A New Hope

by M. L. Ray

  And today was, well, my seventeenth birthday and I wondered what Grant had planned. Maybe a party? A romantic picnic under the stars? Maybe we would take our relationship to the next level. Maybe I was ready. I sighed and grinned up at the evening sun. My heart thudded excitedly in my chest as I thought of the possibilities. My thoughts wandered to Kendra and the time I talked to her about Grant and me. She and her annoying boyfriend Jack were a cute couple, but she had mentioned breaking up with him when Grant and I were having a rough patch a couple of months ago, although she never did. She just seemed distant these past few days. It was strange. I’d known her all my life but she wouldn’t open up to me; she’d just tell me it was nothing. The funny thing was, when we were freshmen in high school, we fought over Grant. He was the famous football player that every girl had a crush on. We told each other dreams we had of him and which hair dye we thought would make him look like Zac Efron. Those were the good old days. But when Grant asked me to homecoming in my junior year, Kendra never said anything about him after that.

  A couple months later she met Jack, a new student. One look at him and I knew he was going to be trouble. And trouble, he was!

  He was sent to the principal’s office on the first day of school for talking back to a teacher. I told her he wasn’t a good idea but she seemed to really like him so I never said anything again.

  I was one house away from Grant’s when someone hit my shoulder. “Owe!” I complained and jumped away from the person. “Jack!” I said narrowing my eyes, annoyed. His dark blue eyes looked black under his brown bangs and his brown hair looked messy the way guys wore their hair nowadays. He also had on his favorite black leather jacket which was something he wore every day. It was so annoying!

  “Well it’s good to see you, too, Princess!” He smirked. I glared deeply at him because I hated it when he called me that. I wasn’t a cheerleader and neither was I a popular girl. I didn’t even want to be one. But he didn’t care.

  “What are you doing here?” I growled. He grinned.

  “Going to see my girlfriend. She wanted to talk to me. Is that OK, Lidia?” he said, pointing to Kendra’s house which was next to Grant’s. They had been neighbors for two years.

  “You better not hurt my best friend, Jack, or else you’re dead meat,” I said, staring him down which made him grin even more. If that’s possible. I had said this exact same thing to him probably a million times now. Not that he had any regard for it.

  “No problem, Princess!” he slapped my shoulder in a playful way.

  “Ass,” I muttered and moved past him and on to Grant’s porch. I put on a smile for Grant and knocked on his door. It swung open and there was Grant, looking like Adonis, wearing faded jeans and a white T-shirt. His blonde hair was slicked to the side and his brown eyes smiled with his lips. Before he could say anything, I reached up and pulled his lips to mine. He tasted of Spearmint. He pulled me in as we kissed and shut the door with his foot. Our tongues twirled together and he pulled back.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked frowning. His eyes looked sad but I didn’t understand.

  “Nothing, it’s just….don’t want to get too carried away.” I smiled.

  “You’re right,” I leaned up and touched my lips to his ear. “We always have later.” I heard him swallow and I smiled as I looked back at him.

  “I made supper,” he said. His voice was hoarse. I grinned.

  “Come on!”

  We ate in silence, across from each other. His parents were out for the weekend, as always, so we had the house to ourselves except for the maid who was cleaning upstairs. His parents were rich, so he always got what he wanted. He looked a little nervous and I just grinned to myself, hoping he was nervous for the same reason I was. Finally Grant put his fork down and looked at me.

  “Um, Lidia, can we go into the living room to talk?” I curiously wiped my mouth and stood up. We walked into the big living room and he sat down on the sofa first. I sat down beside him and looked at him, feeling a little worried.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. He looked away from my eyes and took my hand.

  “Ollie,” he said, looking up at me and calling me by my nickname. My heart gave a quick thud. I loved it when he called me that! It was so cute! “You know that we have been dating for a year now, right?” I nodded and smiled.

  “And I loved every minute of it!” I exclaimed. Why did this conversation seem as if something bad was about to happen?

  “Yes, I did too,” he said nodding. “But….”

  “But, what?” I asked quickly. He looked at me with sad eyes.

  “Ollie, I think it’s time we break up.”

