The Truth

Alyssa Austin

July 18, 2011

Short Story: The Truth

It was the first day of school. Well at least for me. I had just moved to Toronto from Atlanta a couple days ago. Today I was starting at Fletcher’s High and I wasn’t really all that excited about starting school over again. I reached over and grab the notebooks off my bed and put them in my backpack. I grabbed my mascara from my bathroom and walked back into my room. I was standing in front of my dresser mirror brushing my hair when my mom walked in.

“Are you ready for school Michelle?” she asked.

“I guess I am,”

“Why do you sound so down? You’re not excited?”

“I’m starting at a new school again and I have to start making friends again! What do you think the problem is mother? This is all of your fault,” she screamed.

“I know your mad at me but there was nothing I could do about this. We needed the money Michelle,”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry,” she apologized. She quickly straightened her side bangs and double checked her appearance one last time in the mirrow in front of her. “I’m ready now,”

“Finally. Let’s go. I’ll even get you McDonalds on the way to school,”

“ Are you trying to bribe me mom?”

“No. I would never do such a thing” she said sarcastically. They both laughed.

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We pulled up to the school only 15 minutes later, slightly delayed by our McDonalds run. My mom had a sorry look in her eyes, but  understood she had to do what was best for us, especially with her being a single parent.

“Have a good first day at school. Call me if you need anything,” she says looking at the school then back at me.

“Alright. Bye mom” I say. I kiss her cheek and get out of the car. I look at the school and start walking towards the front doors. I see kids around me laughing with their friends and roll my eyes.

“Cheer’s to the new year,” I say out loud to myself.

I quickly find myself in the office waiting for my guidance counselor to quickly get my schedule. As soon as I’m done checking the time on my cell phone, she walks in, schedule in hand.

“If you need anything  just let me know and I’ll see what I can do,” she says in a not so caring mood.

“Yeah, okay,”

“Here’s your schedule,” she says while handing me the pink paper. “Do you need an escort?”

“Sure. I don’t mind,”

“Jordan,” She says while looking out her office door past me. “Would you help showing our new student to her homeroom please?”

“Miss, I’m really going to be late for-” he stops midsentence when he finally turns to look at me. “No problem miss. You know I got you,”

“Thank You Jordan. Have a wonderful first day Michelle and go straight to class after Jordan,”

We both leave the guidance office and I speak first.

“Really, you don’t need to help me,”

“No, I don’t mind. I wasn’t going to class anyways,” he laughs.

“Alright. Where is…,” I say taking a look at my schedule. “117”

“This way,”

He starts walking around the main stairs and towards the middle pod.

“I’m Jordan by the way,”

“Michelle,” I say in a very uninterested voice.

“Here is 117,”

“Thank you,”

I stepped into my new classroom, wondering what the rest of the day had in store for me.

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As I was in my second period class which was English, I noticed a girl sitting a row over from me. She had jet black hair and looked like she had the softest skin.  She had on a black wife beater and faded blue skinny jeans that hugged her waist. She was wearing silver hoop earrings, a pair of black and white Jordans and pink lip gloss. I felt like kissing her right there. Which is really weird, because I can control my emotions. She looked at me then and I didn’t look away. I saw something flash in her eyes, pain and sorrow were behind them and I wanted to take every bit of it away all of a sudden. Just then, the bell rang. I grabbed ma shit and headed to find my locker.

I was standing at ma locker and the only thing on my mind was a slice of pizza. My stomach had been growling since right after I finished those pancakes from McDonalds this morning. I know, I sound fat. Oh well. I love to eat, but with my 5’7 125 pound frame, you’d never guess. I’m standing at my new locker now putting some stuff in it to make it more livable for the next year. I take out my lime green mirror out of my Jansport backpack and place it on my locker door. I take a look at myself in the mirror and catch 4 girls watching me from across the hall. I take a deep breath and shake my head, but I pause for a minute. I finally notice the girl in ma English class and think that this is going to be one interesting fight.  I really wasn’t trying to have any trouble on the first day but we’ll see what happens. I take out two books out of my backpack, put them on the top shelf and finally close my locker to head to the cafeteria. As soon as I turn to my left, guess who’s standing in front of me. Yup, you guessed it. The bitches from across the hall.

“I’m Shaniqua. Are you new here?” she asks looking up at me. She’s at least 5’2 and weighs 150 pounds. She’s rocking black from head to toe and has tattoos covering every inch of her body.

“Maybe. Why?” At this point a crowd has formed around us already with everybody just watching and waiting to see what will happen next.

“Just wanted to let you know I run this school” she shouts in my face.

I laugh at her and back up.

“First of all, I don’t give a damn about what you run. Second, next time you step to me I’ll knock out your front teeth. Try me,” I say looking her dead in the eye.

She stepped back from me then but still held her ground. Some people in the crowd start laughing and oohing but to be honest I was just ready to get some food.  She looked around at all the people, then  she finally spoke up.

“Whatever,” she says and walks away.

