this story or 'Remember Me'. I hope that you will check that story out. I was quite happy with the way it turned out. :)
Anywho... here we go again. :D
Disclaimer: Yeah... and I was also the person who came up with High School Musical
The Missing Piece of Me: Chapter 4
The following day I went downstairs early in the morning. No one else was around. Dad had already left for work and Mom was at the store, getting some groceries for a big catering job that she had to do later today.
Bright morning sun streamed through the window, making the kitchen look cheery and pleasant. As I stood looking out the window, something caught the corner of my eye.
On the table sat a bouquet of white tulips. I went over curiously. They were obviously for me – the card attached simply read 'Mitchie' in flowing letters. I was curious. Who would have sent me flowers?
Sierra had stopped by, I knew that much. I was still in bed then, but she had come and sat with me. She brought my homework from school and a card, signed by some of the people in my homeroom. Her mom had baked cookies, but as far as I knew she hadn't brought any flowers.
As soon as Mom arrived home I questioned her.
"Who are the flowers from?"
She looked at me and frowned, then shook her head slightly as if she was deciding something. She paused before she spoke, "I'm not sure honey. I found them on the porch steps this morning when I went out to go to the store."
"That's strange," I said, "Why wouldn't the person have left their name on it?"
"Oh well," I shrugged it off, "I guess it was just one of my friends from school, or maybe Aunt Erin. You know how forgetful she is."
Mom nodded, not completely convinced. "I wonder…" she began, but then stopped herself.
"Wonder what?" I asked.
Mom shook her head, "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
I stayed home that day and all the rest of the week. Mom didn't want me to go back to school until I was completely well. She said that she thought I was just run down because it was the end of the school year and that all the hard work I had been doing had finally got caught up with me.
She knew that Shane was back in town too. I never told her, but I knew that she suspected that there was something wrong between us.
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Now two weeks had gone by since Shane had returned and a week had passed since I had gone back to school.
People started noticing that I was different. I had never been very outspoken but now I was even quieter and more withdrawn. I had lost interest in school and hadn't kept up my grades. Now there was only two more weeks left until summer. I felt tired and upset all the time. I didn't even feel like trying to convince Mom to let me go to band camp anymore.
All day I walked around upset. I couldn't let it go. The first week I was back, Shane and I avoided each other. If I had to pass him the hall I would look away, focusing on a piece of gum on the floor or a dent in someone's locker.
I caught him looking at me once, after I had been back at school a week. Sierra and I were at our lockers, getting our books out when he walked by. Not realizing it was him I glanced up.
As soon as I saw who it was I looked away again, but it was too late. He had seen me looking at him. He changed direction abruptly and headed towards me. When I noticed what he was doing, I slammed my locker, not bothering to get the rest of the books I needed and walked away.
Sierra looked up startled and ran after me. She poked me in the ribs, "What are you doing Mitchie?"
"Leaving."
"Why?"
I turned to Sierra, "Why? You saw what he did to me!"
"I know, but…"
"But what?" I demanded.
"Well, maybe…" Sierra began, "Maybe he didn't mean to hurt you. Maybe he's not that bad."
"I can't believe you!" I cried, "I thought you were my best friend. How could you say something like that after what happened?"
Sierra was immediately sorry, "Aww, come on Mitch. What do you want me to say?"
I didn't reply, just slid down so that I was sitting on the floor by my locker. I put my head in my hands and started sobbing.
"Oh Mitchie," Sierra said gently, putting her arm around me, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. Really."
I turned to her, burying my head in her shoulder. "It just hurt so much. After all these years," I hiccupped, "I thought that maybe things would be different. I thought that maybe he would like me too. "
"He's a jerk!" I sobbed, "I hate him so much."
"Shh, shh," Sierra soothed, patting my back, "It's okay. You're going to be alright."
We sat there for a while, Sierra hugging me tightly. Eventually she sat up straight and smoothed my hair back from my face.
She put her finger under my chin so that I was looking at her. "Listen to me Mitchie."
"You don't hate Shane."
Tears filled my eyes again and my face dropped. My lip wobbled, "Yes I do."
"No Mitchie, look at me."
I looked up again.
"You don't hate Shane," she repeated. "You hate what he did to you. You hate how he blew you off for the other girls. There's a difference."
"Really?"
"Yes really. Although he might act like a jerk sometimes, I know that somewhere, deep inside of him is a good person – the same person that you loved as a child. The same person that I know you love now.
"I don't know how he feels about you Mitchie, but whatever happens you need to be the bigger person. You need to pick yourself up and carry on. It might turn out that he feels the same way about you, but if he doesn't, then life will go on. You're a strong girl Mitch. I know it's hard, but I'm here for you.
"You're my best friend and I love you so much. I don't like to see you hurting yourself by holding onto the past, and holding onto something which Shane probably did without even thinking. He's not a bad person Mitchie. He just doesn't know how to act around you."
Sierra smiled at me. "It's going to be okay Mitchie. You're going to be okay."
