Chapter 1
My name is Marie Katherine Elizabeth Smith Jones. I’m nineteen years old, I live in Ottawa, Canada. And I am a fangirl. This is what I always say when I have or need to introduce myself , its a good start from now.
The first issue to explain my personality is : my parents got divorced when I was nine years old. Probably is the reason of why I am too odd or crazy. I still remember everything about that day.
My parents where arguing on the living room as usual. Nicolas was two years old, he was sleeping on his room. It was after they got divorced that they realized Nicolas needed to be cared about. I think since they got divorced unconsciously I became the one who will take care of Nicolas. Mom was too busy working so I had to take care of Nicolas and the house. Returning to that day, I was on my room. The door has always been opened in case they need me. I had my earphones on , I was listening to Britney Spears “Crazy”. My mom entered to my room and told me to come downstairs. I had my red hearts converse, by then I was fatter than now.
My dad was ansious , he looked like when my mom was giving birth to Nicolas and my father and I were on the waiting room with balloons. He looked at me. When my mom sat down, I realized her eyes were red, her hair was a mess. She looked like she’s giving up.
-Katherine.
-Yes, dad.
-We need to tell you something really important.
-Are you having another baby?
-No.
-What is it?
-We are getting a divorce but my princess I want to tell you that this is not about you, we will never hurt you. We will try to act civilized so no one gets hurt.
-Okay, dad.
That’s how things should have gone, of course life its never good so things went a little bit differently.
-Katherine.
-Yes, dad.
-We need to tell you something, Liz , You tell her?
My mom with her broken voice said.
-You tell her.
He didn´t want to talk but he had to.
-Your mother and I have come to the conclusion that it will be the best to divorce. Its no one fault.
Mom started to cry inconsolable but then she started to laugh and she whispered “right”.
-You don´t love mom anymore.
-It´s not that. Sometimes two people love each other but they need to be a part to be strong. You can’t be with someone who makes you weak. Don’t worry princess everything will be alright.
I looked at his eyes, but I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it was really happening. My family was tearing a part. I went running to the garage.
After that day, we moved out. My dad went to live to the countryside. Back in home on the garage in our new house I made my guard. My secret place, only Nicolas was allowed to enter in there. We watched there: Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Friends etc… there I have an X-Box, my friend Jennifer gave it to Nicolas as a present some months ago, but I took it as a hostage in a fight. I have most importantly my personal library. Ninety books of comedy, seventy five of adventure, forty five of science fiction and my favorite collection two hundred fourteen books about love. I consider myself a love expert like the trolls of Frozen. I have never had a boyfriend like I say I was meant to read about it not live it.
Basically I spent the next ten years with Nicolas, reading and on Netflix. I don’t have good grades, I have average ones I didn’t have the time to be straight A- student. I have a long list on good reads to follow.
My mother changed the most. She dyed her hair. Instead of being blonde now she was brunette. She develop a great hate to my father, I don’t blame her, after all he cheated. Although she did a peculiar change that will affect and be the cause of too many traumas. She became a stripper or like she likes to say it, a night woman. I really never asked or wanted to know if she crossed the line between a stripper and a whooker. I really don’t need to know.
We grew apart with time. We talk the necessary and even that is too much. She works at night and on say she is sleeping. She is like a bat on a certain way.
Every morning looks alike I wake up, normally on the garage. I have a challenge on reading per day two hundred to two hundred pages a day, I would read more but I have a brother to take care of. Nicolas sleeps a lot, every time I have to wake him up and make sure he didn’t fall sleep again. I dress up quickly , put anything I find on the wardrobe , sometimes it mixes , sometimes it doesn’t. Them I come downstairs to take lunch or money to buy something on the Starbucks. We never take breakfast. This morning my mom was up, which is weird because she is normally sleeping at 7:45 o/clock in the morning. She was wearing something not lady like, I could see everything. Nicolas was getting down, she asked me something, I didn’t replied. I stare at the celling and said
-I like what you did, the creme color very charming.
-It has been like that for five years.
-Fine choice, mom.
-Hey, mom- Nicolas
I covered his eyes with my hands and awkwardly we left the house. Nicolas went on bus to school, I went on bycycle as normal. I have always loved my school because things are simple. I don’t have many friends except for my best friend Jennifer. We have been friends since I am twelve years old. When she came to Ottawa. Her parents travelthe whole time, so she praticlly lives at my house. There’s a problem about our friendship, she is a hipster and I am a fangirl. Which means we argue a lot about things normal people don’t argue about.
Jennifer always tries to get attention and probably is because her parents don’t pay attention to her. Days are better with her, she is my confident and I am hers. In the time where we didn’t have a clue on what to do with our lives, we’lll dance and laugh. We had a list on crazy things to do. She was probably weirder than me. We made a perfect couple together. Someone to be weird with.
