Chapter 1
The next morning, I woke up extra early, and snuck into my parents' bathroom and took some of Mommy's makeup. She had enough of it to share, I decided, and snuck back into my bathroom and experimented with some of it.
I tried some cool colors, like blue or purple, but that came out too bold. I tried some brown, and that didn't work as well as I wanted it to. I finally decided on a powdery silver that I thought looked really great. I put the rest of her supplies away, and I dressed quickly, wanting to go downstairs before Mommy and Daddy woke up and could see that I was wearing makeup.
Just as I was downstairs, Mother yawned from behind me. I froze and let her pass me.
"Good Morning May," she said, outstretching her arms and yawning again. I smiled weakly.
"Good Morning Mommy. I'm going to have to skip breakfast this morning. I have to go early and talk with my teacher about the homework I had last night," I lied quickly, keeping my eyes away from her.
"What? Oh, sure, that's fine," she muttered, and started a cup of coffee for herself and Daddy. I grabbed my backpack, slung it over my shoulders, and kissed Mommy's cheek quickly.
"Good-bye," I said quickly, and bolted out of the door. Once I was away from the house, I sighed with relief. Thank God she didn't catch me, I thought. The door opened, and I froze in my spot.
"You forgot your book!" Mother called. I closed my eyes, sighed, and ran to go get it from her. She seized my chin and tilted my head upwards. I chewed on my lower lip.
"May," she chastised lowly, narrowing her eyes.
"Please Mommy. I didn't put on too much. Honest, and don't you think that it looks OK?" I sputtered, stepping back.
"Fine," she said with a sigh. "But only for today, and we'll see how that goes. Now go, before you're late," she said, tossing her hand in the direction of the school and shuffled back into the house, her slippers whispering across the ground. I grinned happily, and practically ran to school, excited to see how this would go.
Once I had gotten there, I could just hear the whispers about me. I ignored them as best I could, but tears pooled under my eyelids. I blinked them away, and lowered my head, clutching my books to my chest.
Someone had bumped into me, and I fell to the ground with a loud thump, my books and papers spilling everywhere. I moaned, and reached over to clean them up, when my head collided with someone else's. I placed my hand on my head and sighed, then looked at the person.
"Sorry," he muttered, and helped me scoop up my papers. I shook my head.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about, I should have been paying attention," I told him, and our eyes met. He was attractive, with jet black hair and warm brown eyes. I smiled and placed my book in the crook of my arm. I could still hear some laughter behind me, but I ignored it.
"What's your name?" he asked softly.
"I'm May Isaacson."
"I'm Joey Lawson," he said, extending his hand. Mine came out shakily, and gripped his in a hand shake. He smiled.
"Where's your class?"
"Oh, top of 200. I have Mr. Wells," I said, nodding in that general direction.
"Oh, well let me walk you. I've got a while," he said, looking at his watch. I smiled, nodded, and headed off, Joey by my side.
"I haven't seen you around. What year are you?"
"I'm going to be a Junior this coming year," I informed him.
"Oh, I am too. Maybe we have the same classes together."
"Maybe," I said softly, shivering. I had never had a boy take so much interest in me. It made me wonder.
We walked quietly, staring at the path in front of us. I saw people look in our direction and giggle, which made me feel worse. I guess this wasn't going to be one of my greatest days, I thought.
"You're quiet," Joey noticed.
"I'm not exactly talkative," I muttered. He laughed quickly.
"What?"
"Some of the girls here don't shut up. It's nice to have some peace and quiet once and a while." That made me smile.
"Shy too. Most girls are too friendly." I laughed. We climbed the stairs together, and I stood in front of my classroom. Joey sighed.
"Well, I guess this is it," he muttered. I nodded.
"Thanks, and sorry about the accident this morning," I told him. He shrugged, and headed down the hallway. I chewed on my lip, and entered the classroom. The circle of girls that had been in the corner of the classroom, had looked at me and turned their heads back into the group and whispered something. I ignored it as best as I could, and sat down in my seat. Lis Graham, one of the "gifted" ones, walked over to my desk and placed her palms on her desk. I looked up. If looks could kill, I would be dead, I thought. She smirked.
"We saw you walking with Joey Lawson this morning," she said sharply.
"I know," I said softly, looking down.
"There isn't anything going on between you, is there?"
