My New Love

Chapter 2

I hear the bell ring for second period. I really want to go home. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it through the rest of the day. Tears keep welling up in my eyes. I take my cell phone out of my pocket and call my Mom. Mom is at work right now, but I know she’s going on break soon. I’m really happy I know my mom’s break schedule.

            She answers the phone a couple of seconds later. “Mom, please come pick me up from school.”       

            “Honey, you sound really upset. I will be there in about five minutes. I will ask for my break early today. It’s a good thing I only work a couple of minutes from the school,” my mother responds in a worried tone.

            “Thank you, Mom,” I say and then we hang up. I go to second period after the phone call. My teacher looks at me when I walk in. I think he’s concerned about me. I’m never late for class. I also never ditch class either. I probably also look a mess right now. Michelle is in my second period class which really sucks. I’m happy that she isn’t in class right now.  She most likely went to the nurse’s office. I may have broken her nose. I’m not sure how hard I actually punched her. I couldn’t bring myself to punch Jonathan too. I really wish I had punched him. I know he could see the hurt in my eyes. He didn’t do anything about it, but I should have known. It’s not like he cares about me anyway. He made it really clear to me with his speech.

            My thoughts are wandering in class. I don’t even notice when my teacher calls my name. A girl behind me taps me on the shoulder. I realize then that Mr. Marshall is trying to get my attention.

            “Yes,” I ask him politely.

            “You are being called for early dismissal,” he responds while glancing up at me. There is still concern in his eyes. I’m relieved that my mother got here so fast. My mind is running a mile a minute right now. Being in school is the last thing I need right now. After everything Jonathon said to me...I feel the pain in my heart deeply. I still cannot believe that he was cheating on me with the “wicked witch of the west”. Michelle is so lucky that she isn’t in class right now. I would have given her a few choice words before leaving. I know that wouldn’t have been a very smart move on my part.

            I pack up my things and walk to my locker to grab a few things. My mother is waiting in a chair when I get down to the office. She has already signed me out. She smiles at the secretary as we leave the office. Both of us are quiet as we walk out to the car. I know that Mom wants to talk, but I’m not in the mood to do so right now. I know that if I talk about it I will start to cry again. I don’t want to cry anymore.  I really just need to be on my own for a while. That would help me feel better, but Mom has other plans.

            “Honey, do you want to go out to eat,” my mother asks. I nod and look out the window. My mother knows when I’m in the mood to talk or not. Mother drives along and I continue to stare out the window. I’m seeing images of Jonathan and me in my mind. Tomorrow, I’m probably going to be suspended for punching Michelle. That will be my first offense. I try to not cause trouble in school. I’m not the type of person to do so. Today is different.

            That witch really got to me today. I still can’t see what Jonathan sees in her. Of course, he thinks she’s beautiful. Before Jonathan and I started dating we were the best of friends. He would always tell me about all the girls he thought was pretty. Whenever he told me things like that I always started feeling sad. Back then I always thought I wasn’t pretty enough for anyone. I had really low self-esteem back then. I still do now, but it’s not as bad as it used to be. When Jonathan and I started dating he made sure to tell me how beautiful he thought I was. I was always happy when he told me things like that.

            “Honey, we’re here,” my mother says interrupting my thoughts again. I’m really happy she did because I feel tears starting to form in my eyes again. My eyes light up when I see where Mom decided to eat. My mother knows that I love the local eatery. Eating here will cheer me up. I love all of their food.

            We are seated pretty quickly. It’s still early in the morning. They aren’t as busy as I thought they would be. I’m a bit surprised because a lot of people love their coffee. They have the best food and coffee in town. Nicole and I come here all the time. We study for tests here and pig out on their burgers.

            My mind starts to wander while we are waiting for our waitress to come back. I haven’t even picked up the menu yet. I’m staring out the window again. I’m really glad that they gave us the window seat. Looking out the window when I’m upset always helps me calm down. I watch as parents bring their children to school. High school starts earlier than the middle and elementary school. I’m happy that I’m in my senior year of high school, but I hate school right now. I really hope that Michelle transfers to a new school. She really made me angry today. Why am I even thinking about her? I really need to get her and Jonathan out of my head.

            I feel my mom’s eyes on me. She is very concerned. I’m being extremely quiet. That’s how she knows when I’m struggling with something.  

            “Sweetie, what happened in school today?”

            “I found out Jonathan dumped me to get a new girlfriend. He also told me that he had been cheating on me for the last couple of months. Jonathan’s tired of me because I’m a really emotional person. After hearing everything he said I just could not stop crying. I ended up missing first period because I was so upset. I could feel my heart ripping into tiny little pieces. He also said that the girl he’s with now is a better person than me. What is so wrong with me,” I respond while tears start streaming down my face again. My self-esteem is really low right now. Thank you so much, Jonathan.

            “Aubrey, sweetheart, Jonathan is an i***t for giving up such a sweet girl like you. I know things have been tough on you since Carson died. Jonathan doesn’t understand what you’re going through. He has never been in this type of situation. Yes, you can be emotional, but that is normal. Eventually he’s going to realize that every girl he meets is going to be emotional. He’s still a kid and so are you. I know you loved him, honey. I hate to say this, but what you are feeling is puppy love. You are still too young to be in love with someone for real.”

            My mother’s right. I’m too young to know what true love is. My mother too was once a young girl. She must have gone through what I have before she met Dad.

            “I still don’t know what to do, Mom. I need to talk to him, but I know he won’t talk to me.”

            “I know, honey, but everything will work out in the end.”

            I nod at her and finally look at the menu. There are a lot of breakfast options. I normally come here after school. I woke up late this morning and missed eating breakfast at home. I want chocolate chip pancakes. I always want something with chocolate in it when I’m upset. That’s why chocolate is a girl’s best friend. Sometimes I try to get advice from Nikki, but she doesn’t always know what to say. We rarely ever talk on the phone anymore anyway. We are way too absorbed in our cell phones. She normally sends me a text when she needs relationship advice.

            I look down at my phone and notice that I received a text from Nicole a few minutes ago. I send her a quick response telling her I’ll text her later. She replies with fine, but I know that she’s worried. I’m really happy when my pancakes come since I’m starving. I dig in right away and my mom laughs at me. Mom always tells me that I have a really huge appetite.

            “Mom, I may be getting suspended,” I say while looking down at my plate. My mother shoots me a shocked expression.

            “What did you do, honey,” she asks me in the calmest voice possible.

            “I punched Michelle in the face because she made me feel down about myself. She called me ugly. She has got to have one of the worst personalities in this world. Yet, she thinks she has the right to say something like that to me. I have never felt so angry before, Mom. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I needed to stand up for myself.  I think I may have broken her nose,” I say while hanging my head in shame.

            “I understand you were angry, Aubrey, but you should have tried to hold back. I don’t blame you though...if I were in your shoes I would have probably done the same thing,” Mom responds and sighs. “I promise not to tell your father what happened. You know how he feels about being violent.”

            “I should have stopped myself, but I wasn’t able to. I promise I won’t do this ever again,” I respond. I don’t know if I believed those words myself. My mother shot me a look.  

            “Just don’t get caught,” my mother says with a wink and I laugh a little bit. Mom is only saying this to make me smile. Mom doesn’t promote violence, but she always tells me to stand up for myself. From here on I will always stand up for myself.