Nerd Gone Prom Queen

Chapter One

"So are you excited for your senior year Iris?". Mom asked the last night of Summer vacation.

"Of course, I can't wait to meet the many academic college scouts. And I want to start calculus as soon as possible". I beamed.

"Honey, I mean what about prom? The friends you'll make? Aren't you excited about that?". Mom stared on excitedly.

"I'm not even sure if I'm going to prom. And as for friends? I've been friendless since we moved here. And my only friend is in Italy". I sighed.

My Mother never understood this. Friends just weren't an obligation for me. Especially not with college scouts looking for the best of the best to enroll into their colleges.

"Have you talked to your Father lately?". She peered at me through her thick glasses.

"Um-Uh, well, he, um we talked briefly before he had to go". I  choked.

My Father was a bitter subject for my Mother. We originally lived in Venice, Italy. They had happy years. Up until he got a job offer in California. So we moved and I left behind a friend that was supposed to be forever. But sometimes forever doesn't always happen the way you want it. My Father met a woman and without a word to us he moved back to Venice and sent my Mother divorce papers in the mail. It's a funny thing how someone you loved could turn into such a coward.

"What'd he have to say". She snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Oh-nothing really". I lied.

"You can tell me, I won't get upset or cry". She lied this time.

"He uh-told me he was expecting- a baby- and that they had gotten married a week ago". I spit out.

The look on her face gave it away that she was hurt and me being dumb I had opened a stitched up wound.

"I'm gonna-go um- wash up and get to bed. Clean up for me will ya?". She choked on bitter tears.

"Yea". I whispered.

I knew what this would do and like an idiot I had made my Mother relive something that was hard to understand, live through, and get over. Silently I cleaned the kitchen and headed up to my room.

Defeated, I took a shower and made sure I had everything for school tomorrow. This probably looked like a minor set back but for me it was major. Mom was doing so well before tonight. She had stopped crying and was now smiling. But after tonight, she'd just go back into the abnormal routine. I dozed off thinking of the pain I had just caused my Mother.

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*BEEP*
*BEEP*
*BEEP*

I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock that got a beating every morning for the past school year. Slowly but surely, I trudged to the bathroom and showered. It's funny how when you first wake up you don't remember any of life's problems, but then when you go on in the day it hits you like a truck going a hundred miles per hour. After my shower I brushed my teeth and dried my hair. It would just have to be left in curls. I knew Mom wasn't herself because she usually would poke her head in my room to make sure I'm awake, which I always was. Getting dressed and cleaning my glasses I went downstairs. I smelt food. Which was a good sign since Mom was at pattern one. Pattern one consisted of locking herself in her room and not coming out for days at a time. There were three patterns and last night I had sent her back to One. I entered to see not only my Mother slumped over the dining room table but my Dad's sister Rena making pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

"Hey Iris, I came over because I heard you guys were having a tough time and all so I decided to make breakfast". She smiled.