"I just met him this morning!" I cried. Her smiled widened.
"Just checking," she sang, and sauntered off, catching the eye of a boy nearby. I sighed, and pulled out my things as Mr. Wells walked inside.
During class, my thoughts weren't concentrated on my work, for once. My thoughts were on Joey, and . . . well I didn't exactly really know what. But he was on my mind all day long, even when I drove home from school.
"May!" Mommy cried happily. "How did it go?" she was in the living room, shouting over the vacuum cleaner. I walked inside and smiled.
"How was it?" she repeated, turning off the vacuum and walking over to me. I smiled.
"A boy noticed me today," I said excitedly, rocking back and forth on my heels. Her eyes widened.
"A boy? Any boy in particular?"
"Joey Lawson. He's really nice," I said. I sounded like a six year old who had her first crush, but I didn't care. Her smiled slightly faded.
"May," she spoke softly. "I don't want you to get too involved with boys at your age. Some girls nowadays, are. . ." I knew what she was going to say. Mother didn't like to talk about it. About sex. She said that she had only done it twice in her life, but that was hard to doubt.
My mother was a beautiful person. She had short, blonde hair with hazel eyes. She was long and skinny, tall enough to be a model. She looked like one too, with her shapely figure.
"I know Mommy," I interjected quickly, chewing on my lip. She nodded.
"Yes, well, as I said. Don't get too involved," she muttered, and turned back to the vacuum cleaner and flipped the switch off. I shrugged and walked into Daddy's office, where he was hunched over some very important documents for his law firm. He looked up and smiled.
"Hello May," he said. I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "How was school?"
"It was great," I breathed, smiling. Daddy smiled meekly, and looked at the makeup. I'm sure that was the first thing that he noticed, I thought.
"She let you wear makeup?" Daddy blurted. My smile faded, and my shoulders hunched.
"Yes," I sighed.
"I was just noticing," he sang, picking up his papers and making sure that they were in order, and slid open his desk drawer and placed them down neatly. "I overheard you talking to your Mother. You met a boy?"
"Yes. His name is Joey Lawson, and he's really nice," I told him, the smile coming back onto my lips.
"Well," he said, rubbing his palms together. "That's very nice. Congratulations. Now go upstairs and do your homework," he commanded.
"I finished it," I said quickly. His smile widened.
"Good, go call someone on the phone, or go shopping or something," he muttered. I lowered my head, and walked out of the office.
"I don't have any one to call," I whispered.
Later on that night, at dinner. I noticed that Mommy was acting quite strange. She looked around the table, as if there was something that was going to pop out of the pantry and scare her.
"Is there something wrong Mommy?" I asked.
"No, nothing is wrong," she said quickly, nervously. "Don't chew with your mouth open."
"OK, but you seem a little bit jumpy, that's all," I mumbled, looking down at my plate. She suddenly burst out into tears and fled from the table, burying her face into her hands. I looked at Daddy.
"What's wrong?" I cried, my face twisted in a grimace. He sighed.
"I really have no idea what's wrong. I'll be right back. Finish your dinner." He rose from the table, and hurried upstairs. I sighed.
I finished dinner alone that night. Daddy and Mommy were upstairs talking through the whole night. They didn't even come in to say goodnight to me. I pressed my ear to the wall, and tried to listen to what they were saying.
"What is wrong Amanda!" Daddy bellowed. "You suddenly just burst out into tears at the table."
"Oh Jim! It's just, it's just ... she's growing up!" Mommy wailed.
"I know darling, soon, she'll-"
"She'll know of it all! Then what!" she screeched. I pulled away. Know what? I didn't want to hear.
"Shh, she's right next door," Daddy quieted Mommy. I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over my head. Maybe, I was just hallucinating. I shook my head and turned out my light and went to sleep.
In the morning, Mommy was more hostile than ever. She didn't even let me wear the clothes that I wore regularly.
"You're not wearing that," she snapped. My eyes widened. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a fitted dark blue tank top.
"Why not?" I asked, slapping my hands on my thighs.
"Get it off. Don't object." I sighed and changed into a loose T shirt that I borrowed from my Father, and walked back downstairs. Mommy took one look at me, then ran upstairs, crying. I sighed, and headed out the door, getting into my car and driving up to the school. Just as I was getting out of my car, someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hi," Joey said, smiling. Butterfly's fluttered in my stomach.