One of the flaws she has is: Matthew Coronel. He was her best male friend. Jennifer falled in love with Matthew when she was twelve years old. The first time she looked into his eyes was too magical, a feeling was born. They became best friends. They were neighbors , so praticly the whole time they hang up. Matthew would come to her place and play hide and seek or watch the flowers as a child. As teenagers they would dance, do stuff that everyone would call weird.
The bad side of being his best friend is hearing who he considerate hot or his crushes, or having to spend time with him and his girlfriends. She always complained.
She was the jealous type. Everyone knows she loves him, except for him. Too cliche. She liked to get everyone attention but specially his, sometimes it looked like she was desperate for his affection. Time went by and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get his attention.
People called her desperate, made fun of her like basic teenagers. I have to accept, like they say in spanish “Se pone de pechito” but she didn’t listen. She was sure that he would see her in a different way, I guess that when you are in love .
Sometimes it did get her, and she cried in her sleep. A best friend always finds out. It happened whenever she thought all the things that she wasn’t and the reasons why she wasn’t loved by the one she loves. She carries on and acts like she doesn’t care when she actually does. Why?, I still don’t know.
Matthew isthe worst. He wants to be popular no matter what. He is a traitor and a fake person.
Sometimes a girl feels that she deserves to little and accepts any idiot in her mind and heart. I tried to make her feel better, I really did. But when someone feels worthless no one can tell anything different than what they think because they don’t listen.
He is on the americano team, he wants to be a quarterback too bad because that means he could be popular. Everything in his life goes around about being popular.
I really don’t know much about him, nor that I care. He is not the gorgeous type, he is cute.
In school at the recess Jennifer was looking for me, I was outside the reading classroom. She came all cheered up, I just smiled. We always do that, be glad about seeing each other.
We started walking across the hall, we call it the hall of shame, (like the song of P!nk)because some mornings, three times a week, that is hall of all the hangovers. It kind of looks like a musical video of one of those alternative artists when the 2000´s started. You can watch the shame in their eyes, is not enough because later that night they will do it again. Whenever when we walk together, time doesn’t passes by.
-I don´t know what to wear.
-Clothes- I answer while I am eating my ice cream.
-Hahaha, funny. We should go shopping.
-For what?
-Hello, the posada. Where are you living?
-Fantasy. Not going.
-It´s our last year, you have to go. You will miss like every year how Daniel starts to dance very weird and the shame look the girls will look on Michael´s new conquest.
-Augh, girls are the worst. They only have envy because they wish to be that girl.
-Tonight they will do crazy things for him. Society really sucks.
-You know my policy about going to school parties.
-Or any party. See the bright side, you won’t have to stay home tonight.
-My mom works at night, Jenn. You just accepted she is crazy.
-I never said she wasn’t but she cares. And when they care, parents can do whatever they want. She memorized the reigns of Game of Thrones.
-She probably watched for the sex. I did read the books.
-Kat, just a night. Do it for me. Leave your books for a night. If you don’t come, I am not going and you know how much it means for me.
-All right.
-God, you are to easy to manipulate.
-I am not.
We went after school to the mall. Jennifer´s parents are rich, they are all the time travelling, without her, leaving her behind. Even though she could spent thousands on money, she doesn´t. She reads a lot, and buys all her books , she has never had the struggle of reading a book in .pdf because you cannot afford it. She also goes to the cinema everyday at six o’clock. Watches any movie that is on, buys popcorns divided of cheddar and caramel and takes a big soda that never finishes. She likes going alone, she doesn’t like to see a movie with company, except that is a movie that she really loves, so she can see the expression of the people she likes, to see if they really like it, just like her. She after takes care of dogs or cats of the street. She never does homework or studies, so she has very bad grades. She really doesn’t care about school.
Her mother always sends her clothes, the last fashion clothes. Its really odd when Jennifer goes shopping to the mall.
I think she is someone who got used to be alone for too long that she really is fine with loneliness, she actually likes it.
The party of tonight is a posada. Just a silly excuse to get drunk and make out.Everyone of the class was invited otherwise they would have never invited me.
At the mall Jennifer bought me a pink dress. It was a short one, and when I tried it, you could see my entire back. One of my five least favorite parts of my body. Jennifer bought a pretty similar dress. We entered to the cinema to watch an action movie that she has seen five times, the whole movie she stared at my reactions. You get used to that. I don´t like going to the cinema.
After the movie we headed to her house. It is an enormous house, it is white and it looks like an english residency. Always get lost in there, I only know where the kitchen and her bedroom are. Even when her parents are in town, she never sees them. The house is to big each one of them gets lost in a different room. When they are in town they are either locked in a room making love or going to fancy restaurants.
