Chapter 16: Done Fighting
Rae had gone to sleep around one in the morning. She'd put a good dent in her homework given the late start she'd gotten and decided that she'd finish the rest in study hall. Her alarm woke her at eight. After hitting the snooze once she finally got out of bed at eight fifteen. She was running late so she took a quick shower, did her after shower routine, and got dressed. She decided on a pair of jeans she'd found at this cool grunge store, with one purple and one black leg, and a black, white, and purple hooded shirt. She attached black and white suspenders to her pants but opted not to wear them up on her shoulders. She completed her look with black combat boots and her white glasses. She took a brushed her hair and went into her kitchen. After starting her coffee, she went over and packed her bag for school and took it over by the door. She ran back into her room to get her keys and phone, checking it as she walked back into the kitchen. She saw that she had three missed calls: one from Maureen, one from Ashley, and one from Olivia. Neither of them had left a message. Rae always said if you don't leave a voicemail, it must not be important. She put her phone in her butt pocket and made her cup of coffee before grabbing her bag and heading out the door.
It was the second week in October and it was starting to get cold out. Rae hated the winter. Not because the cold made her cold, which it did, but because the cold made her white. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being white...if you're white. But Rae wasn't and she hated it when she'd tell people that she wasn't white and they would argue with her; as if she could possibly be wrong. It happened all the time when she'd go out with her mother. Someone would assume that they were friends and she'd explain "No, that's my mom" and "No, I'm not adopted". It pissed her off. That and she just loved her skin tone. She practically ran into school to escape the chill outside, getting in just as the bell rang ending first period. She went to her locker to put her stuff away, only keeping out the homework she had to finish during study hall, when she noticed Maureen walking over. She closed her locker, leaning on it and putting her foot up flat against the door.
"Hey. I called you again this morning." Maureen said sadly. She really hated them not talking. "You're still ignoring me?" Maureen asked when Rae didn't say anything.
"I was in the shower. You're gonna be late for class." Rae said before pushing off of her locker. "Meet at my car after school. Don't be late." She walked away heading toward her study hall. Maureen smiled as she turned and headed for the stairs.
Rae walked into study hall and sat down as the warning bell rang. A minute later the tardy bell rang and someone flopped down in the chair next to her. She looked up and saw Ashley. "What are you doing here?" Rae asked looking at Ashley confused. "I go to school here" she whispered back. Rae rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh you meant like, in this class? I dropped the english lit class I had this period so they put me in here."
"Oh well lucky you" Rae said with a sly smile. They had a sub today and she was not pleased with their talking. She stood up and loudly shushed them before returning to her seated position at her desk. Ashley laughed loudly at the woman receiving an angry scowl. Rae nudged her with an elbow and mouthed "Stop it" while chuckling at the look on the woman's face. "If looks could kill" Rae thought shaking her head. "She does know that we don't have to be silent, right?" Ashley said leaning over to Araeyah. "It's study hall Ashley. You know...for studying. Not talking. So study" Rae said pushing Ashley's books closer to her and turning her attention back to her homework. They were silent for about two minutes before Ashley spoke again. "What class is that for?"
"Oh my god. You really are incapable of being quiet and studying aren't you?" Rae whispered glaring at Ashley. "I'm sorry. I'm bored. I don't have anything to study." Rae handed Ashley her copy of Withering Heights, the book she chose to read for her analysis essay in AP Lit. "There ya go. Now be quiet. I really need to get this done."
"Ok. Well then just tell me what class it's for and I'll leave you alone." Ashley whispered. "AP Chemistry. Now read."
"You're the only senior I know taking all AP classes besides one study hall period." This time the sub got up and walked back to where Rae and Ashley were sitting. She leaned down to whisper to Ashley so she wouldn't disturb the rest of the class. "This is study hall. Not social hour. Now this nice young lady has given you a book to read" she said motioning towards Rae, "so I suggest you be quiet and start reading. If you can't do that then I'll send you down to the principal's office and you can talk to him." The woman stood up and went back to the front of the room. She sat back down at her desk and continued reading. "Is she serious?" Ashley said into Rae's ear. Rae glared at Ashley yelling shut up with her eyes. "Ok, ok. I'm reading." She opened to the first page of the book and started reading.