"Hi," I said softly, and smiled. But he looked into my eyes and noticed that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" he asked curiously as we walked onto campus together. I sighed, and proceeded to tell him what had happened last night and this morning. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully.
"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say," he said. Suddenly, Cally Foster ran up to us and threaded her arm with Joey's.
"Oh Joey, come with me. I have to tell you something so totally cool!" she cried, and pulled him away from me, looking back and smirking. My heart dropped. Why does this always happen to me? I propped myself up on my elbow and stared down at the desk. Someone tapped me on my shoulder, and I turned around.
Emilia Lockhardt was standing behind me, brushing a lock of auburn hair behind her ear.
"What's wrong?" she asked. I sighed again.
"It's nothing. Just having one of those days," I muttered, sitting up. She crouched by the side of the desk.
"It's Joey isn't it?"
"No, it's not Joey," I said quickly, shifting my eyes away from her big brown ones.
"It is May, don't lie," I told her.
"So what if it's Joey?" I asked her snappishly. A wide smile crept upon her face.
"Because he's the only boy that's come across you since Brian Charles," she retorted. I shrugged.
"Just get over him, he's already got a love interest. Remember? Ashley Bernstein?" I sighed again, and the bell rang. If only I could lure away Ashley from Joey, I thought, I would have a chance, for once in my life. Emilia smiled.
"Just forget about him." She sat down in her seat just as the bell rang. Joey looked my way, and sat down quickly.
During the rest of the day, I thought my heart was at the bottom of my stomach. I walked around and saw Joey nearly everywhere, of course with his darling little Ashley. I wanted to burst out into tears every time that I had seen them holding hands, or kissing. I told myself not to get so upset about it, but it just wretched at my heart. The drive home was relaxing, because I had time to think clearly. But as soon as I got home, my problems got worse.
"Where have you been?" Mommy shrilled as soon as I walked into the door. I jumped and dropped my math book.
"I came directly home from school Mommy. What's wrong?" I asked as I placed my backpack on the counter and walked over to her.
"It's 3:05! You were supposed to be here five minutes ago!" My eyebrow raised at my mother's outburst. What was going on?
"Mommy, it's OK, I'm a little late because of traffic," I explained to her. She sighed nervously and began to shake.
"Go say hello to your father," she commanded, bracing herself against the counter and closing her eyes. I raced to Daddy's office, leaning against the door frame. He looked up sharply.
"Mommy's acting really strange," I breathed, and daddy leaped up from behind his desk and ran into the kitchen. Mommy had fainted!
"Mommy!" I screamed, flying over to her. Daddy scooped her up and waved his hand in front of her face, giving her some air. He lightly slapped her face, and she came around.
"How was she acting?" Daddy demanded, helping her stand.
"She started to yell because I was a few minutes late, and then she got shaky," I told him. He sighed.
"Amanda?" Daddy asked.
"What's going on?" She shivered.
"You fainted. What's wrong?"
"I don't know, I started to worry about May because I thought-Oh, I'm sorry Amanda," she sobbed.
"What did you think, Mommy?" I inquired. She shook her head.
"It was nothing," she said quickly, although I didn't believe her. I looked up at Daddy.
"Just go on and do your homework, I'll take care of your mother," he said softly, and turned to Mommy just as I was walking away and upstairs.
I couldn't concentrate on my homework, my mind was on Joey. No matter what I did, Joey's handsome face appeared before me. I threw my things on the ground angrily and went to stare out my window. The sun was beginning to set, and shadows began to form. A black Mercedes pulled up to the house, and I watched as a tall, slender woman step out of the car. As soon as I recognized her, I gasped. It was Ashley! She sauntered up to the door and rang the bell, lifting her sunglasses from her face and placing them on her head. I turned away from the window and chewed on my nails.
What did she want? How did she find my house? Is it about Joey? Questions raced through my mind as footsteps pounded in my ear as Daddy knocked on the door.
"Someone is here to see you," he said and marched back downstairs. I sighed,
and walked downstairs, where Ashley was waiting in the foyer. She had her hands folded across her chest, a purse slung over her shoulder.
