"Damn, I thought the whole drunk bit would work. Damn it! I'm running out of material here. Help me out a bit"
"Nope. Sorry. Anyways, have you seen Mandy around?" I asked.
I knew that the mere mention of Mandy's name, was enough to sober Tony up. He's always had the hot’s for Mandy, ever since she broke his nose freshman year. How do I know this? Let just say, he know a lot about her, way more than I do, and they hardly ever hangout. (Ah-stocker-chew)
"Not since she smack my balls for saying hello earlier." He sourly answered.
"Wait! She's here already?" I edged myself off the pool table, readying myself to jump off when Tony puts his enormous hands on my knees, pinning me in place.
"Seriously" he said. His face blank, but in a way serious, sort of. "When are you ditching Morgan and taking a ride on this carnival ride?"
"Sorry Tony. Morgan's my merry-go-round and I'm never jumping off."
He grabs his chest, and falls to his knees. “Baby, you’re killing me. Can't you see I’m so much better than a boring pony ride that circles around with mirrors and flowers and all the cute shit? I’m like the thunderbolt of eternal pleasure, if you know what I mean?"
“Hmm… let me get this right. Your basically a fast thrill ride that only last for about a minute?” I chuckled. And he falls further down until his back was pressed on to the floor.
"You just killed me babe, you bloody cold hearted killer." He coughs out a painful breath and closes his eyes, with a smile spreads across his face. Just then, Mandy my best friend walks into the room, holding up red cup of her own. She looks at me and then down at Tony. She rolls her eyes and kicks him in the pit of his stomach.
Tony cradles his stomach, and cringes his face.
“Is this guy bothering you?” Mandy stifles a laugh.
"Nope. He's dead. I killed him."
"Murderer!" Tony blurts out in between breaths.
"Are you sure he's dead? I mean I could kick him in the nuts again... just to make sure, you know-Double tap."
I stood up, ignoring Tony’s pleas for help and wrap my arms around Mandy.
“Thank God you’re here.” I smiled looking down at Tony, who was now struggling to get up. “God. I was this close to getting on Tony's thunderbolt ride of endless pleasure.”
“Eternal-Eternal Pleasure" he corrects me, now standing tall, with his chest bulging forward. He brushes his hair back and takes one look at Mandy, then bursts out of the room as if he just discovered the effects chocolate laxatives had on his stomach.
“So, where’s Morgan.” Mandy asked.
“Somewhere, we actually just got here, like ten minutes ago, so he’s probably out looking for Jason and his friends, you know, bros before hoes and all.” We laugh.
"So did you hear, about Tiffany and that college guy she cheated on Jason with? Well they broke up last week?" Mandy squealed.
"Doesn't surprise me"
"Rumor has it - and by rumors, you know I mean -me hiding in the girl’s restroom smoking a cig, right? - Anyways. She told her now ex-boyfriend that she was dating a football player from our school. I wonder who's she's digging her claws into now. I mean the only descent looking ones in the team are Morgan, Tony, Jason, and Eric." She noted. But something told me she meant to say something else.
Time seemed to just slip away after that. We talked about all the weird stuff that happened throughout the year, the weird rumors about what happens in the woods, how Mrs. Peirce seemed to be getting younger, and how we suspect it was due to Mr. Hogs, our English teacher. We made plans to talk every day and to meet up as much as we could during the summer.
Three months away from Crescent View Academy wasn’t like other schools, where everyone lived in the same vicinity as everyone else. Nope. Student attending Crescent View belonged to all parts of the world, so summer vacations for us meant going back to whatever state or country our parents lived in at the time. As for me, my dad live about twenty miles away from the school in Perchance, Washington. And Mandy's mom lives in the center of Paris, France. She refuses to learn French, since she only vacationed there three months out of the year.
I hated that we weren't going to see each other, almost as much as I hated not being able to see Morgan. I missed her already, even though she was standing in front of me. As far as I was concern, there was no best friend that matched her in anyway at least not in Crescent View or the world. She's funny, smart and always has something to say-negative or not.
I mention how adorably cute she looks in her black circle skirt and pink glittery top, and she rolls her eyes and said "Bite me, Carrot top."
Sometimes I wonder if Mandy knew how beautiful she really was. She has short pixie blond hair, silvery gray eyes, and sun kissed tan, she reminds me of TinkerBell, except with an endless array of cuss words and used her middle finger as a wand to ward off evil. I'm always tempted to walk behind her while sprinkling gold glitter around her while chanting “All you need is faith and trust and a little bit of pixie dust!”
We were so oblivious to everyone else in the room that we didn’t notice when Lily, one of Tiffany’s entourage aka evil twin, had walk into the room. It isn’t till she started clears her throat of a massive hair ball- or hair of balls -(she isn't called Lily knee pads, for nothing), that we noticed her anorexic ass, standing in front of us, arms fold and snarl on her beach burnt face.
We roll ours eyes at her in unison and mimicked her stance.
“Lily, it’s so not nice to seeing you again” Mandy said, and Lily pretended to be oblivious of the fact that we really didn’t want here near us.
