Mandy

It was wed. sept. 5th. alexa, rose, Hannah, lily, adam, jake, jessica, kate and I were all in the choir room for glee club auditions. It was 3 p.m. after school.

Mr. schue was at the front of the class and the rest of us were on the gray carpeted bleacher.

"Hi everyone and welcome to glee club rehearsal. I'm mr. schue for those who don't know. I also teach spanish. Glee club rehearsal is every day after school untill 4. We also do 3 shows a yr. in the fall, winter and spring. musicals I mean. Those include the rest of the school. The glee shows don't. The fall show we're doing is 'phantom'. Auditions are monday after glee club rehearsal. It'll be before Halloween. Oh we're also performing at the Halloween dance. The spring show's is 'delivery' which I don't think has ever been made into a stage production before this. Auditions are after Halloween. So yeah we'll be busy. If you're not in the show or you don't want to be that's ok you can still help w/ them. And we'll be doing one in the spring but I don't know what it'll be. Ok let's get started."

the new members from last yr, alexa, hannah, lily, rose, kate, adam and jake all auditioned. We had a few new embers from this yr. Including marley, kitty, jake. Marley seemed nice she was quiet since she didn't know anyone yet. Kitty didn't seem nice. And jake reminded me of puck.

After glee club auditions there was a fight in the hall. We heard it on our way out of the classroom. Some students weren't talking nice about marley's mom who as the lunch lady. And jake confronted them about it.

"jake classroom now," mr, schue said coming out into the hallway: "the rest of you you can't stay here."

kitty the went elsewhere ad as did everyone else but me and marley.

"mandy you comin?" adam asked looking at me on his way down the hall.

"yeah hold on," I said.

"ok i'll be waiting in my car."

"ok."

I looked down at my phone getting a text from jessica.

'your house after?' she asked.

'yeah' I sent back.

'ok'.

I put my phone in my purse. The hall was quiet. Marley was crying.

"this is like what happened at my last school," she said.

"yeah people aren't always nice here," I said.

"mr. schue seems pretty nice."

"he is. I was new last yr. I'm mandy. Here," I said pulling pocket tissues out of my purse and giving them to her.

Marley took them.

"thank you. You have anything to drink?"

"what like liquor?"

"no I mean like. A beverage."

"oh no. but there's a drinking fountain somewhere around here er I mean a water fountain. And adam might have something in his car."

"oh. Uh like what?"

"soda."

"i'd really prefer juice which.i can probably get in the lunch room since my mom's the lunch lady and I have a key. Don't tell anyone."

"ok I won't. Do you have a way to get...to your mom?"

"well I usually just take the bus."

"um i'll ask adam if it's ok if we take you. Unless..."

"no actually that would be nice to be w/ people. Well nice people."

I smiled.

"you can keep the tissues btw. I have more."

"ok."

"you know where it is?"

"what? Oh the lunchroom."

"yeah."

"yeah I do."

"ok i'll um. Wait here."

"ok."

she left going to the stairs which would take her to the lunch room. There were about 1,000 students at the school and the lunchroom could only hold 400. the rest of us ate in classrooms or outside.

I texted jessica that i'd be a bit late to my house and to wait until I got there which was when i'd send her a text. Then I texted my dad and told him i'd be late. And then adam.

It was quiet in the hallway. Jake and mr. schue had been in there for awhile. I heard the door open someone go in and then close but didn't see who'd gone in. I went to my locker and got vitaminwater then came back and drank it. Still more quiet.

"well sounds like you have a lot of catching up to do so," I heard mr. schue say opening the door.

"yeah ," jake said.

"you comin?" the other guy said.

"no I have some work to do here so," mr. schue said.

"ok."

I turned towards the people. Jake and puck of all people came out of the classroom. So that was who'd gone in.

"omygod puck," I said.

"yeah mandy hey. Been awhile. How's...how are things?" he asked.

I stood and we hugged.

"they're ok. Back for a visit or...?"

"yeah just for a visit. I see you've met my brother here."

"yeah auditions were earlier. How's LA?"

