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All I Have To Give Chapter 5 The next morning as I arrived at school, BJ was waiting for me at my locker. �Hey BJ,� I greeted as I opened it. �Hey Shelby, can you do me a huge favor?� �What?� �Can you come home with us today and help with the party? Even though it�s a long ways away, my parents want you to come home today. Can you?� �Sure, I�ll just have to call Bret and tell him not to pick me up.� �Well, then after school meet me and Leslie in front of the bike racks, then we have to walk to the other school to pick up the twins. Okay?� �Yup, I had better go call Bret while I can still reach him. Bye,� I walked off towards the pay phones. I slipped in the right amount of change and dialed his cell phone number. He should be on his way to school right about now. He was a senior and went to a very rich private school. �Hello? Bret Redkin speaking.� �Hey Bret, it�s Shelby.� �Hi Shelby, how are ya?� �I�m good, but I called to say I don�t need a ride home today. I�m walking to some friends� house to help with a party in a few weeks.� �Can�t you go over later in the afternoon?� �Sorry, I just promised her a little bit ago. They need my help.� Just then the bell rang. �I gotta go, but just remember don�t pick me up, okay?� �Okay, bye Shelby, love you.� �I love you too, bye,� I quickly hung up and went to my first class, slipping in my seat right as the second bell went off. Mr. Parker gave me on of his �you are very lucky� looks. He handed out the final and we started immediately. It was English, which was one of my best subjects, plus I had studied a lot last night, so I got it done in good time. I put it on his desk then sat back down. I thought about things. I thought about Bret first. He�s who I usually thought about. Did I still love him? Well, we told each other we did. But, I said it without thinking, and I never felt anything when I said it. Plus, he always said it first. Did he still love me? Did he really still love me, or did he feel like I did? We were still together for the convenience and because things had been like this for a long time. What should I do? Lately I had been really unhappy when I was with him and I always dreaded going places with him. I just wanted to be a normal couple. I even sometimes wished they�d go bankrupt or get robbed or something so they could be middle class like most people. But, I always dismissed that thought. If he was middle class, my family was screwed. We needed his money, they always helped on taxes and stuff we needed, though my parents always said when we were on top again we�d pay it back. We haven�t been on top for about three years. I thought about what Nick had said Friday. He had said how I got a bored look in my eyes when I talked about him. Did I really get that? It seemed like only minutes ago the class had started, but the bell jolted me out of my thoughts. I picked up my stuff and headed for the gym. We just shot hoops all period, but I couldn�t think anymore because I had to concentrate on not getting hit with the ball, and I loved basketball, so I had fun. Next period was Science, I couldn�t think because we had another lesson. Only Mr. Rudke would have actual lessons in the last week of school. At the very end of the class, I hurried to finish my assignment, but I probably only ended up missing a lot more problems than I would have if I would have taken my time. I had art next period, painting. We had to paint a picture of an animal, so I chose a horse running with the wind blowing through it�s mane and tail. Easy, I had been drawing that same picture since I was little, so I had it down pat. But, I liked painting, it was fun, and I had always been told I was creative. Finally fifth period came, my free period. I headed to the library to think some more. I had lots of thoughts to sort out. I sat in one of the chairs in the back corner and got lost in my thoughts. What did Bret and I usually do on dates? Well, we went on dates a lot, to banquets and other stuffy, boring rich places. No, I mean, on date dates. Where you both have fun and enjoy being together, not like a married couple who has to go together or else rumors would start on why you both weren�t there. I thought back, and thought back, and thought back some more. We hadn�t been on a date in a long time. No, that couldn�t be, we weren�t that out of date were we? Well�yes, we were. I hadn�t been to the movies in so long I was behind in the movie scene. Music was where I was top notch. Nick and I would sometimes talk for hours about music while we went out on his boat or just sat on the beach and talked. Bret and I had actually gone out on fun dates when we first started dating; when I fell in love with him. Yes, I had been in love with him, real love. I had gotten butterflies in my stomach when I thought of him, always was happy when I talked to him, and got really excited when we�d go anywhere. I was happy as long as I was with him, no matter where we were. But lately�lately for about 4 or 5 months, I had dreaded going places with him. He dragged me to those boring banquets almost every weekend, or at least twice a month. I had been so happy when he had called, about three weeks ago, and said he had airline tickets for us, an overnight stay with his family, in Hawaii. I thought we were going for a vacation, so we could all get to know each other again. Nope, really, really big banquet. We came home the next morning, though I don�t know why we got the hotel room. We didn�t go there that night, we had stood all night and almost killed my feet. I hadn�t worn shoes for two days after that. Even this weekend coming up, I think we have an auction coming up. A charity auction. It�s not that all these things aren�t for good causes; cancer, diabetes, lots of diseases, poverty; but we went to them so often it was ridiculous. I thought of all the happy memories I had for the last month. Well, there was Saturday, all day at the Carter�s. There was the time Nick, BJ, and me went to Disney World and rode every ride. We went right at the opening and left right at closing. But, we got it all done. There was going on the boat with Aaron and Leslie, we had anchored fairly far out, but not too far, and had played around in the water all afternoon. I thought of all the good times, in just the last month. Then I realized something; none of them even related to Bret. That surprised me, Bret�s my boyfriend, isn�t there some kind of rule that you�re supposed to have great times with your boyfriend? Well, maybe two months back�nope, no Bret. Three? No. Four�ah, yes. We went to this charity benefit and there had been the cutest little girl, what was her name?�Jennifer�she was the cutest little thing, she was 3 or 4 and she had come up to me, so shy, and told me she loved my dress. I had been so flattered. We had started talking, and she was so cute and sweet! She looked adorable in her little white dress, that flared at the bottom and her white hose and black Mary Jane shoes. She had told me she liked the Backstreet Boy song, �Quit Playin� Games (With My Heart)� which had come out not too long before that. They were really new in the US and not really big here yet. They still aren�t, but they�re quickly growing since they released an album here. I had told her Nick was my best friend and I had taken her over to his house and she had been so happy to meet him. He was adorable with her and she was the cutest thing with him. By the time she left, I could tell she had also touched Nick�s heart. But the greatest thing about her was she had leukemia, but was still so happy, perky, and had a great outlook in life. She was telling us what she wanted to be when she grew up, and all about her family that she �loved so very, big time much.� Wait a minute, Bret�s not there. He was just the one who took me, he hadn�t even met Jennifer. That was another memory with Nick. Sheesh, this was crazy, no boyfriend happy memories, all with your best friend. That�s good, though, having a best friend as great and cool as Nick. Just then the bell rang and once again, took me away from my reverie. I sighed and shook my head as I got up. The day was half over and I still wasn�t any closer to�wherever I wanted to be. This was gonna be hard.Next: Chapter 6 |