My Sweet Mistake
Chapter Three
“So, how was work?” It was 8 o’clock on Monday night, and Laura had called to see what see had missed at school.
“Alright, Ryan came in and we chatted for a while…” I didn’t feel like explaining how he’d snapped at me suddenly, even if he did write it off as a joke.
“Oh yeah, he’s the new kid, right? Ele said he followed you around all day.” I sighed and twisted the phone cord around my pinkie finger.
“I don’t know... I guess. How was your day, anyway? Do you feel alright now?” I didn’t want to talk about Ryan, so I averted the subject.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I just needed a day off, you know. School’s just too much to handle at the moment. What did I miss today?”
“Not much, you can borrow my math notes tomorrow. We just finished our essays in English, and I face-planted in sport. Mum’s telling me to get off the phone, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
”Okay, sure. Bye.” I pressed the red button on the phone and I handed it to mum as she walked into my room.
“Thanks, Jasey. How was your day?” I walked over to my desk and opened my English folder to get my essay.
“Yeah, okay. There was a new kid, Ryan.”
“Oh! Is that Sandra Ross’s son?” I turned swiftly in my chair, surprised by her words.
“ Yeah… I don’t know his mother’s name, but I’d assume so. How do you know her?”
“Sandra started work at my office today, she seems very nice. What’s Ryan like?” I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to my laptop.
“He’s nice, I guess.”
“I guess? What does that mean?” My mum sounded suspicious, but turned toward the door.
“It means, mum, that he’s nice but I only just met him today. I couldn’t exactly give you his life
story or anything.” I turned on my laptop and logged in.
“Okay, okay. I’ve still got work to do, so I’ll be in my office if you need me.” I nodded and she left the room, closing the door.
After I’d finished typing up my English assignment, I went into the bathroom and showered. Once I’d finished I stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel.
Staring into the mirror, I started to poke my stomach, my arms and my legs. It was just fat, all fat. I thought that if only I didn’t eat, and if I just ran a couple more kilometres a day, it would go away. All this fat, just gone-
Stop! Deep breaths, in, out, in, out. Don’t start this again, I thought to myself. You’re fine, just fine, perfectly normal, and not fat at all. I took one last fleeting glance at the mirror and ran into my room, slamming the door closed behind me. I crawled into bed as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. My shoulders began to shake, and I swiped at the tears furiously. I turned to lay on my back and and tried to sleep, but I failed miserably.
“Jasey? You look like shit! Are you okay?” Good morning to you too, Ele.
“Hi. Yeah, I’m fine I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.” I opened my locker and shoved my bag into it as Ele closed hers.
“Oh, well that sucks.” She eyed me cautiously as we headed off to the table that Jess and Laura were already seated at.
“Hey- woah! Jasey, is it Halloween?” Laura tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes as she studied me.
"Shup up! I just didn’t sleep well, okay? Lay off.” Laura raised her hands up in the air. “Sure, sure.”
“Hey, is anyone going to the gig that’s at The String in two weeks?” I knew that Ele had asked the question to relieve the tension at the table, so I nodded my head.
“Yeah, I want to go but I don’t know if I’ll still be grounded then.” Jess said, grinning evilly to herself. The previous week Jess had been caught sneaking out to the skate park in the middle of the night, with her then boyfriend Zak. Her parents had gone spastic and had grounded her until further notice. We were all laughing about it when the first bell went.
If at my tender age of sixteen, I knew one thing for sure - Mr. Larson hated me. I had never said anything to anger to the fat, balding teacher, nor had I been a bad student. He had just always disliked me, and it seemed now that that feeling was mutual. So what if I fell asleep during his lecture about Atticus’ character in To Kill A Mockingbird? He didn’t have to give me a detention for it...
“Alright, Ryan came in and we chatted for a while…” I didn’t feel like explaining how he’d snapped at me suddenly, even if he did write it off as a joke.
“Oh yeah, he’s the new kid, right? Ele said he followed you around all day.” I sighed and twisted the phone cord around my pinkie finger.
“I don’t know... I guess. How was your day, anyway? Do you feel alright now?” I didn’t want to talk about Ryan, so I averted the subject.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I just needed a day off, you know. School’s just too much to handle at the moment. What did I miss today?”
“Not much, you can borrow my math notes tomorrow. We just finished our essays in English, and I face-planted in sport. Mum’s telling me to get off the phone, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
”Okay, sure. Bye.” I pressed the red button on the phone and I handed it to mum as she walked into my room.
“Thanks, Jasey. How was your day?” I walked over to my desk and opened my English folder to get my essay.
“Yeah, okay. There was a new kid, Ryan.”
“Oh! Is that Sandra Ross’s son?” I turned swiftly in my chair, surprised by her words.
“ Yeah… I don’t know his mother’s name, but I’d assume so. How do you know her?”
“Sandra started work at my office today, she seems very nice. What’s Ryan like?” I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to my laptop.
“He’s nice, I guess.”
“I guess? What does that mean?” My mum sounded suspicious, but turned toward the door.
“It means, mum, that he’s nice but I only just met him today. I couldn’t exactly give you his life
story or anything.” I turned on my laptop and logged in.
“Okay, okay. I’ve still got work to do, so I’ll be in my office if you need me.” I nodded and she left the room, closing the door.
After I’d finished typing up my English assignment, I went into the bathroom and showered. Once I’d finished I stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel.
Staring into the mirror, I started to poke my stomach, my arms and my legs. It was just fat, all fat. I thought that if only I didn’t eat, and if I just ran a couple more kilometres a day, it would go away. All this fat, just gone-
Stop! Deep breaths, in, out, in, out. Don’t start this again, I thought to myself. You’re fine, just fine, perfectly normal, and not fat at all. I took one last fleeting glance at the mirror and ran into my room, slamming the door closed behind me. I crawled into bed as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. My shoulders began to shake, and I swiped at the tears furiously. I turned to lay on my back and and tried to sleep, but I failed miserably.
“Jasey? You look like shit! Are you okay?” Good morning to you too, Ele.
“Hi. Yeah, I’m fine I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.” I opened my locker and shoved my bag into it as Ele closed hers.
“Oh, well that sucks.” She eyed me cautiously as we headed off to the table that Jess and Laura were already seated at.
“Hey- woah! Jasey, is it Halloween?” Laura tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes as she studied me.
"Shup up! I just didn’t sleep well, okay? Lay off.” Laura raised her hands up in the air. “Sure, sure.”
“Hey, is anyone going to the gig that’s at The String in two weeks?” I knew that Ele had asked the question to relieve the tension at the table, so I nodded my head.
“Yeah, I want to go but I don’t know if I’ll still be grounded then.” Jess said, grinning evilly to herself. The previous week Jess had been caught sneaking out to the skate park in the middle of the night, with her then boyfriend Zak. Her parents had gone spastic and had grounded her until further notice. We were all laughing about it when the first bell went.
If at my tender age of sixteen, I knew one thing for sure - Mr. Larson hated me. I had never said anything to anger to the fat, balding teacher, nor had I been a bad student. He had just always disliked me, and it seemed now that that feeling was mutual. So what if I fell asleep during his lecture about Atticus’ character in To Kill A Mockingbird? He didn’t have to give me a detention for it...