The crowded hall seemed deserted as I walked down it after gym class.
I was too preoccupied with thinking to notice how many people were around.
I didn't even hear Mick frantically calling my name until she came up
behind me and slapped me on the back of the head affectionately.
"What's your problem," she said putting her arm around my shoulder like she'd been doing for as long as I could remember, "You just gonna ignore me forever?"
"Sorry Mickey," I told her halfheartedly, "I was just thinking."
"Thinking about how ugly this kid is." She said pointing to a boy who was walking by at the time. She just cracked up and I couldn't help but smile.
"You're such a bitch Mick." I told her like I always did. It was true. She always said she was born a bitch and wasn't ever going to change.
"What?" She asked innocently as if she'd done nothing wrong, "I was just telling him the truth."
"Yeah I guess," I told her. She always had a way of making it seem as though she hadn't done anything wrong, "I have to go to my locker but I'll meet you in the foyer and we'll walk home together."
"All right Cay," she said ruffling my hair, "But if anyone sees us you better hide in the bushes. I don't want to be seen walking with a moron like you. It'll ruin my rep."
I smiled as I continued down the hall since Mickey was far from popular and the only rep she had developed didn't exactly need protecting. I had always been the more social one, yet I constantly had to include Mickey wherever I went. If I was invited to a party, I insisted she go. If I went to the theater, she'd always be there. Sometimes, if I had a date I force who ever I was going out with to find Mickey a friend so she could come with me. Nothing would ever come between us.
When I got to my locker, Chris Chambers was there, meeting the boy who I had tried to make conversation with all morning. I took a deep breath and decided not to say anything. I didn't exactly know why I was acting so nervous around him. Hell, the year before I hadn't even known who he was. I directed my eyes to the ground and proceeded forward trying to be unnoticed and failed horribly.
"Watch it babe," the boy I walked into said. His voice was low, deep and very intimidating. He must have been one of the seniors so I knew the only thing I could do was apologize and hope that he would leave it at that, "A cute little thing like you should know who and who not to walk into."
I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of someone's defending voice.
"Why don't you watch it pal," he said, "It was as much your fault as it was hers."
I looked up to see who could possibly be sticking up for me and was surprised to see it was Gordie.
"Hey Gordo, let it go," Chris said worriedly, "Just lay off alright. This guy could snap you like a twig."
"Yeah kid," the older boy said, "Listen to your stupid punk friend here and lay off or there will be trouble."
"What did you call me?" Chris said getting angry. His smile faded and was replaced with a look of sheer rage. I wanted to jump in and say something but there was nothing I could do. Chris tried to lunge at the boy but Gordie held him back. "No one calls me a stupid punk and lives to tell about it."
The boy just sneered and walked away. Gordie was trying to calm down Chris by telling him he wasn't stupid or a punk but it wasn't working.
"He's wrong y'know." I said meekly.
The both stopped and looked up at me. Chris' eyes narrowed and Gordie's expression changed from concerned to ice cold.
"What do you know?" Chris said to me walking a little closer, "You don't know anything. Why don't you ask your friend and see what she says. I believe is was her who made up the brainless wonder, was it not."
"I was just trying to help." I told him. I wished I could die at that very moment just so I wouldn't have to feel one more ounce of the awkwardness I was feeling right now.
"I don't need your pity rich kid." He said, his expression never changing, "Hurry up now or you'll be late for cheerleading practice."
Anger was building up inside me when he said this. I felt like lashing out and hurting him the way he had hurt me just then. I had tried to sympathize for him when the boy had judged him so quickly and he had just turned around and did the exact same thing that had obviously hurt him. Under any other circumstances I would've broken out in tears but there was something holding me back. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd caused me to cry. Yet I wondered if he'd even felt guilty. He'd probably be proud so I just stared at him blankly trying to make him as uncomfortable as he'd made me.
They left soon there after and as they did Gordie looked back at me in remorse before catching up to Chris. I got my things; desperately wishing Mickey had been there. She would've come up with something to say rather than just standing there the way I did. Maybe if she had been with me I wouldn't even have run into that boy or Chris wouldn't have needed to stick up for me since she would have. I wiped the tear that was forming in the corner of my eye, hoping that no one would notice. I closed my locker and rested my head on it for a few seconds before turning around. I almost screamed when I saw Mickey standing right there.
"Chill Caliegh," She said flashing me her famous smile, "What the hell is the matter with you. You've been distant all day. This whole thinking shit is turning you into some sort of retard."
