Five
1121 Words
Watching Greg Wilson cower is the second best thing in the world, second only to the glorious taste of chocolate ice cream.
"Mrs Carter" He spatters nervously.
"It's Ms Patterson" Ma corrects stepping closer to the car.
"Yes, yes of course" He nods awkwardly.
"My daughter tells me you're friends"
Greg's eyes dart to Linda, as if he's asking for help with this very unseasoned conversation, Linda looks away abandoning him.
"Well, nice to meet you then Greg-"
Ma waits for his surname "Wilson" he squeaks.
"Have a good day Greg Wilson" Ma sizes him up for a tense minute.
"Se ya'll later. Don't forget to distribute my pamphlets" Ma turns away from Greg to his obvious relief "I love you, have a great day" she kisses our cheeks and hugs us. Linda groans in annoyance "You don't have to squeeze me half to death" my mother smiles at her "That's what hugs are for"
***
To my dismay Greg's car still smells of musky deodorant.
He barely acknowledges me he just says "Gianna" and nods. Awkward...
"Babe" Linda throws her arms open to hug Greg, ma's car is barely out of the gate and she's already hugging him? Damn she's brave, ma could take one look at the rear view mirror and her secrete would be out; although I suspect ma knows they are together, she must have seen through their 'friendship' façade.
I pull my headphones out, I have no business listening to them since clearly Greg doesn't want to talk to me, which is great because I don't want to talk to him and Linda tends to forget the existence of other people when she's around her boyfriend.
I land on the best album ever made on planet earth Blonde by Frank Ocean. Anyone that doesn't think that Blonde is the best album on planet earth is a danger to society they must be arrested for poor musical taste.
The ride to school is short, thank goodness the pungent smell was tormenting me.
"Don't forget to shine" Linda grabs me by my shoulders, a few students loitering in the parking lot look at us, I can see the desire glittering behind their eyes, they wish she were talking to them, holding their shoulders. Greg shuffles oddly away from us, giving us space.
"I always do" I lie.
"No you don't. Hold your head up high" she tilts my head up.
"Remember you got this" She pulls a tube of lip gloss from her pockets. "I don't need-" I can't finish because she jams the lip gloss onto my lips and spreads it generously. Damn her and her strawberry scented lip gloss, I feel the urge to lick my lips just to confirm if it tastes the way it smells.
"Fine" I hold my head up high and walk away from her, although I don't see her I know she's smiling.
As I walk into the corridors eyes follow me, whispers trail behind each step I take "Who does she think she is?" a boy asks a friend "She has no chance" a girl mutters to another "She'll definitely win" another person says. With my head up high, and my strides graceful I ignore them all, let them speculate, let them wonder, because I don't know if I'll make it either, I don't know who I think I am, but I know I want to make Jude pay and I'll do anything and everything to make sure that she does.
"b***h" Jamie's voice pulls me out of my god complex so fast I almost trip over my laces.
"b***h" I stare daggers at him "Why you always sneaking up on me like that?"
"Because you haven't been answering my texts" he pouts.
"I'm sorry, I needed a break from my phone" I pout too, we laugh and pull each other into a hug.
What I really want to say is social media has been overwhelming, the video of me standing up to Chad and Jude is trending amongst the kids at school; what I really want to say is I spent Saturday night staring at the comments underneath the video, people shaming my body, people saying I'm stupid for even trying to run for queen; what I really want to say is I couldn't take it anymore. But I don't have to say it because he knows it. Jamie and I have been bestfriends for six years now, we know how to tell each other things without really telling each other things.
"Damn! Look at you being a bad b***h strutting like you own the place"
I flip my pony to the side playfully and say "Oh but I do own the place"
"Yes queen, as you should"
We giggle as we continue to walk to our locker. I'm not used to the stares that belong to me and only me, not to my sister but me. It's weird, I don't know how to feel about it.
"b***h you need to tell me everything! I was going crazy over the weekend, the videos on instagram... I was going to drive to your house but my dad was around" Jamie's dad is the worst, now that I think about it, everyone I know has a horrible dad. Damn we might as well start a 'Daddy Issues Inc'
"Did he come with wife number five?" We're right by my locker, I input the combination digits as Jamie rolls his eyes "Yes, apparently they are trying for a baby"
I abandon my task to look at him "What?" Jamie's father is married to a twenty five year old girl who left her studies, family and friends to be with him.
"Yeah, it's crazy. My mother was calm though, I was surprised. Katie kept begging Angie not to ruin her future because my father would leave her soon with a baby and a broken heart."
Katie is Jamie's older sister, it's shocking that Jamie's father married someone his daughter age.
"Well, at least she got a warning."
When I open the blue door of my locker a bunch of papers fall onto the floor, like a river pouring itself onto the ocean of papers that have landed on the floor. People stop, surprised as I am. Not this again I'm tired of these surprises.
"What are you looking at?" Jamie shouts at the small crowd gathering around us, they ignore him and murmur among themselves.
I grab a tote bag from my locker and shove all the papers inside, I can read them later, privately. Jamie helps, and soon the crowd goes on about their day but the twisting feeling in my gut tells me whatever is written on these papers is bad.
- Writer
