“Ha!” I started laughing hysterically.
“What’s so funny you loser?”
“Smile! You’re on Ashley’s camera!” I laughed and ran away leaving Lena there puzzling over what had just taken place.
I know you’re probably thinking that what just happened was way too easy, but then again Lena is easy in multiple ways. Cop shows act like you have to pull the information out of the people. When in real life they can’t wait to talk about anything and everything. So, just go with the flow. I’ve got everything I need on Lena. Now all I need is…actually, I don’t need anything! I’ve got it all. Hahahah! For the first time Lena’s going to pay for what she’s done. Ugh! She’s so evil.
Chapter 8
After School
After school…the time where most of “social” stuff happens. You could call the “social” part making out, lighting up, or simply talking with friends. This is when the wastoids light up again because they’re going into withdrawal. They get high and run around the school leaping on lockers, tables, and chairs like bumbling idiots. After they’ve let out all of their energy, the junkies will fall into a heap somewhere on the floor. Wherever they land, that’s where they stay. By the time they wake, they have drawings, food, and trash all over themselves from random people walking by. Of course, they can’t really save their dignity because everyone saw them drool.
But, the wastoids aren’t the only people who humiliate themselves daily after school. There’s the horny, and disgusting P.D.A group. Word to the wise, don’t look directly at them because you could lose your lunch. These people are the ones that are flat up against the wall or some horizontal surface, it doesn’t matter what, letting the entire world know exactly how they feel about each other. Do I need to elaborate? Not that it’s bad that they like each other, but there’s such a thing as a hotel. That’s why they were invented, so innocent prudes and other students alike didn’t have to see that kind of behavior. Although the word “prude” isn’t a bad name! Yeah prudes! Anyway…After school can be an advantage for a lot of people. If you’re not in the same classes as some of your friends, you can talk to them after school to find out what’s been going on.
You’re probably thinking right now, “What do I care about what happens after school? What happened to Lena?” Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know. I don’t even know what happened to Adam yet. I saw him in school the other day, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He and I haven’t spoken since he got mad at me over the phone. As for Lena, I handed over the recording the other day, but John hasn’t called me back to tell me about it. I wonder if it’s of any use. I can’t believe he got that warrant so quickly! Today has been mostly boring. Nothing much has happened. I’m hoping to approach Adam after school. Hopefully, he’ll be over his jealous rant. As I thought this, the bell rang, interrupting my thoughts. I left class in search of Adam at his locker. As I approached his locker I saw him. He looked great as usual. His hair was all messy, but it looked perfect. Does that make any sense? Well, it does to me.
“Adam!” I called to him.
“Yeah? Oh…” Adam turned, and a look of pain crossed over his face as he realized that it was me.
“I think we need to talk,” I ignored the disappointment I felt that my coming had not made him smile.
“Why? I think we got everything settled over the phone the other day.” He grabbed a book out of his locker.
“You know you’re really being a child!” I crossed my arms.
“I’m being a child?” His head swiveled away from his locker to give me an indignant look.
“Well, at least you agree with me!” I tried to crack a joke to see him smile. That smile! Man that was the kind of smile that could make you faint. You guys are thinking, “Yeah, whatever. This is starting to turn into chick stuff!” Well, I am a girl and I find this guy totally hot, so leave me alone. And even though, I found myself amusing, Adam didn’t. He didn’t even smirk.
“You’re sneaking around, and I don’t like it. The more I get to know you, the more I don’t like what I see.” Adam’s words stabbed my heart.
“How can you say something so mean? If you’re this jealous and possessive over someone who is just your “friend,” I can’t imagine what you’d be like if we were going out! The fact that you’re just trying to hurt my feelings makes me want to walk out and never look back. I like you so much, and you’re treating me like yesterday’s trash. Get someone else to support you while you’re stressed out. I’m done.” Fuming, hurt, and sad, I walked away with the sexiest walk I could muster. Ha! Take that Adam! See this butt and these hips? That’s what you’re missing out on! The ladies are probably thinking, “Oh yeah! Take that Adam!” and the guys are most likely saying to themselves, “Please, Adam doesn’t need her.” To tell you the truth, I needed Adam so much, and I didn’t know what I would do without him.
