"Hi, I'm Your Neighbour.", chapter 7
It was a Monday morning, my parents had hangovers and were sleeping, and Billie Joe and his family would be at his father's funeral this morning. I couldn't go; I had school. Strangely, Mike couldn't go either. Well, then again, his mom was almost worse than my parents.
"Hey, Mike." I said as I caught up to him on the sidewalk.
"Hey, Nick. I haven't heard from Billie Joe since he called from your house. You?" he asked, sounding a little depressed.
"Yeah. He didn't say much though. He didn't sound good at all. I don't know, Mike. Sounds like he's going insane. A little like me. Do you think he'll try to-forget about it."
"What? What did you mean to say?" he asked, almost demanding me to correct myself.
"Nothing Mike, just-"
"Tell me." he cut off, sternly.
"Do you think he would try to...to self-harm? Like, cut himself?" I said, a little nervous Mike would suspect me.
"I don't know...I hope not."
And with that, we walked into the school. I still liked Billie after all these months, but was hooking up with a boy named Ethan. I told Billie Joe that if things didn't work out with Ethan I would surely try to hook up with him.
"Hey, Ethan!" I called over to him, waving my hand. He was waiting in front of the school doors.
"Oh, hey Nikki! How are you?" he asked, when we walked up. Ethan had brown hair, wide, deep brown eyes, and the most adorable smile ever. He was cute, funny, smart, incredibly nice, and sweet.
"I'm doing fine. Did you hear about Beej?" I asked him, an unfortunate look on my face. Since I was hanging out with Billie Joe and Mike all weekend, I hadn't got time to call Ethan.
"No. What happened?" he asked.
"His dad died."
"Oh, that's bad. Whenever you get to talk to him, tell him I said I'm sorry."
"Sure, I will."
Just then, the bell rang and the patrols opened the doors. The patrols were fellow fifth graders who were trained to 'patrol' the school, grounds, and open the car doors for kids when they came in with their parents. We all swarmed into the building.
The boring but fun day passed and I was itching to see Ethan at lunch. I needed to talk to him so badly. Since we were seperated between classrooms, I didn't get to talk to him. But when I walked up to our lunch table, where my seat was facing the opposite to Ethan's direction (which meant I could turn around and talk to him), Zoey was already sitting there.
"Move."
"No. I was sitting here first."
"What a lame excuse, you baby, move it. Now."
"No! I wanna sit here and I sat here first!!!" she whined.
"Well, maybe I need to talk to somebody fucking important." I growled into her ear.
"Well maybe you can talk to him from behind me."
"How about I say 'Fuck off'?"
She looked and me and said, "You're just like my 5-year-old sister. You cry when you don't get your way."
"Number one I'm not crying, and number two I honestly need to talk to him."
"Go sit there." And so I did. I hated it though. I didn't even get to talk to him except for when I was telling him how Austin got pantsed and when I was admiring his arm-sleeve made of sparkly fishnet. It was a joke, don't worry. After talking to him at recess about those two things, I hadn't said another word to him. Thanks, Zoey. Everyone give props to Zoey. *fake applause*
And when I was walking out of the school, I caught up with my best friend Nichole. She met me in 4th grade in orientation. We were best friends since then. She always helped me, influenced me on bands, and everything. She was basically my sister.
"Hey Nikki." when she saw me, she immediately flipped my wrist over quickly, and then turned it back just as quick.
"Yeah." she said, letting her hands fall and slap against the sides of her thighs.
"Guess what Carrie did?" She said, obviously pissed at something--or someone.
"What?" I said, dumbstruck. Nichole had turned my wrist over. I could've been easily caught.
"Carrie told everyone in our class that you slit your wrists." she said, like it wasn't true.
"Yeah, she's like," she put on a whiney girly voice on, "yeah, Nikki slits her wrists, did you hear? She has a big X on it." Now I am pissed out of my mind. The one serious person I thought I could trust with it, and she threw it away in a heartbeat. But thank God. Nichole didn't see it. Carrie was the only one who knew. I played along and acted like it was a stupid rumor. My heart beat went fast, and my mind went out of control knowing that maybe some teachers would find out and make me go to Mr. Faggot Drummond. Guidance counselor, very idiotic too. What would happen if my parents found out?
When I got home, she signed on her messenger and started to IM me. This is the horrible fight she started, it all starting with how she lost my trust. She even tried to blame it on Nichole. Nichole explained how she was kidding and said I did slit my wrists, which, of course, she didn't know I actually did, so of course she was kidding, I knew. Nichole would never do something like that anyway.
-Carrie-: sup?
-Nikki-: don't even think you can talk to me
-Carrie-: i just want to tell you that nichole told the whole class about your wrist and the X
-Nikki-: NICHOLE IS NOT GUILTY OF ANYTHING YOU BROUGHT IT UP
-Nikki-: DON'T TALK TO ME, DON'T THINK ABOUT ME, DON'T LOOK AT ME, DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH ME
-Carrie-: ok if you dont believe me
-Carrie-: no i wouldnt want to
-Nikki-: I DON'T BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE I TRUSTED YOU
-Nikki-: AND NOW I CAN'T
-Nikki-: I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVEN CONSIDERED YOU A FRIEND
-Carrie: good i have other friend like bb, nm.
