I would like to state that, for the record, I am not stuck up. Another thing is that I am so totally grossed out by my so-called boyfriend that I can barely even look at him. We don’t hold hands, we don’t hug, we don’t cuddle, nor do we do anything cute. It’s strictly status, nothing more, plus I look better with someone at my side, that way nobody is constantly throwing themselves at me.
So, here’s how it goes: Markus picks me up every day for school at 7:00 am sharp. On Monday’s he flaunts me around to his boys and tells them about our weekend, while on Fridays I show him off to my girls and tell them our plans for another amazing weekend.
Oh, aren’t we just adorable! Markus and Abella back at it again just aiming to be one of the most popular couples at the school! That’s like the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. My parents are rich and his family just owns a country club out west, that’s literally it… he’s not even in the top four of nicest guys!
So on a typical March day, he and I sat in the backyard of my house by the pool. He was on the phone with some girl from another school that he talks to, while I was tanning by the water. I was thinking about my life… what I wanted to do after high school, if I should get a job of my own and make my own money for a change. Markus told me it was a dumb idea and that I couldn’t get anything of my own even if I tried. He always shuts me down like that, and on those days I just call him an a-hole and then we go our separate ways, until 7:00 am sharp on Monday when the ritual starts again.
The next day me and Markus got into one of our biggest fights yet. It was Saturday, March 17th, and we were at some trashy party. It was this nasty little house that didn’t even have a sliding door or an attractive overhead light. I was wearing a tight jean skirt and a flowy pink top with some kitten heels. I obviously looked better than like half the girls there, but that wasn’t the point. Everything on me was expensive, I was radiating wealth and covering up misery.
In like five seconds upon arrival, Markus ruined everything.
Him and his stupid friends were all drunk and acting like fools, Markus being the rowdiest. He pushed his friend Luke, who retaliated, and ended up with Markus falling back into me. My drink spilled all over my top, the red of the alcohol seeping into the crystals of my blouse! Everything was foggy, white-hot anger clouded my vision. It wasn’t because of the embarrassment…it wasn’t him falling into me…it wasn’t even the cheap vodka cranberry that my two hundred dollar top reeked of.
It was the laugh. He got off me and laughed.
In that moment, THAT MOMENT, I gave it all up. I gave up the picture-perfect relationship and the constant torture of seeing his stupid face every day. It was like my mouth was moving faster than my thoughts, I couldn’t catch up to my own words, but I didn’t stutter. So I punched Markus in the face, and I slapped him so hard my French mani dug into the side of his cheek, I threw the drink at him so he could drip with shame and look as miserable as I felt. I was screaming so loud and my voice was scratchy but, in all honesty, I’d never felt better.
I made a beeline to the bathroom to wipe off this pathetic nightmare of a night. Disgusted, I looked in the mirror and could still see a glimpse of myself. I wonder if I’ll ever get her back. Shortly after this a knock came at the door. I told whoever it was that I didn’t want to be bothered but they persisted. Annoyed, I opened up the door and was surprised to see an unfamiliar face. It was a girl; I’d seen her at school before but never quite caught her name. She told me her name was Eliana and had asked to come in. I’m not in the right state of mind but there was something about her, she was soft, sweet, feminine. Her gaze was warm and inviting and I’m pretty sure the last genuine person I met was in kindergarten, so I said screw it and let her in.
She told me about how sorry she was about what happened out there and how she should’ve had better control over her own party. Kind of regret making fun of the whole overhead light thing, I guess the place isn’t THAT bad. I told her it was fine that there was nothing to worry about, but she shut me down and told me it wasn’t. For the first time it felt nice to be shut down. She asked if she could help clean the remaining liquid off my shirt, and before I could answer she was wetting a cloth and dabbing me down,looking up at me and smiling softly while she helped fix me up.
She was pretty, like really pretty. Eliana had the kind of beauty that didn’t need makeup, just naturally gorgeous. Her dark brows contrasted with her soft green eyes, while her freckles painted her face as if she were a work of art. I don’t know if it was the alcohol talking, but I felt the need to tell her all my problems. She felt safe, like someone I could trust and just be myself around.
I told her about how much I hated Markus, and how my parents are never around, always working and trying to make my life better when in reality it’s just making it worse. Being blunt, I told her about my shirt and how much it cost me, I told her about how much I love fashion and how when I go to college, I want to major in it and become a designer. Then I told her how pretty she was, how her eyes reflected off the dim light in the bathroom and how her short brown hair fell perfectly into place.
I didn’t know much about Eliana: I knew she lived in a ratty house down baker’s street a couple miles away from the school; I knew she liked vodka cranberry’s hence why the party was full of them; and I knew she was the only one to be there for me when no one else was. Maybe it was her smile and the way she looked at me like she actually cared, but my body moved faster than my mind could form a thought. I cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. It felt like the rain had poured down on me and I was clean despite my now stained top…it felt like breathing…it felt perfect.
When I pulled away, I looked at her, her green eyes full of affection as she smiled sweetly. She grabbed my hand; we lingered there for a moment before she moved to leave the bathroom. Before she closed the door, she looked back and told me I could call her Ellie and that she’d see me.
And when I turned back to the mirror, I saw me too, the real me.
Alina Martinez is a Junior at Franklin Towne Charter High School. She enjoys writing stories in her free time, and loves dogs.