I stared at her for a minute. How could I lure Joey away from her? She was gorgeous! She had black hair, with large sections of bleached hair, which I thought was distasteful. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had an oversized nose, and a perfect tan. She had perfectly aligned teeth, from years of braces, and a wonderful smile. She always had the brand new fashions. Her father was a sports anchor, and her mother was a news anchor for the local TV station. She spun around.
"May," she said, smiling. She had the perfect voice, I thought. "I was wondering if I could talk with you for a few minutes."
"Oh, sure," I said, walking out onto the porch and sitting down onto the white wicker chair. She stood up, because she was wearing a khaki mini shirt, with a pale pink tank top.
"I'll stand," she said, tossing her hand into the air. Her freshly French manicured nails shimmered.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, curling up into a ball in the chair. She turned toward me.
"Yes, actually, I wanted to talk about Joey." My heart pounded faster and a sweat threatened to break out on my forehead. She continued.
"I've noticed that you and Joey have been hanging around each other lately." I nodded obediently. "Of course you know that he's my boyfriend, and to be frank. . . " She left me in suspense. I leaned forward. "I don't want you hanging around him anymore. At all."
"But. . . " I stuttered, but she held up her dainty hand in protest.
"No, buts about it. Joey doesn't stop talking about you, and I'm his girlfriend!" she cried.
"But. . ." I repeated.
"That's enough!" I stood up.
"This isn't fair! Joey is my friend!"
"I don't care! I don't care at all!" she screeched. "If I see you
hanging out with him, at all, you know what I can do," she sang and sauntered out to her car, giving me a glare. "Remember what I said." She slipped her sunglasses on and got into the car and drove off. I ran into
the house, fighting the tears back until I had entered my room. I flung myself on to my bed and started to cry. Why would she do this? Is she that cruel? Someone knocked on my door and entered without getting permission.
"May?" Mommy asked. I looked up.
"Oh, hi Mommy," I said quickly, sniffling.
"Oh honey, what's wrong?" She patted my back. I quickly explained to her what had happened between me and Ashley.
"Don't listen to her," she snapped, her eyes darkening. "She's just stuck up." I sniffled and nodded. She kissed my forehead.
"Get some rest," she stood up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
That night, I didn't sleep much.
The next morning, I woke up extra early, and snuck into my parents' bathroom and took some of Mommy's makeup. She had enough of it to share, I decided, and snuck back into my bathroom and experimented with some of it.
I tried some cool colors, like blue or purple, but that came out too bold. I tried some brown, and that didn't work as well as I wanted it to. I finally decided on a powdery silver that I thought looked really great. I put the rest of her supplies away, and I dressed quickly, wanting to go downstairs before Mommy and Daddy woke up and could see that I was wearing makeup.
Just as I was downstairs, Mother yawned from behind me. I froze and let her pass me.
"Good Morning May," she said, outstretching her arms and yawning again. I smiled weakly.
"Good Morning Mommy. I'm going to have to skip breakfast this morning. I have to go early and talk with my teacher about the homework I had last night," I lied quickly, keeping my eyes away from her.
"What? Oh, sure, that's fine," she muttered, and started a cup of coffee for herself and Daddy. I grabbed my backpack, slung it over my shoulders, and kissed Mommy's cheek quickly.
"Good-bye," I said quickly, and bolted out of the door. Once I was away from the house, I sighed with relief. Thank God she didn't catch me, I thought. The door opened, and I froze in my spot.
"You forgot your book!" Mother called. I closed my eyes, sighed, and ran to go get it from her. She seized my chin and tilted my head upwards. I chewed on my lower lip.
"May," she chastised lowly, narrowing her eyes.
"Please Mommy. I didn't put on too much. Honest, and don't you think that it looks OK?" I sputtered, stepping back.
"Fine," she said with a sigh. "But only for today, and we'll see how that goes. Now go, before you're late," she said, tossing her hand in the direction of the school and shuffled back into the house, her slippers whispering across the ground. I grinned happily, and practically ran to school, excited to see how this would go.
Once I had gotten there, I could just hear the whispers about me. I ignored them as best I could, but tears pooled under my eyelids. I blinked them away, and lowered my head, clutching my books to my chest.
Someone had bumped into me, and I fell to the ground with a loud thump, my books and papers spilling everywhere. I moaned, and reached over to clean them up, when my head collided with someone else's. I placed my hand on my head and sighed, then looked at the person.
