Chapter 7 - Apparently I'm a Comedian Now

I wake up bright and early Monday morning just as my alarm goes off. I’m actually really proud of myself for getting up instead of hitting the snooze button until the last possible second. I’m actually ready to go to school. Well not ready per se, it’s just that the faster I go, the quicker I get to leave. I’ve got nothing against Lakeside High honest, I just don’t particularly like doing work.

That’s the whole reason I don’t have a job.

I get up out of my bed, yawning and stretching. I’m greeted by Poncho’s adorable little bark as he runs into my room, hopping up onto my bed. Bradley and his parents left yesterday on Sunday morning and that’s when he brought Poncho over. He pretends like he doesn’t love him; which is absolutely ridiculous, because Poncho’s only been here since yesterday morning, and I already adore him. I want a dog. I should ask my mom to get me one. Mmm, better not, she probably won’t. I’ll ask my dad. I won’t be able to see him very often seeing as how I don’t live with him. Maybe I’ll go up to his house this weekend or something, I don’t know.

Going to my closet, I lazily pull out a black pair of shorts with little frays on front of them and a grey t-shirt that vertically reads: ‘s'il vous plaît’ across the front. The fact that I wore a Northface and Uggs on Saturday kinda contrasts with the fact that I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt today, but hey. Besides, I’ll be indoors all day at school, so I should be fine. I lie the clothes out on my bed before tossing a pair of undergarments over with it.

“Poncho, come here so you can eat.” I say to the adorable puppy on the bed.

Poncho is so smart, I swear. He jumps down off the bed, walking over to where I’ve set up his little food and water bowls that Bradley brought over. He begins chomping on my food and I chuckle at him before wishing again that I had some kinda pet. Not a fish though. I don’t do very well with fish. I’ve actually had seven fish and they all died. It’d be better if they time had been spaced out, but I had all seven of these fish in a two week time period. Like I went and got three goldfishes one night, and two died that night, the next the following day. So my stupid self - mind you, I was thirteen at the time - went to the back to the store and got four fish. Two died that same night, one died the next day and the last one - he was the only one that lived long enough for me to name; Andy - died about five days later. Sad, right?

I leave my room, heading towards to the bathroom. Thankfully, Arianna isn’t in there. Arianna always takes forever, like forever getting ready. Which I mean, I don’t understand at all. I go in, closing and locking the door behind me. I get out of my way too big shirt - I don’t know why, but I have a thing for wearing one of the guys shirts to sleep. I always do that for some reason - and my pajama pants. I quickly get into the shower, washing my hair and then my body in about ten minutes.

Once I’m out, I wrap my towel around myself, folding the top into a tiny triangle at the top so that it won’t fall down. I grab my toothbrush from the little holding cup and then quickly brush and gargle with mouthwash  before plugging my blow drier and pulling my hairbrush through my hair. Soon enough, the tangles are out and I’m drying it.

When it’s dry - well dry enough - I leave the bathroom, turning the light off and go back into my room to get dressed. Poncho has disappeared from my room, probably gone to my brother’s room or something. I swiftly get dressed and toss my towel and sleeping clothes in the hamper. I locate my nearly empty bottle of mascara and twist the cap off dabbing some on over my lashes. I’m not a heavy make-up type person, mascara is really all I wear, unless it’s that rare occasion that I have a date or something. I pick up my phone once I’m done applying the mascara and check the time. I’m ready way faster than I usually am, which is kinda ironic since I get to drive myself to school this week.

Bradley was being really nice to me yesterday - I think he feels guilty for beating up the guy I’m madly in love with, well not in love, but in like - and he left me his car. He said that I could drive it to school and whatever while he’s gone so that it doesn’t just sit in his yard, not to mention the fact that I don’t have a car.

But right now it’s only 8:00; so I don’t have to leave for at least another twenty minutes to find a parking spot and get to class on time. I leave my room, going downstairs as my stomach growls. I walk into the kitchen, suppressing an eye roll when I see Arianna and Jared sitting together at the kitchen table looking into some kinda baby registry thing.

“Sydney!” My little brother, Josh, cries, spinning around on his kitchen stool.

“Hey bud,” I reply, ruffling his messy brown hair. My brother is adorable, like he’s gonna be a serious heartbreaker when he grows up; I already know it. Not that that’s good or anything, but it’s so true.