"ok. Yeah I just got back a wk. ago."

"oh."

"how's your family?"

"the same. I'll tell you more later."

"ok."

"where is she?" jake asked.

"oh she's um upstairs. I think she wants to be by her-scuse me," I said as I got a text from adam.

'it's ok', it read.

'ok i'll tell her,' I texted back.

"sorry that was adam," I turned back to the guys: "he's my boyfriend."

"ok well good to see you 2 are still together. Unless, it's not?" puck said.

"no we are and we're ok."

"ok."

"found anyone in LA?" I asked.

"no nothing serious anyway."

"oh well that's ok. Anyway what was i- oh right. So I think she wants to be by herself," I said to jake.

"oh ok."

"shouldn't be too much longer though."

"ok."

"so um do you have a ride back or...?"

"yeah um actually ouck's my ride. We were discussing that in the classroom a bit ago."

"ok and...uh...marley's going w/ me and adam."

"ok so well. Well nice meeting you mandy good audition," jake said.

"yeah you too."

"hey text me about doing something," puck told me: "or no maybe i'll text you. Um well someone will text someone."

"yeah ok," I said.

They left. And marley came back downstairs.

"hey sorry that took so long. I figured i'd get to know the layout of the school a bit more. And have juice."

"it's ok. I was new last yr. so."

"ok."

"ok so jake. Has a ride and you're riding w/ us."

"ok actually I want to pick up some stuff for my mom is it cool if we...?"

"go to the store yeah adam will probably be ok w/ it. And there's a store right near my aunt and uncle's which isn't to far from here."

"oh I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"no really it's not. do you need money or...um or not?"

"no my mom gave me some."

"ok well there's a safeway and a whole foods."

"oh safeway."

"ok."

"so what's adam like?" markey asked as we walked down the hall.

cheerleading which jessica was in ran from 3 – 4. glee was from 4 – 6 but w/ what happened after it had taken us an hr.. so we'd gone to my house between 7 and 8. we'd had dinner there. dinner had been from 7 – 8.

It was 8 p.m. Jessica and I were in my room. Louia was w/ cherie. The door was closed. We were sitting on my bed. It was quiet.

"um," she began, "there's something you should know. But you can't tell anyone. Not untill we're 18."

"uhm ok," I aid.

"I was actually planning to tell dianna this before I told you but I wanted to tell her in person and w/ her being away..."

"Right."

dianna was in college in new england.

"Over the summer my dad started. Hurting me. Verbally and. And physically. He's stopped for now."

"Oh wow."

I knew what that was like. I'd been hurt like that last yr. by my mom.

"Last yr. my mom um. She hurt me like that too. Most of the yr. louisa know, cherie know, adam…..um evan. Ahley. And by proxy dianna and Annabelle. I won't tell anyone you don't want me to but I think it would be a good idea for you to tell dinna which you're going to do anyway so."

"Right ok. No I will."

"I know."

"Who's Annabelle?"

"Oh she's ashley's cousin. she's lovely. She helped me well us a lot last yr. you'd like her. I don't think you've met her. she was at thanksgiving last yr."

"Wait. Was she the really pretty one, golden brown hair, small?" jessica asked.

I nodded: "yeah."

"Yeah she seems nice."

"Yeah she is."

"How do I get in touch w/ her?"

"um well you don't actually. You just show up at her place which if you're a friend of hers or a friend of her friend's she'll be ok w/."

"Oh."

"i'll go over there w/ you to meet her," I told jessica.

"Yeah ok. When?" she asked.

"Next sat."

"Yeah ok."

"Yeah i'll call her and let her know."

"Ok."

At that moment my sister lily walked by. She knocked on the door.

"Hey i'm going to be drinking you ladies want anything?" she asked us.

"um no," jessica said.

She wasn't old enough to drink nor did she want to at 15. I wasn't old enough either at 16 but I still drank. Adam was 17. Next yr. he'd get his own place.

"Yeah i'll have something," I said.

"Ok what?" lily asked.

"I don't know yet."

"ok."

We went downstairs.