AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Finding a parking spot proves to be a challenge when I go home. It appears the Mercedes dealership relocated to our neighborhood while I was gone. My stomach balls into knots when I realize to whom those cars belong—my mother’s family. If this were any other day I would tuck tail and run, but unfortunately that would not be wise given the occasion. The wrath alone would be unbearable.
Just like clockwork the insults are hurled right as I open the front door. First one to rise to the Jess-bashing convention is my grandmother Nora, my mother’s mother. She utters her fake congratulations while she gives me a half-assed hug then proceeds to chastise my wardrobe. Though she directs her complaints to my mother as though I am invisible.
“Why on earth did you let her leave the house in those rags?” she asks my mother.
Hello, I’m standing right here.
Of course, my lovely birth giver adds her two cents, “She always looks that way.”
Much to my chagrin, my grandmother from DC couldn’t be here. It would have been nice to have an ally. Ah, here comes my cousins Dante and Sabrina. It just keeps getting better.
They turn up their noses and stroll right past me, but not without making their disapproval known in the form of a huff. Why are they here? They’ve never welcomed or accepted me. They don’t like me. We look and act nothing alike. They have blonde hair and blue eyes, dress to the nines with enough bling to choke a horse. Looks like an accessory shop threw up and landed on them. I’m an outcast in my own family. I truly do not belong anywhere.
I make a mad dash for my room before enduring any further humiliation. As soon as I open the door I’m met by the adoration of my pups. If only we could stay tucked away in the refuge of my room forever.
I forgo the usual ponytail and straighten my hair, and further shock myself when I decide to apply a little make-up to my pale face. I finish off the skort ensemble with a white short-sleeved dress shirt and black ballerina-style flats since I’m so uncoordinated I can’t walk in heels. Grabbing my cap and gown, I head back downstairs and into the evil clutches of the spawns of Satan.
Dad and I leave before the rest of the family since I need to be there a half an hour before the ceremony starts. It’s nice when it’s just us. He looks handsome tonight dressed in black Dockers, a pinstriped dress shirt and black leather shoes. My dad’s a handsome man for sure. Still has a full head of dark brown hair and stunning blue eyes.
He is the first to break the silence during the car ride. “Jess, I’m really proud of you and I know deep down, your mother is, too.”
I roll my eyes so hard I fear they’ll get stuck. Luckily, he doesn’t notice since I am facing the window. I have no desire to ruin his moment.
“Have you decided which college to go to?” Dad asked.
“Not yet, though I’m leaning toward ASU. My scholarship would cover dorm fees, but I wouldn’t be able to take Dash and Vi so I’m still not sure what to do.” The thought of leaving my two best friends bothers me more than I care to admit.
“They’ll be fine, Jess,” he sighed, clearly struggling with my negativity.
“Yeah but Cruella DeVil will have them made into coats.”
“I’ll see to it that she doesn’t. ASU is close enough that you could come home every weekend and on holidays.” I knew he means well, but still…they’re the glue that’s been holding me together these last couple of years.
I want to ask him why he stays with that selfish witch who calls herself my mother. Guess it’s irrelevant after all these years and I lack the energy and desire to fight with him, especially when he’s trying so hard to say the right things to make me happy.
We arrive at the school and park in a space toward the front, then make our way to the auditorium, entering into a chaotic mass of screaming girls and idiotic teenage boys high-fiving and doing that stupid handshake where they slide the backs of their hands across each other’s and into fist bumps.
Mrs. Moss, the school’s assistant principal, arrives and blows her whistle a couple of times to get everyone’s attention. She reminds me of one of those Oompa Loompas out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Short and round with an orange-tinted complexion. She even has the same weird bowl haircut they had, only her hair isn’t green, it’s a variant shade of yellow.
She proceeds to order us into a row for boys and one for girls, lining up by size just as we practiced this morning. As soon as the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” begins to play, she reminds us it is our cue to march into the auditorium and down to our seats.
We funnel in as ordered amid the occasional whoops and hollers and remain standing while the Pledge of Allegiance is recited. After that, our principal Mrs. Dice takes the stage and welcome’s everyone. She was probably an attractive woman when she was younger, but being a principal seems to have taken its toll on her. She’s tall and thin with a pointed nose similar to a raven’s beak.
Wow, when did I become Judgy McJudgerson?
After the diplomas are distributed, we toss our caps in the air and exit the auditorium in two single-file lines. Once outside, everyone bolts off in different directions toward friends and family, greeting them with open arms amid the blinding camera flashes.
I pretend to look for my family, hoping to avoid them until the last minute, when Kara and Anna find me. We exchange hugs, theirs accompanied by fake tears and the standard, “We’ll really miss you, please keep in touch,” nonsense knowing we will probably never see each other again. Should I feel remorseful? Because I don’t. I’ve felt alone for so long that I’m not sure how to be otherwise.
After that is over, I locate my so-called family and slowly gravitate toward them. My father is the first to notice me, and scoops me up and swings me around like I’m five again. For a moment, I allow myself to believe it.
“Jess, I’m so proud of you. Happy birthday, sweetie,” he announces.
My mother overhears him which compelled her to plaster on a fake smile and act like a mother while hugging me in front of the crowd.
“Happy birthday,” she mutters as she walks away. “Let’s eat.”
I choose to ride with dad to the restaurant while the others, including my mother, leave in the high-dollar vehicles. On our way to the restaurant, he reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out a beautifully-wrapped gift and card and hands them to me. My eyes immediately fill with tears. Opening the card, I quietly read it to myself:
