"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Miss Theresa. We've confirmed from your parents. Here, have your drugs back." The principal hand my pills over to me.
I grab my pills. " Thank you ma'am
I leave the principal's office and walk to my locker to pack my things. I requested for a new locker or a locker change and I got a new locker while Charlotte I going to get a new locker partner.
"Theresa please can we talk?" Charlotte calls out to me.
I face her. "Talk? Oh so now you know what talking mean. Maybe that's what you should have done with me before telling the whole school that I'm a drug addict. Stay away from me please."
"I'm sorry but I had to do it. Maddie was going to tell everyone that I got expelled from my previous school if I didn't do something to embarrass you. I'm sorry I didn't have a choice."
I am left utterly shocked by the reason she did what she did to me. I laugh. "Wow. You had a choice. Just leave me alone please." I walk out on her.
I reached my locker and packed out my stuffs to take to my new locker. On my way, I bump into Jason in the hallway.
"Shit. Sorry" he says.
"Are our conversations always going to start with 'sorry'?" I ask and we both laugh.
Jason places his hand on my shoulder. "How are you doing though?"
"I'm good and yeah, I really don't want you to think I'm crazy." I say.
"What? Why'd I think that?"
"I interrupted you hitting on Charlotte the other day and screamed at her while crying. I probably looked ugly" I say.
"I don't know what really happened but with the Little I know, you had the right to be angry and I wasn't hitting on her. She's my cousin." He smiles. "And you're beautiful."
His cousin? Shit.
"Wow. Well, bye. See you..whenever we see again." I say taking steps away from Jason.
"We're cousins that doesn't mean I support what she did and I really don't like her. I was just asking her to give me a ride home because my car broke down." Jason tries to make me stay. Why? What does it matter to him if we're friends or not?
"Okay no problem. Really. I just gotta go keep my stuffs in my locker before the bell rings." I say and wave Jason goodbye.
He raises his two index finger and points them at each other. What does that even mean?
*
*
*
--
"Hey, can I sit with you?" Jason asks in the cafeteria.
"Yes please. I need someone to talk to. Eating alone is boring." I say.
"Sure." He takes his seat. "You haven't even touched your food yet. You good?"
"Yes I'm fine." I take a bite of my food. "So tell me, what did that finger thing you did, mean?"
"Funny story. I met a dude when I was in 6th grade at the park. We became best friends and we would always meet at the park every weekend. We got so close and we created our own form of " bye." Instead of waving, we'd each join our index fingers together, meaning; 'we'll meet again.' We were inseparable." Jason says.
"Were?" I ask.
"He died." Jason says and takes a bite of his food.
"Woah. I'm sorry about that."
"It's okay. I'm trying to move on."
I place my hand on Jason's hand. "Everything will be alright."
Jason and I talked through lunch break and it was 3 minutes till the next period.
"Lunch break is almost over. I have to use the bathroom." I say and leave the table.
I run into the bathroom and pull my shirt up and place my hands on my tummy. I kneel in front of the toilet and insert my finger deep into my throat the I start to throw up. I just want to be slim and sexy.
We never really have the power to control ourselves. Especially when we've been through too much shit, we just let other people's thought define us because we feel incapable of making decisions.
*
*
*
---
After the last bell rung, I walk out of the school to wait for my bus home and I see Katelyn outside my school with her car.
She raises her hand from a distance. "Over here, Theresa!"
I run to her. "What are you doing here?" I ask.
"The question should be where are we going?" She winks. "Get innnn!!!!"
I open the door and enter the car.
"Where are you taking me to?" I ask, still wondering.
"We are going to...." Katelyn says to build suspense.
"To where?" I ask.
"We're going to a fair." Katelyn says.
She always knows the right thing to do and say and the right play to take me to.
"Yayyyy!!!" I scream then suddenly I remember there's no fair in our city today. "Where exactly is the fair carnival?" I ask.
"It's in Glendale and we're going to have the time of our lives. Can I get a woo-hoo?!" Katelyn says
"Woo-hooo!!!!" We both scream as Katelyn drives fast.
*
*
*
--
We arrived there in 40 minutes and the place is amazing. It's beautiful. It's what I've always wanted. Just me and someone I love in a place like this, having fun without a care in the world.
"Yo, let's get some ice creams. Mint flavour." Katelyn says, pulling me to the ice creams stand.
"Firstly, mint flavour is horrible and I don't really want to eat anything now." I say.
"Okay then, I'll just lick the ice cream alone."
Katelyn licks her ice cream then we go an the roller coaster and take a lot of selfies. Katelyn is beautiful. We then went ahead to do more fun stuffs and she won a teddy bear for me! It's really cute.
"I'm hungry again, let's have snacks" Katelyn says.
"No, I'm good."
"Are you sure? We've been hear for 2 hours and you barely ate anything." Katelyn says.
"Yeah it's just that I had a lot to eat for lunch in school so I don't have appetite." I say.
Katelyn pulls me. "Okay ma'am. We should probably leave now. There might be traffic jam later and we won't get home in time."
"Okay then. Let's go." I say then I turn around and see a photo booth "Wait!! Let's take some pictures in the booth."
Katelyn and I go into the booth and take a whole lot of pictures and we split the pictures into two for each of us to have.
*
*
--
We finally arrive at my house. I come out of the car and wave Katelyn goodbye.
Katelyn comes out of her car. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight?" She asks. "I kind of feel alone at home"
"Of course you can and it's going to be super fun!" I say
We both walk into the house and I see my mom and dad in the living room with a woman. The woman looks like she's in her early 30's.
"Good evening Mr. Charlot and Mrs. Charlot." Katelyn says.
"Hey mom, hey dad. Katelyn will be staying over tonight. Goodnight" I say without waiting for their reply and I head upstairs with Katelyn.
"Wait honey" my mom commands. "We want you to meet Miss. Celine"
I turn around and give the woman a handshake. "Good evening."
"She's your real mom." My mom drops the bomb.
I turn and look at my mom. I'm perplexed at the moment. I can't comprehend what's going on. Sophia is looking at me with tears in her eyes. Katelyn is standing next to me looking confused. What is going on?