1

Trouble Maker

Two weeks earlier

"One more time and I have to suspend you. This is the last warning I am giving you."

I slouched in a very uncomfortable chair facing the wrath of my school principle. I rolled my eyes in my mind, but just nodded my head instead. She let me slide for the fifth time in these last two weeks.

I guess you could call me a trouble maker. I didn't care about my grades, like all the other rebellious teenagers out there. I especially didn't care about my actions. The only difference was that I didn't drink, smoke, or have sex. I still respected myself and my body. Music and friends seemed to make me forget about my life back at home until I walked right back into the door of the house. I didn't get along with my family at all. No matter how many friends I made or had, none of it made up for the hole I had in my heart missing my family's love like how it was before. Not many people really knew who I was as a person. I was known as a pariah most of the time and sure felt like one too.

"I expect better from you. What's gotten into you?" I heard the same lecture from my mother and I gave her the same response back every single time.

"Nothing," I shortly replied avoiding eye contact. I couldn't decide if I liked school better or home. Either way, I hated both places. "I'm going out."

Her firm grip on my wrist as I walked to the doorway seemed to get tighter by the minute. I went with my instinct and pulled my arm back.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!" I could see the pain in my mother's eyes as those hurtful words left my mouth. I couldn't take it back now, nor did I want to. I stormed out the door hearing the thump of the screen door shut behind me and headed anywhere my feet would take me. I didn't dare look back even when I heard my name being called to come back.

I decided to go to local beach where I knew no one, that is, if people were actually walking on that deserted dump of sand or swimming in the salty ridged ocean.

This time wasn't any different than the last. No one was in sight except for a teen couple walking along the shore holding hands. Their faces were not familiar to me. When you live in a town this small, you get to know who everyone is around here. I looked away once I saw them kiss. It reminded me that I didn't have someone like that, never have.

I didn't realize I spent the night on the beach until I felt the waves reaching my feet forcing me to wake up. My eyes weren't used to the sunshine in my face, causing my eyelids to not agree. I fluttered my eyes gradually open inch by inch awaiting my eyes to adjust.

"Wow," I thought to myself, "I can see perfectly."

"Oh…" I spoke aloud, remembering I never took out my contacts last night.

Looking up at the sky, I began making images from the fluffy white clouds that made you want to float on. It almost felt like the soft wind could take all the pressure and anger off my shoulders.

I hit the soccer ball back and forth on my knees waiting for my dad to come home. I made an invisible goal in my head and kicked the ball on the other side of the yard.

"Yes! Goal!" I encouraged myself. Fetching to get the ball, I felt a raindrop fall on my nose. I wiped it away, looking up at the sky confused. It didn't look like a storm was about to hit. Feathery clouds that matched the color of my white t shirt were the only thing in sight above me besides the big oak tree. I remembered how Dad and I used to see images from the clouds when I was six. I smiled at the memory. That smile soon faded once a police car stopped in the gutter to the side of the street close to my house. He approached me, giving me a gesture. He kneeled to my height and explained something happened to my father.

"Where is he?" I cried. He didn't reply, but just rested his head down and closed his eyes. I collapsed to the ground screaming with tears streaming down my face. I didn't know these things could really happen to someone until I experienced it.

I wiped a few tears off my cheeks remembering how everything felt, inside and outside.

"You know, if you wanted a private place to cry, coming here wasn't such a great idea," I heard a voice behind me. Frightened, I turned my body to face the human with the mysterious voice.

A boy with long dark brown hair that side-swept over to the left stood behind me. If I actually cared he was there, I would have thought he was pretty cute.

"Whoever you are, go away," I spat, turning away to look back at the glistening water. I didn't hear any footsteps fading away. I spun around seeing him standing in the same spot staring at the back of me, now my face. His arms were crossed and his eyebrows rose, not seeming amused. "What part of 'go away' don't you understand?"

"I could go away, but then I wouldn't be able to know your name," he put on a grin. I rolled my eyes, for two reasons. One, this guy was definitely desperate for even trying to flirt with me; and two, for him thinking he could actually get me to follow him on this game of broken hearts yet to be discovered.

"I'm not interested," I said bluntly, no longer facing him. I thought he had left since it had become so quiet, but that thought left my mind once I heard him speak again.

"Why were you crying earlier?" he asked, sitting across from me.

"You're blocking my view," I spoke, trying to change the subject. I couldn't talk about my dad ever since that horrific day.

"Oh, sorry," he stuttered, moving aside. Things got pretty quiet again, and as for me, extremely awkward. I groaned in my head knowing he wasn't going to leave.

"Nevaeh," I finally answered.

"What?"

"From earlier…" I continued, "My name."

He nodded in understandment, "Oh."

"'Oh'?" I derided, "What's the 'oh' supposed to mean?"

"I like it," he shrugged.

"Like what, the word 'oh'?"

"Your name."

"Oh…" I smiled, feeling stupid. He smiled back, giving my stomach a churning tingling feeling. "Yeah, my dad picked it out. It's something special to me. It's nice to have something that bonds us together."

"You're such a daddy's girl," he joked.

"Yeah…" I admitted. "But it's the only thing I have left of him."

"You don't see him?" I looked into his eyes, knowing it was ok to tell him.

I shook my head, "No. I live with my mom."

"Divorced?"

I shook my head once again, "No."

"Then what?"

I held a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes. "He died when I was eleven." I opened my eyes to look into his. "Six years ago he died in a car accident from a drunk driver. Ever since then I've never felt the same. It's like I'm living someone's nightmare."

"Oh," he replied, his tone showing sympathy.

"Does that mean an 'I like it' now?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, not at all…I'm so sorry," I watched him fiddle around with a stick between his fingers.

"Yeah, I—" I felt something vibrate. "Sorry," I apologized, sliding my phone out from my pocket. 'Mom' flashed on the screen. Rolling my eyes, I hit the red 'Ignore' button and placed it back in my pocket.

"You can take that call if you want, I don't mind," he continued, standing up and brushing the sand off of him, "I have to get going anyway."

"Oh, um, ok," I followed and stood up as well.

"It was nice meeting you," he smiled and started walking along the shoreline.

"Hey, I never got your name," I shouted after him.

"Joel," he called over his shoulder.

I smiled.