please go to bed, and don’t expect to have any plans
this weekend.”
I had
figured as much.
***
With no
phone and being grounded from leaving the house, the rest of the
weekend passed by without incident, other than Shane stopping by to
return my phone. I was on the couch, elevating my foot to ease the
swelling, when Mom opened the door.
I
couldn’t hear the conversation, but whatever murmured exchange took
place was short and to the point. Mom passed by the living room
with my phone in her hands. I eyed the phone before checking Mom’s
expression.
“ Don’t even think about it,” she reprimanded as she kept
walking.
With my
phone locked away, I didn’t have a chance to talk to Tara or Shane
until Monday morning. My phone seemed heavier in my hands when I
saw the bombardment of new text messages, mostly from Tara and a
few from Shane. Tara’s were a stream of apologies that had been
sent throughout the weekend. Shane apologized for how the evening
played out, though he didn’t make a big deal about it. Barely
making it to school on time, I jumped out of my car and hurried to
class without a chance to talk with either of them.
The
rumors were back. I could feel it. With all the experience I
acquired since the beginning of the school year, my peripheral
vision had a knack for picking up on the questionable looks from
other students. As I stepped into my first period class, a spray of
whispering showered the room—only pausing when my eyes caught the
murmuring culprits looking back at me. I could barely focus on what
my English teacher was saying. Instead, an anxious weight in my
chest made me feel self-conscious and uncertain. People were
talking about me again, and I was sure it had something to do with
the weekend incident.
I found
Taylor after my English class, assuming she would know if anything
was going on. She liked keeping up with the latest happenings at
school.
“ So did you hear what happened to you this weekend?” she
asked, her eyes wide in exaggeration. She grinned when I rolled my
eyes.
“ Just get it over with. What’s everyone saying about me this
time?” I asked.
“ Well, it’s more exciting than what really happened,” Taylor said,
clipping her locker shut.
“ It always is,” I said with a shake of my head. “Just tell
me.”
“ Ok, but you’re going to be mad.” At my impatient gesture, she
continued. “The rumor going around is that you cheated on Shane
with some random guy who doesn’t go to our school—”
“ Of course,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
“And?”
“ And then the cops arrested you for drinking, and you spent
the night in jail.”
I threw
my head back in frustration. “Ugh! Why does anyone believe this?” I
was really getting sick of high school.
Taylor walked with me. “It doesn’t matter if it’s
believable—if it’s fun to assume it’s true, then that’s more entertaining to talk
about than the truth.” I frowned at her words, knowing she had a
point. The trend of drama-filled reality shows, with ratings
skyrocketing when an episode was fueled with deceit and betrayal,
were evidence of that fact.
“ I have to say, graduating high school and leaving all this
behind is looking more appealing every day.”
“ That’s mean,” Taylor said. “What about Leah and
me?”
“ Well, of course, I’ll miss you guys,” I smiled, “even if
you are overly
boy crazy.”
Taylor
shrugged, not the least bit concerned about my opinion. “You’re the
one with the boyfriend,” she countered. I was about to protest on
the matter, though I wasn’t entirely sure where I stood with Shane.
“And at least you still have basketball,” Taylor said with cheery
smile.
I
hesitated with my response and then settled for, “Yeah—I guess.”
Taylor’s eyebrows curved in confusion, or maybe disappointment…
Then something, or someone, of interest caught her attention. Just
as I turned my head, a pair of soft lips fixed on mine,
this weekend.”
I had
figured as much.
***
With no
phone and being grounded from leaving the house, the rest of the
weekend passed by without incident, other than Shane stopping by to
return my phone. I was on the couch, elevating my foot to ease the
swelling, when Mom opened the door.
I
couldn’t hear the conversation, but whatever murmured exchange took
place was short and to the point. Mom passed by the living room
with my phone in her hands. I eyed the phone before checking Mom’s
expression.
“ Don’t even think about it,” she reprimanded as she kept
walking.
With my
phone locked away, I didn’t have a chance to talk to Tara or Shane
until Monday morning. My phone seemed heavier in my hands when I
saw the bombardment of new text messages, mostly from Tara and a
few from Shane. Tara’s were a stream of apologies that had been
sent throughout the weekend. Shane apologized for how the evening
played out, though he didn’t make a big deal about it. Barely
making it to school on time, I jumped out of my car and hurried to
class without a chance to talk with either of them.
The
rumors were back. I could feel it. With all the experience I
acquired since the beginning of the school year, my peripheral
vision had a knack for picking up on the questionable looks from
other students. As I stepped into my first period class, a spray of
whispering showered the room—only pausing when my eyes caught the
murmuring culprits looking back at me. I could barely focus on what
my English teacher was saying. Instead, an anxious weight in my
chest made me feel self-conscious and uncertain. People were
talking about me again, and I was sure it had something to do with
the weekend incident.
I found
Taylor after my English class, assuming she would know if anything
was going on. She liked keeping up with the latest happenings at
school.
“ So did you hear what happened to you this weekend?” she
asked, her eyes wide in exaggeration. She grinned when I rolled my
eyes.
“ Just get it over with. What’s everyone saying about me this
time?” I asked.
“ Well, it’s more exciting than what really happened,” Taylor said,
clipping her locker shut.
“ It always is,” I said with a shake of my head. “Just tell
me.”
“ Ok, but you’re going to be mad.” At my impatient gesture, she
continued. “The rumor going around is that you cheated on Shane
with some random guy who doesn’t go to our school—”
“ Of course,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
“And?”
“ And then the cops arrested you for drinking, and you spent
the night in jail.”
I threw
my head back in frustration. “Ugh! Why does anyone believe this?” I
was really getting sick of high school.
Taylor walked with me. “It doesn’t matter if it’s
believable—if it’s fun to assume it’s true, then that’s more entertaining to talk
about than the truth.” I frowned at her words, knowing she had a
point. The trend of drama-filled reality shows, with ratings
skyrocketing when an episode was fueled with deceit and betrayal,
were evidence of that fact.
“ I have to say, graduating high school and leaving all this
behind is looking more appealing every day.”
“ That’s mean,” Taylor said. “What about Leah and
me?”
“ Well, of course, I’ll miss you guys,” I smiled, “even if
you are overly
boy crazy.”
Taylor
shrugged, not the least bit concerned about my opinion. “You’re the
one with the boyfriend,” she countered. I was about to protest on
the matter, though I wasn’t entirely sure where I stood with Shane.
“And at least you still have basketball,” Taylor said with cheery
smile.
I
hesitated with my response and then settled for, “Yeah—I guess.”
Taylor’s eyebrows curved in confusion, or maybe disappointment…
Then something, or someone, of interest caught her attention. Just
as I turned my head, a pair of soft lips fixed on mine,
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