Now I didn’t see Adam’s face as I was walking away, but Keri told me that his face looked torn. That shouldn’t make me happy, but it does. He was in the wrong. I don’t deserve to be treated like that. He may be hot, outgoing, and dresses perfectly, but if he has a temper like that, I don’t want anything to do with him.
“Ash!” I heard Adam call for me. I kept walking. It wasn’t worth talking with him right now.
“Ash!” This time the voice was female and it wasn’t coming from behind me, but at the right of me. I turned. It was Allie.
“Hey, Allie.” I brightened, trying to hide my frustration.
“What was that all about?” Allie asked me.
“What was what all about?” I didn’t know what Allie was talking about even though I totally should have.
“Duh! I’m talking about you and Adam. You guys just had a fight. Why?”
“Oh. He thinks I’m cheating on him,” I answered.
“What? But you’re not even going out with him!”
“Thank you!” I threw my hands up in the air.
“Are you sure you want to go out with him if he’s already like this?”
“I don’t know. He’s really cute, but controlling. Although he is going through a really rough time…” My voice trailed off.
“And you’re not? I mean, yeah Adam is having a rough time, but he has no right to take it out on you. Besides that, you’re trying to help him deal with this, and all he can do is give you grief. You’re having a rough time because you have to watch him go through this. You feel helpless, and…”
“Whoa! I’m not a victim. I understand what you’re getting at. I should feel angry with him. He’s not treating me fairly, but everything has been blown out of proportion lately. I mean, I’ve gotten into how many encounters with Lena? I promised myself I’d never do that again. And now, I’m arguing with her more than I ever did,” I interrupted Allie.
“I’ve noticed that. You’re acting like animals. And as for all those catfights and stuff, that can’t be good for your karma. Why do you think you’ve been acting so aggressive?” Allie tilted her head.
“I don’t know. I’m mean, it’s like a scene out of a movie. How could I have gone from no contact with Lena to having a WWE Smackdown with her in front of the movie theater?” I was very irritated with myself.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Lena rose to the occasion. It’s not like it was just you.” Allie patted my back.
“Thanks. I just don’t really know what to do. Could we please talk about something else?” I turned back to see if Adam was still there. Surprisingly, he was. He wasn’t facing me, but he was leaning against his locker. He was probably scolding himself about being so harsh tome. I hoped that’s what he was doing because I really wanted to get back to the way things were.
“Well, have you heard about the new girl?” Allie brought me back to reality.
“What new girl?” I turned back to Allie with interest.
“There’s a new girl coming to our school tomorrow. She’s our age and I guess she’s really smart.”
“Re
ally?” I raised my eyebrows. “Do you know her name?”
“I think its Annie. I don’t’ know anything else about her. It should be interesting though, shouldn’t it?” I don’t think Allie realized she was asking me a question. I think she was too into what she had to say.
“Yeah, it is.” I started walking towards the outside doors with Allie. “I just don’t know if I can take anymore change and intrigue. Do you know what I mean?”
“Sort of.”
“Well, I should probably head home. I’ll see you later.” Allie and I parted ways. I started to walk home. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my life had made a major turn since that football game. If I hadn’t been a troublemaker I never would have met Adam. The sick thing is that I owed it all to Lena, Jill, and Liz. If they weren’t annoying, mean cheerleaders who were devoid of brain cells, I would never have met him. Now, it’s not like all cheerleaders fit the stereotype. There are a lot of nice cheerleaders. They can be awesome motivators and great people. They’re just not at my school, apparently. I had just gotten to my street when I saw the abandoned house on my block had a moving van in the driveway. I walked past it when I saw a girl my age coming out for her mail.
