Chapter 1

The Best Mistake
By: Shannon Ward

Chapter 1

“Promise?” I asked, with the most convincing pout on my face.

“I promise. Classes start in a week and I’ll be home for Thanksgiving. No doubt about it,” he repeated for what must have been the tenth time.

“Ok,” I said sullenly. “Fly safe, okay?”

“As always.” He leaned down to and kissed my cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

After one more long embrace, he turned and boarded his plane to live his dream of being an Ivy League graduate. I watched him until the plane had flown so far that it was covered by the clouds and the nearing sunset.

It was too hard to leave the airport. I wanted to believe that any second now, that plane would turn around and Cody would come back because he realized that being with me was more important than some dumb Princeton degree. And then we would both go to the same college and be one of those adorable couples who....---Okay, so maybe I'm being a little bit selfish, but that's what happens to a girl in love.

While my physical self is standing in the middle of the airport looking like somone just killed her puppy, I'll tell you a bit about myself.  I'm 18 years old with average-length dull brown hair, an average body (although a bit taller than average, making half the guys my age too short for me), and a personality that tends to scare away any and all guys, whether thay are tall enough or not. It's not as though I'm a freak or anything, just very outspoken. And confident. Lingering on the edge of over-confident. As my grandfather always says, "If you can't take the heat, stop drinking sulfuric acid."

...

I'm not quite sure if that saying applies here, or anywhere for that matter. But it sound cool and mildly gruesome, so why not?

Now to the classic love-life description. I've tried many times, but it is unavoidable. Anyway... In the past, I had my share of separations and break-ups, stupid boys that thought I couldn’t see through the, “It’s not you, it’s me,” line, and relationships that I thought could lead to something serious, but it never did. Now, my 22 year old boyfriend that I had loved more than anyone else, was leaving me for a college education. Sure, he was coming back, most likely, but what if he wasn’t the same? I wouldn’t know what to do! And what if—

“Anna?” Marie whispered in my direction. “Ummm… Well, you’ve kinda been standing there for an hour and a half, and, well, can we go home now? ‘Cause I’m real tired and, well, I wanna go home. If you don’t mind…?”

I smiled and nodded. Marie has been my best friend since kindergarten and has never been the most outspoken person I know. That is my job.

On the way outside, Marie put her arm around my shoulders and told me it would be okay. I had no idea how wrong she was.

* * *
On the way home, Marie drove and we listened to the radio. When we were ten minutes from home, the song that Cody always sang to me came on the radio. At that point all of the tears that I had held inside burst out in one huge flood.

“Marie! What if he is different when he comes back? What if he doesn’t COME back? What if he cheats on me!?”

“If he cheats on you, I’ll beat his head into the ground.”

I slowed down the sobbing for a few seconds to look at Marie and wait for a smile. When that grin spread across her face, I knew it was okay to laugh.

“Honestly, Marie. Do you think you could EVER hurt someone?”

“Maybe on accident…”

"Didn't think you could."

We stopped by the grocery store that was three blocks from our apartment and picked up a carton of my favorite chocolate ice cream, along with chocolate syrup and chocolate chips. Marie insisted that she pay for it even though we both knew that I was going to wind up eating the whole thing by myself. After we got home and changed into something more comfortable, I sat on the couch as Marie put in Finding Nemo and fixed me a heaping bowl of ice cream.

“You know,” I said through my tears, “if you ever had a problem I would do this same thing for you, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “but I have no life so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“What about that guy from work?”

“You mean Hairy Larry? Gross, Anna. That’s just sick.

“I’m only trying to help,” I said in my most innocent voice.

I’m not sure when I fell asleep or when Marie went to bed, but sometime between the time I fell asleep to the time I woke up, one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced happened.

Reviews

[Kurt Gargis]

Nice... Cliffhanger ending, light beginning. I look forward to the next chapters. I especially liked this line..."If you can't take the heat, stop drinking sulfuric acid." I don't think I should explain why I like it. Keep writing!