“So Paul says he gave you guys a pretty tough final assignment” I hear my dad says over supper. I look up at him knowing that he is trying to fish. “Really… Oh Paul is so inquisitive with his assignments” My mother says and I know that she knows about it too. “What?” I say and put my fork down and look at them. “What what?” My father says and looks at my mother who suddenly preoccupied with her meal. “His name is James… James King” I say and they try to act normal like it wasn’t a big deal. “James King… why does that name sound so familiar” I hear my dad say as I start eating my food again. “Ah yes his captain of the seven’s rugby team and he plays first team for the main team right” He looks at me as if he expected me to know that which didn’t since I don’t know any jocks or watch any sport of that matter at all. “I don’t know” I say and continue eating. My mother looks at my father scolding, maybe he should have chosen different route instead of the jock route since my mother knows how I feel about the testosterone fools. “So what is the assignment” She asks as if she didn’t know. I look at her dumb founded. “We have to right a thousand word paper on Romeo and Juliet” I say and my mother looks at me and suddenly I see the alarm in her face. “But you hate Romeo and Juliet… You deliberately failed on that project back in high school because you hated the story” She says reminding me of what a terrible child I was. I roll my eyes. “Yes mother…”I say and she puts her fork down. “Annabelle… You can’t… This is not high school…” she starts and I sigh. I hate it that she suddenly acts like I was still a child. “Mother… For God sake… I know okay… I just need to find a way to wrap my head around it okay… I will do the assignment” I say and get up from the table. I suddenly lost my appetite. I walk up the stairs to my room. I look at the books lying on my desk and feel frustrated. Why was he being so difficult? Why did Harker have to give us this stupid play to write about? I walk around the room and pick up the book and pages through it. I sigh and then I hear my phone go off. It was Nicole.
So we decided that we will go with you… But if the party is boring within the first hour we out… I read her text and roll my eyes. I wish I could do the same with them with the festival coming up, sets some boundaries. But at least they were coming. I hear a knock on the door and see my mom peeping her head in.
“Can I come in?” She asks and waits for me to answer. I wave to her that it’s okay. She comes in and leaves the door open so I know this wasn’t going to be a long chat which I thank God for. I wasn’t really in the mood for her one of her lectures right now. “So why are you so upset about this assignment?” She asks and looks at the Romeo and Juliet book lying on my bed. I look at her and she looks serious. “You know if you need help you can always come and talk to me I’m here to help you Belle” She says and I see the urgency in her eyes. I feel stupid for reacting the way I had earlier. It wasn’t so much the assignment that bothered me but James… James fucking King. “He wants me to read it again…” I say and point to the book. I see my mother frown and she walks over to the bed picks up the book an sits down. “In fact he wants me to read it twice” I say and feel like laughing out loud. My mother narrows her eyes at me. “He says he had read it thrice and before we can start I have to read it another two times… so we can be on the same page” I say and sigh. I feel utterly desponded. “I mean I have read it… I didn’t like it… In fact I hated it!” I say out loud and let out a little argh. My mother looks at me eye brows raised. “What am I going to read another two times that is going to be different?” I say and look at her. She looks completely taken aback by the sudden question. “Well if you’re asking me… I think you should try and read it and if you don’t feel differently about it then talk to him… Maybe there is something he wants you to see or read… Don’t jump to conclusion just yet…” She says and looks at me optimistic. She gets up from the bed and hands me the book… “Just be honest with him… Ask him to help you see what he sees” She says and I look at her feeling confused.
“Hot chocolate?” She says and I smile at her. We walk down stairs together and I glance back at the book lying on my bed.