"Shut up Mick," I said with some truth in my voice but I doubted that she'd notice, "C'mon, I gotta get home. Not that anyone would notice if I wasn't there."
"Cut that shit out Cay," She said, surprisingly serious, "Your parents care a hell of a lot more about you than mine do about me."
She turned away from me as though she didn't want me to see her in the state she was in.
"Hey," I said reassuringly, putting my hand on her shoulder, "You know your old man's a basterd and he's not getting any better. Look, you shouldn't get upset over dirt like him."
"Yeah I guess you're right Cay," She said turning around, smiling as though nothing had ever happened. That's was just another one of the traits she possessed that I wished I had. "Now let's get outta here. I can only stay in this shit hole for so long."
We walked down the hall, which was less crowded now, and yet I felt as though if I were to scream no one would even look up. Mick talked to people and acted like her honest and bitchy self all at the same time while I just walked behind her. Usually I would've mingled for a while before actually leaving the building but today it was different. Today all I wanted to do was go home.
As Mickey and I walked down the street in silence I could feel her looking at me. I looked over and did a double take when I saw her looking back smiling.
"What the hell are you doing Mickey?" I asked her, "Stop freaking me out."
"Sorry pal," she said, once again throwing her arm around my shoulder, "But you look like such a dork when you think. It was quite amusing."
"Lay off would ya," I told her seriously, "I've had a rough day."
"Aww poor baby," she said in her best babying voice, "Tell me Cay, what happened."
"Just forget it," I told her laughing. "Just had a run in with two people I wish I'd avoided."
"So," she said, trying to change the subject, "What are we doing tonight?"
"God Mickey," I told her smiling, "You'll never change. It's the first day of high school. We have homework y'know."
"Oh don't be such a pussy Cay," She said, "We have to live a little."
"Pussy. Live a little. What's with you?" I told her, "You never say words like that."
"I don't know, I guess I was trying to expand my vocabulary." She said, imitating my past comment, "Now hurry up ya, I've got things to do."
"Mickey Carerra has things to do." I repeated, "Holy shit, I never thought I'd see the day."
"Oh shut up." She replied simply as she smacked me on the back of my head.
I thought at that moment that things would never change between us but I know now that I was wrong; very wrong. You see things did change and now I'd give anything if they'd just go back to the way they were.
*Please Review*
"What's your problem," she said putting her arm around my shoulder like she'd been doing for as long as I could remember, "You just gonna ignore me forever?"
"Sorry Mickey," I told her halfheartedly, "I was just thinking."
"Thinking about how ugly this kid is." She said pointing to a boy who was walking by at the time. She just cracked up and I couldn't help but smile.
"You're such a bitch Mick." I told her like I always did. It was true. She always said she was born a bitch and wasn't ever going to change.
"What?" She asked innocently as if she'd done nothing wrong, "I was just telling him the truth."
"Yeah I guess," I told her. She always had a way of making it seem as though she hadn't done anything wrong, "I have to go to my locker but I'll meet you in the foyer and we'll walk home together."
"All right Cay," she said ruffling my hair, "But if anyone sees us you better hide in the bushes. I don't want to be seen walking with a moron like you. It'll ruin my rep."
I smiled as I continued down the hall since Mickey was far from popular and the only rep she had developed didn't exactly need protecting. I had always been the more social one, yet I constantly had to include Mickey wherever I went. If I was invited to a party, I insisted she go. If I went to the theater, she'd always be there. Sometimes, if I had a date I force who ever I was going out with to find Mickey a friend so she could come with me. Nothing would ever come between us.
When I got to my locker, Chris Chambers was there, meeting the boy who I had tried to make conversation with all morning. I took a deep breath and decided not to say anything. I didn't exactly know why I was acting so nervous around him. Hell, the year before I hadn't even known who he was. I directed my eyes to the ground and proceeded forward trying to be unnoticed and failed horribly.
"Watch it babe," the boy I walked into said. His voice was low, deep and very intimidating. He must have been one of the seniors so I knew the only thing I could do was apologize and hope that he would leave it at that, "A cute little thing like you should know who and who not to walk into."
I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of someone's defending voice.
"Why don't you watch it pal," he said, "It was as much your fault as it was hers."
I looked up to see who could possibly be sticking up for me and was surprised to see it was Gordie.
"Hey Gordo, let it go," Chris said worriedly, "Just lay off alright. This guy could snap you like a twig."
