This Year at Home (A Short Story)

by Sarah Bridgeton

  Mom gently closed the door and straightened the entryway rug. “What’d she say?”

  “She asked me to forgive her.” Emotion flooded my voice. Returning to school, slapping Derrick, hearing Grace’s plea for forgiveness—it was all so much, so heavy.

  Mom crossed over our stamp-sized foyer. Our living room was typical for an older home in our area: small and cozy, low ceiling, beat-up hardwood floor, and a drafty window.

  She folded her arms around me. Normally, I would have pulled away—Dad got my hugs—but I couldn’t push her away.

  Tears spilled out of my eyes, and I buried myself in her arms.

  Mom held me tightly. “Cry it out.”

  I sobbed into her. I was finally where I wanted to be. I had gone from school loser to a girl that took no prisoners. I was home, and the future was bright.

  But I had a big decision to make, a complicated one that I hadn’t anticipated.

  When my tears stopped, I pulled away. Mom searched my face, her hazel eyes concerned.

  I didn’t have to tell her the details. She’d figure it out. But I wanted her to know the past was behind me. “I forgave Grace. She asked to be friends. I just don’t know if I want to go that far.”

  “If it were me,” Mom said, “I’d keep my distance. But you aren’t me. You’re you, and it’s your decision.”

  I got a tissue and wiped my face. Mom’s response didn’t surprise me. When I was in fourth grade, I flew by myself to New York City to see Dad, who was there on a month-long work assignment. Mom loves to tell the story of how she had planned to go with me until a work emergency came up, and she asked me what I wanted to do: Go on the flight alone, or cancel the trip?

  Our doorbell rang.

  I dropped my tissue and rushed past Mom. “I’ll get it.”

  I swung open the door; it hit the doorstop on the baseboard.

  Dad stood on our porch with two plastic bags, his breath coming out like stacks of smoke in the frigid air. “Dinner’s here.”

  I took the bags. “Did you get eggrolls?”

  “Does Papa Bear know where to find the honey?” Dad cautiously stepped inside and glanced around for Mom. It had been ages since he had come inside Mom’s house, as he had never been invited for dinner.

  She looked expectantly at Dad. Counseling had softened her, but she was still in limbo over what she thought of the three of us spending time together. Pleased at times, indifferent at others—it was only a matter of time before an irritated face would pop up.

  Dad slipped off his loafers, neatly placing them in the wicker basket. A slight smile spread on his face as he arranged his shoes just so. “Okay if I get dinner set up?”

  Mom took his shoes and rearranged them underneath her clogs. “Sure.”

  Our phone rang.

  Mom scooted back toward the coffee table. “Ugh. I’m calling the police if we get crank calls.”

  “You won’t get crank calls,” Dad said optimistically. “Justice has prevailed.”

  I lined up the Chinese takeout boxes on the dining room table, soy sauce and ginger scenting the air. Going away had been a good decision. Being in a new place where I wasn’t treated like a loser had kickstarted my makeover. The rest had been hard work and determination, and now everything was falling into place.

  “I’ll get drinks,” Dad offered. “Iced tea or water?”

  “Water,” I answered. “And real silverware, please.”

  “Rebecca! Go help your dad.” Mom picked up the phone. “Hello.”

  Mom tilted her head. “May I ask who’s calling? Collin Meyers?”

  My heart missed a beat. Of course Collin was gonna call. Grace had given him my phone number.

  “She’s about to eat dinner. I’ll tell her you called. Bye.” Mom put the phone down.

  “Mom!” She was being rude! We weren’t eating yet.

  “Calm down.” Mom shook her head then plodded into the kitchen to supervise Dad.

  Chapter 3

  COLLIN SMILED AT ME FROM his locker. His hair was tousled, looking rough and adorable at the same time. I felt satisfied as I walked over to him. Four days ago, I had returned to school anxious and proud. And I stood up for myself!

