Our Love

by Sheena Binkley

  I sighed as I rapidly left the room. I had to leave this place before I was actually arrested for assault. I didn't know what else today would bring, but whatever it was, I didn't want to stay and find out. As I was walking toward the exit, I noticed Michael walking in with Chris. I didn't know whether to hold my head high and walk pass him like I didn't know him, or be a coward and walk the other way. I chose my first choice and started to walk past him with my head held high. As I walked toward them, I knew Michael was looking at me. I turned my head toward him and gave him a sad look. But based from his expression, if looks could kill, I would be lying on the floor in an instant. He cut his eyes at me and continued to walk down the hall as if I was nothing to him.

  As I watched Michael walking, I realized that coming to school was a huge mistake. I needed to go back to where I belonged. I'm not supposed to be at Parker, but at this point, I didn't even care. At least I knew they wouldn't shun me like everyone at Belmont was doing.

  As I was going to my car, I noticed some type of writing plastered on the hood. As I walked closer to the hood, I realized that someone had spray painted the word criminal all over my beautiful car. As tears started to pour from my eyes, I suddenly realized how cruel people could be. It didn't matter if the accusations about me were just that, people were always going to look at me as the girl who came to Belmont with criminal charges and the one who broke Mr. All-American's heart. After a few moments of trying to piece together the recent events that happened in my life, all the hurt and anger that I kept inside of me finally started to release out of me.

  "Who did this to my car?" I yelled.

  Several people who were still in the parking lot, stopped what they were doing and looked at me with probing looks.

  "I said who the hell did this to my car!"

  Everyone looked at me for a quick second and continued to go back to what they were doing.

  I started to laugh at the lack of attention I was receiving from everybody as I opened my car door and got into the driver's side. Before I did, I looked around at the people walking to class or standing by their cars talking to each other. Just watching the scene unfold in front of me made me think about what I tried to be after walking through the halls of Belmont for the first time. I didn't know it then, but I tried to fit into a scene that I knew I could never be a part of. I wasn't the popular girl that I was when I attended Parker, and the only reason I was for a brief second was because of Michael.

  Before I could catch myself, I started to lash out my frustration to anyone that would listen.

  "Why do I even bother asking about my car? It not like anyone would tell me anyway. It seems like no matter what I do, you people still look at me as if I'm some sort of alien. I'm sick and tired of trying to fit in with this school and with you people. Sure, I transferred here because of an incident from my other school, and sure, I lied to Michael Collier about my relationship with my ex, but what everyone failed to realize is that I'm human and I tend to make mistakes.

  "When everyone found out about Michael's misdeeds, no one jumped to conclusions about him and what he'd done; but as soon as I do something wrong, everyone want to burn me at the stake. But of course no one is going to turn their backs on Michael Collier. Oh no, because Michael is Mr. All-American. He can't do anything wrong. I have learned one thing from this horrible experience, and that is to be true to myself. At first, I didn't want to come to school because I didn't know how people would act toward me, but now, I don't care. I don't need to kiss up to anyone and am certainly not going to. In other words, if no one likes me, then I don't give a damn, because I'm not here to impress anyone."

  After I made my impromptu speech, several people looked and nodded their heads in agreement, while others looked at me with smirks on their faces. But the one person I didn't expect to see standing outside was Michael. He looked at me with so much compassion; I thought that maybe he had a place in his heart to forgive me. But instead of coming over to me, he turned around and went back into the building. I sighed and got into my car. I knew I shouldn't run away from my problems, but everyone is entitled to get away from their problems just once in their lives. And that was what I intended on doing.

  After several minutes of soul searching, I finally arrived at Parker High School with a boost of confidence. I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Not only did I feel relaxed, but safe as well. As I parked in the visitor's parking lot, I discreetly got out of the driver's seat and carefully walked away from my car. Hopefully Mr. McCue doesn't catch me walking anywhere on the property, because if he did, I could be arrested. As I was heading toward the student's parking lot, a felt a hand come across my waist and pulled me to the nearest building. Before I could scream, the same hand that grabbed me put his hand across my mouth.

  "AHH," I muttered into the person's hand.

  "It's me Char."

  I looked up and noticed it was Derrick standing beside me.

  "What are you doing?" I asked as I threw my arms up to push him away.

  "I should be asking you the same thing. I thought you were banned from here."

  "I am, sort of. I was having such a bad morning at school, I decided to take my chances and come here."

  "You know if Mr. McCue sees you, he might call the police."

  "I know Derrick, but I don't care. I just wanted to come back," I said as I started to walk slowly away from Derrick.

  Derrick started to walk behind me. When he finally caught up to me, he looked me straight in the eyes and wrapped his arms around me. When Derrick started to hug me, I felt like I could finally be myself again. And right then, I couldn't put up the brave act I'd been pursuing all morning.

  Derrick looked at me and smiled.

  "Let's get out of here."

  I nodded my head and smiled.