  Jack

  Kendra had called and asked if I could come over. Her sister was at work. I grinned to myself because we always made out on the sofa or on her bed when her sister was not home. Of course I wanted more, but Kendra didn’t want to, so I never pushed. She was a great girlfriend, but sometimes I thought we didn’t click so much; and she was always talking about herself. I guess that’s what I get for dating a cheerleader. I walked down the street to her house which wasn’t far from my own. I would have driven but the last time I did, Kendra’s sister came in and practically screamed her head off when she found me hiding in Kendra’s closet. So this time, if she came home early, I could hide without her finding out that I was even there. Kendra’s sister didn’t like me very much and I wondered why. I was an awesome guy!

  On the way to Kendra’s house, while deep in thought, I bumped into someone, only to find out that it was Lidia. She jumped and looked at me, her green eyes sparkling in the sun. “Jack!” she said, looking quite annoyed. See, what I didn’t like about Lidia was that she didn’t like me. I mean every girl loved me! But I couldn’t woo her; which was probably why I was so attracted to her. She had a great ass too! “Well it’s good to see you, too, Princess!” I said with a smirk. I gave her that name because she hated it and I loved to tease her! It became a hobby. She looked kind of sexy as she glared at me, her blonde hair falling in ringlets around her face. Kendra was my girlfriend, but I could look and flirt as much as I wanted. I just couldn’t touch.

  “What’re you doing here?” she growled. She looked pretty hot in a pair of dark jeans and a light blue top. I pointed to Kendra’s house next to Grant’s.

  “Going to see my girlfriend. She wanted to talk to me. Is that okay, Lidia?”

  “You better not hurt my best friend, Jack, or else you’re dead meat,” she threatened. I smirked again just to tease her. She and Kendra were pretty close.

  “No problem, Princess!” I slapped her shoulder like I would to my guy friends. She was pretty tall for a girl so I didn’t have to reach down or anything. She rolled her eyes.

  “Ass,” she muttered. I smirked as she turned away to leave and I watched her butt swing as she walked off. I bit my lip. Nah, Kendra’s better, I thought as I walked up the steps of Kendra’s house. I knocked twice before she opened the door. She was wearing a short skirt and a low cut T-shirt and she wore her black hair long and straight.

  “Ah, already dressed for the occasion,” I said, looking her over. I walked in and shut the door. I grabbed her waist as she smirked, then pulled her against me and kissed her. She seemed distracted as I put my hand under her shirt wanting to get it off a little.

  “Jack,” she said and pulled back. I looked at her. “Um, actually, I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said. I was puzzled.

  “OK? But can it wait till after I’m done?” I said kissing her neck. She took a deep breath and shook her head, pushing me away from her.

  “Come on,” she said, dragging me inside the house.

  “Oh, yeah, the sofa’s much better!” I said as she guided me to the chair.

  “No, no. We need to talk,” she said seriously. I looked into her eyes and suddenly I was worried.

  “What’s this about, Kendra?” I demanded. She sat down on a white chair and looked at me.

  “Jack, I really like y
ou..but...,” she looked down and pushed back her hair. Great. I knew where she was going with this. “I’m breaking up with you.”

  Damn I hated those words!

  Chapter 2

  Lidia

  I couldn’t remember what happened next. I recalled throwing the ring he had given me, slapping him and screaming at him that he just had to break up with me on my birthday. The bastard just shrugged! I stormed out of the house, rage engraved on my face. I had to talk to my best friend! Tears were already forming in my eyes as I stomped my feet over the front porch of her house. Before I could do anything, the door flew open and Jack, his face red and his blue eyes blazing, stomped past me and I frowned in bewilderment.

  "Jack!" Kendra yelled but stopped when she saw me. She looked like chaos.

  "Oh Kendra!" I whispered. She looked at my eyes and her face became saddened. "He broke up with me," I choked. She embraced me but didn't look surprised. I cried on her shoulder. "I-I-I don't know what I did wrong.”

  She rubbed my back not saying a word. “I mean, I was thinking we had really been in love. What changed his mind?” I wiped my nose and Kendra retreated. Her face was guilty.