“Hi!” She said. “Do you live around here?” She was really nice and perky.
“Yeah. I’m just a couple houses down,” I answered pointing to mine. “It’s the one with the huge garden.”
“Wow! It’s beautiful. I’m Annie.” She put out her hand.
“I’m Ashley! What are the odds? I’ve just heard about you!” I said out loud. Oh shoot! I didn’t mean to say that! Stupid, Ashley! Stupid!
“Oh?” Annie looked worried.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I’ve just heard that you’re new, and that you’re smart. I also knew that your name was Annie. I mean, I didn’t know that your name was Annie, but I knew the girl who was new at our school was named Annie…” I started to ramble in the most embarrassing way. It’s the kind of ramble that if you were an onlooker you would have come up to me and said, “Come on, you’re just pathetic now. Quit while you’re behind.” I was babbling so much that now I wish I had just walked away. It would have been better for my dignity factor, which was at zero now.
“Oh. I understand. You don’t have to be nervous around me.” Annie smiled knowingly.
“Thanks. I don’t know why I’m acting like an idiot. You should be the one that’s nervous, and I should be the one comforting you!” I scolded myself. Why was I such a loser? Wait, don’t answer that!
“Yeah. That’s okay. I’d rather have you be nervous!” She laughed.
“Thanks!” I said sarcastically, laughing as well.
“So is our school nice? Or does it really blow?” Annie seemed like my kind of girl.
“It’s nice. Sometimes it blows, but most of the time it’s great,” I replied laughing again.
“Good, because I would hate to go to a school that sucks.” Annie smiled.
“How long do you think it’ll be before you’re fully moved in?” I asked.
“A couple hours. I’m a fast worker.” Annie shrugged.
“Well, we could hang out later and watch movies at my house if you want,” I offered.
“That’s okay. I’m kind of tired from the move. You know? I’ll take a rain check. Maybe we could walk home together from school tomorrow,” Annie suggested.
“That’d be great!” I grinned, “Well, I better go. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.” I walked away.
“Bye,” Annie said as she headed back into her house after getting her mail. As I got inside my house I thought about meeting Annie. She was a really nice person. I was kind of looking forward to becoming friends with her. I turned on the T.V. and relaxed for a little while. And once it got late enough I trudged up to my bed, falling asleep.
When I woke up I suddenly realized that I’d have to face another day on bad terms with Adam. It just didn’t seem to be getting any better. I got up and hurried to get ready for school. I grabbed myself one of those single bar meals as I headed out the door. Ugh! It tasted awful. No wonder this crud didn’t sell. It tasted like the stuff that made up tires! Not that I ever tasted tires…Okay. Just once! I was young and foolish! Quit pressuring me!
I walked all the way to school and went inside to get stuff from my locker. I was suddenly really sad. The thought of not being able to talk to Adam wasn’t a very good one. The more I thought about it, the more I sunk into a pit of sadness. Why couldn’t things just be a little easier? I still had no news on what became of that recording. So far, Lena was still in school, which means she hasn’t gotten into trouble yet. I really wasn’t looking forward to this day. As I opened my locker I saw a little note taped to the inside of my locker door. I opened it up with curiosity. Who knew my com?
Ash,
I’m really sorry about how I’ve been acting. It’s just I haven’t been able to see you much, and I know that’s not an excuse. Although, if you would just tell me why you’ve been acting the way you have been, I would never have gone off the way I did. I’m sorry, but now it’s your turn to apologize, because you really started all of this. So tell me you’re sorry so we can get over this.
The guy did have nice handwriting, but what kind of an apology was that? He totally just blamed it all on me! This was supposed to make me forgive him? No, wait. I’m supposed to have him forgive me because I was so in the wrong! Ugh! What a little jerk. I wasn’t sad that I didn’t get to talk to him now. After reading this, why should I care? I turned his note over and wrote him a note back.