I check ma phone and now realize I only have twenty minutes for lunch left. Now I’ll just have to buy something from the vending machine. I walk away from the locker and catch a girl’s eye. I recognize her.  She’s the girl from my English class, with the sexy ass curves and swag. I keep looking at her, from head to toe. She doesn’t even flinch. I walk past her and into the caf. I spot the vending machines at the back of the cafeteria and start walking towards them.  Within 5 seconds i’m standing in front of the machine trying to figure out what I should buy. That’s when I notice her.  She was posted on the wall right beside the vending machines not too far from where I was. She stopped her conversation with the guy she was talking to and stated staring at me. Within minutes, she was by my side.

“What’s your name?” she asks.

“Michelle” I look at her briefly and then put my money in the machine.

“Cool. You standing up to Shaniqua like that was really funny. I’ve been waiting to see someone do that to her for a while,”

“Hmm. No biggie,” I reach down and grab my aero bar from the bottom of the machine and stand back up to look her in the eye.

“So where are you going now?”

“The bleachers. Bye”

“Can I come?”

“Why?”

“I’m bored. You can say no if you want” She takes a quick look at my lips but not quick enough because I notice.

“Yeah okay. You can come,”

We head out to the bleachers and the back of the school is deserted. I climb up to the top row and take a seat.  She sits next to me. For a while, we sit in silence. A good silence though, not a bad one.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, my fault. I’m  Shelley” she says looking at me now.

“Why do you cut yourself?” I asked.

She quickly tries to cover up her arm but it doesn’t work. Little does she know, I saw them from this morning in English class.

“It’s okay. I understand. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me. I know exactly what you’re going through,” I say looking into her watery eyes. I change the subject.

“Does Shaniqua know you like girls Shelley?” I ask, not really expecting an answer.

She just looks out into the field and doesn’t say a word.

“I don’t though,” she replies softly.

“Oh you don’t? So you weren’t checking me out in the cafeteria?” 

The bell rings, signaling the bell for second last period. I take a look at her face and notice she’s angry now.

“If you say you’re not, I’m not going to force you. Just letting you know though, I do like girls. I also think you’re cute,” I get up and take her cell phone from her hand. I program my phone number in there and give it back to her.

“If you ever want to hang out or just talk, call me,” I say while walking away.

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I enter the gym change room after lunch, noticing all the girls and all their lace underwear. I think “these girls are definitely not my type at all,” I take out my basketball shorts and my tank top and throw them on a bench close by. I spot a free locker and put my backpack in it. I quickly put on my shorts and then my Celtics Jersey, but stop halfway when I spot Shelley watching me across the room. Her eyes travel to my chest and then down to my abs and then back up to my eyes. I look at her and continue putting on my shirt. I put my stuff in my locker, lock it and then leave the change room ready to play some ball.

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After school comes so fast that I’m kind of shocked.  I’m standing at my locker and all of a sudden I see Shelley storming towards me. She slams my locker door shut and people start to stare.

“You have no right to be coming at me with some bullshit about how you think I was checking you out! I’m not interested in girls like you are. I know you wish I was though,” she smirked. “Just because you’re interested in girls doesn’t mean I am too,”

“I know. My fault,”

“Don’t lie….Wait what? You’re admitting it?” she looks confused now.

“Yeah. I like girls. So what?”

I look at her. She doesn’t say anything.  She is completely speechless. “Do you like guys too?” A random voice asks from the crowd. I laugh. “Yes, I do,”

“Are you done? I have places to be,” I say stuffing my books in backpack and walking out of school through the back doors.

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I’m at home now chilling in my basketball shorts while blasting music throughout the house. I’m making chocolate chip cookies while working out at the same time. All of a sudden the doorbell rings. I look at the wall clock and know it can’t be my mom because she’s still at the hospital. I run to the door in my socks and open it.

“Hel…..Well look who it is” I say staring at Shelley standing on my doorstep. I lean against the doorframe with my arms cross eating cookie dough while looking at her. “How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to let you know I’m sorry about blowing up on you in the hallway. I was just mad about the way you made me feel. You made me feel nervous. Also when you looked at me, it was like you actually wanted to get to know me for me,” she said while fidgeting with her hands.

I grabbed her hand, pulled her inside and shut the door behind us. “Come with me”

I grabbed her hand and lead her to my room and lead her to the bed.

“Look at me,” I touched her cheek. “I ain’t mean to come at you like that. That was my fault. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot and it wasn’t any of my business,” I say while wiping away her tears.

She looks me in the eyes and starts getting nervous.

“You’ve never been with a girl have you?”

She shakes her head and suddenly gets all nervous. She starts blushing and fidgeting which makes me want to kiss her even more than when I saw her standing on my doorstep just seconds before.

“I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. We can just be friends if you like,”

“I’d like that. I need a really good friend right now,”

I sat next to her and held her hand. “I know you do,”

“I…I’m ready to talk now…about why I cut myself”

“Alright baby girl. Go head then”

I pulled her into my lap and just held her.

“It all began when…,”

She kissed me then. Long and slow. I returned the favor and started laying her back on my bed. I got on top of her and looked down at her.

“I thought you were nervous?”

“I am, but there’s just something about you. Besides, I’ve been waiting to do that since I saw you walk into school this morning” she says blushing.

“You and me both” We both laugh, and this time, I kiss her.