“Hi Mandy.” She said grinning like she just won an Oscar for the world most idiotic performance for the worst fake smile in the world. She turns to me and a much darker smile creeps up the edge of her hot pink lipstick, like the fog in scary movies, except this was so much more eerie. “And Nicole" she hisses my name, rolling out the -cole- in my name, as if it were bile pouring out of lips. "I’m surprise you’re even here. Well, with the whole...you and Morgan breaking up, I thought you’d be back at the dorms, wondering where you went wrong. God you’re so pathetic, I actually feel sorry for you.”
“What? Bitch! Say that again.” Mandy rushes towards Lily, right arm up, hand fisted, knuckle bulging, eyes like a thunderstorm on the verge of becoming a tornado. I stop her by standing between them, spreading my arms on either side me.
Two things came I to mind simultaneity. One and most obvious one, Mandy was going to kick her skinny ass if I didn’t find a way to back off. She's always on my ass about sticking up for myself which leads me to the second thing that came to mind. How do I stick up for myself? I’ve never had to deal with this kind of drama before, no confrontations what so ever.
I never understood how girls like her and Tiffany always went around pissing off people. Haven't they heard of the term, you get more bees with honey. Obviously not. If only I could dissect that brain of theirs, I'm such I'd find nothing but evil occupying every inch of it, but at least it'd be fun to look at. To test which words trigger a negative response. I'm pretty sure rainbows, and unicorns made the list.
“Actually, Morgan and I are still together.” I hissed. “So you can tell Tiffany to stop sniffing around for scraps.”
"Still together. Really." she mocked.
"Just suck it, Lily. Seriously, get laid. Better yet, get a life. And preferably one that doesn't mimic Tiffany's right down to the fake beauty mark on your face."
"Fake. Doesn't your hair come from a bottle?"
"All natural. My drapes do match the carpet. Can you say the same thing about yourself?" I asked in the most nonchalant way possible.
Lily stood there steaming. I was afraid her extensions where going to fall off.
I felt proud of myself and I knew Mandy would be to for this new found spunk.
Nobody went up against Tiffany or her minions. She was your typical Ice queen, hidden behind a southern bell smile. Beautiful beyond belief, long locks of shimmer b
lond hair -that never go up against her. Seriously, I saw her playing volleyball once and her wavy Megon Fox hair never moved and inch. She has these wintery blue eyes that threatened gulf ball hail. And body to kill for, with the ruthless attitude that came along with it.
And, call me a freaked-out but I think she's psychotic. Aside from the fact that every time I walk past her, I feel like there's this blackhole where everything beautiful and pure goes to die, hanging over her head. She went after whomever she wanted and sadly enough she always succeeded. Except with Mandy and Me. Yes. She was definitely someone you shouldn’t turn your back on. Like literally, she'll stab you with those porcelain nails she keeps filing. The worst she's done to us, was spread rumors about us being romantically involved. And she has a disturbing way pranks on us. Like when she, put those torn off heads of dead frog on our beds, or when she hanged those creepy rag dolls with our pictures of our faces on them, in our lockers, outside our dorms and in the woods out back, but nothing she did seemed to faze us. Freaked us out. Yes. I guess it helped that we walked around like “we don’t give a shit”.
This time it had nothing to do with Mandy or me, the one Tiffany was after- was Morgan. But, I was certain nothing she could do would get to him either, especially since he hated her guts for dumping Jason his best friend.
“Lily, Darling, where have you been all my life.” Tony sashayed, crossing the room from the entrance door to stand in between Lily and me. We ended up standing in a straight line and I couldn’t’t help biting back a smile as I realized how comical this all looked.
“Not now, Tony.” Lily scowled.
Tony, turns to me and with a grinning smug on his face and said. “You had your chance with me, Nicole. Now let Lily get on this ride."
I smile and he winks.
I drag Mandy towards the door, (by the way, not as easy as I thought). I wondered what Lily meant about Morgan and me. I mean my boyfriend’s name coming out of any girl's lip was enough to wake up the jealousy dragon in me, especially girls like Lily, tall, blonde, anorexic, and thinks she's god’s gift to men. No doubt this rumor was something Tiffany had started, but there's was the what if question in the back of my mind.
Lily pops her frizzy hair from underneath Tony’s arm and said. “Check inside the second bedroom upstairs...the one on the left. If you’re not broken up then..." And she pauses for that dramatic effect, "you sure as hell will be after what you find in there."
I heard Tony asking Lily what was going on in his mom’s bedroom but Mandy was out the door and I was trailing behind her. Just as we reached the top of the stairs, Mandy went ahead of me. She stops in front of the door, just around the time I stopped breathing, and she presses her ear against the white door. Her eyes flare up with comprehension. Somehow I managed to pull through the fear that pinned me in place and walk up next to Mandy, who now had her hand on the door.
She stares at me, her pouty lips open, and her stunned expression begins to wash away. Now anger, sympathy, and fear dispensed around her. She nods once and I knew what she was asking.
I swallow hard, tempted to run away and pretend none of this was happening. Unable to stop myself, I nod back at her.
The door swings open. On top of a kingside bed was Morgan wearing nothing but the silky black sheets from the bed that matched the entire room and laid underneath him with a smug smile, was Tiffany without a single hair out of place.
