Why Is Love So Complicated?
The Locker Incident
I was ready for school to be over when the bell finally rang. I ran out of my choir class – my last class of the day – and to my locker to drop off my books. I found Killer standing there, staring at her locker.
“What’s up?” I asked as I walked up to her. All she did was point. I looked toward her locker, and gasped.
Somebody had destroyed it. The books were on the floor, and somebody had spray-painted part of the inside, and wrote outside on the door, “We told you to leave,” in lime green paint.
“How did this happen…?” I asked, looking horrified.
“Just one of the kids,” she said, as she started picking up some of her stuff, in jerky movements. One of the teachers walked up.
“What happened to your locker, Shelly?” he asked. He didn’t look concerned at all.
“Nothing, sir…” she said, not meeting his gaze.
“Oh really? Nothing? That’s what you said last time. I expect you need to stop destroying school property, or we will be forced to kick you out,” he said with an nasty grin.
I turned towards him. “Why on earth would she do this to her own locker?” I asked furiously.
“Drop it,” she said simply.
He smiled nastily again. “I expect this to be cleaned up by tomorrow,” he said as he walked off.
I turned towards her. “How can you just let him do that? Isn’t that considered student abuse?” I said angrily.
She laughed with no humor in the sound. “I told you they didn’t care. Just drop it. Don’t argue with them, it makes it worse. The principal isn’t going to do anything about it, we’ve already went to him,” she said. She looked like she was about to cry.
“Do you really have to have this picked up by tomorrow?” I asked. I started helping her pick up papers off the floor.
“I doubt they would kick me out, but it would probably be good for me to stay and clean it,” she said with a sigh. “I’m going to have to try to clean off the spray paint… I told them just to give me the locker from last year!!” she said angrily.
I looked at her, bewildered. “Why do you want your last locker?” I asked.
“It already had a lot of stuff on it… they told me I had to pay for it. I asked them just to let me keep it till I graduate, but they refused,” she said bitterly. “You know, like we said, this town doesn’t like gays. There are a few nice people… but not enough,” she said, putting the last of her stuff into her messanger bag. “I’m going to have to get a lock... and that stuff from the janitor. I’ll see you later,” she said as she got up.
“Wait. Do you want help you?” I asked. My mom might get mad waiting, but it looked like she wanted to talk.
She turned back around. “Sure, if you want,” she said as if she didn’t care, but she was smiling. She went to go get the cleaning solution from the janitor.
The janitor was nice. We stayed for about an hour, trying to clean it all off her locker, laughing about things, and small talking. When we were done, we went to go find the janitor again, to give him the bottle back.
We walked outside. My mom was sitting there. She looked a little angry, but she had been reading. I turned towards Killer. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later,” I said, about to go out to the car.
“Wait!! I know its short notice, but since tomorrow’s Friday, do you want to go hang out with us?” she asked.
Well, that was surprising. “Sure,” I said. I hoped my mom didn’t mind. “Where should I meet you?” I asked.
She smiled. “We’ll just leave from the school. Well, I’ll see you later,” she said, heading towards the parking lot. I got into our car.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked, putting down her book, and starting the car.
“Oh. Shelly. She’s in my German class, and her locker’s right beside mine,” I said. “She’s really nice.”
“She doesn’t look like the kind of people you want to hang out with…” she said. Yeah, Shelly wasn’t my mom’s type. “And where were you just now?” she asked.
“Oh. I was -” I started, but then stopped. I didn’t want to tell my mom about the locker incident. I didn’t think she would like it very much, and would definitely make a big deal over the reason it was done.. “I was helping her organize her locker. You know. Making friends.” That was a horrible lie. And I couldn’t believe I just lied to my mom.
“Oh,” she said. She seemed to have bought it. “Well, don’t let it happen again, okay?” she said. We drove into our drive way, and I hopped out and headed straight for my room. I had a load of homework, but not as much as I usually had on my first day. The only teachers that hadn’t given me homework were first three classes, and my Choir. I sat down at my desk, and started to work, but my mind kept going back to Killer. I can’t believe she wanted to hang out with me tomorrow. Well, I guess I still needed to ask my mom. I finally got all of my homework done, and went to the kitchen to see what we were having tonight.
We had gotten a table a couple of days after I registered. I sat down, and asked “So what are we having?”
“Well, I was thinking stuffed potatoes, a salad, and smoothies to top it off,” she said smiling.
“Wait, smoothies?” I looked over. We had a smoothie machine… “Wow, awesome!!!” I jumped up and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom! How did you get it?”
She laughed and hugged me back. “I knew you would like it. I thought it would help with your vegetarian thing.”
“Of course. Thank you!! How did you get it though…?”
“One of my coworkers gave it to me. I’m making friends too, you know,” she said, winking.
“Hey, Mom,” I started. Might as well ask now. “Can I go hang out with some friends tomorrow?”
“Sure, Hon, when do you need me to drop you off?” she asked, while she started fixing the potatoes.
“Uh… well, actually, they said I could just have a ride over.” I said. Hmm, maybe I could just not tell her it’s the girl I’m hanging out with that’s driving.
“Oh. Okay. Do I need to pick you up? How late is it?” she asked.
“Err…” I actually didn’t ask. Crap. “I don’t know. She’ll probably drop me off,” I said. I hope she would.
“Oh… okay. I hope gas is not a problem,” she said as she put the potatoes in the oven. I was surprised that she was being this nice. Maybe she just wanted me to make new friends.
We ate in silence. My mom was really tired from her work. She’s a waitress right now; she couldn’t find a better job on such short notice. She was trained to be a nurse, but she was having trouble finding a job for that. After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes, so she could go to bed early. Then I went to sleep, too.
