Bitter Kisses (It's Just High School #3) - Thandiwe Mpofu Page 0,130
again. It’s still weird calling her that, but I guess we’re both adjusting.
“I’m in the bathroom,” I call from my own en-suite. “What flowers and cards?”
“I guess from your friends at school. I didn’t want to give that witch our new address, but I can swing by today and pick them all up.”
“No, it’s okay,” I say, entering my room. “She can have them and read all the cards.”
“Uh,” she hums, looking at me wide-eyed. “Where are you going?”
“To Clintwood Academy.”
She’s silent for a bit with a quizzical look on her face.
“I’m sorry to be the one to break this down to you Mia, but if you were planning to actually learn today, aren’t you already late?”
She’s right of course. It’s an hour until lunch time.
“I’m not going to learn. I’m just going to see the Principal and be right back.”
“In your school uniform?”
I look down at my new pretty uniform. Nicky got me a new set of stuff but it was a waste honestly, especially after today.
“Yeah well, why not?” I whisper. “I wanted to wear it.”
I’m shrugging it off as if this isn’t a big moment for me. The last time I wore this senior’s get-up, it was stripped off of me when I was unconscious, knocked out by some unknown drug. I have bad memories in this, but over the past few weeks, I was thinking about what I said to Julian.
I don’t want to be a victim anymore. I don’t want to live like that again and so, I’m taking the shitty things I can actually change and make sure they have no power over me. Including this uniform. So, I’m wearing the hell out of it.
“Is there a problem?” I whisper
“No,” she says softly. “I just… I love your new hair-do.”
Ah yes. The long locks are gone. I had the big chop and now, I have a lush, curly bob. My hair reaches my shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“But you have this look in your eyes,” she says carefully.
“What look?”
“Like you’ve finally settled over a major, life altering decision kind of look.”
Nicky, my mother, is on hell of a perspective observer. I always knew that about her but in recent weeks, I feel like she’s always been aware of my deepest, darkest secrets, including things I never told Nancy.
I take a deep breath and then turn to look at her. “I did come to a decision actually and I wanted to talk to you about it actually.”
“Uh, okay,” she mumbles softly, not really knowing what to do.
I smile, trying to ease her anxiety. If I could avoid this, I could but as I lay in my still unfamiliar bed in this still unfamiliar room all day and night these past weeks, one thing kept coming back to me.
Now, it’s time to let it out.
“Can we talk on our way to Clintwood? You can drive me?”
I see the tears well up in her eyes as she nods.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Mia
With my heart in my throat, I knock timidly on the door. I never thought my life would come to this, but here I am. My world has managed to fall apart more than twice and for some fucked up reason, this time, I feel like there’s no going back from this.
The humiliation.
The accusations.
The pain that sears through me like my heart is on a rotisserie over an open fire, being grilled to a fine well-done.
“Come in,” the voice calls. I push open the door, barely breathing. If I do this, there’s no going back. There’s no changing my mind like I’ve done so many times before, but when my gaze connects with Principal Bailey, I just know. This is it.
“Ah, Miss. Montague,” she starts, her voice soft, dripping of sympathy. I immediately hate it, but I smile woodenly. “It’s good to see you, dear. Please, come in and have a seat.”
“Thank you,” I mutter, sitting down at the edge of the chair like I’m ready to bolt out of this place at any time. “I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to see me at such short notice.”
“It wasn’t a hustle at all,” she says, staring at me like she doesn’t know what to say. I don’t blame her. I don’t know HOW to say what I want to say.
On my way to her office, I managed to slip past unnoticed as the students are still in class, so I want to make this brief and straight to the point.