"Yeah kid," the older boy said, "Listen to your stupid punk friend here and lay off or there will be trouble."
"What did you call me?" Chris said getting angry. His smile faded and was replaced with a look of sheer rage. I wanted to jump in and say something but there was nothing I could do. Chris tried to lunge at the boy but Gordie held him back. "No one calls me a stupid punk and lives to tell about it."
The boy just sneered and walked away. Gordie was trying to calm down Chris by telling him he wasn't stupid or a punk but it wasn't working.
"He's wrong y'know." I said meekly.
The both stopped and looked up at me. Chris' eyes narrowed and Gordie's expression changed from concerned to ice cold.
"What do you know?" Chris said to me walking a little closer, "You don't know anything. Why don't you ask your friend and see what she says. I believe is was her who made up the brainless wonder, was it not."
"I was just trying to help." I told him. I wished I could die at that very moment just so I wouldn't have to feel one more ounce of the awkwardness I was feeling right now.
"I don't need your pity rich kid." He said, his expression never changing, "Hurry up now or you'll be late for cheerleading practice."
Anger was building up inside me when he said this. I felt like lashing out and hurting him the way he had hurt me just then. I had tried to sympathize for him when the boy had judged him so quickly and he had just turned around and did the exact same thing that had obviously hurt him. Under any other circumstances I would've broken out in tears but there was something holding me back. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd caused me to cry. Yet I wondered if he'd even felt guilty. He'd probably be proud so I just stared at him blankly trying to make him as uncomfortable as he'd made me.
They left soon there after and as they did Gordie looked back at me in remorse before catching up to Chris. I got my things; desperately wishing Mickey had been there. She would've come up with something to say rather than just standing there the way I did. Maybe if she had been with me I wouldn't even have run into that boy or Chris wouldn't have needed to stick up for me since she would have. I wiped the tear that was forming in the corner of my eye, hoping that no one would notice. I closed my locker and rested my head on it for a few seconds before turning around. I almost screamed when I saw Mickey standing right there.
"Chill Caliegh," She said flashing me her famous smile, "What the hell is the matter with you. You've been distant all day. This whole thinking shit is turning you into some sort of retard."
"Shut up Mick," I said with some truth in my voice but I doubted that she'd notice, "C'mon, I gotta get home. Not that anyone would notice if I wasn't there."
"Cut that shit out Cay," She said, surprisingly serious, "Your parents care a hell of a lot more about you than mine do about me."
She turned away from me as though she didn't want me to see her in the state she was in.
"Hey," I said reassuringly, putting my hand on her shoulder, "You know your old man's a basterd and he's not getting any better. Look, you shouldn't get upset over dirt like him."
"Yeah I guess you're right Cay," She said turning around, smiling as though nothing had ever happened. That's was just another one of the traits she possessed that I wished I had. "Now let's get outta here. I can only stay in this shit hole for so long."
We walked down the hall, which was less crowded now, and yet I felt as though if I were to scream no one would even look up. Mick talked to people and acted like her honest and bitchy self all at the same time while I just walked behind her. Usually I would've mingled for a while before actually leaving the building but today it was different. Today all I wanted to do was go home.
As Mickey and I walked down the street in silence I could feel her looking at me. I looked over and did a double take when I saw her looking back smiling.
"What the hell are you doing Mickey?" I asked her, "Stop freaking me out."
"Sorry pal," she said, once again throwing her arm around my shoulder, "But you look like such a dork when you think. It was quite amusing."
"Lay off would ya," I told her seriously, "I've had a rough day."
"Aww poor baby," she said in her best babying voice, "Tell me Cay, what happened."
"Just forget it," I told her laughing. "Just had a run in with two people I wish I'd avoided."
"So," she said, trying to change the subject, "What are we doing tonight?"
"God Mickey," I told her smiling, "You'll never change. It's the first day of high school. We have homework y'know."
"Oh don't be such a pussy Cay," She said, "We have to live a little."
"Pussy. Live a little. What's with you?" I told her, "You never say words like that."
"I don't know, I guess I was trying to expand my vocabulary." She said, imitating my past comment, "Now hurry up ya, I've got things to do."
"Mickey Carerra has things to do." I repeated, "Holy shit, I never thought I'd see the day."
"Oh shut up." She replied simply as she smacked me on the back of my head.
I thought at that moment that things would never change between us but I know now that I was wrong; very wrong. You see things did change and now I'd give anything if they'd just go back to the way they were.
*Please Review*