Jennifer´s nanny, Lola takes care of her since she is five years old. Since her parents stopped caring. At that age, her mother got tired of being a mom, she hired Lola so she could live a confortable life and praticlly forgot about Jennifer. One day Jennifer told me that she wished to have a mom like mine. I replied that time “You don’t know what you are talking about”.
We dressed quickly. I never wear makeup. I don’t know how to use it. Lola taught Jennifer all about makeup, love and boys.
I was ready thirty minutes earlier than Jennifer but then she had the wonderful idea to make my nails, I had to wait twenty minutes so they would dry.
Jennifer was still not ready and she decided to not wear any underwear. While she was getting ready, I decided to go down to get something to eat. They say that before a good party eat something to not get drunk to fast. Lola didn’t want me to move because she made a chignon and it took her like forty minutes, but I never listen.
While I was getting down, the door opened, it was Matthew. The man of the hour. It really sickens me all the thing between him and Jennifer. He stared at me and I told him “What? Do I have a monkey on my face?”, he replies “No, you don’t”. Then Jennifer saw him and she ran to hug and climb him. He was holding her, he is strong.
On the kitchen he said “Everyone is going , even Michael and this time he is staying the whole night”.
-How you knot hat?- Jennifer.
-OMG, Matthew you can finally tell your feelings to Michael.
-At least he will listen me, and know who I am.
-Tonight I am not taking your stupid fights, can you two behave for a night. You don’t have to like each other, just behave. - Jennifer.
-All right.- Matthew and I said that at the same time.
We arrived at the posada at eight o’clock. Everyone was there. Some people stared at me, I am not used to this. The ponche had alcohol. I drank some when nobody was staring at me because tomorrow I am going to see this idiots.
I spent practically the whole night with Michael drinking that ponche. Jennifer was flirting with some players, dancing and embarrassing herself. The last time I saw her, was when she was making out with Michael in front of some girls, tomorrow they will eat her alive. Matthew asked me to dance with him, and I didn’t say no. I had nothing better to do, and everyone was too drunk to notice.
I put my arms around his neck, his hands where on my hips. I have too many tickles. I did my best to not laugh. We were to close. He said “You don’t look too bad”, I replied “You don’t look too bad neither”. We made eye contact while we were dancing, it felt different. I never noticed his eyes, green pretty eyes and I think he never before noticed mine neither. How much we lost, by staying mad with each other. Just when we were going to kiss they changed the song.
He walked with me, to my house. I could not feel my toes, the high heels were making holes on my toes, so I took them off. Pretty bad idea, with the snow. Matthew isn’t tall. He gave me his shoes and he joked about walking on the snow. We said goodnight, I gave him his shoes and I kissed him on the cheeks, then I closed the door. I checked on Nicolas, he was playing fortnite. I played on my bed. I put on “Time of our lives”, Nicolas came upstairs to ask me all about the night. I told him everything as usual. If I had a boyfriend, my little brother would be the one I told everything because he is a very good listener and he has the best advices. He started to point the irony of how alcohol made me like a little bit Matthew. I laughed and putted a pillow on me, he started laughing. I was depressed, turns out I have a crush on Matthew.
At the next day I had to stay the whole day at school. The americano game. I had to stay to watch them play, you don’t have a choice. There is an attendance and you must go. Really, nobody misses it. Its like a support thing. The good thing is that they give away Gatorade and the food is free.
At the game I sat infront of the cheerleaders because Jennifer decided to join them. She is really enjoying her last year.
I have never understood why cheerleaders suits have to be like that. They are only nineteen years old.
I was rereading The Hunger Games. Matthew sat next of me.
-Great book.
-Thanks. Aren’t you supposed to be playing?
-They don’t need me. You are not going to watch the game?
-They cannot make me. I like americano of the NFL not this one.
-Which is your team?
-Patriots.
-Steelers.
-Well, at least is not Dolphins.
-Look, Jennifer is there… oh
-She is not wearing.
-Underwear.
-Typical. What were you saying?
-In which part of the book are you?
-The Harvest.
-More like the beginning.
-Well, I have a couple of hours to finish it.
The coach called Matthew, he had to go to the field, someone got hurt. It was his best shot to probe if he is good. If he scored a touchdown we would win.
I went back to my book, I put my sight high when he was getting on. I stood up and started to yell. It was too intense, the whole school was screaming, it felt awesome.
He was running really fast.
For a second everyone was so quiet and then he scored.
Jennifer and I went to the field to support him, one of does times that you don’t even think it. We hugged him in the field with a dozen of other people. He was all sweaty, we won. They threw ice to him and he hugged us. Not a very good idea on the winter.
Michael was just looking angry because someone stole his thunder.