I pull open the refrigerator, searching for something to eat. My mom hardly ever cooks, and when she does, it’s never really all that great. I mean, I’m not saying she can’t cook, I’m just saying that I don’t like half of her cooking. Josh, Arianna and Jared all eat it - I do too sometimes - but yeah.

I close the refrigerator, deciding that I’ll just stop at McDonalds or something on the way to school - you know since I’m finally getting to drive - and pick something up. I jog back up the stairs, and when I get to my room, I painstakingly remember something. I have track practice after school today. God dammit. Why oh why did I do track this year? I mean, I did cross country in middle school - but in my defense, that was more fun than running around a boring old track a million and two times.

But it will look good for college, I guess, the fact that I do track. That’s if I even hold it out until it’s over. I go over to my dresser, pulling it open and taking out a fresh pair of the maroon t-shirt with my school’s name and a clean pair of track shorts. I find my Nike bag lying on the floor looking all abandoned and stuff the stuff in along with a pair of tennis shoes and all my other useless stuff Coach insists we have.

I pull a cute crème white cardigan on along with a pair of black gladiator sandals and zip the bag up, slinging it over my shoulder. I pick up my backpack, also sliding it on before slipping my phone down in my pocket and leaving my room. I go back downstairs, bidding my brother, Poncho, Arianna and Jared and my mother - who’s now deciding to cook breakfast, go figure - goodbye. I walk out of the front door and into my driveway where Bradley’s jeep is.

I fish the keys out of my pocket, hitting the unlock button and climbing in, tossing my backpack and track bag into the passenger seat. Bradley’s car makes me feel insanely short. You know the little stepper thing? The black thing that’s on the cars right below the door that you step on? Yeah, the boys don’t use that. None of them. Just me.

Then again, I am short, but still. I don’t like it. I shake my head, pulling my seatbelt on start the car, backing out of the driveway. I put the car in drive, and drive - too fast, probably - down the street, heading towards McDonalds.

When I finally get to school, it’s 8:30. I’m just now pulling into the Senior Lot, looking for a parking space. Finding one sorta close to the door, I maneuver Bradley’s car into the space, hoping that I don’t accidently hit Marissa Pugh’s car. Especially because she’s in it. That would just be terrible beyond belief.

If I did hit her car though, it’d be all her fault for being parked so damn crookedly. Gosh, you know you’d think that people that don’t even know how to park wouldn’t have cars. It’s just not fair. Not fair at all, I tell you. I manage to squeeze into the spot though, without causing any damage to Marissa’s car. I don’t know Marissa personally or anything, I’ve just seen her around school a few times, and I happen to know that she and Walker used to be a thing. Out of us all, Walker is really the only one who ever stays in a relationship for a long time. Like the girl he’s dating now - Alison - they’ve been dating for two years.

Two years! Can you imagine being with the same person for two whole years? Just the mere thought of it makes me shiver. I shake of the thought and get out of the car, leaving my track bag deciding that I’ll come back for it later. I grab my backpack and my iced tea cup from McDonalds and close the door, locking ‘em.

As I’m walking towards the entrance to the school, I feel a pair of hands run across my mid back, maybe like three inches before what would be considered the lower back, tickling me. I nearly jump at the contact, but whip around, already knowing who it is, because I’m pretty sure that only one person knows how that that’s my most ticklish spot.

“Tan-“ I stop short though when I see that it isn’t Tanner, but Mikey. I gasp, throwing my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as his arms go around my waist, “Mikey!” Evidently, Tanner isn’t the only person who knows how ticklish I am there.

“Hey Siddey-poo.” Mikey replies, releasing me.

“Siddey-poo?” I echo. “No, you’re not gonna call me that.”

He nods, “I am.” Then he does that thing, flicking his blonde hair out of his face. He really is going to get whiplash one day.  

I roll my eyes, as we continue walking through the parking lot, towards the building. “So are you all better now?”

Mikey nods again, “I am one hundred percent mononucleosis free.” He says proudly.

“Good, and don’t you go getting it again, you jerk face.”

“Jerk face, how am I a jerk face?” He wonders, innocently.

“You missed so much school and I walk to Physics alone.” I tell him, pulling open the door as we walk in, entering the first floor.