“What’s up?” I asked as I walked up to her. All she did was point. I looked toward her locker, and gasped.
Somebody had destroyed it. The books were on the floor, and somebody had spray-painted part of the inside, and wrote outside on the door, “We told you to leave,” in lime green paint.
“How did this happen…?” I asked, looking horrified.
“Just one of the kids,” she said, as she started picking up some of her stuff, in jerky movements. One of the teachers walked up.
“What happened to your locker, Shelly?” he asked. He didn’t look concerned at all.
“Nothing, sir…” she said, not meeting his gaze.
“Oh really? Nothing? That’s what you said last time. I expect you need to stop destroying school property, or we will be forced to kick you out,” he said with an nasty grin.
I turned towards him. “Why on earth would she do this to her own locker?” I asked furiously.
“Drop it,” she said simply.
He smiled nastily again. “I expect this to be cleaned up by tomorrow,” he said as he walked off.
I turned towards her. “How can you just let him do that? Isn’t that considered student abuse?” I said angrily.
She laughed with no humor in the sound. “I told you they didn’t care. Just drop it. Don’t argue with them, it makes it worse. The principal isn’t going to do anything about it, we’ve already went to him,” she said. She looked like she was about to cry.
“Do you really have to have this picked up by tomorrow?” I asked. I started helping her pick up papers off the floor.
“I doubt they would kick me out, but it would probably be good for me to stay and clean it,” she said with a sigh. “I’m going to have to try to clean off the spray paint… I told them just to give me the locker from last year!!” she said angrily.
I looked at her, bewildered. “Why do you want your last locker?” I asked.
“It already had a lot of stuff on it… they told me I had to pay for it. I asked them just to let me keep it till I graduate, but they refused,” she said bitterly. “You know, like we said, this town doesn’t like gays. There are a few nice people… but not enough,” she said, putting the last of her stuff into her messanger bag. “I’m going to have to get a lock... and that stuff from the janitor. I’ll see you later,” she said as she got up.
“Wait. Do you want help you?” I asked. My mom might get mad waiting, but it looked like she wanted to talk.
She turned back around. “Sure, if you want,” she said as if she didn’t care, but she was smiling. She went to go get the cleaning solution from the janitor.
The janitor was nice. We stayed for about an hour, trying to clean it all off her locker, laughing about things, and small talking. When we were done, we went to go find the janitor again, to give him the bottle back.
We walked outside. My mom was sitting there. She looked a little angry, but she had been reading. I turned towards Killer. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later,” I said, about to go out to the car.
“Wait!! I know its short notice, but since tomorrow’s Friday, do you want to go hang out with us?” she asked.
Well, that was surprising. “Sure,” I said. I hoped my mom didn’t mind. “Where should I meet you?” I asked.
She smiled. “We’ll just leave from the school. Well, I’ll see you later,” she said, heading towards the parking lot. I got into our car.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked, putting down her book, and starting the car.
“Oh. Shelly. She’s in my German class, and her locker’s right beside mine,” I said. “She’s really nice.”
“She doesn’t look like the kind of people you want to hang out with…” she said. Yeah, Shelly wasn’t my mom’s type. “And where were you just now?” she asked.
“Oh. I was -” I started, but then stopped. I didn’t want to tell my mom about the locker incident. I didn’t think she would like it very much, and would definitely make a big deal over the reason it was done.. “I was helping her organize her locker. You know. Making friends.” That was a horrible lie. And I couldn’t believe I just lied to my mom.
“Oh,” she said. She seemed to have bought it. “Well, don’t let it happen again, okay?” she said. We drove into our drive way, and I hopped out and headed straight for my room. I had a load of homework, but not as much as I usually had on my first day. The only teachers that hadn’t given me homework were first three classes, and my Choir. I sat down at my desk, and started to work, but my mind kept going back to Killer. I can’t believe she wanted to hang out with me tomorrow. Well, I guess I still needed to ask my mom. I finally got all of my homework done, and went to the kitchen to see what we were having tonight.
We had gotten a table a couple of days after I registered. I sat down, and asked “So what are we having?”
“Well, I was thinking stuffed potatoes, a salad, and smoothies to top it off,” she said smiling.
“Wait, smoothies?” I looked over. We had a smoothie machine… “Wow, awesome!!!” I jumped up and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom! How did you get it?”
She laughed and hugged me back. “I knew you would like it. I thought it would help with your vegetarian thing.”
“Of course. Thank you!! How did you get it though…?”
“One of my coworkers gave it to me. I’m making friends too, you know,” she said, winking.
“Hey, Mom,” I started. Might as well ask now. “Can I go hang out with some friends tomorrow?”
“Sure, Hon, when do you need me to drop you off?” she asked, while she started fixing the potatoes.
“Uh… well, actually, they said I could just have a ride over.” I said. Hmm, maybe I could just not tell her it’s the girl I’m hanging out with that’s driving.
“Oh. Okay. Do I need to pick you up? How late is it?” she asked.
“Err…” I actually didn’t ask. Crap. “I don’t know. She’ll probably drop me off,” I said. I hope she would.
“Oh… okay. I hope gas is not a problem,” she said as she put the potatoes in the oven. I was surprised that she was being this nice. Maybe she just wanted me to make new friends.
We ate in silence. My mom was really tired from her work. She’s a waitress right now; she couldn’t find a better job on such short notice. She was trained to be a nurse, but she was having trouble finding a job for that. After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes, so she could go to bed early. Then I went to sleep, too.