Good-bye, with Love

by Niquel

“Not a problem. You can borrow or share with me until you get them.”

  I plan on it.

  Age: Twelve

  Diary Entry: Holy Moly!

  Dear Diary,

  Holy moly! Today was one of the best days of my life! Okay that’s a little extreme, but OMG. I was sitting in boring ol’ Mrs. Small’s science class, ready to roll my eyes and yawn from boredom when HE walked in. It was like time stopped when he ran up to her desk.

  Earlier today, Sarah was gushing over Jared (I know, as usual) and teased me about not liking anyone. I have never wanted to like anyone until this kid came into my class. He was so dreamy. He wore a black leather coat and his dark brown hair was swept over his blue eyes. He was taller than me and had thin chains hanging from his jeans. Mrs. Small told him to sit in front of me. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! He smelled good too, like the woods or something. He didn’t smell anything like my dad, thank goodness!

  Anyway. He didn’t have a book yet, so the teacher told him to share with Brad and at first I felt my heart skip a beat. He turned that idea down and asked to share with me instead. Squee! I just can’t explain how good that made me feel. I somehow found the nerve to ask if he wanted to share with me after school. I thought he wasn’t coming for a while, but he actually showed up. He was late and almost knocked me over, but I didn’t care. He showed up! We talked a little bit and I also adopted a new nickname: “Knits.” It’s cheesy, but I like it!

  I want to know more about him. I hope nothing screws that up!

  Later,

  Ballsy Mickey

  Boom! A loud roar shook my window, making me jump out of bed. “Mom!” I cried out. I hated thunder and lightning so much.

  Mom came bursting through the door and ran over to me, hugging me so tight I couldn’t breathe. “It’s okay, Mick. You’re going to be okay. It’s just a bad storm passing by. I was hoping it wouldn’t wake you. Sorry honey.”

  I didn’t know why I was so scared of storms, but I was so happy when they would finally pass. They’d scared me ever since I was a little girl. “Thanks, Mom. I’m okay now.”

  “Okay. Where’s Mr. Bojangles?” Mom asked. Mr. Bojangles was the silly name of my favorite stuffed teddy bear. He was always with me when things weren’t going well, or during stupid storms like this. He was light brown all over with a black top hat and a single eyeglass over his eye. The only time he wasn’t with me was when I was in the hospital getting my chemo treatment, but Mom managed to sneak him in the van in the seat behind me and it made me feel a little better on the ride home.

  “He’s in front of the window.” She walked over to the window, picked him up, and tossed him on the bed with me. “Thanks.”

  “Try to get some rest honey. You have to get up for school in a couple of hours.”

  Mom left the room, and I curled up with Mr. Bojangles and fell back to sleep.

  I woke up before my alarm and could hear the rain tapping on my window. I tossed the covers back and walked over to my closet to pick an outfit for the day. I grabbed my long brown and tan striped sweater with a pair of dark jeans and my brown rain boots. I looked at the tan crocheted hat hanging behind the door and decided to grab it. It was going to be my thing now, so if I did lose my hair, it wouldn’t be as weird.

  After I got dressed, I ran down the stairs to the kitchen, grabbed a banana muffin from the table, and ran outside to the car. Dad had offered to drive me to school again, and I didn’t object. On the way there, I inhaled the muffin. When I got there, I ran up the stairs and inside the building to meet up with Sarah.

  “Uh, Mickey, you have crumbs all over your face,” she laughed.

  Running my hand across my mouth, I felt the crumbs on the back of my hand. “I’m such a slob!”

  “It’s okay. I hope that cute guy over there didn’t see it though.” She pointed behind me.

  I slowly turned around and lucky for me no one was actually behind me. I slapped her on the shoulder. “You jerk.”

  “So what’s his name?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You never used to care what anyone else thought about you, but you just freaked out. Yesterday you told me you didn’t like anyone. Then when I saw you at lunch your face was glowing. Now you’re spinning in the hallway to make sure no one saw your crumbly monster face. What gives?”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Oh, it so is! Details Mick!”

