"Take your swollen eyes and open them. You will only witness the
beauty and pain of life. Those who don't only fool themselves into
believing that they are afraid of what life has to hold for them." to these
words carefully, while doodling with my paper. Mrs. Contene was waving her
hands now more vigorously in the air. She had said many things before, but
this one was different. It really sparked my attention. The moment had
only lasted so long, for when I lifted my head from a fetal position, she
was at her desk, while my peers were working silently. Mrs. Contene was a
different teacher from the rest. And I wasn't sure if I liked her or not.
She had good points, but she always used them to pin point you in a corner
like a rat, and soon, any debate would be over. My stomach groaned with a
copious amount of anticipation. I could literally feel this coming. I
wanted to stand, to get up and be free. Just to go away from this class
would be great. Without my mind's consent, my body got up with a power-
surged jolt. I was shaking now; all 30 pair of eyes, including Mrs.
Contene's was gaping at me. The worst thing was is that I couldn't sit
down. "Miss Mincovitz, would you mind giving your class and I a thorough
explanation as to why you have disrupted a quiet work period in here?" I
couldn't speak. All that was running through my mind was 'holy shit! Sit
down you idiot!' Her eyes were now glossed with impatient glares. A few
chuckles were let out. Before I could even gesture what I was about to
say; she stood up, her hands flat on her desk. "Miss Mincovitz, I'm
assuming that you are not listening. Now, will you either share with the
whole class what charade you are putting on, or would you rather sit down
and dwindle to no more?" Ouch. I just sat down slowly, watching her as
she cocked her head upward and turned and sat down. Last time I would ever
be noticed in her class. Ever! Filled with anger and embarrassment, I
finally cracked a bleak smile out of the corner of my mouth when the bell
rang. I wanted to get out of Lucifer's English class as fast as possible.
Gracing my fingers on the door, my body half outside, the soft sounding,
yet piercing voice called out and said "Goodbye Miss Mincovitz."
"Mom! I'm telling you, she is the meanest person you could ever speak with! Well, wait, she will never let anyone speak, so I stand corrected!" "Lydia quit being so theatrical. No one is that bad." I just groaned through the forces of my vocal cords. "Yes mom, she is. You just say that because you don't have to take her class!" Sipping her coffee, she lightly shook her head and stared at her newspaper. Obviously she wasn't going to listen, or for the most part, care. The day was cloudy, but the heat was immense. Saturday was the best day, if you were doing something. I had nothing to do, and I couldn't find anything either. I guess this is how I was going to spend the rest of my Saturday's; sitting around, attracting every pound possible. "Lydia, why don't you do something with Myrna and Rosa? They are, after all your sisters." Raising my eyebrow, I said, "Ha ha, you were always the joker mom!" But after a short silence given to me in return, I decided I would see what they were up to. My sisters were fickle. One day they confide in me, the next, hate me. I held my fist as I leaned against Rosa's door. "Rosa?" I called. "You in there?" Her radio had been turned off suddenly, and a short-tempered voice said "Yeah. What do you want?" How was I supposed to answer to this? "Nothing. Can I just come in?" A short pause gave me the impression I should leave, until the door swung open, and my weight plummeted to her floor. "Get up!" She said jokingly. I felt embarrassed as I was scrounging up from her pink carpet. "What are you thinking?" I snapped at her angrily. "I could have been seriously hurt, if it weren't for your stupid carpet!" She stared at me, and snapped "Well, you can just leave if you haven't taken your Midol today. It's my room, so shut the hell up." I cringed as she said this. My parents strongly opposed against swearing. I thought of words, but could never find myself brave enough to say them. "Fine" I muttered. Her bed was perfect. Pink sheets and yellow pillows. Her room was always nice. "So, um.. How is school going for you? Are you and that, what's his face still going out? The one who looks like a schnauzer?" She snarled at this. "You mean John? No. He was too sensitive. And I personally like sensitive men!" "That bad?" Her eye contact was enough to say she would have puked if she were with him one more second. As she was doing so, her hands were busy playing with a short piece of lace with tiny pink edges. "I like a new guy now." She randomly suggested. "Oh." I said briefly. The silence killed me in a humorous, slapstick way. "His name is Austin. You know who I'm talking about?" I searched through my mind, but no Austin had appeared in photographic or