Mikey and I always walk to Physics together, because he and I have that class together, but none of our other friends are in there. That’s the best thing about my schedule, I have at least one of my best friends in all of my classes this year. Last year I didn’t have Tanner, Drew or Mikey in any of my classes and Bradley and Walker were both only in two each. Sad, right? This year though, I have Tanner in three classes, Drew in three, Mikey in two, Bradley in four, and Walker in four.

He scoffs, “I’m sorry that I was at home dying while you were here walking the two hundred or so steps it is from your first block class.”

“You don’t sound very sincere, I therefore don’t forgive you.” I reply jokingly of course, as we walk down the crowded hallways.

"Oh Sydney, I am so sorry for deserting you in this cruel place called school for five whole minutes, leaving you to fend for yourself as you walked through these treacherous halls going to Physics. It will never, never happen again, I swear it on everything that I love. Please, oh please forgive me!” Mikey theatrically cries, acting like the overdramatic theatre students of our school.

“You’re such a weirdo.” I tell him, taking notice of the eyes now on us. “Come on.”

“Nope, you wanted a sincere apology and there it is, now you have to accept.”

“Fine, fine,” I say, chuckling. “I accept your peculiar speech of an apology.”

“Good,” Mikey replies, again flicking his hair from his face. And the funniest thing about that weird habit of his is that his hair isn’t long.

I mean, it’s long, but it doesn’t hang down in his face covering his eyes or anything like that. It’s more like just a little tuft that he flings away from his face. It’s rather comical, I think. We walk down the hallway chatting aimlessly until we reach me locker. I spin the dial, and then pull it open, taking my backpack off.

“As much as I’d like to stay here and talk to you, I’ve gotta get to my own class.” Mikey tells me.

I nod, “Okay, but when first block is over, you better be there  to walk with me.”

“It’s like,” He pauses, I guess trying to find what to say, “You have your weird love issue, but you also have a severe abandonment issue.”

Rolling my eyes I say, “Shut up. I don’t have an abandonment issue, whatever that even means.”

“Exactly, you don’t know what it means, so how would you know if you have it or not?”

“I thought you had to get to class?” I remind him.

“Oh right, I do. Off to art I go. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Mikey,” I call after him, unzipping my backpack and taking my stuff out.

I get my books and binders for first and second block (English and Physics), and close my locker. Our school is like ancient, so I have to pretty much push my body onto my locker, just to make sure that it’s actually closed. You know, whenever I was just a little middle school, or maybe I was in elementary, I dunno, but I thought that all high schools looked like East High. You know, from High School Musical? No. Not at all. Now that school is just, amazing. I push a lock of my damp-ish hair behind my ear, hoisting my books up as I walk towards the stairwell. Oh how I hate having a school with stairs. Everything should just be on one floor. The classes would probably be very, very tiny if that was the case though.

After walking up the flight of stairs, I walk around the short corner that leads into my English classroom. Some of the class has already arrived, but not nearly half of them. I look up at the analog clock as I walk to my desk, seeing that it’s now 8:43. The bell rings in two minutes, and chances are in about thirty seconds they’re all gonna bomb rush in here, which is why I should probably sit down.

I take my normal seat in the back of the room in between the two empty desks that Tanner and Bradley always sit in. Tanner isn’t here yet, and Bradley’s gone so I’m all alone. Walker’s in this class as well, but he sits in front of me with Alison. And neither of them have arrived either.

A mere two minutes later, the bell sounds and immediately the remainder of the students rush into the class, trying to get into their seats before our old and senile teacher - Mrs. Edison notices. Tanner runs in all out of breath holding a soccer ball, jumping over two desks and dropping down his desk. Walker hurries in after him, pulling Alison along with him. They really are an adorable couple, and sometimes I wish I had the willpower to stay committed to someone that long.

"Are you going Beckham?” I wonder randomly, turning in my desk and looking at Tanner.

He wrinkles his forehead which is glistening due to a thin layer of sweat. “Huh?”

I nudge towards the soccer ball, “What’s with the soccer ball? You don’t play soccer.”

Tanner nods, “I do now.”

“Why?” I ask, crinkling my nose.

“My mom said that I needed to stop lying around the house, so she called Coach Ogilvie.”