The time passed quickly and before they knew it, the bell rang. They gathered their things and parted ways heading to their next class. After third period, Ashley went to Rae's locker so she could return her book. "This is really boring by the way" Ashley said handing Rae back her book. "It is not." Rae said with a small laugh. She closed her locker door to find Maureen standing behind it glaring at Ashley. "Hey Maureen." Ashley said in a patronizing tone. Maureen ignored her and looked at Rae. "Can I talk to you...in private?" she said diverting her attention back to Ashley with a look that said get lost. "Aha. Yeah, ok. I'll meet you outside after third bell. You can decide where we're going." Ashley walked away leaving Rae and Maureen alone.
"What is it Maureen?" Rae asked. She knew she was about to get an earful. "You're hanging out with Ashley again?"
"Yeah, I am." Rae turned and started walking to her class. Maureen followed behind her. "Since when?"
"Yesterday. I ran into her in the library, we started talking, and that was it. It's not a big deal." They stopped outside the door of Rae's fourth period class, AP Government and Comparative Politics. "Not a big deal? Do I need to remind you how she treated you when you two were together?" Maureen couldn't believe that Rae was being so nonchalant about this. "She treated you like shit. She used you and then she left." Maureen said practically yelling. "She wasn't always like that. Her mom died and she had a hard time with it. She left to get herself together and spend time with her dad and brothers. She's different now." Rae said in Ashley's defense. "Are you getting back together with her? Because if you are..." Maureen was getting angry at the thought of Rae giving Ashley another chance at a relationship with her. "I'm not, Maureen. We're just friends. That's all." The one minute bell rang for class. "I'll see you later." Rae said before opening the door and walking into class. Maureen went down the hall to her science class. She didn't see Rae for the rest of the day. She hoped she hadn't let Ashley talk her into skipping the rest of her classes the way she used to do. When the final bell rang, Maureen got her stuff and went to Rae's locker but she wasn't there. "Great. Now I'm gonna have to search the lot to find where she parked" she thought.
She walked out of school and scanned the parking lot for Rae's car. She spotted her in the back of the third row leaning against her car talking to Ashley. They were laughing and Maureen couldn't help but to feel jealous. Rae stood up and opened her car door as she saw Maureen approach. "Alright, I'll call you. We'll talk more about this." Ashley said walking backwards towards her black jeep. Rae started the car as Maureen got in and pulled out of her spot once she'd shut her door. After about ten minutes of parking lot traffic they pulled out onto the street. The drive over to Rae's apartment was silent of any talking. Only the sound of the radio filled the space between them. Rae pulled into the parking lot and into her space, turned off her car and got out heading inside. She hadn't said a word to Maureen since they'd talked earlier that day and she didn't plan to. She just planned to listen. She was going to give Maureen a chance to explain why she'd said the things she said the week before and she hoped she liked whatever it was she had to say. She couldn't deny that she missed her best friend and she wanted their fight to be over so they could go back to the way things were.
Once they got upstairs Rae went right into her bedroom to put her stuff down and change into sweats and tank top. She came back out and sat on the couch next to Maureen. "So..." she said finally speaking. "You wanted to talk." She brought her legs into to her chest and rested her chin on her knees waiting for Maureen to speak.
"Yeah. Rae I'm so sorry about everything I said. I know you would never be friends with me out of pity. I know that's not who you are. I...I said what I said because I was insecure about me and what I have...or don't have. I mean it's not like you're the only rich kid at our school. You're not." Rae rolled her eyes a little at Maureen calling her a rich kid but she kept quiet and continued to listen. "But you're the only one to ever give me the time of day. All the other girls just turn their noses up at the rest of us...like they're too good for us. So it surprised me when I found out that you had a lot of money. I always wondered why you chose to be friends with me but I just never asked. And then going to your house and seeing everything you have...it just made me even more insecure. It was never about whether you thought you were too good to be friends with me. It was about me thinking I wasn't good enough to be friends with you. Now that we've been fighting I just realize how ridiculous my thoughts were. I miss you. I miss talking to you and hanging out with you and laughing with you. I want us back." Maureen waited for Araeyah to say something...anything.