****
Everything around me had turned into this thick suffocating fog of shapes, faces, and screeching voices. I didn’t’t know what I was doing, where I was going. Off in the distance I could hear a familiar voice calling out my name and it tore into my heart like cotton candy. Then I heard pieces of Mandy screaming so loud and with such passion, at Tiffany and Morgan. She's always had a talent of pointing out the worst in people and from what little was seeping through, she wasn't lost for words when it came to those two.
I felt my father’s hands trembling around me, pleading for me to tell him what was wrong. That’s when I finally snapped out of the haze. I had walked over twenty miles and ended up into the comfort of my father’s arms.
Every day since that night, I've seen a desperation in my father eyes, and it kills me to know that I put there. Ever since my mom died two years ago, when I was fourteen, I've never cried in front of my dad before. I was always afraid to be the cause of his pain, so whenever I got hurt, I would suck it up. I’d put on my bravest smile and just laugh it off. I had seen what losing my mom had done to him. Now I knew that my fears were justifiable, and now I had another reason for hating Morgan and Tiffany.
****
Today is going be good day. I thought to myself, climbing inside my dad's Rover. I sat inside, my cheeks laid softly against the window. I could feel the start of fall coating the glass, and I'm thinking things are getting better.
My dad puts a loving hand on my shoulder. I turn and stared into his emerald green eyes that mirrored mine right down to the gold sparks surrounding his pupil. He seems worried. All his bright, tender, and lively features are slightly dimmer than what they used to be. Guilt washes over me.
“I’ll be find dad. I promise.” I said fighting back the tears threatening to pour out. "I'm over it."
"Are you sure, classes don't start for another week."
"I know, but I'm a junior now, so I have to move all my stuff to the junior dorms before classes start. Not to mention, I have to figure out the fast route to get to get to my classes. I have Mr. Hogs for English two and he hates it when people are late. I'm talking about in front of the class scowling."
"And, you’ll probably need to find the safest way you can route to avoid running into Morgan."
"Ouch dad.”
“Too soon."
“Ya’think”
“I’ll kill that some-of-bitch if he hurts you again." My dad said and I believe him.
“Dad, I promise.” I smile weakly. "We're finish. There's no way I would ever talk to him again, and I'm sure he feels the same way after the way Mandy, bitched him out. Besides... He belongs to Tiffany now, and I think I'm okay with that. Seriously. I am."
I wondered whether I just told him that for his benefit or mine.
“I know, sweetie. But, seeing him again will hurt. Just remember a mistake like that can be forgiven, but never forgotten. And by now he's probably already realized just how big of a mistake he made. And he’s stupid if he doesn’t’t try to win you back… I know you two have been friends for a very long time, and you might want to jump back into the friends wagon, but don’t. Trust me. It never works out."
"God. Dad. When did you turn into this lump of teenage wisdom?"
He looks at me innocently. "What? I've always been this way. I know how to keep it real."
"Dad. Please. Stop." I laugh for the first time in three months.
On top the top of my list of things to do once I get back was to reconnect with Mandy. I haven’t spoken to here since that night. I know that’s not being a good friend but I was too much in shock, and then I was too embarrassed. She had warned me about Morgan, several times before. But, I always assumed she was over protective. I was stupid not to listen to her when she told me that Morgan seemed to constantly be following Tiffany around like a lost puppy. And that she's caught him staring at Tiffany when I wasn't looking. I always made up excuses for him. He's not staring, his glaring at her for what she did to Jason, or he's not following her around, they both have classes in the same building. The list goes on.
I'd given my iPhone to my dad that night after the party. I made him promise me not to give it back until he was certain that wasn't going to do something stupid, like call Morgan in the middle of the night and hang up, or call the local witch on tenth street and put a hex on Tiffany and Lily.
I knew I had a bunch of missed calls, text message, and Facebook notifications. I could hear my phone constantly playing the mosquito ringtone I had set as default. Luckily my iPhone ran out of battery, and I had all my Evanescen
ce songs burned on a CD.
"Dad."
"Yes, sweetie."
"Can I have my iPhone back?"
He parks in front of the girls dormitories and stares at me for what seemed to be forever. Most likely wondering if he could trust me not to do something stupid. He reaches into his front pocket and pulls out my iPhone. "I had a feeling you were going to ask for it." He said, handing me the phone. "I even charged it and don't worry, I didn't even take a peek. But if you want me to delete something's beforehand, all you have to do is ask."
"It's fine." I lean over to the driver’s seat and wrap my arms around him, not wanting to let go. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too..."
Thank you for taking the time to read this book. This was actually a series of blog post, which I had deleted and was asked to repost or submit as an eBook. So here you go. I hope you guys like it and feel free to criticize as much as possible. I like to learn from my mistakes and you will be doing me a great service if you provide me with your honest and constructive reviews. Thank You.
I have several chapters to go along with this story, but I will need to get a hold of my editor before I can submit them. So if you like it please look for me on facebook, or follow me on twitter @mlwiekel
Never Loved (Crescent View Academy) Page 2