"And now you play soccer?”

“And now I play soccer.” He confirms, nodding.

“I didn’t know you could play soccer.”

“I haven’t played in like four years, but I’m not too terrible at it.” He retorts.

I’m about to reply, when the Edison starts talking about some kinda huge essay we’re gonna have to write.

Why can’t it be summer already?

When the bell rings, I leave the class, talking to Walker and Tanner. Usually, Walker would be walking Alison to class or something, but she got sick during class - literally threw up like two and a half feet away from me, so she had to go home. Poor Alison. She’s really nice, which is good, because Walker’s last girlfriend was like a seed sent from the Devil himself. I walk with them until we reach the next flight of stairs, which the two of them have to go up for the next class, but I’m going down to Physics. Mikey’s standing there leaning over the stair ramp thing, and I get a mischievous plan in my  head. Saying goodbye to the boys, I sneak up behind Mikey, pushing his back forcefully, but not so forcefully that he could actually lose his balance and fall over the thing. He gives off a girl-ish scream whipping around.

He narrows his eyes at me and says, “I am going to kill you.”

I shrug, “If you keep leaning over the stairs like that with half your body tilting off, you won’t live long enough to kill me.” I add, “I like your girly scream, by the way.”

“I wouldn’t so much call it a ‘girly scream’ as a as I would a ‘manly shout’.” He informs me.

“Right, right. You know, I’ve been telling you since freshman year not to hang off of that thing.”

"And I’ve been ignoring you since freshman year.” He tells me as we walk into our Physics room.

"And one day, you’ll fall.” I retort, mocking him.

“And that day, I’ll learn.” Mikey replies as we sit in our seats.

The remainder of the school day goes by fast. Well not really fast, but not as slowly as usual. Right now, I am grumpily walking towards Bradley’s car to get my track bag. The last thing I want to do is go down to the track, change and run. I really wanna get in the car and leave. It’s just kinda warm today - really warm, actually - and I  don’t feel like running. At least, that’s my excuse for not wanting to run. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I stop, pulling it out as I arrive at the jeep.

“Hi there.” I say, chirpily into the phone.

"Hey,” Bradley’s voice comes over. “What are you doing?”

“I’m deliberating skipping track practice today.”

“Don’t skip, you said you wanted to do it, and now you’re doing it, so you gotta go to practice.”

“I had no idea you could nag me all the way from Texas.” I say, unlocking the door and grabbing my track bag out.

“I thought we already had this discussion where we discussed that I can do anything?”

I roll my eyes, closing the door and leaning against the door, “Anyways, how’s Texas?”

“Terrible.” He says shortly.

“Terrible?” I echo incredulously.

“Terrible.” Bradley repeats.

“How is Texas terrible?”

“I miss Michigan.”

“Why?” I ask, seriously confused. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with Michigan, but Texas is great.

“I miss y--“

My eyes catch Reese walking across the parking lot, his hands pushed down in his pockets. And maybe I’m crazy but I think he’s walking this way. I hear Bradley talking, but I’m not actually listening to what he’s saying. Reese walks closer to me, and then raises his hand waving as a slight smile emerges on his face.

“Syd?” Bradley’s says loudly, breaking my thoughts.

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Um yeah, I’m good. Just gotta get track practice.” I say hurriedly as Reese reaches the car and stops in front of me.

“Oh, okay. Good, because you don’t need to be skipping. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay bye,” I retort quickly before pulling the phone away from my ear and hanging up.

“Hey Sydney,” Reese says, his voice low.

I notice that his bruises are healing and are barely visible. In fact, if I didn’t see the fight with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have noticed the damages to his incredibly beautiful face.

“Hi Reese,” I reply. “I, erm, I’m really sorry about Bradley with the whole fight thing.”

He clicks his tongue and shrugs, “It’s okay, I guess. Tell him if he tries it again though, I’m gonna kick his ass.”

I nod, “I’ll do that.”

"So, it’s too bad we got interrupted Saturday night.”

“Oh yeah,” I say, nodding. “That, uh, that blows.”

Reese chuckles at that. Apparently I’m a comedian now. He steps closer to me, and before I even have a chance to say anything, he puts his lips on mine, kissing me lightly and pushing me back against Bradley’s car.