word-like memory. She threw her lace down and added abruptly "Austin Coral! Now do you know?" Sick! I knew now, and wanted to forget. He was the biggest pervert at our school. "He always tells me I'm hot, and flirts with me constantly." She said out of no where. Of course she likes him! He stares at her ass and she thinks its love. Not even puppy love if you ask me. "Oh, but he is so nasty Rosa! He does that to every girl! Learn that!" Her face turned so sour as she pointed to her door and yelled "Out!" I went out, but not because she had ordered me to. As I shut her door, her radio went back on, and her singing along with it was off tune. Rosa was so prissy beyond belief. She was pretty though. Light brown hair, green eyes, and light olive skin. I wish she was different, but she was never going to change from being prissy. I scowled to myself as I walked to Myrna's door. I felt like I was groveling for the sake of my sanity. "Myrna?" I called, my troubled mind clinging to my words. "Yes?" Came her birdlike voice. She opened the door politely and stared at me. "Come on in" she said without hesitation. Her room is much different that Rosas'. She didn't need all the beauty I guess, for the white walls and curtains explained it enough. She was more relaxed than Rosa as she sat down on her bed; her feet plopped up in the air. "So, what do you need Lydia?" Good question, as I processed it through my own mind. "Nothing, it's just that I am so bored. Wanna do something?" Myrna just rubbed her eyebrows and quickly said; "Sorry Lydia, but I have a meeting with my book group." Myrna was the one who was always set her self aside from common cliques and groupies that Rosa usually tended to follow. Hiding my disappointment, I added, "That's cool." She looked right into me and knew I was in pain. "Sorry Lydia. Look, I got to get ready, but I have one question. What were you yelling at Rosa for?" I wanted to chuckle, but I would gag the instant I did. "She's just being a pain." I actually got a slight giggle out of her. She looked at the clock and her face went from being happy to being frustrated. "Shoot! I'm going to be late!" I said quick 'see ya' and went out as she did, only she was running. Myrna was very beautiful. She had and off set tanish looking skin, with auburn hair and blue eyes. The years I spent growing up were the ones I called the'jealousy years.' I envied her in every way, comparing my looks to hers. She was the older sister by two years, and Rosa was two years younger than I was. As for me, I was never satisfied with my appeal and appearance. My dark brown hair was different from two sisters with lighter hair. My brown eyes always seemed to be too dark, never really any color to me. But we all had tanish skin. I never understood my sisters, or anyone I really know. Life just held a weird mystery. The clouds were clumped together now outside, the rain soon about to fall. I had a car that I felt ashamed to drive in, but I wanted to get out of here. Rosa was swooning to herself in her room, Myrna was catching the latest 'hippie' book club, and I am stuck here. But wait! I do have a car after all. I walked towards my mom and casually mentioned I was going out to drive. She looked curious as she always does. Her long brown hair whisked on the side. "Okay, but be back soon. Where are you going?" "Just to drive, maybe to burgerville or something." She approved with her classic head nod and I ran out he door. Why didn't I think about this earlier? My car is just a car, even if it is ugly. I hopped in and went out on the road
"Mom! I'm telling you, she is the meanest person you could ever speak with! Well, wait, she will never let anyone speak, so I stand corrected!" "Lydia quit being so theatrical. No one is that bad." I just groaned through the forces of my vocal cords. "Yes mom, she is. You just say that because you don't have to take her class!" Sipping her coffee, she lightly shook her head and stared at her newspaper. Obviously she wasn't going to listen, or for the most part, care. The day was cloudy, but the heat was immense. Saturday was the best day, if you were doing something. I had nothing to do, and I couldn't find anything either. I guess this is how I was going to spend the rest of my Saturday's; sitting around, attracting every pound possible. "Lydia, why don't you do something with Myrna and Rosa? They are, after all your sisters." Raising my eyebrow, I said, "Ha ha, you were always the joker mom!" But after a short silence given to me in return, I decided I would see what they were up to. My sisters were fickle. One day they confide in me, the next, hate me. I held my fist as I leaned against Rosa's door. "Rosa?" I called. "You in there?" Her radio had been turned off suddenly, and a short-tempered voice said "Yeah. What do you want?" How was I supposed to answer to this? "Nothing. Can I just come in?" A short pause gave me the impression