Hooked (4 page)

    
I finish my breakfast and tell Eli I will be ready in five minutes
and
I r
a
n back up stairs for my folder and my purse.  I go to the drive way and get in my car.  Eli gets in right after me and asks if I can pick him up at 5:00 because he ha
s
football practice.  I tell him yeah,
be
cause I have basketball till 4:30.  

     
We drive to school listening to Adele.  Eli wasn’
t too happy
with my chick music, as he calls it,
but I think he got over it quickly because he didn’t say anything.  We pulled into the parking lot at the school and I instantly g
et
excited.  Jess and Cara were already here.  Eli got out of the car
and shouted a quick goodbye over his shoulder and was gone.
 
I saw him giving people hi
gh
-fives as he walked in.   

     
I walked up to the school and I realized this is the beginning of my future.  I have nine months to decide
what I
am going to do with the rest of my life.  It was a hard decision to make for me.  I wanted to go to college
,
but I didn’t know what for. 
Secretly
, I felt like I wanted to be a stay
-
at
-
home mom, like my mom.  I would ne
ver admit that thought because A
) I
don’t even have a boyfriend that has the potential to be a husband to give me those children I
would be staying home with and B
)
It is
the 21
st
century and everyone has a college degree. 
There’s
no way my dad would even entertain the idea
of me not going. 
Putting those thoughts behind me, I decide
d to
think about that stuff later and just have an awesome first day of senior year.

     I walked into the office first to get my schedule.  Great, I think
,
when I see it.
I forgot that my dad had
insisted I take all advanced classes so I will have a head start on college.  So much for
having fun
and
coasting
through
my senior year
, I thought
.
  I’ll have to study my butt of
f
just to get A’s and B’s.  The only
two classes I’m actually happy about are P.E. and study hall.  N
ormally, study hall wouldn’t pique
my interest
,
but I know I can get most of my homework done in there and I won’t have to take it all home.  P.E.
,
I like because I’m athletic and I enjoy sports.  I’ll also admit that it’s an easy A.

     
When I reach my locker, Cara and Jess are waiting.  Cara is talking to
Jason
and Jess has her
iPod
in and blowing a bubble.  She looks like she’s bored
,
but I know she is just as excited
about
senior year as me, she’s just a tad bit cynical. 

    
“Hey
,
Mil!”
Cara says
.

     “My excitement level just
went from I’m stoked to this blows.  I forgot
that I have all advanced classes.
  So
,
however I started this day,
I’m
not ending there on my stoked meter
,
”
I say.

    
“Me too!”
  Cara says
,
but she sounds excited.

    
“I have advanced English and Physics
,
” Jess says.

     “Well, at leas
t I have some classes with y
’
all.  Do y
’
all have P.E. this semester?”  I ask.

     “No
,
”
t
hey answer together.  “We have
H
ome
E
conomics.”

     “Dang.”  I guess I’m by myself on that then.

     “We need to get going
,
Cara if I’m walking you to your first class.  I’ve got to run all the way over to agriculture for mine
,
”
Jason
says.

     “Okay guys, I’ll see you next period in English
,
” Cara says as
she
and
Jason
walk hand in hand to class.

    
Cara didn’t give us details
,
but we knew she had slept with Jason.  Jason was her first experience in everything.  I knew that it had happened last summer right after the bonfire we went to on a county road.  I was worried for her, just because it is such a huge thing.  She told me she was ready though and I believed her.  Cara didn’t rush into things and she always weighed the
consequences
before she made a decision.  They had already been dating for
two
years and I knew Cara truly loved Jason. 

     Jess
,
on the other hand, she had never been in love.  That was one of the things
she
and I had in common.  The difference there is that she has actually had boyfriends.  Jess always dated boys that were from the wrong side of the tracks.  I think she does this because she feels like they are like her deep down.  Her sister tries hard
,
but between going to college full
-
time and working full
-
time, Anna doesn’t have any spare money.  She do
es
right by Jess and I know Jess appreciates it.  I think she just feel
s
like she has to play the hand fate dealt her and it wasn’t a great hand.
  Jess is really strong though
,
s
he is the toughest person I know.  Not physically
,
but mentally and emotionally.  She’s been through a lot and she
knows
how to deal with the beatings life brings. 