  Crap. I didn’t want to tell her anything until I knew for sure, but she was my best friend and I knew I could trust her with anything. “Fine. There’s this new kid in my science class. It’s not a big deal, but we shared my science book and did our homework together after school yesterday.”

  “OMG! Mickey Rose has a boyfriend!”

  “Shhh! Keep it down. I do not!”

  “Uh huh.” She winked at me. The bell rang before I could say something smart back and we ran to homeroom.

  We took our usual seats and as soon as the teacher took attendance, Sarah tapped me on the shoulder. “So what’s his name?”

  “Johnny,” I whispered.

  “Oooh, is he cute?”

  “Gosh, yes!”

  “Aww, you’re blushing again. I’m so happy for you!” The bell rang for our next period and we both went our separate ways.

  Science class here I come!

  I was finally starting to get the hang of this place. I found my homeroom easily and remembered exactly where my science class was.

  I approached the door and saw Mickey was already in her seat, looking prettier that day than she had the day before. Suddenly my chest tightened and it was hard to breathe. What’s up with this? This has never happened before.

  “Hey, Mickey.”

  “Hey, Johnny. How’s your day been so far?”

  “Can’t complain. I haven’t gotten lost yet.” She started to laugh and it made me laugh harder. Chill Johnny, it’s not that funny.

  “Okay everyone, please take your seats! After attendance, I’ll be sending Hector around to collect your homework assignment from last night. Please make sure your name is at the top of the paper, thank you.”

  I pulled my sheet out of my bag and naturally I had forgotten to put my name at the top. I quickly wrote it down and it looked horrible, but it was good enough to see who it belonged to.

  Hector was a short kid with thick glasses who smelled like chicken. After he collected our papers, the teacher handed out some worksheets on plant and animal cells.

  “All right class, turn your textbooks to page fifty seven and make sure you read the entire chapter. You may use your book to answer the questions on the sheet I’ve provided to you, then you will get another related worksheet for homework tonight.”

  I raised my hand and the teacher spoke before I got to say anything. “Yes Mr. Gates, you can share with Ms. Dawson.” I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn’t. I pulled my chair up next to hers and caught a whiff of her cotton candy smell again. This will never get old.

  Yay! He gets to sit next to me again. A girl could get used to this. I turned to the first page of the chapter and we both read at the same speed. He was left-handed and I was right-handed, so it made sharing the same space so much easier. We never bumped into one another while we filled out our worksheets.

  Time flew and before I finished answering the last question, the teacher told us to get ready to hand in our assignments. Hector went back around to pass out that night’s homework. “So, did you want to meet back here again after school?” I asked.

  “Sure. I promise I’ll be here . . . on time.” He laughed.

  His smile was so mesmerizing. I couldn’t help but stare at his perfect lips and teeth. “Great, I’ll see you later.”

  He left my desk and placed his stuff back in his bag. He walked toward the front of the room just as the warning bell for next period rang.

  I tossed my things back in my bag and went to my math class.

  The next few classes went by in a flash and then it was
time for lunch, my favorite time of the day. Sarah and Marceline sat down at our usual table while I was in line grabbing my food. Twice a week my school would order pizza from the local pizza shop and we’d have it for lunch. I always made sure to grab a salad to go with it so my stomach wouldn’t be too upset after all the grease.

  “Hey, girlfriend!” Marceline said with her thick Latina accent. I loved the way her tongue rolled when she pronounced her Rs. Marceline looked way older than me and Sarah. She had long curly black hair, deep dimples in her cheeks, hazel eyes, and golden skin. She had filled out a lot faster than us, too. All the boys wanted to be with her, but she wouldn’t give any of them the time of day.

  “Hey,” I said, placing my tray down on the table.

  “So, I heard ju got a boyfriend.”