"Sorry," he muttered, and helped me scoop up my papers. I shook my head.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about, I should have been paying attention," I told him, and our eyes met. He was attractive, with jet black hair and warm brown eyes. I smiled and placed my book in the crook of my arm. I could still hear some laughter behind me, but I ignored it.
"What's your name?" he asked softly.
"I'm May Isaacson."
"I'm Joey Lawson," he said, extending his hand. Mine came out shakily, and gripped his in a hand shake. He smiled.
"Where's your class?"
"Oh, top of 200. I have Mr. Wells," I said, nodding in that general direction.
"Oh, well let me walk you. I've got a while," he said, looking at his watch. I smiled, nodded, and headed off, Joey by my side.
"I haven't seen you around. What year are you?"
"I'm going to be a Junior this coming year," I informed him.
"Oh, I am too. Maybe we have the same classes together."
"Maybe," I said softly, shivering. I had never had a boy take so much interest in me. It made me wonder.
We walked quietly, staring at the path in front of us. I saw people look in our direction and giggle, which made me feel worse. I guess this wasn't going to be one of my greatest days, I thought.
"You're quiet," Joey noticed.
"I'm not exactly talkative," I muttered. He laughed quickly.
"What?"
"Some of the girls here don't shut up. It's nice to have some peace and quiet once and a while." That made me smile.
"Shy too. Most girls are too friendly." I laughed. We climbed the stairs together, and I stood in front of my classroom. Joey sighed.
"Well, I guess this is it," he muttered. I nodded.
"Thanks, and sorry about the accident this morning," I told him. He shrugged, and headed down the hallway. I chewed on my lip, and entered the classroom. The circle of girls that had been in the corner of the classroom, had looked at me and turned their heads back into the group and whispered something. I ignored it as best as I could, and sat down in my seat. Lis Graham, one of the "gifted" ones, walked over to my desk and placed her palms on her desk. I looked up. If looks could kill, I would be dead, I thought. She smirked.
"We saw you walking with Joey Lawson this morning," she said sharply.
"I know," I said softly, looking down.
"There isn't anything going on between you, is there?"
"I just met him this morning!" I cried. Her smiled widened.
"Just checking," she sang, and sauntered off, catching the eye of a boy nearby. I sighed, and pulled out my things as Mr. Wells walked inside.
During class, my thoughts weren't concentrated on my work, for once. My thoughts were on Joey, and . . . well I didn't exactly really know what. But he was on my mind all day long, even when I drove home from school.
"May!" Mommy cried happily. "How did it go?" she was in the living room, shouting over the vacuum cleaner. I walked inside and smiled.
"How was it?" she repeated, turning off the vacuum and walking over to me. I smiled.
"A boy noticed me today," I said excitedly, rocking back and forth on my heels. Her eyes widened.
"A boy? Any boy in particular?"
"Joey Lawson. He's really nice," I said. I sounded like a six year old who had her first crush, but I didn't care. Her smiled slightly faded.
"May," she spoke softly. "I don't want you to get too involved with boys at your age. Some girls nowadays, are. . ." I knew what she was going to say. Mother didn't like to talk about it. About sex. She said that she had only done it twice in her life, but that was hard to doubt.
My mother was a beautiful person. She had short, blonde hair with hazel eyes. She was long and skinny, tall enough to be a model. She looked like one too, with her shapely figure.
"I know Mommy," I interjected quickly, chewing on my lip. She nodded.
"Yes, well, as I said. Don't get too involved," she muttered, and turned back to the vacuum cleaner and flipped the switch off. I shrugged and walked into Daddy's office, where he was hunched over some very important documents for his law firm. He looked up and smiled.
"Hello May," he said. I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "How was school?"
"It was great," I breathed, smiling. Daddy smiled meekly, and looked at the makeup. I'm sure that was the first thing that he noticed, I thought.
"She let you wear makeup?" Daddy blurted. My smile faded, and my shoulders hunched.
"Yes," I sighed.
"I was just noticing," he sang, picking up his papers and making sure that they were in order, and slid open his desk drawer and placed them down neatly. "I overheard you talking to your Mother. You met a boy?"
"Yes. His name is Joey Lawson, and he's really nice," I told him, the smile coming back onto my lips.