  Derrick looked at me as he grabbed my hand. We ran toward his car and hopped in before anyone could see us. While Derrick was pulling out of the parking lot, all the memories of Derrick and I were starting to become clear in my mind. I knew I could get through anything. And just being with Derrick, I knew everything was going to be okay.

  Michael

  After watching Charlie make a fool out of herself in front of half the student body, I realized that maybe she was on point about one thing. In high school, everyone tries to make an identity for themselves, no matter if it is good or bad. From the look she gave me in the parking lot, I could tell she was sincere about her speech and for what happened between us. To be honest, I think I could find it in my heart to forgive her, but I knew it going to take a lot of time to get to that step.

  As I stepped back into Belmont, I noticed several people were looking at me as if I was on my last day of life. The guys looked at me with expressions of pity, while the girls were looking at me with concerned smiles on their faces. That's only because I'm back on the dating market and they were trying to figure out if they would be the next to pursue me. I shook my head at the desperate attempts the girls were making as I continued down the hallway. As I was walking, I looked over at Ms. Waters' English class and saw Brandy standing out by the doorway. I looked at Brandy and rolled my eyes.

  "Michael, can we please talk," Brandy said quickly.

  "About what? You said all you had to say at the party," I said as I started to walk again.

  "No, I didn't," Brandy said as she started to follow me.

  "I really think we need to straighten things out."

  "Like what Brandy! What else can we possibly talk about? You lied to me about Steve and then you told me you still love me."

  "I know I shouldn't have thrown that on you like that, but I had to get everything out in the open. I was tired of keeping my feelings for you a secret. I couldn't deny that to you or to myself."

  "Well you chose a good time to express your feelings, didn't you?"

  "I know it was bad timing. I know you're still hurting over Charlie."

  "Don't mention her name," I said angrily.

&nbs
p; "Sorry. I know what she did to you was terrible, but just think about the good things that happened that night. You found out you have a son."

  I looked at Brandy and started to laugh.

  "Are you on something Brandy? How can I be happy after you deliberately lied to me about Steve? In my opinion, you're just as bad as Charlie."

  Brandy looked startled by my outburst, as she started to take deep breaths.

  "I never meant to hurt you, Michael," she said softly.

  "It's a little late for that, isn't it?" I asked as I turned my back on Brandy. As I walked off, I realized that I couldn't deal with another person lying to me. I needed to get away like Charlie did, but I knew I couldn't run away from my problems. I had to see them head on. But right then, I needed a drink. As I was walking to class, I was looking into my backpack for my keys; I bumped into someone, causing the other person to lose her balance.

  "Watch where you going!" the girl said.

  I looked at the girl and realized it was Danielle.

  "Sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention," I said.

  Danielle looked at me and smiled.

  "I'm sorry I snapped at you. How are you?"

  "Better than ever,"

  "Don't play with me Mike. I know you too well."

  "You do, don't you?"

  "Yeah, I do."

  I know Danielle is not one of my favorite people, but at that moment, she was the only person I could trust. Besides, she was the one who kind of knew about Charlie and her misdeeds.

  "You want to go somewhere with me?"

  "Michael, first period is about to start."

  "That never stopped you before. You want to or not?"

  Danielle looked at me with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. She smiled and grabbed my hand.

  "Let's go."

  As we went toward the double doors, I knew what I was doing was wrong. At one point Danielle was my worst enemy, but as I looked at her pretty face and her gorgeous blue eyes, I couldn't resist the feelings that I had for her while we were together. Maybe I was confused, but maybe Danielle was the person that would help me get over my broken heart.

  Charlie

  Being with Derrick at this moment was the medicine I needed. Not only has he made me laugh the whole time we were together, but he made me forget about the horrible morning I had. Almost anyway. As we were sitting at the park near Parker overlooking the beautiful lake nearby, I looked over at Derrick who was eating a taco. He looked over at me with a bit of sour cream on his lip. I started to laugh at how cute Derrick looked.

  "What's so funny?" he asked.

  "You have some sour cream on your lip," I said as I took a paper napkin and put it against his lips. As I was wiping the sauce from Derrick's lips, Derrick took my hand and pulled it to his cheek. I looked at Derrick and gave him a tiny smile.

  "Derrick, don't."

  Derrick nodded his head and put my hand on my thigh.

  "Listen, I'm not trying to start up anything. I know you're going through a tough breakup with Michael and you want to take some time to think."

  "Yeah, I do."

  "But before you had the fight with Michael, you and I were talking about us and rekindling our relationship. I know you're going through a tough situation right now, but I need to know where things stand between us."

  "Why are you asking me that? You know I'm not thinking about that right now."

  "You were going to break up with Michael anyway, so what's the problem?"

  I looked at Derrick and sighed.

  "Or were you?" Derrick asked quietly.

  "Derrick, everything happened so quickly. I can't make that decision right now, especially after everything with Michael."

  "Why are you avoiding the question, Char? Why can't you tell me if you were going to end things with Michael? Or were you going to string us both along?"

  "I didn't think you were asking a question."

  "Well I am. Char, I understand if you need time to think things through, but I need to know if there will be an 'us' in the future. Char, I love you and I made a huge mistake by letting you go. But this time I'm not going to let you go. Not now, not ever."

