“Well, that’s fucking lame.”
I lay on my bed, talking to Ronnie on the phone. It sucks that I only get to see Ronnie in a couple of my classes, but even on the first day, we had so much to talk about.
“I know, right? Like I wish I was able to be in a class where there isn’t anyone from Beverly,” Ronnie said. Ronnie is like the girl version of my best friend. She’s really cool, and we got to meet when we were paired up for a project back in junior high school. She’s a band major at Waverly now, blowing the saxophone like she’s some Jazz musician. I’m forever making fun of the fact that she could probably serenade a boy with some smooth Jazz of his favorite rap song.
“Oh my God, seriously! Like Laurie is in my vocal class and I have no idea when or how she even passed the Waverly audition. Do you believe that bitch laughed at me during my introduction?” I vented out.
“Dude, she’s still caught up in the past. Like, let that bad energy go, sis,” Ronnie responded. I look towards my bedroom door, which opens slowly. I get annoyed when it does.
“I’m on the phone, Mom,” I quickly said before she could say anything to me. My mom smiled and looked down at my phone on the bed.
“Tell Veronica that you have to eat dinner and you can talk to her later,” my mom responded. I rolled my eyes explaining the situation.
“I’ll text you, Ronnie,” I said before hanging up the phone. I got out of bed and walked out of my bedroom in the attic. My mom followed me downstairs.
“Mom, why do you always have to ruin my conversations with Ronnie?” I complained.
“You know dinner is at the same time every single day, Mol,” my mom answered. “You just saw Ronnie at school a couple of hours ago; what is there to possibly talk about?”
“Everything, mom,” I honestly answered.
We both sit in the kitchen where my step-dad, Alex, is serving food on dinner plates.
“I hope my favorite girls are hungry,” Alex said while putting a plate of food in front of me. I look at it. It has a strange smell to it.
“What the hell is it?” I asked while looking at the bubbling plate.
“Chicken cacciatore,” he answered.
“Chicken catch-a-who?” I looked up and looked at Alex. My mom and Alex met each other when my mom was in culinary classes for her catering business. They got married not long after that and have been together ever since. Alex was cool, chill; not demanding like how most step-parents are in those old TV movies. He’s always cooking something either really delicious or really questioning.
“It’s chicken in red sauce,” my mom explained. “You love chicken.”
“Yeah, when it’s either fried or covered in barbecue sauce,” I said, eating around the chicken. My mom looked annoyed at me, but I can’t help it; I’m a picky eater. Alex sat down next to my mom as we all began to eat dinner.
“So, how was your first day of high school?” my mom asked.
“It was cool, nothing special,” I said before I remembered what happened in vocal. “Our vocal teacher is Milo’s dad. Milo was trying to run for his life in that class,” I explained.
“Well, Milo knew that his dad was going to be the teacher for that class,” my mom responded. “I hope no one gives him a hard time in that class.”
“Milo just needs to stick up for himself, not let anyone give him any shit–“
“Language, Mollie.” my mom corrected me. I hated when she did that. Like I’m about to be 15 in a couple of months, yet my mom treats me like I’m 5.
“But yeah,” I continued. “Laurie Warren is also in my vocal class and she laughed at me after my introduction. I was ready to slap her so hard–“
“Mollie,” my mom interrupted. “You can’t be fighting in high school, especially not at a place like Waverly. You’ll get kicked out and expelled.”
“So what am I supposed to do? Just let a bully keep bullying me?” I asked, annoyed that my mother would even give me this talk after telling her what happened.
“You tell a teacher and they would handle it,” Alex chimed in. I looked at him like he had about 500 heads. What does he think this is? The old high school days?
“I do that, and the whole school laughs at me! Seriously is that what you want me to do?
“That’s high school, sweetheart,” my mom said, passing me the salad bowl. “You’re going to have to learn to handle situations in a mature, young lady-like manner.”
“Fuck that noise,” I said. My mother looked at me, angry at my response. “I’m sorry,” I sighed. I got up from my seat and left the dinner table.
“Mollie, you barely touched your dinner,” my mom called out. I didn’t even turn around to answer her.
“I’m not hungry,” I said while walking back upstairs to my room.
…
I slam my door shut and sit at my desk. I was so annoyed and angry that no matter what I shared, my mom always had to make it this big thing where I felt like I was always being scolded for something I said. That’s high school, sweetheart. No, it’s not! It’s the time of your life when you identify yourself as a person, and it can either make you or break you. I’m not going to let someone like Laurie Warren break me and my identity in high school. I will be remembered as one of the toughest and coolest kids in Waverly! I’m going to be the popular kid with the hot talented boyfriend and no one is going to bully me or tease me or laugh at me ever again!
…
“So, what’s the one thing you want to accomplish in high school that you didn’t in middle school?” I asked Milo. We sat on his front steps, eating ice cream cones on this hot, summer day.
“Passing my classes,” Milo began. I couldn’t help but laugh at his answer. “What?”
“Milo, I mean… don’t you want to do anything fun while you’re in high school? Go to a pep rally, perform somewhere awesome and famous, be popular or something?!” I asked.
“Popularity is a social construct,” Milo answered. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“Only losers would answer a popularity question like that,” I stated, which made Milo suck his teeth.
“Whatever,” Milo replied. “I just want to go through the next four years without no major drama or bad memories. Beverly gave me enough to last me a lifetime.”
“Drama will always be around you,” I said. It’s true; even if he tries to stay out of the drama, he’s friends with the drama. I tolerate his new friend, Sophie, but I don’t trust her motives. Who’s to say she’s not secretly going back to Laurie and laughing about all the weird things he did or said to her? “Plus, Beverly’s drama is past us. That was immature drama. Waverly isn’t a place where drama like that would happen.”
“You say that now, but watch something happen where you feel the need to be the biggest and toughest girl in our grade,” Milo admitted to me. “You always have to prove yourself at a new school.”
“So what?” I responded back quickly. “No one is going to fuck with me in Waverly. I’m not scared of anyone that’s more popular, older; whatever than me! I’m going to make Waverly the years where everyone knows the name, Mollie Castro!”
“Okay, Mol,” Milo dismissed the conversation. I was annoyed he still didn’t have faith in me and didn’t support my goals. He’s too caught up being around Sophie Lee’s finger.
…
I look outside my window, annoyed at this day as a whole, and want nothing more than to sleep and start a new day. I look at the calendar on my desk and realized I have therapy tomorrow after school. I rolled my eyes, so tired of doing the same things that middle school Mollie was doing. I just want to become a whole new me. And I will because high school isn’t just high school! It’s where I’ll finally shine.
And like I said before: Fuck. That. Noise.
Letters From Liz. 