Prologue
Micah
“I’m still waiting for you to tell me you love me.”
“I love you too, Mic.”
“I know,” I said right before the bell rang.
The lunchroom was buzzing with laughter and rang with loud voices.
“I’ll get your lunch for you,“ I offered Selah.
“No, I got it.”
“Well at least let me pay for it.Please?”
“Fine but don’t make it a habit,” she said playfully taking the money from my hand, “Where are you going?”
“To the table, I’m not hungry,“ I said.
I lost my appetite a couple of days ago when my mom was coughing blood furiously from her hospital bed but that’s another story for another time.I went to the table and started a conversation with her friends and mine as I waited for her to come sit next to me.Everything was fine until I heard a thud and people crowding around the dessert station.
*Selah*
Karie had gotten in line shortly after Micah went to sit down and she kept bumping me.I turned around to shoot her a warning look.
“Leave me alone.I’m not tryna have no problems with you,“I told her as gently as I could.
“What are you looking at?You staring at me more than your dude stares at me.”
I turned back around and slammed my tray at the main dish station waiting for the lunch lady to hand me a bowl of pasta.She bumped me again causing me to turn around and give her another warning look.She was really pushing my buttons especially that comment about Micah.As I walked up to the dessert station, I felt a lukewarm bowl of pasta and a cold carton of milk slid down my back.I turned around livid.
“Oops,“ she laughed along with a girl standing behind her.
Then, I snapped.After I hit her, I blacked out.Next thing I know Micah and I were walking to the office together.
“Not to defend her or nothing but as a Christian, you are supposed to turn the other cheek and have self-control.”
“I know. I just harbored all those bitter feelings toward her from Kindergarten and they just came out.”
“Hopefully she’ll understand,” Micah said as the principal opened the door.
"You can wait out here if you'd like Micah."
"Thank you," he responded as he sat in the chair close to her office.
I walked in trying to plead my case.
“Okay listen, I know it was wrong for me to fight her but-”
She stopped my rant and motioned for me to sit down.
“I’ve heard that she’s been bothering you.”
“Yeah.”
“So she provoked you to take those actions.But that doesn’t mean that your actions will go unpunished.You will clean up the mess in the cafeteria and your suspension will be for a week starting today.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“It won’t,“I said getting up and leaving.
“What happened?” Micah asked as soon as I closed the door behind me.
“Calm down,“I laughed as I started walking down the stairs,“I gotta clean up the mess and she suspended me.”
“No,” he whined.
“You’ll live a week.”
“Your parents probably won’t let me see you though,“I said as we approached the cafeteria.
“Yeah, that’s how punishments work Mic.”
“So I won’t live,” he said pouting.
“You will,” I said as I walked over to the lunch ladies and apologized,“Can I use the broom and mop please?”
They handed me the cleaning tools and went into the kitchen.I didn’t know that dried salad dressing and pasta sauce would be that hard to get up.It took about an hour to clean up the mess that was made.Micah offered to help but I refused every time.I made the mess so I’ll clean it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as we walked up the driveway to my house.
“I feel bad. I shouldn’t have reacted so quickly or allowed myself to get pulled into that situation.”
“There’s no condemnation to those in Christ.”
“Yeah.”
He was already waiting on the porch when Micah stopped at my house.
“In the house now,” my father said sternly.
“See you in a week?”
“Yup,“I sighed as I shut the door.
It’s a good thing God is forgiving.I just hope she’s able to forgive me.
