Miss Popular and the Nerd

Ch. 4 The Accident

Chapter 4  

The Accident  

Angie POV  

I look at my clock on the nightstand. 7:55. My alarm clock didn't ring. Shit, shit, shit! I am already late. I wonder what woke me up. And then I hear it.  

“I was only gone for two months!”, my mom shouts.

“Only? You call three months only? Mara I don't recognize you anymore! You changed so much!”, my dad shouts back at her.

“I am so sick of you disappearing and reappearing in our lives. Either you are with us or you are gone!” my dad screams.

“Yesterday when you unpacked I saw a picture of you and a guy at least half your age standing in front of a pyramid and hugging! It feels like you are leading another life! Seriously Mara what has gotten into you? Have you forgotten that you have a family?” my Dad asks on the verge of exploding.

“You know what, Robert? You treat me like dirt! You never say 'I love you' or make compliments. I have wanted to say this for months no actually years! Fuck you! I am leaving and hope I don't have to come back to....to this mess!” mom screams.  

Over the last few years the fights have gotten a lot worse. It was never as bad as it is now. It is the first time she threatened my dad that she would leave. It is not like I don't like my mom. It's just annoying if somebody disappears out of your life for three months and comes back different a person. She tries to start conversations but has no idea what happened when she was gone. It just feels awkward around her. The worst thing about all of this is that she doesn't bother to find out what happened. It's as if she doesn't care at all. It's like she leads this separate life for half a year and comes back for the rest of the year.   Mom always complains about how hard it is the adjust into our family after being away. She is so full of herself. She never thinks about how hard it must have been for us when she is gone. She knows that she only has to go on archaeology trips for two months a year. Instead she goes on them for six months. She chooses to leave us alone. She says it is hard for her to adjust, she should look at our family first.

First of all there's Jonathan with his special day-care program for autistic kids. She doesn't know how the leaving and coming back messes with his head. I think about how it makes me feel. Then I imagine it a hundred times worse.. That would probably be the equivalent of how he feels. Dad is working 40 hours a week as a dentist. He is under so much time pressure but he doesn't show it because he doesn't want to seem weak. He is my hero. As for me I always take over the mother role. I clean up the house, make food and take care of Jonathan when dad is gone or is working. It is really hard without Mom. But the thing that really annoys me is that when she is here, she doesn't do anything. She says we should be happy she came back because it was so much better where ever she was before. I sometimes ask myself how they got together. They are just so...different. Dad is quiet, Mom is noisy. Dad is calm, Mom is always overreacting. Do I have to keep going? They fell in love when they were really young. And sometimes love grows old...  

I hear Jonathan crying in his room. He probably also woke up from all the screaming. It is already ten past eight and I am still in bed. I rush downstairs and throw a piece of toast in my mouth. I check myself in the mirror. I look okay for a girl that has slept three hours. I say good-bye to my parents and run to the bus. At least I don't have to hear their shouting and fighting anymore.

  I buy a caramel latte to wake me up a little. In school, I just walk through the corridors, not knowing where I should go. I am lost in the thought of my parents fighting. My dad mentioned a picture where my mom hugs a very young guy. Is she having an affair?, I think to myself. What if they divorce? Who would get my custody? And what would happen with Jonathan? Would my mom stay with her boyfriend in Egypt or here in California? I don't want to be the talk of the school. I love my parents with all their flaws. But I couldn't choose who I would go to! If I would have to live with my mom's boyfriend who is barely any older than me I think I would die. It wouldn't be such a big difference if I would stay with my Dad. We have been living alone for a long time. I really don't want them to divorce. I look at the floor and walk around a corner.  

“What the hell is wrong with you, man! Don't you have eyes?”, a boy screams. I look up to see his cashmere pullover have a giant brownish-gold stain. Then I look at his face. It is red. Red equals angry.

“Aren't you going to say sorry or something?”, he says.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry! I was so lost in thought, that I didn't see you. Can I make it up to you?”, I ask, still a little dazzled.

“Bring it to dry-cleaning and give it back to me. Give me your number,” he says.

We exchange numbers and split up. That was so embarrassing. I hope nobody saw that. I turn around and walk away. I can't shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere. The word to describe this situation: awkward!  

At lunch I see Hannah always staring at Matt and then looking away and smiling. I still don't know what she's up to. The fact that she knows I have a crush on him doesn't make it better. I never thought I would say this but I am jealous of her. I am jealous of Hannah Winter. I have no idea why she is jealous of me. I never did anything hurtful and now she treats me like this. I guess that is how frenemies behave.   I go to my locker and see the guy's pullover inside. I still can't shake the feeling that I know the guy I bumped in before. He seems so familiar. I can't put the pieces together. He looked really angry. I can't forget that red face. It was kind of funny when I think about it now. I really want to make it up to him. Then I smell the pullover. It smells of my caramel latte but also a mixture of deoderant and sweat. In other words really good. I quickly put the pullover back inside  because I think I really seem like creep when I smell a guy's shirt that is in my locker. I really don't want to bring it to dry-cleaning. I want that smell to stay there forever. I start to think. I am smelling a guy's shirt I don't even know the name of and wish the smell could stay in my nostrils forever. What the hell is wrong me? I am going crazy because of a smell. Hallelujah!  

I really feel stupid for smelling his shirt. Like really stupid. Who would do something like that? Oh yeah, me. Something is seriously wrong with me. I want to make it up to him for first of all bumping onto him with my latte and then smelling his shirt. I look for my phone and check my contacts. This is ridiculous. I don't even know his name and I have like 300 contacts. Then I have an idea. Newest contacts. I stare at my screen.

It says: ”Last contact: Jace Sanders”.

Jace Sanders. Jace. I like that. A lot. I open a text message and write something.

My phone asks me: “Send to Jace Sanders?”.

I press enter.

“Sending...”.

A moment later it says:

“Sent”.

Now there is no turning back.

Just waiting.

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Dying to find out what happens next? Well as Angie says there nothing you can except waiting... Are you loving it?  Patience is the key to success. In your case success is the next chapter. Please vote follow comment share and answer the questions.Thank you all so much. I read all your comments and I can't believe I have 70 reads!!! I appreciate this so much!!! thank you thank you thank you!!! :) corrected