“Why do you look so serious” I hear Garett talking behind me. I see him and Nicole coming towards me and I put the book down. They come and sit down next to me. “Whoa… Romeo and Juliet” Nicole says as she taps the book with her fingers. “Heavy shit there…” Garett says with raised eye brows. “Yeah you guys have no idea” I say and roll my eyes as I look over the Red plain at everyone walking around. “It’s our final assignment for English…” I say as I see him standing in the centre of the plain talking to someone. “But you will get it… You’re like a little genius” Garett says and shrugs. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy…” Nicole looks at me questioning and I know that it’s now or never. “It’s a pair’s assignment… So I’m forced to work with a partner…” I say and she frowns. “And to top it all off… I hate this shit story… Romeo and Juliet is the worse story in the world ever written” I say and Garett starts to laugh… “Well I think it’s kind of romantic…” He says and I literally feel like I was going to be sick. Nicole laughs at the face I make and we all laugh together. “So who is your partner on this terrible assignment?” I hear the question while I search for him again through the crowds of people but he must have gone. “James King…” I sigh and roll my eyes. Nicole frowns and Garett’s mouth falls open. “James King from the restaurant the other night James King… Hotty blue eyed boy James King… James King abs for days rugby jock extraordinaire…” I feel annoyed at Garett start with his name calling. “YES YES YES… James fucking King… And he has me reading this fucking book for the third time…I really don’t know what it is he wants to prove but it isn’t working… It was a shit story back in eleventh grade and it’s still a shit story doesn’t matter how many times I read it” I say and get up. I throw my hands up in the air and rub hard across my forehead. I feel a headache coming on. I see Garett and Nicole look at me with wide eyes. “So his read the stupid book thrice and in order for us to do the assignment we need to be on the fucking same page… Like what the fuck could have changed in the last five hundred years” I say and sit back next to them. “If this wasn’t my final assignment I would have told Harker to kiss my ass… Like I told that bitch in high school… But I’m forced to do it…” I say and sigh. I feel discouraged and shake my head. “Wow… This is really serious. You’re like really upset about this” Garett says and I close my eyes for a second. “Why do you hate it so much?” I hear Nicole ask next to me. I think about for a second and give her the answer I have always given. “I don’t believe that they were really in love… There is no way a fourteen year old girl and an eighteen year old guy could fall in love get married and kill themselves in a space of four days… And this guy Romeo who was madly in love with another woman so much so that he was utterly depressed and down and out… To be manipulated by his cousin so easily that he falls in love with this girl at first sight…I mean how desperately love sick must you be” Nicole looks at me. “Now I regret I ever asked you…” She says and I sit down in despair. “I just don’t know how to do this” I say and Garett looks at me and smiles “I’ve got an idea… Why don’t you get him to do the paper…I mean if he wants to be a smart ass…” I hear the words come out of Garett’s mouth and shriek in horror. “And risk failing… No fucking way… Besides Harker will know if I didn’t take part in the assignment” I say and Garett sighs. “Well then you’re on your own girl… Look at the blue eyed boy and say… Romeo oh Romeo where for art thy Romeo” He says and burst out laughing. Nicole looks at him as he makes hand gestures and I roll my eyes. It does look kind of funny. “I know… I know…” I say and we all laugh as Garett starts giving us his rendition of Romeo and Juliet coloured style.
Later that evening I’m sitting at home reading the last few pages of the book and still I wasn’t feeling it. I sigh and look around to find some other way of going about this. I head up to my room and get in front of my laptop. Ma
ybe if I search on internet and read up some other papers that had been written on the play I can get some other insight into the story. I read a couple of stuff but I find myself disagreeing with everything I read and later I just became bored. “Supper is ready…” I hear my mother saying at the door. I feel hopeless.
“Is everything okay?” She asks and I sigh. “I’m not getting it mom… I’m trying really but I just can’t get it” She looks at me and sighs. “Well then you have to talk to him and tell him how you feel.” She says and lifts me off the bed. “Come let’s eat” She says and I smile at her.
It’s Friday and Garett and Nicole are on a different high. It’s like they completely lose their senses when its weekend. I say goodbye to them and walk to English class. I need to talk to James as soon as possible. I’ve been putting it off for the last two days but I know I need to just talk to him and hope that he understands.
I barely hear what Harker is saying and my stomach is twisting and turning. The last time I was face to face with James King he nearly man handled me and I really wasn’t in the mood for another one of those altercations. Finally Prof dismisses the class and I quickly start packing up my things. I see him getting ready to leave and I suddenly call out his name. It sounds foreign in my ears and I see the rest of the class looking in my direction as I say it. James stops and looks over at me. I feel the red creep up in my face and walk over to him quickly. “Can we talk?” I ask and he looks at me hard. His clearly still mad at me and my stomach starts turning again. Oh God this wasn’t going to be good. “Sure… I got a couple of minutes before my next class start” He says and I see his jaw twitch. I feel confused and don’t understand why he is so mad at me. We walk out of class together and I start rehearse my speech in my head. We get to a table along the street and then he stops abruptly. I almost stumble into him and feel stupid for not focusing on where we were walking. He looks annoyed and I feel hot under his stare. “So what is it you want to talk about…” he says and puts his bag down and sighs. I suddenly don’t know what to say and then I hear my mother’s voice. Just tell him the truth. “I don’t get it…I read it again twice and still don’t get it… It’s not speaking to me and I’ve tried believe me…I even read up other people’s papers on this play but I just can’t…” I see him picking up his bag getting ready to leave. “Wait… Listen to me please… Try and understand…” I say and he looks at me. “No Annabelle… You are so set in your ways that nothing is going to make you see something other than what you want to see… This is not