“Let me get this straight. Your dad randomly gets on your case, you leave the house, you help an old woman with groceries, you meet her grandson, and all of a sudden you’re in love with him?” Charles asked Michelle that next morning.
It was Tuesday morning, the second day of school. Michelle had told Charles about what happened to her night last night while waiting in line for lunch.
“No way! Are you crazy? I’m not in love with him. How can I be in love with someone I don’t even know? I don’t even like him. He was just cute that’s all. I think it would be cool to see him at least another time though.”
“Well, at least he lives down the road, so you don’t have to go very far to see him. You’d just have to make sure your sister doesn’t steal him first.”
“That’s another thing. I’m not gonna fall for him because the guys always like Morgan. I’m nothing to them. Majority of the time it’s not even worth trying to pursue them.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy sometimes, but at the end of it all, you know I have your back anytime anywhere.”
The friends sat down at a lunch table discussing other topics, when Kelly Priest, the junior class geek, went to their table and started talking to Charles. Everyone in the small Christian school knew that she was obsessed with Charles. She tried her best to get him to go out with her. She has yet to succeed on that project.
“Hi, Charles. How are you today?” Kelly asked him rudely ignoring Elle.
“Um, hi Kelly. I’m good, but excuse me; you’re interrupting me and Elle."
“It’s ok, Charles. I actually should start heading to class anyways. Hello to you too, Kelly.” Michelle took up her tray and left the nerd and her friend alone at the table making awkward conversation. She had to laugh at how much Kelly was pushing herself onto Charles, but he just wouldn’t have it.
When Michelle went to her locker, she saw there was a note on it, written from an anonymous person. It read, “You are very beautiful, Michelle. Thank you for last night.” She had to reread the note over five times to understand what it actually meant, but she still didn’t know what it meant. The only thing she could think of was when she talked to that guy named Mark, but she couldn’t think of anything she did worth being thanked for. She really couldn’t do anything about the note, so she just slipped it in her bag and continued on with her day.
Four-thirty finally came around, which meant it was time for Michelle to drive her and Morgan home. Morgan decided to run a little late that day, so to keep occupied Michelle took out the note she found on her locker and began rereading it over and over again.
“Hey, what’s that you have here?” Morgan snatched the note from her sister’s hand as she passed by the driver’s side window. “You are very beautiful, Michelle. Thank you for last night,” Morgan jokingly read the note, “Whoa! Elle, what did you do last night? Apparently, you missed a few important details.”
“Morgan, please. I didn’t do anything. I have no idea who this is from. In case you didn’t see, the person didn’t put their name down on the paper. It could be someone playing a crappy joke. Just promise you won’t tell mom and dad, especially dad. He’ll yell and have a fit until the end of the world.”
“Don’t worry. He won’t hear it from me. I have other problems to worry about.”
“Oh gosh, I guess you’ll be telling me them on our way home.”
“Yep. That’s what sisters are for. You tell me your problems, and I tell you mine. That’s just how it works for some reason. Now can we go home? I’m starvin.”
Michelle and Morgan finally arrived home a little after five, but dinner wouldn’t have been ready for another few hours. Because of their parents’ schedules, the girls always made a snack and did their homework before dinner. Today was a little different though.
“Michelle, drop your books down in your room and come into my office.” Ben demanded his daughter when he realized his girls made it home from school.
“What did I do now, Dad?” Michelle knew she was in some kind of trouble worse than normal when Ben called her into his office, especially when Elaine wasn’t home like that particular day.
“Don’t come at me like that. Who do you think you are young lady? I wanted to talk to you about last night. Why didn’t you get in until really late?”
“I didn’t. I got in after ten. I was helping an older woman with groceries down the street, and her grandson wasn’t home yet, so I didn’t leave until he got there.”
“Are you talking about that Mark kid?”
“Yeah. How do you know him? I just met them myself last night. I wouldn’t have known there was an older lady on our street if I hadn’t walked that way when I did.”
“It doesn’t matter how I know him. Just stay away from him. I don’t want you goin out at night anymore. Do you understand?”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. Whenever I feel like walking, I’m going to take a walk. And I don’t even know that Mark guy like that. So for you to say stay away from him means nothing to me. You can’t control what I do; I’m almost eighteen, which means adulthood, which means no more listening to you.”
Not being able to take the backtalk from his oldest daughter, Ben slapped her across the face and said, “Don’t you ever in your life talk to me that way again. Now I told you to stay away from him, so I expect you to listen. If you choose not to listen, then you can find yourself another home. Now get out of my office.”
Speechless of what had occurred in her father’s office, Michelle left behind her bag and homework in her room and headed out the door. Her mother wasn’t there for her to talk to about the situation, and Morgan was too busy with her own self to care; she just left. For some reason, something inside of her was hoping she’d catch Mark out on the street and talk to him just to defy her father. There was no such luck for that possibility. She walked around the suburban neighborhood for a good thirty minutes before heading back home. She had no idea how she was going to face her father after what happened, but she knew it would have to happen sooner or later.She just hoped that the best thing, whatever it was, would work out in the end.
“You did what?! Who do you think you are?” Elaine Harper furiously asked her husband after dinner that night, and the girls were already in their rooms. “You hit my baby girl? What the heck is wrong with you?”
“Elaine, it was an accident. It just happened. I couldn’t control myself.”
“That’s bull, and we both know that. If you ever put your hands on Elle, Morgan, or me, I swear I’ll leave you and sue you for all that your worth. You know I can do it too. Now, in the morning, I want you to apologize to Elle for what you did. I don’t care if she forgives you or not, but you won’t talk to her the way you did today. Do you understand me?
“Yes, honey. I’ll do it first thing in the morning. I promise.”
“Yeah, you better or else. We’ll have real serious problems if you don’t. Now, good night!”