  Little ol’ me. The girl who used to be helpless and insecure. I had gone away and returned home a new person. Derrick and Emmy could no longer push me around.

  “Hey,” Collin said.

  I hadn’t called him back. With all the drama, I needed some time to myself and had decompressed by going through my trip pictures with Mom.

  He closed his locker, expression slightly amused but serious. “Did you get your phone back?”

  “Yeah.” Mom had picked it up at school after Principal Nelson showed the video to Derrick’s parents. As soon as she got home, she downloaded the video to a flash drive, locked the drive in her desk drawer, then erased the video from my phone.

  “Want a ride home from school today?” Collin asked.

  “I can’t. I have a doctor’s appointment.” It was a ridiculous counseling session. Mom told me it was only to ensure I didn’t have anger management issues.

  “Hey Rebecca… Collin.” It was Paige. I turned to her as she walked over. She had called me, too, and told me how she had reported what she saw by the classroom. Paige had restored my faith in humanity.

  Paige nodded and gave me a knowing look. I had told her how Collin had called Derrick out. According to Paige, Collin’s good looks and the Derrick incident had propelled Collin into most- popular stratosphere.

  “See you!” Paige called out and continued on, melting into the hallway crowd.

  I turned back to Collin, my heart soaring. “My mom’s always late. Wait for me after school, by the car drop-off. Okay?”

  “Okay.” His gaze lingered on my hair. “You look nice today.”

  “Thanks.” I had skipped using the blow dryer and let my hair dry into its natural soft waves. The new me didn’t need precisely straightened hair every day.

  Everybody at school knew about my makeover. They had seen me in action while I dealt with Derrick and his friends. I had certainly made my entrance!

  As I waved bye to Collin and trekked to class, I thought of how my friends from Israel would have reacted to my return to school. Mia would be cheering me on. Jake would be cracking stupid sex jokes. And Avi and Ben would be insisting that Derrick deserved to be slapped.

  It wasn’t until I got close to the cafeteria that I stopped thinking of my study-abroad friends. They were nearby. As always, their voices were loud and boisterous. My pulse remained steady as I continued on my way.

  I spotted Derrick first, only he didn’t seem intimidating anymore. He seemed like a jerk, unworthy of my time or energy. He squinted when he saw me, but he said nothing.

  Emmy was with him. She stopped talking, frowned, then turned to Derrick, as if I weren’t there.

  Grace wasn’t with them.

  ~ * * * ~

  Leaning against the school brick wall, I waited for Mom. My day had gone well. Paige had been in my lunch period, and I sat with her and her friends. For the first time in years, I wasn’t snubbed. Kids who used to ignore me said hello. Derrick had a different lunch period, as Principal Nelson had promised. Luck had been in my favor, and Emmy wasn’t in my lunch either. Even better, Derrick and Emmy had left me alone when I ran into them again after lunch.

  The swish of shoes on slushy pavement neared me.

  I looked around.

  Grace paused for a moment when she saw me.

  I was still torn. Part of me wanted to be friends with her again. She had been a big part of my life, and we had fun together. The other part wanted to keep moving on. Why try to repair a relationship that was over?

  Her eyes didn’t look much better than they had at my house. Instead of being bloodshot and swollen, she had saucer-sized dark circles.

  “Hi, Rebecca,” she said, voice wavering. "I just want you to know I’m no longer friends with Emmy or Derrick.”

&nb
sp; “Oh?”

  She took a deep breath.

  When I didn’t see her with them, I had wondered if she had been absent. Narcing on Derrick could cause sudden illness. I had headaches and stomachaches after my first complaint.

  As Grace stood there, waiting for me to answer, I thought of her crying at my house, asking if we could be friends again.

  Her tears had been real. She couldn’t make herself cry. In first grade, we begged our moms to let us go trick-or-treating alone. She had volunteered to fake cry when I said they would probably say no. Grace practiced crocodile tears for days, but when the time came, she couldn’t muster anything besides a pathetic sad face. That Halloween, we dressed alike as rock stars, and our moms had walked behind us while we went trick-or-treating.