  "Olli, listen..," she looked away, her eyes glistening with tears.

  “What?” I asked. She looked up at me.

  “Grant broke up with you because….because we wanted to be together.” I was speechless. My mouth wouldn’t move, my legs became jelly. “Ollie?” she asked looking concerned. I looked past her. How long had they liked each other? How long had he been cheating on me? I knew she didn’t say it…but I realized then, that he was always going home early… getting off work late...not coming over on Friday nights when Kendra’s sister was out….it all made sense. “Lidia?” Kendra whispered. “I’m so, so, so sorry. It just happened! I didn’t mean to hurt you. It...it’s complicated.” My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Ollie?” she asked. I turned on the step and walked down the stairs. “Lidia!” she called. I ignored her and started running down the walkway, tears streaming down my cheeks. I finally ran to my favorite place which was overgrown with vines and trash. My swing set was still there with vines creeping on it and the rust falling off with just one touch. Two swings were all that were left of the swing set. Beside it there was a slide and a wooden seesaw. I opened the gate, walked in, sat in my swing and rocked back and forth; the breeze blowing my hair back.

  “Oh…sorry,” I looked up to the corner of the park and saw Jack coming in. I stared at him for a while and he looked up. Something turned in my stomach but I ignored it. Instead I snorted.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ve already lost all my dignity.” I said wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. He smiled but his eyes weren’t happy. “You can come in I don’t care,” I said and started to swing lightly. He climbed up the steps and sat at the top of the slide. “You know it’s not safe up there,” I said not really caring. He looked down at me with a smug look.

  “Doesn’t matter now, does it?” he asked, clearly tired. I looked away from his eyes and down on the ground.

  “Grant broke up with me,” I whispered not sure if he heard me. Jack sighed.

  “Kendra broke up with me.”

  I glanced up at him. He was looking at the darkening sky with a sad look. Wow, that was the first time I actually saw him without a grin or smug look. It actually made me sad to see him like that. Ugh! Get some backbone girl! He doesn’t care how you’re feeling.

  “I might hate you but I don’t have anyone else to talk to,” I said quietly. I could see him nod. “What makes me feel even more pathetic is that he and Kendra were seeing each other for, hell, I don’t know how long!” I said with a cold laugh. Jack looked down at me, his eyes wide and his teeth clenched.

  “Bitch!” he yelled. I flinched slightly.

  “She didn’t tell you?” I asked stopping my swing. He looked back down at me.

  “No! She told me she was breaking up with me. But she didn’t tell me she was with Grant! Bitch!” he yelled again. I smirked.

  “She didn’t say but…now I remember all the times Grant cancelled...because he was seeing her.” Jack looked at me. He actually seemed kind.

  “Yeah, I see it too. She would kick me out early on Fridays saying her sister was coming home...but then she would call later that night saying her sister didn’t come home till midnight...I can’t believe she would do that!” He looked disgusted. “I mean, no offense, but I look so much better then Grant!” I had just started to nod my head, but then I stopped and glared at him.

  “Hey! You jerk! You’re not that good looking!” I said, standing up. He smirked down at me.

  “Besides you, Taylor, everyone likes me.” He gave me a wink and jumped off the slide. He liked calling me by my last name, Taylor. I shook my head.

  “That’s because I have more brains then the bimbos that like you.” He stopped and glanced at me with his eyes narrowed. It was my turn to smirk. He looked away and sighed.

  “I never cheated on Kendra. I could never do that to her,” he said quietly. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly.

  “I guess that’s what I get,” I whispered near tears again.

  “What?” Jack asked.

  “I failed my last history course and bribed Mr. Barns to give me a D.” Jack looked at me his eyebrow going up. Finally, he burst out laughing. I frowned.

  “What?” I demanded and walked over to him. He was in tears (of laughter, of course) as he looked at me while holding his stomach.

  “Wow, Lidia!” he said straightening up. “What’s so funny? Dude, my parents would have killed me if they knew!” I said defensively. His lips quivered.

  “I’m sorry, but seriously, if you think this is what you get for bribing Mr. Barns, I don’t know what’s in store for me!”