-Carrie-: cr,ac,hh,el,
-Carrie-: and everybody else nobody likes you bitch
The sad part was, all of the initials of the people she named were people I knew. I questioned every one of them, and they all said they hated her.
"Hey, Mike." I said as I caught up to him on the sidewalk.
"Hey, Nick. I haven't heard from Billie Joe since he called from your house. You?" he asked, sounding a little depressed.
"Yeah. He didn't say much though. He didn't sound good at all. I don't know, Mike. Sounds like he's going insane. A little like me. Do you think he'll try to-forget about it."
"What? What did you mean to say?" he asked, almost demanding me to correct myself.
"Nothing Mike, just-"
"Tell me." he cut off, sternly.
"Do you think he would try to...to self-harm? Like, cut himself?" I said, a little nervous Mike would suspect me.
"I don't know...I hope not."
And with that, we walked into the school. I still liked Billie after all these months, but was hooking up with a boy named Ethan. I told Billie Joe that if things didn't work out with Ethan I would surely try to hook up with him.
"Hey, Ethan!" I called over to him, waving my hand. He was waiting in front of the school doors.
"Oh, hey Nikki! How are you?" he asked, when we walked up. Ethan had brown hair, wide, deep brown eyes, and the most adorable smile ever. He was cute, funny, smart, incredibly nice, and sweet.
"I'm doing fine. Did you hear about Beej?" I asked him, an unfortunate look on my face. Since I was hanging out with Billie Joe and Mike all weekend, I hadn't got time to call Ethan.
"No. What happened?" he asked.
"His dad died."
"Oh, that's bad. Whenever you get to talk to him, tell him I said I'm sorry."
"Sure, I will."
Just then, the bell rang and the patrols opened the doors. The patrols were fellow fifth graders who were trained to 'patrol' the school, grounds, and open the car doors for kids when they came in with their parents. We all swarmed into the building.
The boring but fun day passed and I was itching to see Ethan at lunch. I needed to talk to him so badly. Since we were seperated between classrooms, I didn't get to talk to him. But when I walked up to our lunch table, where my seat was facing the opposite to Ethan's direction (which meant I could turn around and talk to him), Zoey was already sitting there.
"Move."
"No. I was sitting here first."
"What a lame excuse, you baby, move it. Now."
"No! I wanna sit here and I sat here first!!!" she whined.
"Well, maybe I need to talk to somebody fucking important." I growled into her ear.
"Well maybe you can talk to him from behind me."
"How about I say 'Fuck off'?"
She looked and me and said, "You're just like my 5-year-old sister. You cry when you don't get your way."
"Number one I'm not crying, and number two I honestly need to talk to him."
"Go sit there." And so I did. I hated it though. I didn't even get to talk to him except for when I was telling him how Austin got pantsed and when I was admiring his arm-sleeve made of sparkly fishnet. It was a joke, don't worry. After talking to him at recess about those two things, I hadn't said another word to him. Thanks, Zoey. Everyone give props to Zoey. *fake applause*
And when I was walking out of the school, I caught up with my best friend Nichole. She met me in 4th grade in orientation. We were best friends since then. She always helped me, influenced me on bands, and everything. She was basically my sister.
"Hey Nikki." when she saw me, she immediately flipped my wrist over quickly, and then turned it back just as quick.
"Yeah." she said, letting her hands fall and slap against the sides of her thighs.
"Guess what Carrie did?" She said, obviously pissed at something--or someone.
"What?" I said, dumbstruck. Nichole had turned my wrist over. I could've been easily caught.
"Carrie told everyone in our class that you slit your wrists." she said, like it wasn't true.
"Yeah, she's like," she put on a whiney girly voice on, "yeah, Nikki slits her wrists, did you hear? She has a big X on it." Now I am pissed out of my mind. The one serious person I thought I could trust with it, and she threw it away in a heartbeat. But thank God. Nichole didn't see it. Carrie was the only one who knew. I played along and acted like it was a stupid rumor. My heart beat went fast, and my mind went out of control knowing that maybe some teachers would find out and make me go to Mr. Faggot Drummond. Guidance counselor, very idiotic too. What would happen if my parents found out?
When I got home, she signed on her messenger and started to IM me. This is the horrible fight she started, it all starting with how she lost my trust. She even tried to blame it on Nichole. Nichole explained how she was kidding and said I did slit my wrists, which, of course, she didn't know I actually did, so of course she was kidding, I knew. Nichole would never do something like that anyway.
-Carrie-: sup?
-Nikki-: don't even think you can talk to me
-Carrie-: i just want to tell you that nichole told the whole class about your wrist and the X
-Nikki-: NICHOLE IS NOT GUILTY OF ANYTHING YOU BROUGHT IT UP
-Nikki-: DON'T TALK TO ME, DON'T THINK ABOUT ME, DON'T LOOK AT ME, DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH ME
-Carrie-: ok if you dont believe me
-Carrie-: no i wouldnt want to
-Nikki-: I DON'T BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE I TRUSTED YOU
-Nikki-: AND NOW I CAN'T
-Nikki-: I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVEN CONSIDERED YOU A FRIEND
-Carrie: good i have other friend like bb, nm.
-Carrie-: cr,ac,hh,el,
-Carrie-: and everybody else nobody likes you bitch
The sad part was, all of the initials of the people she named were people I knew. I questioned every one of them, and they all said they hated her.
