Being a teenager is hard. Learning how to manage your emotion without a parent to guide you through these impossible times is even harder. So can you imagine having a significant piece of your dead parent’s belongings to be tainted and morphed into something you couldn’t recognize. The only tangible thing you can touch and feel that wasn’t a picture on your phone was gone. It is fucken devastating.
I held the ring in my hand tightly, imagining squishing Sammy’s face in the palm of my hand. This did not bring me any satisfaction or diminished the anger that hungered for revenge. I was on a whole different level of being pissed off, leaning against the sidelines with the rest of the students who finished the ceremony. I can feel my body waiting for her to come down the steps. Initially, I wanted to react when she gave the ring to Helen as she carried a devilish smirk on her face, but I miraculously managed to walk off stage without causing a scene. I remembered Jenna calling my name to come stand near her but my body never moved an inch.
As soon as Sammy took the last step off the stage, I felt my body move towards her ready to smash my fist against her fake crooked smile. To be fair if it wasn’t for the wicked grin as she came down the steps that erupted a burning of fury, Fred’s chanting in the back of my head didn’t help either. His influence in reminding me of my mom’s precious ring and how she worked so hard to buy something for herself was another reason why Sammy needed a black eye.
My steps quickened and my hands were ready to snatch her straw blonde hair so I can drag it across the floor. Sammy wouldn’t have realized it was coming if it wasn’t for the fact that a tall colossal douche bag held me back. My peripheral view must be jacked up because I didn’t even notice him as he stood beside me.
“Get your fucken hand off me.” I snapped at Alex who held my wrist tightly. My knuckles were inches from contacting Sammy’s face. It could have been a glories first punch if it wasn’t rudely interrupted.
“Hitting her won’t change anything.” Alex said his voice in a low whisper trying to steer the situation away from Helen’s radar. Helen continued on her speech oblivious to what was happening on the side of the stage.
My arm was being forcefully retracted back but I wasn’t giving in that easily. I clearly had another arm for a reason but as quick as Alex came to intervene so was Rei. Call it adrenaline or the power of being royally pissed off that I almost succeeded in removing myself from Rei’s grasp. Realizing that I nearly escaped, Alex’s amber eyes widened in alarm for a brief second. He used both his arms to pull me back from Sammy in which Rei eventually stepped back.
“Mikaela…” Alex warned with his arms around me. If anyone was watching from the sidelines, it would appear that Alex was giving me a very tight hug and not restraining me from honoring my mother.
“What did I do to you MK?” Sammy’s eyes swelled with crocodiles tears pretending to be fearful and shocked. She was terrible at acting but I give her props to be able to cry on scene.
Jenna had made it to our circus fiasco where Alex was holding me like a straitjacket. Rei stood in between me and Sammy attempting to keep a smile on his face as if nothing was wrong. Jenna clearly wasn’t buying it.
“What’s going on?” Jenna questioned glancing between me and Sammy with worry and confusion wondering why Sammy was crying and why I looked like a crazy person.
“I tried to be friends with her like you said Jenna but I can’t. She’s fucken insane.” Sammy said her voice portraying like she was the victim in this story. Another surge of anger filled inside me as I attempted to pull myself out of Alex’s shackled arms.
“Are you serious? You had your fucken ugly ass Ring spirit guide attack me in the bathroom!” I added finding the only description in my head that would fit Margaret.
“Sammy why would you do that?” Jenna said searching for an honest answer from a person who changes personalities as often as a damn chameleon changes color.
“Really you’re gonna believe her over me? We have been friends since elementary!” Sammy said her voice growing louder as the students who were near us listened intently.
“Sammy, it’s because I have known you since elementary but this is getting out of hand.”
Sammy tried to keep her pitiful expression but it was melting faster as Jenna clearly was siding with me against her best friend. This had somewhat calmed me down knowing that at least Jenna wasn’t falling for Sammy’s performance.
“I think we need a time out. We’ll take MK with us so she can cool down…” Rei started but his calm voice didn’t change the fact that the fight was twisting to an argument between Jenna and Sammy that was long over due.
“You are fucken unbelievable” Sammy scoffed. “I thought I had it bad but your worse. Hanging out with MK because she knows Rei.”
Jenna’s face grew red and completely mortified hearing Sammy reveal her school crush. Fortunately Rei looked utterly confused on the situation but Jenna was still frozen. I can feel Alex’s chest hold in a sigh, growing tired of the dramatics. I tilted my head glaring at his expressionless face, wanting to say ‘you shouldn’t have got involved in the first place, dumbass!’
“Oops was that suppose to be a secret… that’s embarrassing.” Sammy chuckled darkly. “Also MK , if you didn’t want to use a tacky fake ring like that for the ceremony, you should have bought something pretty and actually worth something.”
I clenched my jaw unable to trust myself from shouting and causing a whole new level of embarrassment for Jenna. Then a thought a came to my head that was something unlike me but desperate times call for stupid decisions. If Alex wasn’t going to let me physically hurt Sammy than emotional damage was the next best thing.
There was a tiny gap between my elbow and Alex’s stomach. Not thinking twice I elbowed him hard in his lower abdomen. I wasn’t sure at first that I actually hurt him but it took him by surprise, releasing his grasp for a split second. He figured that I was trying to reach for Sammy’s face but that wasn’t my goal. Alex was annoyingly tall so now that he was bent slightly I was able to reach the end of his jacket pulling him down further where his face was almost at my level. Standing on my tippy toes, I pressed my lips against his.
I expected the kiss to be quick and awkward but it wasn’t. Alex’s lips moved with mine making my stomach flutter. This was not the plan I had built in my head. My first kiss wasn’t suppose to be this dramatic. My intentions were to punch Sammy and drag her across the auditorium. This clearly didn’t happen so I was stuck with no other alternatives.
‘You keep telling yourself that, MK’ Fred said sarcastically immediately breaking me away from Alex who almost looked disappointed.
The student’s were no longer listening to Helen’s speech on how the faculty were excited to see how this year students will grow to be amazing and powerful spiritual beings. Their eyes were glued with the show that was happening in the corner of the auditorium.
Sammy’s blue eyes blinked slowly her brain no longer computing on what just happened. She didn’t say anything but immediately wiped the corner of her eye as she turned to leave. ‘So she can cry actual tears, good for her’ I thought causing Fred to snicker.
Rei and Jenna’s jaw dropped almost simultaneously. Trust me, I was shocked by my actions as well. If you would have told me in the past that I tried to hit or kiss some guy to get back at someone, I would have laughed in your face and asked what book did you read that from.
“What the hell!” Rei was the first to speak, his voice no longer calm. Jenna pressed a finger to her lips as she pointed out that Helen was still speaking.
“But, they just…I want an explanation right now mister!” Rei stammered, shocked by his friend’s actions as well. Alex’s face returned back to his emotionless and uncaring personal. He no longer had his arms around me, allowing me to be free and stretch my arms.
“As do I…” Jenna said her voice almost sounding she was going to scold me but her eyes expressed a different emotion. She appeared like a proud mother seeing her daughter completing her first milestone.
“They should have let me punched her.”
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