Confessions of an Innocent House Maid
Ch.2- Graduation
“Hurry Up, will you!!”
Nicole was yelling after me to get out of the car as soon as she parked it. We had already picked up our cap and gowns and were running for the entrance of the football field where the graduation ceremony was taking place.
“Janette Parker, Brittany Platin, Anthony Quinones, Faizan Qureshi…”
We ran around the back and peaked over the bleachers to see that the ceremony was in play and there really wasn’t any inconspicuous way to get in. So we stood all the way in the back of the line and slowly made our way to the front by cutting people one by one.
“Hurry up! We’re almost up!” Nicole started half jogging half running to the front of the line, not even caring about what people thought as they saw her coming out of nowhere. I just followed.
“Peter Ramirez, Tod Riley, Nicole Schneider…”
The crowd, including me, cheered as Nicole ran to the front waving her hands and after making herself seen, she slowly and breathlessly climbed the stairs and accepted her diploma.
“John Shaffer, Jessica Stellar…”
I smiled and bravely walked up the stairs to accept my diploma. When I heard Nicole yell ‘you go girl’ it made my smile widen even more. I met Nicole on the other end of the steps and we both quickly walked back to our seats as the rest of the names were called.
“And now it is my great honor to present to you, the class of 2008!”
Cheers erupted throughout the field as Nicole and I threw our caps in the air to join everyone else’s.
“We made it Jess, We made it!!” Nicole turned to me and gave me a huge hug.
As the Field started to clear out, classmates came to meet each other one last time. But not us. No, we had to stick around to take pictures. I loved Nicole and everything but that girl had a serious obsession with photos. The weird part was that no matter where we were, she would always have her camera.
We were in the middle of taking our picture together when someone tackled us from behind and wrapped an arm around both our shoulders. It was Mike.
“Hey Sweetheart!” Mike gave Nicole a quick kiss and a hug and then turned to me with one arm still around Nicole. “Hey Jess, Congrats!!”
“Thanks Mike. Congrats to you to.” I said remembering that he had graduated the day before. Mike went to a different school then the both of us, but it became hard to keep that in mind when you saw him almost everyday.
“What, that’s it? No hug no nothing? Just a ‘Congrats Mike’?” Mike said taking his arm out from around Nicole.
“Well, you know me, Mike. Not really the huggy type.” I said, casually take a step back as he started to gain on me; but that didn’t help.
“Oh come here!” Mike said and then the next thing I knew his arms was around me and he was hugging me really really tight.
I started to feel awkward with Nicole standing right there staring at us so I stated to think of ways to get him to let go of me. “Mike, I can hardly breathe!” and when that didn’t work, “Nicole! Get him to let go!”
“Alright, Alright. That’s enough of that.” Nicole came forward and gently pealed Mike off. “Come on, its time to celebrate!”
“That’s right! PARRRR-TAYYYYYYY!!!!” Mike said throwing a hand up while wrapping his other around Nicole’s shoulders again.
“You guys, its 12:30 in the afternoon. Don’t you think it’s a little early to party?” I pointed out.
Nicole and Mike looked at each other and then Nicole replied, “No, I was talking about the party tonight at The Valley Court.”
“Oh right. That.” I said.
“Yeah, you’re coming right?” Nicole asked.
“Um, I’m not sure. It’s just that, you know, my mom’s been on my back lately and plus, I want you and Mike to have a little privacy together.” I said trying to make excuses, but Nicole saw right through them.
“Oh trust me, we get enough of that!” Mike teased kissing Nicole on the cheek.
“Mike, stop it! You’re being rude.” Nicole said, pushing him away.
“What? Jess knows I’m just kidding. Right Jess?” Mike looked at me for a response.
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah of course.” I said.
“Yo, Mike! Get over here man!” someone called from the side.
“I’ll see you guys tonight.” Mike went over to go see what his friends wanted while Nicole turned her interrogative gaze on me the second he left.
“Jess, you’re going to that party.” It wasn’t a question.
“Listen Nicole, I really don’t feel like going out tonight. Plus were gonna hang out later anyways. I just…. You know my parents, They don’t-”
“Yeah yeah, they don’t let you do anything. Listen Jess. Your parents have been controlling your life all of high school, cant you just do something YOU want to do? We hardly ever got a chance to hang out because your parents were always telling you to do stuff. And your parents like me, imagine what would happen if they didn’t like me. Then you would never get to go out.”
It was true. My parents did like her. I didn’t know why, but they did. Nicole had her license and I didn’t, but if my parents knew that she was going to be there they would let her drive me in a heartbeat. Most of the time.
“We hung out plenty of times. Plus now we don’t even have school so my parents wont have anything to push on me. Therefore, we’ll have more spare time on our hands.” I said.
“No we wont and you know it. If its not school then it’s the gym. Knowing your mom, she’ll probably just send you to the gym twice as much as before.”
“She only wants me to be healthy.” I said feeling the need to defend my mom.
“Jess! You’re one hundred and seventeen pounds!! Do you know how many girls would kill to be as skinny as you are?” Nicole took a deep breathe and lowered her voice. “Listen jess, I love your parents and you know that but your mom has a serious obsession with this whole weight loss thing.”
The constant vibrating of my phone distracted me from replying to Nicole. I checked the collar ID and saw that it was my mom calling. I looked at Nicole and she read the expression clearly off my face.
“Go,” she said. “Their calling you right? Go; just promise me you won’t give in to your parents this summer. Okay?”
I nodded. “I’ll talk to them.” I turned to head towards the parking lot, then yelled back, “Call me to let me know how the party went!”
I found my family standing by our car, waiting to congratulate me. They each gave me a huge hug and then we got in the car and headed home.
