Why Is Love So Complicated?
The First Time
The first time I saw her, we were registering at school. I had just transferred in from out-of-state. My dad had finally divorced my mom, something he had been threatening to do since I was 5. I went with my mom, down into Oklahoma. I didn’t like my dad…
The girl was a couple of people ahead of us. We had everything we needed – me and my mom. My mom was talking about something, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy trying to catch her eye. She was concentrating on at a sheet of paper though. Drat! I thought. The line moved forward. She went on, to a different table. We came up next, pretty soon.
“Katrina Kemp?” Asked the man I handed my registration card to.
“Yes.”
“Welcome to Crescent High,” he said with a smile, while handing me a lot of other papers, plus registration card. I gave him a weak smile, and moved to the next table. There, they took the registration card, to put it into the computers. I started looking around for that girl again. No sight of her. Oh well… I thought, and finally tuned into what my mom was saying.
“… now, you need to make a good impression on your teachers, don’t act snippy, they might kick you out. Keep your hair tidy, and oh, I WISH you didn’t have that piercing,” she said, trying to touch my upper ear.
“MOM!! It’s not that bad,” I said, swiping her hand away, rolling my eyes. She was always like this, trying to make suggestions. Of course, isn’t every mother? I didn’t really have that many piercings… just my ear, but my mom wasn’t going to let me get any more. “They aren’t going to care if you have your cartilage pierced. And they aren’t going to kick me out of the classes,” I said, slightly annoyed that she said that.
She smiled. “Sorry… I just want a good impression on the new town…”
I understood. I wanted to make one too. But probably not the kind she wanted…
We went to go get my schedule after that. I was entering into 10th grade. I was surprised they let me carry over the Pre-AP classes I was taking from my old school. I was looking through it as we walked over to register for a locker. I still hadn’t seen her, after I got my locker. We went ahead and went home, because we were still trying to decorate the house. I told her I would find my classes on the first day – the school wasn’t TOO big, my last one was a 5-A school. This one was only a 3-A school, and just passing the mark at that. Much smaller.
We drove back to the city limits. My mom had found this pretty nice place outside the city limits for cheap rent. It was a 2-bedroom, with one bathroom, a pretty large kitchen, with a comfy living room. Just perfect for me and my mom. I went to my room, which was in the back, and started to unload more boxes. My mom came in to see if we could talk.
“Are you sure you don’t mind the move, Katrina?” she asked as she sat down on my bed.
I kept unpacking while I talked. “No, Mom, I’m sure I don’t. I know I left all my friends in Nebraska, but I can still talk to them over the internet. When are we hooking that up, anyway?” I asked while I started unloading stuff into my dresser.
She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry… I can’t get it connected yet. We need to get established first. Your dad wouldn’t let me have a lot of money.”
“Oh… okay.” I was kind of sad, but oh well. I guess I could just find the library and connect there. I finished unpacking everything that went in the dresser, so I started on all my little figurines. All I had left was my stuffed animals, and my T.V. that I barely used.
“What do you want for dinner tonight?” she asked as she watched me.
“Oh, can we have Chinese, please?” I asked jumping up and down. It was forever ago since we had that, and I really wanted some rice.
“Sure. I’ll go into town and pick it up,” she got up, and walked out looking a lot more thoughtful than she normally did.. I was a little worried, and hoped she was okay, but I kept organizing my room. I finished up about the time that she was coming home with the food.
I went to the kitchen, that didn’t really have much in it, besides a frigerator and a microwave. We were still working on it, and needed a table. We had been eating in the living room.
I grabbed my little plastic container, and went to the living room to sit down on the couch with my mom.
She looked up. “You know, tonight will be the first full week that we stayed at this house.”
I sat up surprised. She was right. One whole week in a normal house, away from my dad. “Wow… it feels kind of good. Being away from Dad. At least we aren’t in any hotels either,” I said.
She seemed happy by this comment. “Yes… It feels good to be out on my own after so long. And now I have someone to keep me company,” she said as she threw a chunk of rice at me.
“HEY!!” I yelled, as I threw a fork-load at her. She somehow managed to catch it and started laughing.
“So you start school in 2 weeks. Are you excited?” she asked.
“Kind of… I don’t know anybody. And I’ve just been at the house. I don’t know what to expect,” I said sheepishly.
“It won’t be that bad. At least it’s a small school.”