  I rolled my eyes in denial. “No. Who told you that?”

  “Oh a little birdie. Plus you can see it all over your face. Ju look happier than normal.”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m just being nice to the new kid in my science class.”

  “Oh I see. What makes him so especial? You’re never nice to boys.”

  “I felt bad for him. He just transferred here and didn’t have a book to do his homework with. Is that so bad?”

  “Hey Mickey,” a familiar voice said, catching me off guard.

  “Hey, hey Johnny, ho-how are you?”

  I looked over at Sarah and Marceline and they were so cheesy. If they smiled any harder their teeth would fall out.

  “I’m good. We still on for this afternoon?”

  “We sure are,” I said, trying not to sound overly excited.

  “Awesome. See you then!” He walked off with so much confidence.

  “Um, excuse me Ms. Dawson. You did not tell us how hot this new kid was,” Sarah barked.

  “Right. Holding out on us, what’s up with dat?” Marceline added.

  “Guys, you’re completely forcing it right now. We’re just friends and I was being nice. I let him share my textbook to do our homework together after school. What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal is that he’s super hot and I think you should be more than friends.” They both said the last few words together.

  “Ugh,” I said, biting into my pizza and trying to ignore their stares.

  “Five bucks says he’ll be her boyfriend by graduation!” Sarah said.

  “You’re on,” Marceline agreed.

  The bell for next period rang and I was so happy that I was literally “saved by the bell.” I quickly dumped my scraps in the trash and placed my tray on top of it. “Bye guys!”

  My next class was French with Mr. Lévesque. I took my seat in the front; the French language had always fascinated me.

  “Bonjour, classe. Prenez vos places! Hello, class. Please take your seats! Je suis Professeur Lévesque, veuillez retirer vos manuels. I am Professor Lévesque, please take out your textbooks.”

  The last lesson we had worked on was recognizing things in the classroom and I was pumped. I remembered almost all the words he had taught us except for chalkboard. I had a hard time remembering how to pronounce it correctly.

  “Who can name three things in this room from yesterday’s lesson?” he asked.

  Peter Schwab raised his hand, eager to be called on. “I can! Pick me!” Peter was a short, stubby kid with greasy brown hair and freckles all over his face.

  “En François.”

  “Choisissez-moi!”

  “Proceed.”

  “Carte, map; bureau, desk; et fenêtre, and window.”

  “Excellente! Des autres volontaires? Excellent! Any other volunteers?”

  I slowly raised my hand. “Oui, Ms. Dawson.”

  “Ordinateur, computer; livres, books; et ta-tableau no-noir, and chalkboard.” I struggled with the last word, but I think I nailed it!

  “Très bien, Ms. Dawson! Very good, Ms. Dawson! Today we are going to learn basic communication skills. I’d love for you all to leave this class able to communicate with the outside world en françois!”

  He handed out a packet with phrases and little drawings of people in real life situations speaking in French with English written underneath it. We had to write the response in the correct box using our textbooks.

  The bell rang before any of us finished and the teacher told us to take it home to finish it. There was one more class to go before I got to see Johnny again and I was very excited to hang out with him. I need to get this under control. This is only happening until he gets his books.

  Next was art class, my second favorite time of the day. You could call me a young Monét or Picasso; I had a deep love for painting. Painting helped me ease a lot of pain and I didn’t know where I’d be without it.

  Our teacher Ms. Brinson was out sick, so they sent us a substitute teacher. He didn’t seem to care about what we did, so I took out my French homework and decided to tackle that for the next ninety minutes.

  “Hey Michelle, can I borrow your charcoal pencils please?”

  “Promise not to break them, Landon?”

  “Promise.”

  I grabbed the pencils out of a sleeve in my bag and handed them to him. Landon was a lot smaller than me. He had blond hair, dark eyes, and a round face, and was a bit chubby.

  “I’ll bring them back before the bell rings.”