Adam,
I don’t think you really understand
what this is all about. I never wanted this to go on for very long, but you’ve taken this way too far. Blaming everything on me doesn’t help the situation. You just made it worse. All that you’ve done through your note is show another reason why I’m angry with you in the first place. I understand that you’re in a tough situation right now, and it’s hard for you to handle it all at once, but I have stuff to handle too. You’re not the only one who isn’t having the best time right now. I want to be there for you, and help you through this, but I can’t do that when you’re insulting me. Next time you apologize don’t use the word “but” at all. That just means that it’s not an apology; it’s an excuse.
Ashley
Suddenly, I felt really old. Why did I have to write like some old counselor? I should just write, “I hate you! You’re stupid. Kiss it, you loser.” Okay, so that would be just a tad childish, but it would make me feel better. Maybe I shouldn’t give the note to him…Then again, he had the nerve to give me his note. Whatever, I had to get to class. I started to walk quickly to my class. I was afraid that I was going to be tardy.
“Ashley, wait up.” It was Annie calling me.
“Hi, Annie. I totally forgot. Were we supposed to walk to school together?” I felt awful, what if I had totally ditched her?
“No, we were supposed to walk home together after school. That’s kind of why I needed to talk to you…”
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
“No…not really.” Annie was being vague.
“Well, why don’t you tell me on the way to my next class? I’m kind of in a hurry. Sorry.”
“Oh, no big deal. I understand. You don’t want to be tardy. What I have to say won’t take long. In fact, it’ll only take a minute.” Annie smiled, acting like a quarterback getting past the defense of the other team as she tried to get past all the other students.
“Then shoot,” I replied absent-mindedly.
“Well, I can’t walk with you after school today.”
“Why?” I sounded more disappointed than I actually was. It took Annie off guard almost as much as it did me.
“Well, there are these try-outs for a school club that I want to join. And it starts after school,” Annie explained.
“Well, what club? Maybe I’ll join it with you. I haven’t gotten involved at this school at all. I pro
bably should.”
“That would be great! I really need someone to cheer me on!” Annie grinned excitedly.
“What club is it?” I asked.
“Cheerleading,” Annie answered.
“What?” I stopped in my tracks. “Why would you want to be a cheerleader? Don’t you have to do splits and stuff? Don’t you have to be dumb?”
“What are you talking about? That’s not a very nice thing to say. You’re thinking of the stereotype. Not all cheerleaders are like that. Where I used to go, the cheerleaders were all very nice.” Annie answered.
“Not the ones that go to this school!” I tried to talk her out of it.
“Oh, then I guess you trying out with me isn’t going to happen?” Annie looked sad.
“You think? There’s nothing in the world I would rather do than cheerlead. It’s the highlight of my life! Rah, Rah!” I answered sarcastically.
“That wasn’t very nice.” Annie frowned. “I thought you were nice.”
“I am nice.” I looked at her.
“Why are you making fun of a group of people as if they are all the same? I’m a cheerleader. I wish you wouldn’t insult me like that.” Annie was eerily calm.
“I’m not making fun of you. I’m making fun of them.” I rolled my eyes.
“Them?”
“The cheerleaders,” I told her.
“I’m a cheerleader.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I was getting irritated.
“Then what did you mean? I want to try out for something. It’s the only thing I’m good at, and I enjoy doing it. All you want to do is knock something that brings me joy. I just met you, and I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot. Could you just not make fun of cheerleaders?”
“Sure.” I felt really stupid. “I’m sorry. I never should have said any of that stuff. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot either. Just be careful of those girls. Don’t let them get to you. I don’t really have a good background with them, but don’t let me get in your way. They’re not very nice to me, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be mean to you. I’m sorry. I’ll catch you later.” I walked into my classroom glad to get away from Annie.
A Life Like Mine Page 11