going to work… I will talk to Professor Harker…” I feel the horror creep up inside me. There is no way this is going to happen. “No no… I will do anything to try and understand… But you need to help me… Show me what it is you want me to see…” I say and grab his hands. “I can’t end the year like this… I’m not going end it like this… So why don’t you show the different side… And then if I still don’t…” I pause and search for the right word to use. “Understand that there is another way of looking at it… I will speak to Harker and tell him that I…” I sigh and feel the pain in my heart. “Admit defeat” I say and James looks at me still. It looks like his barely breathing. “Think about it please… Here is my number and my email so if you feel up to it… Let me know and we can start” I say and hand him the piece of paper with my details on. He looks at me still and takes the piece of paper and looks down at it and then up at me. “Can I ask something…?” He finally says when I gather my things together. I look up into his blue eyes and feels swept away. “Sure…” He narrow his eyes and look at me hard and deep. “Have you ever been in love?” He says the words and I feel dumbstruck. I look around trying to make sure I heard him correctly. “What…” I stutter and he shakes his head. “Have you ever been in love…? Have you ever loved someone” He says again and I suddenly feel uncomfortable. Just be honest… I hear my mother’s voice again. “No.” I say and he looks at me hard. I feel shy and embarrassed. “No? You’ve never been in love?” He frowns as he tries to make sense of what I had just said. I feel stupid and look around to see if anyone was hearing our conversation. “No I have never been in love because I just never had the time” I say and he looks at me dumbstruck. “No boyfriends?” He asks and I feel annoyed. “What is this; twenty questions…? No I’ve never had a boyfriend, I’ve never kissed a guy and I’m still a virgin… Now since we’ve gotten that out of the way… Is there anything else you would like to know before we can start with this assignment?” I ask and grab my bag again. James stands looking at me openly shocked and I don’t know if he is going to burst out laughing or if he had gas. “Good… Now that you are on my page… let me know okay” I say and quickly walk away not wanting to hear his laughter at my clearly pathetic existence. I feel like crying and I hate it. Why does this guy get to me so? I take out my phone and text Nicole with shaking hands. Where are you? I wait for her to reply. She was at the Res getting some of her stuff. I head over to the Res remembering there was a top I wanted to wear the next day to Summer’s party. I’m glad Summer and I made up I really missed her. I didn’t really care that Garett was giving her some serious shade, she was technically the very first friend I had and she was my cousin. I loved her more like a sister than a cousin.
I walk into Res and I feel a cold chill run down my spine, maybe it was from the open door and I walk up the stairs to our floor. I see Nicole’s room door open and I peep my head inside. “Hey… You guys are still going with me tomorrow to Summer’s party?” I say and Garett look over to my annoyed. “Sure… We are so looking forward to it” He says and rolls his eyes unenthusiastically. Nicole looks flustered. “Nick are you okay?” I say and she looks up at me with her blue eye. It was getting better, still had a little blue rim but I was much better to two weeks ago. “Yeah… I just want to get out of here” She says and I see her hands shaking as she packs her stuff in her bag. I press my lips together into a tight smile and she smiles back. I hate seeing her like this weak and fragile. Garett is barely noticing us as he is consumed by the magazine he was paging through. “Let me grab some of my stuff too then we can go and get something to eat… I’m starving” I say and head over to my room. It was hot and mucky from the closed windows and I think I should come and air the place out some time during the week. I open my closet and my heart skips a beat as if I was expecting someone to be staring back at me. I let out a sigh of relieve and tell myself I should stop stressing. I take out few tops and throw it into my bag. I walk over to my dresser and open the drawer. I take out a few panties and throw them in my bag as well. I look around the room for anything else I might need. I see Nicole and Garett standing in the door waiting for me and I shake my head. Whatever I forget I will come and get tomorrow. We head out of the room and out of the Res. Nicole looks relaxed again as he we get outside and I smile at her. “Cubana?” Garett says and we all agree. I put my bags in my car and then we all take our walk to Cubana. I loved their food and the vibe there was always festive. We order our food and they get some drinks and I get my usual juice. “Oh my; this is so divine… Belle you need to taste this…” Garett hold the blue coloured cocktail out to me. “You know I don’t drink…” I say and press my lips together. “For Christ sake… Would you fucking lighten up? Take a damn sip… It’s like cooldrink” He says and I hate it when he gets so forceful but I take a sip and it wasn’t all that bad. I smile and he smiles too… “Nice hey… You want one?” He asks and before I could think I answer yes. Nicole looks at me wide eyed. “You sure…You know there is alcohol in that right?” She says and Garett quickly stops her. “Hey you miss sour puss… Stop it.. Annabelle is finally letting loose a little… And we will make sure that she doesn’t get hammered okay… The sun is still way to high up to get sloshed” Garett says and I smile. We had a ball of a time and ended up staying longer then we had planned. I had a few cocktails and when I felt myself stumble to the bathroom I knew I had enough and it was time head home. Garett and Nicole walked me to my car and the cold air on my fa
ce brought me out of my tipsy-ness for a while. We say our goodbyes and I watch them walk back into the night. Just as I was about to drive off I see him standing on a street corner kissing some girl. I feel my heart break into a million pieces. I could not understand why this was upsetting me so and I look away as the tears start welling up in my eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol. Sometimes when my mother has too much to drink so gets super emotional and then my dad has to put her to bed. I shake it off and start my car. Just as I pull out of the parking lot I see him coming towards my car. Why was he coming to me? But he wasn’t instead he walked by barely noticed me. I feel stab of pain and drive off quickly. What was going on with me? I remind myself to never drink again and I know I was going to pay for this in the morning with a massive headache.
Loving Annabelle Page 12