Nicole was yelling after me to get out of the car as soon as she parked it. We had already picked up our cap and gowns and were running for the entrance of the football field where the graduation ceremony was taking place.
“Janette Parker, Brittany Platin, Anthony Quinones, Faizan Qureshi…”
We ran around the back and peaked over the bleachers to see that the ceremony was in play and there really wasn’t any inconspicuous way to get in. So we stood all the way in the back of the line and slowly made our way to the front by cutting people one by one.
“Hurry up! We’re almost up!” Nicole started half jogging half running to the front of the line, not even caring about what people thought as they saw her coming out of nowhere. I just followed.
“Peter Ramirez, Tod Riley, Nicole Schneider…”
The crowd, including me, cheered as Nicole ran to the front waving her hands and after making herself seen, she slowly and breathlessly climbed the stairs and accepted her diploma.
“John Shaffer, Jessica Stellar…”
I smiled and bravely walked up the stairs to accept my diploma. When I heard Nicole yell ‘you go girl’ it made my smile widen even more. I met Nicole on the other end of the steps and we both quickly walked back to our seats as the rest of the names were called.
“And now it is my great honor to present to you, the class of 2008!”
Cheers erupted throughout the field as Nicole and I threw our caps in the air to join everyone else’s.
“We made it Jess, We made it!!” Nicole turned to me and gave me a huge hug.
As the Field started to clear out, classmates came to meet each other one last time. But not us. No, we had to stick around to take pictures. I loved Nicole and everything but that girl had a serious obsession with photos. The weird part was that no matter where we were, she would always have her camera.
We were in the middle of taking our picture together when someone tackled us from behind and wrapped an arm around both our shoulders. It was Mike.
“Hey Sweetheart!” Mike gave Nicole a quick kiss and a hug and then turned to me with one arm still around Nicole. “Hey Jess, Congrats!!”
“Thanks Mike. Congrats to you to.” I said remembering that he had graduated the day before. Mike went to a different school then the both of us, but it became hard to keep that in mind when you saw him almost everyday.
“What, that’s it? No hug no nothing? Just a ‘Congrats Mike’?” Mike said taking his arm out from around Nicole.
“Well, you know me, Mike. Not really the huggy type.” I said, casually take a step back as he started to gain on me; but that didn’t help.
“Oh come here!” Mike said and then the next thing I knew his arms was around me and he was hugging me really really tight.
I started to feel awkward with Nicole standing right there staring at us so I stated to think of ways to get him to let go of me. “Mike, I can hardly breathe!” and when that didn’t work, “Nicole! Get him to let go!”
“Alright, Alright. That’s enough of that.” Nicole came forward and gently pealed Mike off. “Come on, its time to celebrate!”
“That’s right! PARRRR-TAYYYYYYY!!!!” Mike said throwing a hand up while wrapping his other around Nicole’s shoulders again.
“You guys, its 12:30 in the afternoon. Don’t you think it’s a little early to party?” I pointed out.
Nicole and Mike looked at each other and then Nicole replied, “No, I was talking about the party tonight at The Valley Court.”
“Oh right. That.” I said.
“Yeah, you’re coming right?” Nicole asked.
“Um, I’m not sure. It’s just that, you know, my mom’s been on my back lately and plus, I want you and Mike to have a little privacy together.” I said trying to make excuses, but Nicole saw right through them.
“Oh trust me, we get enough of that!” Mike teased kissing Nicole on the cheek.
“Mike, stop it! You’re being rude.” Nicole said, pushing him away.
“What? Jess knows I’m just kidding. Right Jess?” Mike looked at me for a response.
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah of course.” I said.
“Yo, Mike! Get over here man!” someone called from the side.
“I’ll see you guys tonight.” Mike went over to go see what his friends wanted while Nicole turned her interrogative gaze on me the second he left.
“Jess, you’re going to that party.” It wasn’t a question.
“Listen Nicole, I really don’t feel like going out tonight. Plus were gonna hang out later anyways. I just…. You know my parents, They don’t-”
“Yeah yeah, they don’t let you do anything. Listen Jess. Your parents have been controlling your life all of high school, cant you just do something YOU want to do? We hardly ever got a chance to hang out because your parents were always telling you to do stuff. And your parents like me, imagine what would happen if they didn’t like me. Then you would never get to go out.”
It was true. My parents did like her. I didn’t know why, but they did. Nicole had her license and I didn’t, but if my parents knew that she was going to be there they would let her drive me in a heartbeat. Most of the time.
“We hung out plenty of times. Plus now we don’t even have school so my parents wont have anything to push on me. Therefore, we’ll have more spare time on our hands.” I said.
“No we wont and you know it. If its not school then it’s the gym. Knowing your mom, she’ll probably just send you to the gym twice as much as before.”
“She only wants me to be healthy.” I said feeling the need to defend my mom.
“Jess! You’re one hundred and seventeen pounds!! Do you know how many girls would kill to be as skinny as you are?” Nicole took a deep breathe and lowered her voice. “Listen jess, I love your parents and you know that but your mom has a serious obsession with this whole weight loss thing.”
The constant vibrating of my phone distracted me from replying to Nicole. I checked the collar ID and saw that it was my mom calling. I looked at Nicole and she read the expression clearly off my face.
“Go,” she said. “Their calling you right? Go; just promise me you won’t give in to your parents this summer. Okay?”
I nodded. “I’ll talk to them.” I turned to head towards the parking lot, then yelled back, “Call me to let me know how the party went!”
I found my family standing by our car, waiting to congratulate me. They each gave me a huge hug and then we got in the car and headed home.