One More Weekend
Tell Him Off
”Teachers, please pardon these announcements. Today is Senior spirit day-all seniors have been asked to wear school colors: Purple, Black, and White. Also, students that are T.L.E.’d for Today’s College prep presentation are to report to their first hour class and wait for your pass to be signed by your teacher. This message is only for seniors: If you haven’t bought your prom ticket yet, do so soon! We’re running out, and fast. And if you haven’t purchased your cap and gown for graduation, you won’t be able to walk with your classmates-school regulation. Attention juniors, Senior prom tickets have been opened to you exclusively! Hurry though; we’re almost out, but will continue to sell tickets until we are sold out, even if it means at-the-door tickets. Now for the pledge of allegiance….”
Oh yes, my favorite part of every Monday morning. Announcements were always the most fun part of the day-note my sarcasm. ”One last announcement, Prom Court nominations are in and ready to be announced!” I was just about ready to kill Tessa from across the hall. I knew by now that she’d nominated me, but there was no way I was going to win the first round nominations. So Saturday, with her prepping me for the prom queen award, crown, and flowers would be for nothing. I knew that all too well.
”Prom King nominees are…..Terk Allumn, Shaun Jason, Parker Teak, and ….Andrew Mrotek.” There was no way….. Who nominated Andy? I personally hadn’t nominated anyone, so….who put Andy up to it? And…who voted for him to be on the official ballot? ”Prom Queen nominees are….Caroline Montez, Keisha Carolin, Stacey Gomez, and Shelly Abeo.” Oh yeah, like I stand a chance against three girls straight off the cheer team.
The rest of the announcements went on, until finally the college prep kids were let out of class. Tessa and I had passed up on the opportunity to get out of class, seeing as we’d gotten College Prep a few years back from our parents. That was how we ended up getting accepted to the same school in Nevada for the same amount of time. So, basically it was me and a few stupid loner druggie kids left in my class; the kind of kids that won’t go anywhere but on the streets to sell their shit in life.
I pulled out my notebook and doodled. It was the end of the year, a class with a bunch of seniors, and almost all of them were gone. Therefore, our teacher thought it best to ignore us and let us do whatever the fuck we wanted, as long as it didn’t break school rules of course. Sighing, I wished I could have just…skipped first hour. But with my mother calling the school nowadays, that wasn’t going to happen. I would have been caught and given detention. Oh, and I would have been grounded, probably up to Prom.
That wouldn’t have gone over well with my friends. The like to kidnap me on weekends; I think they’d go crazy if they didn’t.
Finally, the bell rang. Most of the day was the same for me, until the final bell rang and I headed to my locker instead of to the office again. Adam nearly stormed over to me and landed his back against the locker next to mine. He gave a huge puff, then looked at me. “What were you thinking, Keisha?” I pulled my bag out of the locker, then stepped back and closed t. “What’s he got that I don’t?”
I knew this was going to happen. “Get a grip on yourself, kid.” I stood with my leg slightly bent, my arms crossed in front of me. “I’ve known Andy longer, and I know him better. It only seems fair to me to go with him. He deserves it.” Not that Adam didn’t, he just…..needed to find another date now. He needed to find another date when he asked me to go with him. I realized then that this kid never had a chance at going with me; Andy always held the upper hand in this battle for my attention.
“So what? I just get dumped off the deep end and sink?” he asked. He kinda just sounded like a pirate. I have Adam a stern look, as if he needed to just shut the fuck up and listen to what I had to say. Because frankly, that’s what he needed to do right now.
“I didn’t fucking say that, Siska. Shut up and listen to me.” I was a bit pissed now. He thought I didn’t like him enough, when really he should just be glad that I like him at all. I’m not a very personable being, and he knows that. “I’m not going with you because you’re the new kid. I want to go with Andy, and that’s that. I’ve known him for years, and you for only a few months. He deserves this; he’s worked up for it. You need to make a name for yourself if you want something like this that badly.”
He sighed and looked down the hall away from me, then back as he pushed himself off the lockers. “Sorry Keish.” He knew he did something wrong (he fucking messed with me about my decision), so now he was going to try to redeem himself and ask me out. Just watch. “I’d like to make it up to you.”
I’m so good at hitting nails on the head.
“Don’t think so, Adam. I don’t date.” And I really didn’t; I just went to prom with my best friend. I didn’t date that year, and I hadn’t planned on it. Dating wasn’t my thing, at least not in High school. I wanted to wait until guys weren’t into just sex and sluts and boobs. You know, the safe, lovable guys shone through that way.
I turned and walked down the hall, my sweater in hand as I did so. It was the end of the day; how much trouble could I get in now for wearing my Green Day tank top on campus? The teachers didn’t care; first off, I was a senior. Second of all, they all wanted to go home just as badly-if not more-than I did. I smiled when I was finally out of the school, and headed to my car where once again Andy was standing by the passenger side. I smiled wider at him and ran, letting him catch me in a huge hug like he always did.
I was so in love with my best friend, and I’d only noticed it then. It was the reason I was so sure of myself when I’d turned down Adam, and why I was so positive Andy was who I wanted to go to prom with. It was the reason I wanted Andy to just……hold me and kiss me forever. But that wouldn’t happen; Andy didn’t feel as strongly about us as I did. I thought I’d been almost sure of that. And when he let me go, I almost pouted.