"Well," he said, rubbing his palms together. "That's very nice. Congratulations. Now go upstairs and do your homework," he commanded.
"I finished it," I said quickly. His smile widened.
"Good, go call someone on the phone, or go shopping or something," he muttered. I lowered my head, and walked out of the office.
"I don't have any one to call," I whispered.
Later on that night, at dinner. I noticed that Mommy was acting quite strange. She looked around the table, as if there was something that was going to pop out of the pantry and scare her.
"Is there something wrong Mommy?" I asked.
"No, nothing is wrong," she said quickly, nervously. "Don't chew with your mouth open."
"OK, but you seem a little bit jumpy, that's all," I mumbled, looking down at my plate. She suddenly burst out into tears and fled from the table, burying her face into her hands. I looked at Daddy.
"What's wrong?" I cried, my face twisted in a grimace. He sighed.
"I really have no idea what's wrong. I'll be right back. Finish your dinner." He rose from the table, and hurried upstairs. I sighed.
I finished dinner alone that night. Daddy and Mommy were upstairs talking through the whole night. They didn't even come in to say goodnight to me. I pressed my ear to the wall, and tried to listen to what they were saying.
"What is wrong Amanda!" Daddy bellowed. "You suddenly just burst out into tears at the table."
"Oh Jim! It's just, it's just ... she's growing up!" Mommy wailed.
"I know darling, soon, she'll-"
"She'll know of it all! Then what!" she screeched. I pulled away. Know what? I didn't want to hear.
"Shh, she's right next door," Daddy quieted Mommy. I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over my head. Maybe, I was just hallucinating. I shook my head and turned out my light and went to sleep.
In the morning, Mommy was more hostile than ever. She didn't even let me wear the clothes that I wore regularly.
"You're not wearing that," she snapped. My eyes widened. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a fitted dark blue tank top.
"Why not?" I asked, slapping my hands on my thighs.
"Get it off. Don't object." I sighed and changed into a loose T shirt that I borrowed from my Father, and walked back downstairs. Mommy took one look at me, then ran upstairs, crying. I sighed, and headed out the door, getting into my car and driving up to the school. Just as I was getting out of my car, someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hi," Joey said, smiling. Butterfly's fluttered in my stomach.
"Hi," I said softly, and smiled. But he looked into my eyes and noticed that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" he asked curiously as we walked onto campus together. I sighed, and proceeded to tell him what had happened last night and this morning. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully.
"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say," he said. Suddenly, Cally Foster ran up to us and threaded her arm with Joey's.
"Oh Joey, come with me. I have to tell you something so totally cool!" she cried, and pulled him away from me, looking back and smirking. My heart dropped. Why does this always happen to me? I propped myself up on my elbow and stared down at the desk. Someone tapped me on my shoulder, and I turned around.
Emilia Lockhardt was standing behind me, brushing a lock of auburn hair behind her ear.
"What's wrong?" she asked. I sighed again.
"It's nothing. Just having one of those days," I muttered, sitting up. She crouched by the side of the desk.
"It's Joey isn't it?"
"No, it's not Joey," I said quickly, shifting my eyes away from her big brown ones.
"It is May, don't lie," I told her.
"So what if it's Joey?" I asked her snappishly. A wide smile crept upon her face.
"Because he's the only boy that's come across you since Brian Charles," she retorted. I shrugged.
"Just get over him, he's already got a love interest. Remember? Ashley Bernstein?" I sighed again, and the bell rang. If only I could lure away Ashley from Joey, I thought, I would have a chance, for once in my life. Emilia smiled.
"Just forget about him." She sat down in her seat just as the bell rang. Joey looked my way, and sat down quickly.
During the rest of the day, I thought my heart was at the bottom of my stomach. I walked around and saw Joey nearly everywhere, of course with his darling little Ashley. I wanted to burst out into tears every time that I had seen them holding hands, or kissing. I told myself not to get so upset about it, but it just wretched at my heart. The drive home was relaxing, because I had time to think clearly. But as soon as I got home, my problems got worse.
"Where have you been?" Mommy shrilled as soon as I walked into the door. I jumped and dropped my math book.
"I came directly home from school Mommy. What's wrong?" I asked as I placed my backpack on the counter and walked over to her.