  “You better, or else.”

  I was so distracted with my French homework that I hadn’t realized there were only ten minutes of art class left. My heart started beating fast, anxiously waiting to run out of there and work with Johnny.

  Ring. “Here you go, Michelle.”

  “You’re lucky, you were right on time.” I laughed. I packed up all my things and ran to my locker, dumping all my art stuff and other unimportant items in there. The only thing I needed now was my science binder, textbook, and worksheet. Hopefully Mr. Grimes would show up again.

  I grabbed a stick of gum out of my locker and headed to Mrs. Small’s classroom. As soon as I got there I spotted Johnny walking down the hall with another girl. For a moment I felt something weird, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m not jealous, am I? He was walking with Janice Macchiato, one of the most popular girls in school. She had long blonde hair, perfect teeth, and flawless tan skin. Most girls envied her, except for me. Well, until now. “Thanks Janice,” Johnny said as he stopped in front of me. Janice gave me a fake smile and continued walking.

  I was so excited to work with Mickey again. Being around her made me feel something; I didn’t know what it was exactly, but it was nice. As I walked down the hallway, this girl ran up to me and introduced herself. She was pretty: perfect blonde hair, nice legs, and a killer smile. I could sense she was trouble though.

  “Hi. I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Janice Macchiato, school president and head of the pep squad,” she said, holding her hand out in front of my face. I hoped she didn’t expect me to kiss it; I didn’t know where it’d been.

  “Johnny. Nice to meet you, Janice,” I said, shaking her hand.

  “Are you new here? I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.”

  “Yeah, I transferred here yesterday.”

  “Oh. Well if you need a tour guide or someone to show you the ropes, I would be more than happy to do so.” She smiled.

  “Thanks. Well I’m off to meet someone, check you later.”

  “I’ll stick around so you’ll get there safe. Wouldn’t want you to get lost or anything.” Clingy and hot? This girl is definitely someone I don’t want to be around much longer.

  We awkwardly walked together down the hallway until I saw Mickey in front of Mrs. Small’s classroom. “K, well here’s my stop.”

  “Thanks, Janice.”

  After she fake smiled at Mickey, I apologized after she walked off. “Sorry about that. She forced her company on me.”

  “Yeah. Janice tends to do that. Anyway, let’s start shall we?”

  I followed her into the room and the scent of cotton candy w
as stronger now than usual. It’s now or never Johnny.

  “So Mickey,” I said, clearing my throat and trying not to seem so nervous. “Tell me something about you.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Purple.”

  “What’s your favorite food?”

  “Pepperoni pizza, fries are a close second though.” She smiled.

  “Do you like cotton candy?”

  “I love it! It’s my favorite scent too. I have a cotton candy body splash. Now it’s your turn.”

  “Green, burgers, and I love cotton candy. I don’t have the body splash though. I don’t think it’s masculine enough for me.”

  “Yeah, probably not.” She giggled.

  “So, Mickey, what are you doing this Friday?”

  “Just homework, nothing exciting. You?”

  “Well I heard the fair is going to be in town and I thought—maybe—you’d like to come with me?” Please say yes.

  The fair? A boy wants to take me out to the fair? Yipee!

  “Uh, sure. I’d love to go! I can have my mom drop me off.”

  “Awesome, I’ll meet you there at six o’clock.”

  “Sounds good. Now let’s get this worksheet over with. I have to go home and finish my French homework.”

  I was too excited to sleep that night. All I could think about was going to the fair with Johnny. Mom gave me the okay and said she’d drop me off and pick us both up. She told me she’d offer him a ride home if he didn’t have one on the way back. My mom was a lot more trusting than most moms. She knew I wouldn’t get into trouble and that I’d be back when I said I’d be. She never needed to watch me like a hawk.

  When I got to school, Sarah was standing by the lockers and looked cheesier than normal. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

  “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Jared invited me to go to the fair with him tonight!”