  “When do you have lunch?” I asked Grace.

  “Third period.”

  “Me too! But you weren’t there. Where were you?”

  “Library.”

  Sympathy gripped me. I had spent many lunch periods in the library when I was the school loser.

  Grace fidgeted. As usual, her nails were cut short, painted dark red, and she had on her favorite ring, the one with the garnet stone—a thirteenth birthday present from the Renaissance festival. After the jousting tournament, Grace’s mom had told her to pick out a present. The ring had immediately caught Grace’s attention, as the silver band had an etched design that resembled flames.

  “You know,” Grace said. “I was happy for you when I saw you at school again. You look like a new you. Whatever happened in Israel must have been good.”

  “It was an amazing experience! I made some really cool friends.” Those friends were unforgettable—Mia, Jake, Avi and Ben. Even Jordyn. They didn’t know it, but they had challenged me to become the person I was.

  “I got a second chance.” I looked at Grace intently. “You should too.”

  “Really?” The relief on her face softened her eyes, but there was still some doubt. “Does that mean we’re friends?”

  “It means we’re talking to each other.” We probably wouldn’t be best friends again. Too much had happened. But it was an improvement over avoiding each other. Maybe our friendship would progress. Maybe it wouldn’t. For now, I wasn’t ruling it out. I only knew I would give it some time, and everything would be all right.

  “Hey, girls.” Collin walked toward us.

  Grace watched him for a moment. “Well, I gotta get home. I’ll see you later, Rebecca.”

  “Bye,” I called, and as she walked away, I felt hopeful.

  Collin stopped next to me. “So, you busy Friday night?”

  “Not really.” Unless I counted talking to my study-abroad friend, Jake. Friday nights had been our catch-up night. He always called me. With the time difference between Boston and San Diego, it was around my dinnertime. But Jake and I could move our conversation to a different time.

  I would be seeing him in two weeks, anyways. He had an interview at Harvard and was coming to Boston for a long weekend.

  Collin smiled at me, reminding me he was there. “I thought maybe we could catch a movie.”

  How could I not want to go out with him? He already knew one of my darkest secrets, my been-bullied past. But he also knew I wasn’t that girl anymore, how I wouldn’t let anybody treat me like a loser.

  I couldn’t help but look into his eyes, and a shiver went up my spine. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  THE END

  Also by Sarah Bridgeton

  THANK YOU FOR READING This Year at Home. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to read about Rebecca’s trip to Israel, check out:

  Next Year in Israel

  Rebecca Levine is tired of being a victim, after years of being relentlessly bullied at school and after her loser-outcast image pushed her to a suicide attempt. Home from the hospital and determined to survive, she wants an emotional makeover, and a study-abroad program in Israel seems like the perfect place for it to happen. But when roommate issues crop up, Rebecca is convinced she’ll become the school loser again. Can she overcome her issues and make herself over?

  A young adult novel of 55,000 words. Contains religious content from a Jewish (Reform) perspective. Also contains mild profanity, references to sex and drug use, and non-explicit sex scenes between older teens. May not be appropriate for younger, middle-grade teens.

  For an Adult Audience

  The Undiscovered Novelist

  Jordyn Simmons has almost everything she’s ever wanted: a sexy live-in boyfriend, an adorable son, and a finished manuscript she plans to get published. The only thing missing from her life is a relationship with her estranged mother, Debra.

  Debra Simmons wishes she could patch the relationship with her daughter but doesn’t know how. Her previous attempts to reconcile have failed, and Debra has given up hope of seeing Jordyn again.

  When Jordyn searches for a publisher, her world collides with Debra’s. And both women are forced to make decisions that could change their lives forever.

  A novella of 36,000 words for an adult audience. Contains mature themes and mild profanity.

  For more information about me and my books, please visit my website at: http://www.sarahbridgeton.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Also by Sarah Bridgeton