"It's 3:05! You were supposed to be here five minutes ago!" My eyebrow raised at my mother's outburst. What was going on?
"Mommy, it's OK, I'm a little late because of traffic," I explained to her. She sighed nervously and began to shake.
"Go say hello to your father," she commanded, bracing herself against the counter and closing her eyes. I raced to Daddy's office, leaning against the door frame. He looked up sharply.
"Mommy's acting really strange," I breathed, and daddy leaped up from behind his desk and ran into the kitchen. Mommy had fainted!
"Mommy!" I screamed, flying over to her. Daddy scooped her up and waved his hand in front of her face, giving her some air. He lightly slapped her face, and she came around.
"How was she acting?" Daddy demanded, helping her stand.
"She started to yell because I was a few minutes late, and then she got shaky," I told him. He sighed.
"Amanda?" Daddy asked.
"What's going on?" She shivered.
"You fainted. What's wrong?"
"I don't know, I started to worry about May because I thought-Oh, I'm sorry Amanda," she sobbed.
"What did you think, Mommy?" I inquired. She shook her head.
"It was nothing," she said quickly, although I didn't believe her. I looked up at Daddy.
"Just go on and do your homework, I'll take care of your mother," he said softly, and turned to Mommy just as I was walking away and upstairs.
I couldn't concentrate on my homework, my mind was on Joey. No matter what I did, Joey's handsome face appeared before me. I threw my things on the ground angrily and went to stare out my window. The sun was beginning to set, and shadows began to form. A black Mercedes pulled up to the house, and I watched as a tall, slender woman step out of the car. As soon as I recognized her, I gasped. It was Ashley! She sauntered up to the door and rang the bell, lifting her sunglasses from her face and placing them on her head. I turned away from the window and chewed on my nails.
What did she want? How did she find my house? Is it about Joey? Questions raced through my mind as footsteps pounded in my ear as Daddy knocked on the door.
"Someone is here to see you," he said and marched back downstairs. I sighed,
and walked downstairs, where Ashley was waiting in the foyer. She had her hands folded across her chest, a purse slung over her shoulder.
I stared at her for a minute. How could I lure Joey away from her? She was gorgeous! She had black hair, with large sections of bleached hair, which I thought was distasteful. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had an oversized nose, and a perfect tan. She had perfectly aligned teeth, from years of braces, and a wonderful smile. She always had the brand new fashions. Her father was a sports anchor, and her mother was a news anchor for the local TV station. She spun around.
"May," she said, smiling. She had the perfect voice, I thought. "I was wondering if I could talk with you for a few minutes."
"Oh, sure," I said, walking out onto the porch and sitting down onto the white wicker chair. She stood up, because she was wearing a khaki mini shirt, with a pale pink tank top.
"I'll stand," she said, tossing her hand into the air. Her freshly French manicured nails shimmered.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, curling up into a ball in the chair. She turned toward me.
"Yes, actually, I wanted to talk about Joey." My heart pounded faster and a sweat threatened to break out on my forehead. She continued.
"I've noticed that you and Joey have been hanging around each other lately." I nodded obediently. "Of course you know that he's my boyfriend, and to be frank. . . " She left me in suspense. I leaned forward. "I don't want you hanging around him anymore. At all."
"But. . . " I stuttered, but she held up her dainty hand in protest.
"No, buts about it. Joey doesn't stop talking about you, and I'm his girlfriend!" she cried.
"But. . ." I repeated.
"That's enough!" I stood up.
"This isn't fair! Joey is my friend!"
"I don't care! I don't care at all!" she screeched. "If I see you
hanging out with him, at all, you know what I can do," she sang and sauntered out to her car, giving me a glare. "Remember what I said." She slipped her sunglasses on and got into the car and drove off. I ran into
the house, fighting the tears back until I had entered my room. I flung myself on to my bed and started to cry. Why would she do this? Is she that cruel? Someone knocked on my door and entered without getting permission.
"May?" Mommy asked. I looked up.
"Oh, hi Mommy," I said quickly, sniffling.
"Oh honey, what's wrong?" She patted my back. I quickly explained to her what had happened between me and Ashley.
"Don't listen to her," she snapped, her eyes darkening. "She's just stuck up." I sniffled and nodded. She kissed my forehead.
"Get some rest," she stood up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
That night, I didn't sleep much.