"On my first day at school...I went to every class and nobody said a word to me. Well except for the teachers, but they had to talk to me. The students though...none of them said a word. I'd say hi and introduce myself and they'd look at me like I was an alien species or something." Rae and Maureen both let out a light chuckle. It was then that Maureen relaxed into the couch feeling like everything was gonna be ok between them. "I didn't get it. I'd never had such a hard time making friends. Then I went to lunch...and I met you. You were standing in line behind me and I turned to you and said hi...and you said hi back. You were the first person, the only person, to talk to me all day. Then you invited me to sit with you and you helped find the rest of my classes. You were nice to me. You didn't know who my parents were or where I was from or how much money I had. You were just nice to me...for no reason. That's why I'm friends with you Maureen. Even after I told you about my money you never treated me any differently. You didn't expect anything more out of me than to just be there like...like I always had been. I appreciated that about you. I've always been taught that money is what people want, well what most people want, more than anything else. They want things: clothes, jewelery, appliances, whatever. Money is all I have. It's what I know. It's the only thing I have to show people my appreciation. That's why I buy you things."
Maureen's eyes had filled with tears listening to what Rae was saying. She moved closer to Rae on the couch and took her hand in hers. "You are brilliant and strong and funny and charming. You are so kind and accepting of people. You give everyone a chance...and then another if they ask for it. You stand up for what's right even if you're alone. You're so brave. If you lost all your money tomorrow I know you'd still be the same girl who said hi to me in the cafeteria the day we met. Money is NOT all you have. You have so much more to give than that." Rae smiled at the sincerity in Maureen's voice. "Thank you." She leaned in a gave Maureen a big hug.
They released each other and let out a laugh at how emotional Maureen was. She was practically in tears. "I'm so glad we're done fighting." Maureen said. "It's been a really long week without you."
"I'm glad we are too...and yes it has been a very long week." Rae said letting a loud sigh.
"So you and Ashley. I didn't see you after lunch. Did you skip with her?", Maureen said prompting Rae to start explaining herself. "And does this mean you're done with your little crush on my dad's partner?"
"No I didn't skip with her. I went to every class today thank you very much. And I told you, there is no me and Ashley. We're just friends. That's all we're gonna be." Rae said. She purposefully avoided Maureen's comment about Olivia.
'Yeah right. That is exactly what you use to say every time you two would break up. Then a week later you were back together" she said reminding Rae of her and Ashley's past relationship.
"Well, this time I mean it. You don't have to be home soon do you?" she said quickly changing the subject. "I just have to be there by dinner. So probably around seven. You can stay if you want. I'm sure my parents won't mind."
"Oh, no. That's ok. I have a ton of homework to do." Rae said declining Maureen's invitation. They spent the next hour and half talking before Rae had to take Maureen home. Kathy had invited her to stay for dinner but she declined giving the same excuse she'd given to Maureen. She drove back home and went up to her apartment. Unfortunately she wasn't able to dodge Paul, her creepy neighbor, though it was easier to do now her lock was fixed. After a ten minute hallway conversation with him, she went in her apartment and locked her door. She headed to her room, grabbing her school bag along the way and settled in to do her homework. She decided on chinese for dinner. She'd called in her order and was waiting for it to arrive. There was a knock on her door around nine. "Finally! I'm starving" she thought to herself as she got up, grabbing her wallet heading for the door. She opened the door and was too busy looking in her wallet to see who was standing there.
"What do I owe you?" she said counting through her cash. The person didn't say anything so she looked up. She could've been knocked over with a feather. She couldn't believe who was at her door.