March 2002
"But, Ma! I love 'im!" Missy yelled,her back pressed against the wall. She eyed her mother as a cat would its attacker. Snarling almost. The sentence was something she had never admitted to her parents. Would never admit to her parents again. It was a last ditch effort in their attempt to end what they saw as a very destructive relationship.
"Melissa..." Her mother always used her full name when she was being stern. The tall blonde woman had a hand on her hip and let out a long suffered sigh. "He's jus' na right for you. He's trouble. This is the third tiame this week alone the principal has called home abaht you two. I know ya think this is it, Missy, but it's not..." Her mother's voice suddenly got soft. "It's a passing thing, and you can't throw your life away over high school."
"Ya just don' understand, ma. You don't. This isn' some passing thing. This is it. We're meant for each other, we're ferever." Her brows drew together and she glared up at her mother's soft features.
"Missy. This is final. You don' see tha boy again." Her mother's accent had that faint Texas lilt to it, but hardly anything more. She spent too many years up North teaching.
"I hate you. I'm never speaking to you again!" Missy unwittingly spat the most cliche` thing she could at her mother. Pushing off the wall, she stormed past, the curtains moving suddenly as she did. A lightbulb chose that moment to blow out, but her mother thought nothing of it. That fixture had been doing that a lot lately.
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"It was horrible, JC, she said we can' even see each otha again." Missy sniffled. She didn't cry in front of anyone but JC. He was the only one that saw more than the angry facade she had put up recently. Her back pressed against the wall of the school as she watched the football players run their drills.
"We'll figure sumthin out, Missy, always do." He tried a comforting smile, his arm tightening around her shoulders. The cigarette he was smoking flicked out into the parking lot. "They'll come around, Missy. My mama loves you..." Though a little doubt slid into his voice. He wasn't sure anymore.
"Don' ya realize what's happenin' JC? They're pullin' us apart. An' next year is college... my ma wan's me to go away. Bu' I dun wanna leave ya. I dun think I can..." And she cut off to go back to her quiet sniffling. Wiping her eyes on the back of her arm, she looked up at him. The tattered hoodie she was wearing was faded from too many washes and her mass of curls was pulled back in a haphazard pony tail, and her too-heavy mascara was smearing down her face.
"Ain' nothin' that can pull us apart, baby. Dun go worryin' bout that. We'll work it out... I'll go with ya, or you'll stay close.. an' we'll get a house by the rivah, an' it'll have a big porch that we can watch the sunset from..." The fantasy was something they went back to whenever things got rough and JC knew it would calm her down now when nothing else could. Slowly he pulled on her arms so that he turned her a bit to face him, and pressed their foreheads together. "You'll be paintin' pictures, an' I'll be playin' guitar... it's hard now, baby, but it won' always be... things are gunna work out." His eyes were so blue, too blue, and when Missy opened hers to look at him, they made her blink. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the change.
"I love you, JC. I don' know what I'd do with--"
"Shh--" He cut her off, shaking his head a little before pressing in to silence her with a gentle kiss. "I know, baby, I know.." He wrapped her up in his arms, pressing his eyes closed.
"But, Ma! I love 'im!" Missy yelled,her back pressed against the wall. She eyed her mother as a cat would its attacker. Snarling almost. The sentence was something she had never admitted to her parents. Would never admit to her parents again. It was a last ditch effort in their attempt to end what they saw as a very destructive relationship.
"Melissa..." Her mother always used her full name when she was being stern. The tall blonde woman had a hand on her hip and let out a long suffered sigh. "He's jus' na right for you. He's trouble. This is the third tiame this week alone the principal has called home abaht you two. I know ya think this is it, Missy, but it's not..." Her mother's voice suddenly got soft. "It's a passing thing, and you can't throw your life away over high school."
"Ya just don' understand, ma. You don't. This isn' some passing thing. This is it. We're meant for each other, we're ferever." Her brows drew together and she glared up at her mother's soft features.
"Missy. This is final. You don' see tha boy again." Her mother's accent had that faint Texas lilt to it, but hardly anything more. She spent too many years up North teaching.
"I hate you. I'm never speaking to you again!" Missy unwittingly spat the most cliche` thing she could at her mother. Pushing off the wall, she stormed past, the curtains moving suddenly as she did. A lightbulb chose that moment to blow out, but her mother thought nothing of it. That fixture had been doing that a lot lately.
--------
"It was horrible, JC, she said we can' even see each otha again." Missy sniffled. She didn't cry in front of anyone but JC. He was the only one that saw more than the angry facade she had put up recently. Her back pressed against the wall of the school as she watched the football players run their drills.
"We'll figure sumthin out, Missy, always do." He tried a comforting smile, his arm tightening around her shoulders. The cigarette he was smoking flicked out into the parking lot. "They'll come around, Missy. My mama loves you..." Though a little doubt slid into his voice. He wasn't sure anymore.
"Don' ya realize what's happenin' JC? They're pullin' us apart. An' next year is college... my ma wan's me to go away. Bu' I dun wanna leave ya. I dun think I can..." And she cut off to go back to her quiet sniffling. Wiping her eyes on the back of her arm, she looked up at him. The tattered hoodie she was wearing was faded from too many washes and her mass of curls was pulled back in a haphazard pony tail, and her too-heavy mascara was smearing down her face.
"Ain' nothin' that can pull us apart, baby. Dun go worryin' bout that. We'll work it out... I'll go with ya, or you'll stay close.. an' we'll get a house by the rivah, an' it'll have a big porch that we can watch the sunset from..." The fantasy was something they went back to whenever things got rough and JC knew it would calm her down now when nothing else could. Slowly he pulled on her arms so that he turned her a bit to face him, and pressed their foreheads together. "You'll be paintin' pictures, an' I'll be playin' guitar... it's hard now, baby, but it won' always be... things are gunna work out." His eyes were so blue, too blue, and when Missy opened hers to look at him, they made her blink. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the change.
"I love you, JC. I don' know what I'd do with--"
"Shh--" He cut her off, shaking his head a little before pressing in to silence her with a gentle kiss. "I know, baby, I know.." He wrapped her up in his arms, pressing his eyes closed.