"Now, how about we go to the wash room and get you cleaned up and then we can go back to class. How does that sound?"
"Okay," I agreed.
"Great, now let me see you smile." Sierra smiled a goofy grin at me to try and make me laugh.
I giggled slightly through my tears and she held out her hand and helped me up off the ground.
"Now that's what I like to see!" she smiled and swung my hand in hers as we walked down the hall.
"Now, lets talk about what you're going to do this summer," Sierra said. "Have you applied for that music camp yet?"
"No."
She looked at me, "You really should try and go Mitchie. You've got one of the best voices I've ever heard."
I sighed. "I really want to go, but I don't think my mom and dad can afford it at the moment. I did talk to my mom about it once a while back, but…" my voice trailed off.
"Aw," she looked sorry. "How about after school you talk to your mom about camp again. I'll come with you. First though we'll go to Baskin Robbins. Chocolate sundaes make everything better!" She grinned at me.
I grinned back at her. "You're the best Sierra. I love you, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I do. I love you too."
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After I got cleaned up, Sierra went to class and I wandered down the hall. I should have been in my Biology class, but I really didn't feel like it at the moment.
I was so glad that Sierra was there for me. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I still wasn't completely happy with Shane and I knew I definitely still did not want to talk to him, but I also knew now that I could forgive him and move on with life. I didn't have to let how he treated me hurt my feelings. I was bigger than that.
I knew that holding onto the past and holding onto what he had done would only hurt me. I'm not saying that I wasn't still a little upset about it, but I had now realized that letting go was the only way that I would be able to move on and continue to live the rest of my life. I couldn't let one little incident ruin my life forever. I was going to be strong and I was going to get on with life. There was nothing else that I could do.
As I walked, I suddenly found myself in the music wing. I glanced in both directions. No one was around, so I quietly opened the door and slipped into the room.
I walked over to the baby grand piano in the corner. I looked around again before sitting down and opening the lid. My fingers started wandering slowly over the keys, playing a melody that I had written just a couple of weeks earlier, and after a couple of minutes I began to sing softly.
I've always been the kind of girl
That hid my face
So afraid to tell the world
What I've got to say
But I have this dream
Right inside of me
I'm gonna let it show, it's time
To let you know
To let you know
.
I stopped suddenly. I thought I heard footsteps outside in the hall. The noise stopped though, so I began again, quieter this time.
.
This is real, this is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now
Gonna let the light, shine on me
Now I've found, who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I want to be
This is me
As I sung the last notes that I had finished so far, I knew I wasn't done yet, I thought I heard footsteps again. I looked around, but there was no one there. I got up quickly, knowing that if I was caught outside of class I would probably be given a detention.
I left the class through the side door to avoid being seen, cutting across the grass to get back to my Biology class.
What I didn't realize was that as I slipped out the side door, another figure slipped in through the hall door.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone in here?" He looked around and then shook his head in a confused manner. "I could have sworn I heard singing." He sighed, realizing that whoever it had been was obviously gone now.
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The rest of that day I was so much happier. Even my teachers noticed. My Biology teacher didn't comment as I slid into my seat, even though the class was already half over.
"Who can tell me what an ecological niche is?" Mr. Hudson asked.
I put up my hand right away. "It's a position that is taken by a specific organism within its community. Each organism has a different ecological niche – that's why many different species can occupy the same area."
He just looked at me over the tops of his glasses. I smiled and he grinned back at me. "Glad to see you're feeling better Miss Torres
"Thank you sir. I am feeling a lot better." I had always liked Mr. Hudson. He was young and disorganized, with a shock of red hair that stood up at all different angles on his head. His thick-rimmed glasses sat perched on the end of his nose – that is when he could find them.
Science was one of the subjects that I was good at and I always tried hard to do well and get on with my teachers. Mr. Hudson liked me too and I could tell that he was genuinely pleased to see that I was feeling better.
The rest of the day progressed just as well. At lunchtime I sat outside in the sun with Sierra, like we normally did.
"You look happy," she commented.
"I am," I replied. "All of a sudden, life seems a lot better!"
"You can thank me for that," she said, standing up and mock bowing, "Just call on me, the great Sierra, whenever you need a pick-me-up."
I giggled at her antics. "I'm looking forward to our chocolate sundae after school."
"Me too – let's see who can get out of class the quickest after school. I'll race you to the gates," Sierra dared me.
"You're on!" I said laughing.
With that the bell rang and we headed back into class. I didn't even flinch when I saw Andie and Bailey in English class. They put their heads together and giggled.
I simply lifted my head higher and sat down in my seat. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing I cared what they did. I wouldn't let it get to me.
After my talk with Sierra that morning, I felt little less than invincible. Nothing could get to me now.
I hope you liked that chapter!
Yesterday it was math... today it is biology what with all that talk about ecological niches. (Haha, Mr S. so I was listening after all in your classes :P)
Please remember to review!
Oh... and check out 'Remember Me'... if you remember. :P