  “Probably jail,” I grinned. He stopped laughing and glared at me.

  “Cry, baby,” I joked.

  “Pansy,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Touché,” I smirked but sighed. I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I better go,” I said. He nodded and suddenly it was quiet. I looked up at him and bit at my lip. He was looking at me. His eyes were different. Softer? Kinder? His eyes seemed to gleam in the dusk to dawn light above the small park. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said quickly. He nodded and looked away looking a little red. Red?

  “Bye.”

  I went past him and out of the park. I closed the small gate and realized that my heart had been pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath. Jack was okay today but I still hated his guts. I walked home alone in the dark.

  Jack

  I walked home late that night, feeling depressed. I hated Kendra right now. She was such a cold-hearted bitch! I didn’t know what I actually saw in her! Oh wait, yeah I do. Great boobs and great ass! But I have to say that Lidia has a better one. Even if she doesn’t try to show it with the baggy jeans.

  I walked into my house after opening all the locks. I closed them all and went to my room. My mom was home watching TV in the living room with a box of ice cream. “Oh, hey, honey!” she said, her voice hyper.

  “Hi,” I mumbled and went into my small room. It had a double bed, a dresser and a desk full of junk. I never used it. I hated school. I couldn’t wait to get out! Which would thankfully be next year.

  “Honey, is something wrong?” my mom asked, standing by my door. She was a petite woman with dark blonde hair and blue eyes like mine. She was always going on dates. She really was a great mom.

  “Yeah, um, Kendra broke up with me.” I scratched the back of my neck, avoiding her gaze.

  “Aw, honey,” she said and put the box of ice cream on my desk to come over and give me a hug. I wrapped my arms around her small frame and sighed. I knew if Lidia saw this she would die laughing. I loved my mom more than anything in the world. Since my dad left when I was 10, I’ve had to take care of her. She pulled back. “Don’t worry, baby. There are more fishes in the sea. And with your mommy’s good looks,
you’ve already got a hundred lined up!” That made me laugh.

  “Thanks, mom. It’s just that..she..she cheated on me,” I said. She gasped.

  “Kendra? The good girl? Oh my gosh! She never seemed the type to me.” I shrugged.

  “I just wish I could get back at her. She really hurt me.” Mom sighed and slapped my shoulder.

  “You don’t need to baby. Just find another girl you like and go out with her. She’ll get jealous and run back to you. Don’t worry!” She walked out humming a song. I frowned at the pile of clothes in the corner. Find another girl and make her jealous. Um, sounds like a good idea to me. But I don’t like any of those dumb girls at school. I need to find a girl that is going to kill Kendra when she sees me with her. Someone who will go with it and won’t get attached to me. That will just be in it to get back at her…then it hit me and I grinned so wide my jaws hurt.

  “Lidia!” I said out loud. Perfect! She and I could pretend to be together and do stuff to make Kendra come back to me! It’s a perfect plan! But will Lidia agree to it? I licked my lips in wonder. She would be fun to kiss and just to see the look on Kendra’s face…priceless!

  I’d do anything to get Lidia to do it. “Hey, Mom?” I called.

  “Yeah?” she asked.

  “What’s with the ice cream?” I heard her giggle. “New guy?” I asked.

  “Yep!” she sounded like a little girl again.

  Chapter 3

  Lidia

  I woke up that morning to find black makeup smeared under my eyes and my eyes red and puffy. Ugh, I hated break ups! Even though this was my second one. The first time it wasn’t bad ‘because we’d only been dating a month.

  I got in the shower and threw on a pair of loose jeans and a red and black shirt afterwards. I slipped on a pair of sandals and walked out the door with a piece of toast in my mouth and hopped into my black jeep. I hadn’t seen my parents in about two days. They’d gone to Ireland for a little getaway, as they usually did. I didn’t mind, it’s just that things usually got a little lonely at the house. But when Grant and I were together it was perfectly okay with me because we wanted to be left alone. I sniffed. Don’t cry! Do not cry! I commanded myself. I turned on the radio and pulled into the school’s parking lot. I took a deep breath and got out.