It's the other guys you need to worry about
1706 Words
Hours later, 13:00 hours hit and it was time to go home. The front yard was twice as crowded as it was in the morning, with many students walking about here and there whilst others were standing and talking, hugging and cuddling and getting into their cars and driving off. Blake was there too but she wasn’t doing any of that stuff, she was just seated by herself on a bench, waiting for her mother to come and pick her up whilst playing a game on her phone.
Sitting on, she heard some music coming from one of the cars in the car park and quickly she lifted her head to see where it was coming from. The song playing was one she really liked and so it immediately caught her attention. Who was the person playing one of her favourite songs who had the same taste in music as she did?
Scouring the car park, she located the car that was playing her song and when she did, she gasped as inside her heart skipped a beat. What manner of hotness did her eyes just look upon? There was a boy standing by the open driver’s seat door and he was immaculate. A dark haired and crystal blue eyed wonder of a creation with the face of a model and the body of a surfer. He was talking to his friend and when he smiled, Blake melted inside like candlewax.
What was happening right now? She had never experienced love at first sight before but that felt a lot like it. Palms sweating, heart racing, nerves tingling, that was the way it was described in the movies and that was exactly what was going on with her. It was like a scene straight out of a romantic comedy, when the girl saw the guy for the very first time and was completely swept off her feet by his gorgeousness; the only thing missing was the slow motion and the cute pop song playing in the background.
Blake was taken, so taken that her soul grew wings and started to fly away, lifting higher and higher into the sky as the weightlessness brought to her heart a fluffiness it had never felt before; a fluffiness that like a soft wind took all her cares away and lit up her sky like a million stars. It was such a beautiful moment, but it was one that was soon ruined. Mom showed up and parked the car right in front of the bench she was seated on and hooted, clipping the wings off her soul and causing it to plummet back down to earth like a bird that had just been shot out of the sky.
She flinched but quickly composing herself, she stood up and put her bag in the backseat, and then got into the front; refraining from looking at the hot boy lest mom see her and figure out that she has a thing for him.
"You're alive,” mom said smiling.
"Of course I’m alive,” Blake said. “It’s the other guys you need to worry about."
“Ha ha,” she said and Blake laughed.
"So, how was your first day?"
"It was . . . Not as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
Mom cheered. "You see, I told you."
"O.k. relax, this is just day one, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
"Did you smile and greet your classmates?" mom asked.
"I’m pretty sure I said I wasn't going to do that."
"Did you make any friends?"
“I’m pretty sure I said I wasn't going to do that either," Blake said.
"You said you were going to try.”
“And I did, I didn’t hit anybody so looks to me like I delivered on that.”
“Goodness,” mom said and Blake chuckled. “Well, aren’t you going to ask me how my day went?"
"Do I have to?"
"If you don't want to walk home yes," she said and Blake laughed.
"Fine, how was your day mother?"
"My day was lovely honey thank you so much for asking.” They chuckled. “My office has a great view of the park and my co-workers seem really nice. I think I’m going to settle in just fine.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah, and to celebrate, I'm going to make my special mac and cheese for dinner tonight.”
“Oh nice,” Blake said eager. Macaroni and cheese was her favourite meal.
“I’m out of ingredients though, so we’re going to have to stop by the supermarket and get some stuff.”
"O.k. and this getting of stuff from the supermarket, is it happening before or after you drop me off at home?"
"Before,” mom answered.
"Ugh no.”
"What? You don't want to go shopping with me?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't want to go shopping with you,” Blake said like she had just been asked to do something ridiculous like pet a wild lion.
"Really? I thought we could go together and use the time to talk a little bit," she said; desperate to spend any time she could with her so that they could begin working on mending their relationship.
"Talk about what?"
"Hello, your first day of school."
"We literally just did that," Blake said.
“Oh my gosh. You just want to go home and play that game."
“Of course I do, I just started playing it and it is already the best game I have ever played. The journey ahead looks like it's going to be super jam packed I can’t wait, and I love how the MC Lila looks a little like me. Like, how awesome is that?"
"So you seriously want to ditch me?"
"Sorry but yes."
"Unbelievable," mom said as she drove out of the parking lane and into the road.
"How about next time?"
"Please I’ve heard that line one too many times; I'm not falling for it again."
"I promise,” Blake said somewhat sincere, but because it was a dance they had done too many times before, mom was not at all interested in buying what she was selling.
"Oh o.k. like you promised all those million other times too?"
"Which times were those?"
"You did not just ask me that?” mom said eyes widened. It was impossible for her to forget that she had made promises that she had failed to deliver on because there were so many of them. “Going shopping with me, going to the spa."
"I remember that. I couldn’t go with you because I was busy. I had that huge math assignment that needed to be handed in first thing Monday morning.”
"Going to the saloon."
"I remember that too, I was playing Snowland Hunter and I was a chapter away from finishing the game and so obviously I couldn’t move.”
“The tea party," mom carried on.
“Wait, was that the one were you had to wear that sunflower dress?"
"Yes it is."
"Yeah no, there was no way I was going to that," Blake said.
"O.k. maybe I was reaching with that one, but what about when I asked you to escort me to go and see Aunt Kim when she was in the hospital?"
"Which one's Aunt Kim again?"
“My friend from college," mom answered.
"Oh yeah, well, she's not an actual aunt so that's probably why I didn't come."
"Blake, she's one of my closest friends."
"Still not an actual aunt."
"Oh my gosh, fine, what about the game?"
"The basketball game?" Blake asked making a queasy face.
"Yes."
"I don't even like basketball."
"How can you not like basketball? Your father and I met at a basketball game," mom said.
"So, what does that have to do with me?”
"Oh my gosh you see, all those times you said you were going to come with me but you didn’t. You ended up bailing on me at the last minute."
"Yeah because those things were lame."
"Oh very nice," mom said as she drove on. “I’m so sorry for bothering you with my boring interests."
"O.k. this time I really, really promise."
"Wow two reallys? Careful not to hurt yourself," she said and Blake chuckled.
"Alright fine I get it, I’m not the best keeper of promises but I want to do better so this one I promise, promise, promise I will keep. Promise. How many promises was that?”
“It was four.”
“One more for emphasis, I promise,” Blake said and mom laughed.
“Alright, alright.”
“Thank you.”
“But I get to cash in any time I want,” mom said.
"Deal."
"O.k.”
Minutes later, they arrived home. Mom parked the car in front of the house and Blake got out and grabbed her bag from the backseat.
"I won't be long alright,” she said.
"How long will you be gone exactly? I want to know how much time I got to lose my virginity,” Blake said.
"Goodness, are you trying to kill me?”
She laughed. "Have fun at the supermarket," she said closing the door and then made her way down the concrete path to the house, as in the car, mom just sighed shaking her head and drove off; raising a teenager especially one as strong headed as Blake was not easy. It took so much out of her she wished that she had someone to help her but there was no one. The most likely person to help lift some of the burden off her shoulders would be Blake’s father, but he lived in a whole other town and he had his own life going on and so it was just her. She once had the idea of having one of her cousins move in with them but that it was an idea that was very quickly shot down by Blake as she didn’t want anyone invading her personal space, and so Grace, that was her mother’s name, had no other choice but to do it alone.
- Writer