    
After first period,
I go into
English
and take the first seat in the first row.  Jess sits behind me and Cara sits in the first seat on the second row.
  We sit there and listen to Mrs. Barnes talk about what is expected of us this year and how advanced English will prepare us for
c
ollege next year.

     Don’t get me wrong, I’m ready and excited for college.  I just really want to enjoy this year.  I feel like I’ve been preparing so much for college it seems like that’s every conversation I have with my parents these days.  I want to make memories this year with my two best friends and just grow as a person. 
Basically, I don’t want my senior year to pass me by because I am only thinking about college.

    
The next half of the day goes by pretty fast.  It wasn’t bad because we were
catching
up with everybody we hadn’t
seen
all summer.  At lunch, we went to the lunch room and sat at our regular table.  Cameron, a guy who has been in our class since kindergarten,
strolls
up to our table with Heather (aka class slut). 

    
“Hey,
guys
don’t make any plans for next Friday night after the football game
,
”
h
e tells us.

     “What’s going on?”  Cara asks.

     “I’m having a party in the field behind my house.  Kind of like a back to school/hopefully victory party, I guess
,
”
he says.

     “Cool.
  Do we need to bring anything?”  I ask
.

     “Just yourselves and your drink if you don’t like beer
,
”
h
e answers.

     “We’ll be there after the game
,
” Cara says.

     “Oh, Millie, your dad probably shouldn’t know about this
,
since my folks are out of town and we will have alcohol.”  He winks at me like he didn’t just piss me off and walks out of the cafeteria.

     “Well, I’m not a dumb butt
,
” I mutter to no one
in particular
.  Cara doesn’t say anything
,
but Jess pats my shoulder.

    
“You want me to go kick that
sk
ank
’
s
ass?
  If we didn’t live in
‘
Mayberry
’
and actually had any other option
,
I wouldn’t even go.  You know, if anything else, it should be interesting to watch that
dillhole
get his ass kicked.” 
Cara and I
just look at her.  “What?  You know he can’t keep his mouth shut.  I’m just waiting for him to smart off to the wrong person.  I hope it happens Friday night too
,
so I can witness it
,
”
she says popping a grape into her mouth.
 

     Jess gets really protective of her friends.  She knows that Cameron has asked me out before.  I don’t know what it is about him
,
but there’s something that gives me the creeps. 

    
“Millie, he knows your cool, it would just suck for us to get caught, you know?”  Cara tries to smooth things over. 

    
She’s right and I know it.  It’s just that sometimes your dad being the police isn’t the coolest thing.  I mean when you’re in 3
rd
grade, everyone thinks he is a hero
,
but when you are in high school, not so much.
 

     “I know, but dang.  I want to have fun
,
too!  It’s not like I’m goin
g to go home and invite him.
  Besides, I’ll have you know
,
I plan on getting drunk that night.”  Cara and Jess high
-
five each other
after my comment.

     “That’s what I’m
talkin
’
bout!”  Jess says. 

     The bell rings and I tell the girls b
ye
and head to gym,
P.E.
at last.  On my way to the gym, Coach Thompson stops me.  Coach Thompson is my basketball coach
.  He is a great coach
,
but sometimes I think he needs to be reminded that we are in
h
igh
s
chool
,
not college.  We practice in 6
th
period and then we stay after school till
4:30
pm and practice the nights we don’t have a game.  Three days a week
,
we work out lifting weights and strength training. 

    
He stopped me to ask if I would go by the office and pick up our new practice jerseys.  I told him I would run and pick them up now.  I looked at my watch and realized I didn’t really have time before gym
,
but I figured Coach Taylor wouldn’t mind. 

     I ran as fast as I could to the office.  Ms. Stacy was sitting at her desk reading something on her computer.  She is the
principal’s
secretary and she gets along well with all the kids.  She is only in her early
thirty’s
, so she can still relate to us in some way. 

    
“Hey Millie, what can I do for you?”