“I don’t know if that’s so good….” I said. We ate in silence after that. I finished up, and threw away the plastic container. I went to the bathroom to take a shower, then went to bed. I wonder what this is going to be like… I thought as I drifted off.
The girl was a couple of people ahead of us. We had everything we needed – me and my mom. My mom was talking about something, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy trying to catch her eye. She was concentrating on at a sheet of paper though. Drat! I thought. The line moved forward. She went on, to a different table. We came up next, pretty soon.
“Katrina Kemp?” Asked the man I handed my registration card to.
“Yes.”
“Welcome to Crescent High,” he said with a smile, while handing me a lot of other papers, plus registration card. I gave him a weak smile, and moved to the next table. There, they took the registration card, to put it into the computers. I started looking around for that girl again. No sight of her. Oh well… I thought, and finally tuned into what my mom was saying.
“… now, you need to make a good impression on your teachers, don’t act snippy, they might kick you out. Keep your hair tidy, and oh, I WISH you didn’t have that piercing,” she said, trying to touch my upper ear.
“MOM!! It’s not that bad,” I said, swiping her hand away, rolling my eyes. She was always like this, trying to make suggestions. Of course, isn’t every mother? I didn’t really have that many piercings… just my ear, but my mom wasn’t going to let me get any more. “They aren’t going to care if you have your cartilage pierced. And they aren’t going to kick me out of the classes,” I said, slightly annoyed that she said that.
She smiled. “Sorry… I just want a good impression on the new town…”
I understood. I wanted to make one too. But probably not the kind she wanted…
We went to go get my schedule after that. I was entering into 10th grade. I was surprised they let me carry over the Pre-AP classes I was taking from my old school. I was looking through it as we walked over to register for a locker. I still hadn’t seen her, after I got my locker. We went ahead and went home, because we were still trying to decorate the house. I told her I would find my classes on the first day – the school wasn’t TOO big, my last one was a 5-A school. This one was only a 3-A school, and just passing the mark at that. Much smaller.
We drove back to the city limits. My mom had found this pretty nice place outside the city limits for cheap rent. It was a 2-bedroom, with one bathroom, a pretty large kitchen, with a comfy living room. Just perfect for me and my mom. I went to my room, which was in the back, and started to unload more boxes. My mom came in to see if we could talk.
“Are you sure you don’t mind the move, Katrina?” she asked as she sat down on my bed.
I kept unpacking while I talked. “No, Mom, I’m sure I don’t. I know I left all my friends in Nebraska, but I can still talk to them over the internet. When are we hooking that up, anyway?” I asked while I started unloading stuff into my dresser.
She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry… I can’t get it connected yet. We need to get established first. Your dad wouldn’t let me have a lot of money.”
“Oh… okay.” I was kind of sad, but oh well. I guess I could just find the library and connect there. I finished unpacking everything that went in the dresser, so I started on all my little figurines. All I had left was my stuffed animals, and my T.V. that I barely used.
“What do you want for dinner tonight?” she asked as she watched me.
“Oh, can we have Chinese, please?” I asked jumping up and down. It was forever ago since we had that, and I really wanted some rice.
“Sure. I’ll go into town and pick it up,” she got up, and walked out looking a lot more thoughtful than she normally did.. I was a little worried, and hoped she was okay, but I kept organizing my room. I finished up about the time that she was coming home with the food.
I went to the kitchen, that didn’t really have much in it, besides a frigerator and a microwave. We were still working on it, and needed a table. We had been eating in the living room.
I grabbed my little plastic container, and went to the living room to sit down on the couch with my mom.
She looked up. “You know, tonight will be the first full week that we stayed at this house.”
I sat up surprised. She was right. One whole week in a normal house, away from my dad. “Wow… it feels kind of good. Being away from Dad. At least we aren’t in any hotels either,” I said.
She seemed happy by this comment. “Yes… It feels good to be out on my own after so long. And now I have someone to keep me company,” she said as she threw a chunk of rice at me.
“HEY!!” I yelled, as I threw a fork-load at her. She somehow managed to catch it and started laughing.
“So you start school in 2 weeks. Are you excited?” she asked.
“Kind of… I don’t know anybody. And I’ve just been at the house. I don’t know what to expect,” I said sheepishly.
“It won’t be that bad. At least it’s a small school.”
“I don’t know if that’s so good….” I said. We ate in silence after that. I finished up, and threw away the plastic container. I went to the bathroom to take a shower, then went to bed. I wonder what this is going to be like… I thought as I drifted off.