  I looked at Derrick as I got up from the blanket covering the soft green grass, and went over to the sidewalk by the lake. Derrick got up and came up behind me. He put his arms around me and smiled.

  "I'm putting you in a tough situation."

  "Yeah, you are. Derrick, you know I care about you. But don't you think it would be soon for us to pursue any kind of relationship? I mean, after what happened with Michael."

  "Charlie, you don't have to listen to me about what you should do with your life, but I know in your heart that you want us to be together. I was the first person you came to, to feel safe again."

  "Technically I came back to Parker. You just found me."

  "True, but I knew you were coming to see me."

  "Oh, aren't you cocky, Mr. Marberry?"

  "Well I tried to see the other side of things."

  I nodded my head as I took another bite of my taco.

  "I can't believe those snotty people vandalized your car. I really think I should go over and get this situation straightened out."

  "How are you going to straighten it out? Beat up some people until you find the person who did it?"

  "If that what it takes,"

  "Derrick, don't. Just let it go. I can go to the body shop tomorrow and get it redone. It's fine."

  "I wish it was something I could do. I hate seeing you like this. You wouldn't be going through this if it wasn't for me and Theresa. You would have still been at Parker enjoying your senior year with your friends. Instead, you probably wish this year would hurry up so you can move on with your life."

  I smiled as I put my hand on top of Derrick's hand.

  "It not your fault; in fact it's no one's fault. The fight and the transfer was an unfortunate event that occurred. Just like what happened with Michael. Out of all this, I realized that life is not always going to be an easy road. There's going to be some bumps. That's what makes a person stronger. In other words Derrick, don't worry about me. I'm going to be alright."Derrick smiled. "I know you are. That's one thing I have to admit about you, Char, you're a strong woman. You can get through any situation, no matter how big or small it may be."

  "I know. Well enough about me and my drama. I know the prom is coming up in a few weeks. Tell me Mr. Marberry, who's the lucky woman that's going to be draped over your arm on the most special night of a teenager's life?" I asked in a playful tone.

  Derrick looked at me with a hesitant look on his face. I stopped smiling and realized what Derrick was about to say.

  "I was hoping it would be you," He said in a serious tone.

  I looked at Derrick and sighed. I didn't know what to say. I don't know if I should go with Derrick to Parker's prom. Even the kids at Parker probably know about Michael and me. It was just too soon to be going out with someone else, even if it is with Derrick.

  "Derrick, how will I go to Parker's prom if I can't even be seen on school property?"

  "The prom is held off school property, so I'm sure you will be fine. If not, then we'll work something out for you to go. I feel I owe it to you since it was my fault that you transferred."

  "I didn't say that Derrick."

  "I know, but I feel partly responsible for what happened between you and Theresa. So, please let me do this for you. Besides, it will be fun. You can be with your friends and have a good time. What's wrong with that?"

  "It just that Parker and Belmont's proms are on the same night. I was planning on going to my own prom, even if the whole school hates me."

  "Why do you want to put yourself through that? Belmont is your school and you have every right to go to your prom, but why do you want to go through the agony and ridicule that people are going to throw at you?"

  "I'm not going to miss my prom because some people are going to throw stones at me! Even though the rest of my senior year is
going to be hell, I don't care because I'm going to make the best of it. If people are going to hate me for being human, then it's cool because I don't need to be around those type of people anyway. I can't let anyone bring me down because of one simple mistake. I have to show those people that I'm not backing down for anything or anyone."

  "What's really going on with you Char? At one point, you didn't give a damn about what anyone said to you. You never had to prove to anyone who you were."

  "What are you trying to say? That I changed into this girl who only cares about gossip and hearsay? Derrick, for the next two months, my life is going to be on the line because people can't get over the fact that I broke Michael Collier's heart and because I came to Belmont because of impending charges. No matter what people have done at that school, I have to prove myself a hundred times more because I was and always will be the new girl. Instead of me enjoying the last few weeks of high school, I'm going to be miserable because of something I've done that I can't change."

  "Charlie, you have to stop blaming yourself over the situation with Michael. Besides, didn't you say a few minutes ago that it wasn't anyone fault?"

  "Yeah, I did say that," I said softly.

  "So don't start blaming yourself for this."

  "Fine,"

  "So, what do you say about you and me going to the prom?"

  "I don't know, Derrick..."

  "If it makes you feel better, I will even go to Belmont's prom. It will be like a friend helping a friend out. Kind of like an even exchange."

  I smiled. "You know we're more than just friends."

  "I know, but I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do. Instead of looking at the prom as a date, we could just have a night out with friends. We could get everyone together and rent a limo, have a pre-prom party, go to the prom and have some fun. We could even go out to Galveston afterwards. So what you say? You can't back out of a good deal like this one."

  I started to laugh at the last comment. Derrick was right. I couldn't back down from that tempting offer. It would be fun to hang out with my friends and have a good time. I think I needed to have a night to get my mind off of things.