I should leave, until the door swung open, and my weight plummeted to her floor. "Get up!" She said jokingly. I felt embarrassed as I was scrounging up from her pink carpet. "What are you thinking?" I snapped at her angrily. "I could have been seriously hurt, if it weren't for your stupid carpet!" She stared at me, and snapped "Well, you can just leave if you haven't taken your Midol today. It's my room, so shut the hell up." I cringed as she said this. My parents strongly opposed against swearing. I thought of words, but could never find myself brave enough to say them. "Fine" I muttered. Her bed was perfect. Pink sheets and yellow pillows. Her room was always nice. "So, um.. How is school going for you? Are you and that, what's his face still going out? The one who looks like a schnauzer?" She snarled at this. "You mean John? No. He was too sensitive. And I personally like sensitive men!" "That bad?" Her eye contact was enough to say she would have puked if she were with him one more second. As she was doing so, her hands were busy playing with a short piece of lace with tiny pink edges. "I like a new guy now." She randomly suggested. "Oh." I said briefly. The silence killed me in a humorous, slapstick way. "His name is Austin. You know who I'm talking about?" I searched through my mind, but no Austin had appeared in photographic or word-like memory. She threw her lace down and added abruptly "Austin Coral! Now do you know?" Sick! I knew now, and wanted to forget. He was the biggest pervert at our school. "He always tells me I'm hot, and flirts with me constantly." She said out of no where. Of course she likes him! He stares at her ass and she thinks its love. Not even puppy love if you ask me. "Oh, but he is so nasty Rosa! He does that to every girl! Learn that!" Her face turned so sour as she pointed to her door and yelled "Out!" I went out, but not because she had ordered me to. As I shut her door, her radio went back on, and her singing along with it was off tune. Rosa was so prissy beyond belief. She was pretty though. Light brown hair, green eyes, and light olive skin. I wish she was different, but she was never going to change from being prissy. I scowled to myself as I walked to Myrna's door. I felt like I was groveling for the sake of my sanity. "Myrna?" I called, my troubled mind clinging to my words. "Yes?" Came her birdlike voice. She opened the door politely and stared at me. "Come on in" she said without hesitation. Her room is much different that Rosas'. She didn't need all the beauty I guess, for the white walls and curtains explained it enough. She was more relaxed than Rosa as she sat down on her bed; her feet plopped up in the air. "So, what do you need Lydia?" Good question, as I processed it through my own mind. "Nothing, it's just that I am so bored. Wanna do something?" Myrna just rubbed her eyebrows and quickly said; "Sorry Lydia, but I have a meeting with my book group." Myrna was the one who was always set her self aside from common cliques and groupies that Rosa usually tended to follow. Hiding my disappointment, I added, "That's cool." She looked right into me and knew I was in pain. "Sorry Lydia. Look, I got to get ready, but I have one question. What were you yelling at Rosa for?" I wanted to chuckle, but I would gag the instant I did. "She's just being a pain." I actually got a slight giggle out of her. She looked at the clock and her face went from being happy to being frustrated. "Shoot! I'm going to be late!" I said quick 'see ya' and went out as she did, only she was running. Myrna was very beautiful. She had and off set tanish looking skin, with auburn hair and blue eyes. The years I spent growing up were the ones I called the'jealousy years.' I envied her in every way, comparing my looks to hers. She was the older sister by two years, and Rosa was two years younger than I was. As for me, I was never satisfied with my appeal and appearance. My dark brown hair was different from two sisters with lighter hair. My brown eyes always seemed to be too dark, never really any color to me. But we all had tanish skin. I never understood my sisters, or anyone I really know. Life just held a weird mystery. The clouds were clumped together now outside, the rain soon about to fall. I had a car that I felt ashamed to drive in, but I wanted to get out of here. Rosa was swooning to herself in her room, Myrna was catching the latest 'hippie' book club, and I am stuck here. But wait! I do have a car after all. I walked towards my mom and casually mentioned I was going out to drive. She looked curious as she always does. Her long brown hair whisked on the side. "Okay, but be back soon. Where are you going?" "Just to drive, maybe to burgerville or something." She approved with her classic head nod and I ran out he door. Why didn't I think about this earlier? My car is just a car, even if it is ugly. I hopped in and went out on the road