“Let’s get going.” His voice was low and soft, and I just nodded and headed around the car. Getting into my driver’s seat, I started the car with my bag still on my arm. It wasn’t uncommon for me to drive that way, but it did tend to get a bit uncomfortable after a while.
We stayed silent for most of the ride, just enjoying my music (which happened to be Blink 182 at that moment) on the smooth ride through the town. I was at ease; for once I wasn’t worrying about anything. Not prom. Not graduation. Not even Adam.
Oh yes, my favorite part of every Monday morning. Announcements were always the most fun part of the day-note my sarcasm. ”One last announcement, Prom Court nominations are in and ready to be announced!” I was just about ready to kill Tessa from across the hall. I knew by now that she’d nominated me, but there was no way I was going to win the first round nominations. So Saturday, with her prepping me for the prom queen award, crown, and flowers would be for nothing. I knew that all too well.
”Prom King nominees are…..Terk Allumn, Shaun Jason, Parker Teak, and ….Andrew Mrotek.” There was no way….. Who nominated Andy? I personally hadn’t nominated anyone, so….who put Andy up to it? And…who voted for him to be on the official ballot? ”Prom Queen nominees are….Caroline Montez, Keisha Carolin, Stacey Gomez, and Shelly Abeo.” Oh yeah, like I stand a chance against three girls straight off the cheer team.
The rest of the announcements went on, until finally the college prep kids were let out of class. Tessa and I had passed up on the opportunity to get out of class, seeing as we’d gotten College Prep a few years back from our parents. That was how we ended up getting accepted to the same school in Nevada for the same amount of time. So, basically it was me and a few stupid loner druggie kids left in my class; the kind of kids that won’t go anywhere but on the streets to sell their shit in life.
I pulled out my notebook and doodled. It was the end of the year, a class with a bunch of seniors, and almost all of them were gone. Therefore, our teacher thought it best to ignore us and let us do whatever the fuck we wanted, as long as it didn’t break school rules of course. Sighing, I wished I could have just…skipped first hour. But with my mother calling the school nowadays, that wasn’t going to happen. I would have been caught and given detention. Oh, and I would have been grounded, probably up to Prom.
That wouldn’t have gone over well with my friends. The like to kidnap me on weekends; I think they’d go crazy if they didn’t.
Finally, the bell rang. Most of the day was the same for me, until the final bell rang and I headed to my locker instead of to the office again. Adam nearly stormed over to me and landed his back against the locker next to mine. He gave a huge puff, then looked at me. “What were you thinking, Keisha?” I pulled my bag out of the locker, then stepped back and closed t. “What’s he got that I don’t?”
I knew this was going to happen. “Get a grip on yourself, kid.” I stood with my leg slightly bent, my arms crossed in front of me. “I’ve known Andy longer, and I know him better. It only seems fair to me to go with him. He deserves it.” Not that Adam didn’t, he just…..needed to find another date now. He needed to find another date when he asked me to go with him. I realized then that this kid never had a chance at going with me; Andy always held the upper hand in this battle for my attention.
“So what? I just get dumped off the deep end and sink?” he asked. He kinda just sounded like a pirate. I have Adam a stern look, as if he needed to just shut the fuck up and listen to what I had to say. Because frankly, that’s what he needed to do right now.
“I didn’t fucking say that, Siska. Shut up and listen to me.” I was a bit pissed now. He thought I didn’t like him enough, when really he should just be glad that I like him at all. I’m not a very personable being, and he knows that. “I’m not going with you because you’re the new kid. I want to go with Andy, and that’s that. I’ve known him for years, and you for only a few months. He deserves this; he’s worked up for it. You need to make a name for yourself if you want something like this that badly.”
He sighed and looked down the hall away from me, then back as he pushed himself off the lockers. “Sorry Keish.” He knew he did something wrong (he fucking messed with me about my decision), so now he was going to try to redeem himself and ask me out. Just watch. “I’d like to make it up to you.”
I’m so good at hitting nails on the head.
“Don’t think so, Adam. I don’t date.” And I really didn’t; I just went to prom with my best friend. I didn’t date that year, and I hadn’t planned on it. Dating wasn’t my thing, at least not in High school. I wanted to wait until guys weren’t into just sex and sluts and boobs. You know, the safe, lovable guys shone through that way.
I turned and walked down the hall, my sweater in hand as I did so. It was the end of the day; how much trouble could I get in now for wearing my Green Day tank top on campus? The teachers didn’t care; first off, I was a senior. Second of all, they all wanted to go home just as badly-if not more-than I did. I smiled when I was finally out of the school, and headed to my car where once again Andy was standing by the passenger side. I smiled wider at him and ran, letting him catch me in a huge hug like he always did.
I was so in love with my best friend, and I’d only noticed it then. It was the reason I was so sure of myself when I’d turned down Adam, and why I was so positive Andy was who I wanted to go to prom with. It was the reason I wanted Andy to just……hold me and kiss me forever. But that wouldn’t happen; Andy didn’t feel as strongly about us as I did. I thought I’d been almost sure of that. And when he let me go, I almost pouted.
“Let’s get going.” His voice was low and soft, and I just nodded and headed around the car. Getting into my driver’s seat, I started the car with my bag still on my arm. It wasn’t uncommon for me to drive that way, but it did tend to get a bit uncomfortable after a while.
We stayed silent for most of the ride, just enjoying my music (which happened to be Blink 182 at that moment) on the smooth ride through the town. I was at ease; for once I wasn’t worrying about anything. Not prom. Not graduation. Not even Adam.
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