Teenage Blues

I rushed into the kitchen to open the microwave, only to find a brown yucky thing in the place of my so-called delicious lunch! The whole kitchen was filled with a strong burnt stench. Oh boy, this will surely catch my mother's sensitive nose. I quickly cleaned up the leftovers of my once called 'food' and got the dishes done. What? What was that? I think i heard some grumbling. There... I heard it again. Realization lit up my face and made me smile at the crazy situation. It was just my hungry stomach grumbling a bit too loud. I searched for some sort of eatable inside the fridge, but seems luck just wasnt on my side today. Sigh, I brushed the sweat from my brow. Could this get any worse?

I sat down in the living room in my favorite sofa with my legs stretched out. Here I am a 16 year old young woman who is on the verge of losing any hope of a bright future ahead. My pensive mood sent me back to the happenings of the past few weeks. I groaned. Lord, it had been long ones indeed, filled with misery. It all started one month back when I moved into this new double-storeyed appartment in Baltimore with my parents. It was a huge change from where we had lived earlier. We have moved around so much that I practically have to think twice before I answer where I am really from. Too many things have been happenning too fast.

I had to go to a new school and the first day itself i made a great impression on the girls of my class; that too with a prize winning act of clumsiness. I had tripped on my latest heel shoes and spilled coffee all over the desk. I was a little too glad when finally the teacher assigned locker numbers. I stared at my locker key. It read '13'. Whatever hope I had of having a better day evaporated in the air at the sight of this unlucky number. As I was emptying my books from my bag into the locker, i banged my locker door ... into this boy's head. He turned around and stared at me with blood shot eyes. I was a nervous wreck. Quickly apologies came pouring out of like the gurgling Niagara Falls. I bet I must have sounded as pathetic as I felt. He didnt seem pleased by my manner, but was polite enough to accept the apology and walk away. The bell rang right then and there ended my first, not to mention, worst school day ever. Late that night, my mother stopped me during my supper and made sure she made me listen through the long lecture about 'how responsible I should be since I am now grown up and blah blah blah..'

My first day in class was a memorable one! I hit it off with this quite jovial looking blonde girl. I felt a smile inside my heart and thought about how friendly she was. Little did I know that she had put a big "I am a slut" sign on my back. Only after a blue-eyed girl dragged me into the girl's room and said "you should watch your back" did I realize the sticky note behind. I guess she was a bit too late for the advice! The rest of the week went off with me getting adjusted to the new schedule and attending classes. The young man who's head I had played locker-football with didnt dare to talk to me. As for the jovial blonde girl, I found her sneakily glancing at me, everytime I passed by, and laughing hysterically with her group of pretty friends. My mom, looking at me that week-end asked if anything was wrong. Should I confide in her? Even If i did what do I tell her? Suddenly tears were clogging my throat and I bit back the strong urge to cry and replied "nothing.." in a creaky voice. "I have lots to study ma, I have two class tests coming soon!" saying this I quickly stepped into the safest and the most secure place in the entire world, my bedroom.

Soon I got busy with the daily schedule and tests. I got my first shock when I checked my physics score. I had nearly failed in physics with a mere 67, which is so not me! I faced my dad that day with a teary face. His grim expression said it all. My mother, on the other hand, did the full talking. I could hardly look at her face with my sore big red eyes. I thought maybe I am not as intelligent as I used to be. My old school is so different and I am not used to this new pattern. As I laid back on the cushions in my bed that night, a fear clutched my heart that refused to leave me in peace.

Meanwhile, the only social activity I did throughout the school was to talk to the blue-eyed girl who came to my rescue the other day. She was indeed nice and very friendly. But, she had a part-time job that she rushed to every single day right after school. So, I could not spend any amount of time hanging out with her outside of school. My physics lessons were becoming harder. My physics teacher told me that he would be reconsidering my score only if He sees some strong signs of improvement.

I was returning home yesterday when I realized Mom had left for a meeting and wont be back until late. I searched for the spare keys that I always had but couldnt find them. Alas, panic stricken I rummaged through my entire bag, but couldn't find it. What am i going to do? How was I going to answer my parents?? I waited on the doorstep with my bag. Time ticked off and it was already 2 hours past my usual supper time. I saw my dad coming and he was shocked and not to admit angry at my irresponsibility. I bore through the whole session. Mother played her part very well too. This was the last straw. I fled to my room and wept my heart out. Is it possible for God to make my life any better? I crawled into my bed and stayed there for a long time staring at the ceiling. I hardly slept last night and now here I am with my foul-smelling burnt lunch! The door bell startled my deep thoughts. MOM!

There she stood in the kitchen. She is for sure going to kill me this time. I wanted to burrow my head into a rabbit hole right that instant. I could not pick up enough courage to look into her eyes. I kept staring at her feet. Silence..engulfed the room. It tempted me to finally to look up. I expected an angry face with glaring eyes. But, the face was filled with a strong emotion. Not anger, but.. concern. "Why didnt you call me? I would have told you what to eat.You must be hungry. I will fix you something right now ok?"

I stood there shell-shocked at her calmness in the situation. I suddenly realized what being a mother is all about. I had been too busy with my needs that I lost touch of my loving self. I instantly gave her a tight hug. "heyyy.. what is this" she exclaimed and tried to brush my arms off. I laughed and planted a plump kiss on her cheek.

Later, the feeling of euphoria was soon forgotten at the sight of dad. He was still upset with me about losing the keys. I had dreaded his company since then. He walked into my room and put something on my table. The clunk sound made me look up into his eyes as he said "I got you a new set of keys. Please be more responsible this time". "I will.. papa", I whispered and this time I did mean it. He walked off and I wondered how both of my parents have not been themselves today. Probably it is ME who must have lost touch with their real selves. It was 8 pm and I hardly have time to study for my physics and history tests. I started doing my physics and slept around 3 am.

I woke up, next morning, staring at the radiant sunshine creeping through the window. Somehow, I felt good today. It was a nice feeling that I had not had for a long time. I reached school in time. My blue-eyed friend came along with excitement written all over her face.
"hey.. Guess what? i am having a month leave as the owner's going to be out of town! I am looking forward for both of us to do something after school." My urge to share this excitement with her was too strong and we both giggled and fantasized about all the things we would do together.

I felt my stomach churn as I sat for physics. I got busy doing my answeres as soon as I got the paper. I finished 10 minutes before and realized that I had known every question and had done my best. Finally, it felt good to be smart once again! I walked out feeling proud of myself. "Boy that was easier than I thought" said someone right behind me. I turned around and stared at this familiar person. It was none other than the boy who had banged into my locker. I nodded at his statement. I couldn't resist myself and asked " I hope your head is better after the violent bang". He looked up suprised. A slow grin started on his face. "It has been long forgotten. Maybe you should hang around and remind me more often" I blushed and joined in his laughter. "Hey, do you want to go over history with me?" he asked. "Sure, I will meet you in room 15 in five minutes" I replied a little excited now. He gave a wicked grin and his eyes twinkled. I could feel his smile unraveling its way into my heart. The warmth spread to my eyes and it twinkled in return. I realized that life isnt that bad after all. I smiled to myself and walked towards my locker.

* First of all, thanks for reading uptil this point. This is a something written by me when i was 16.. and I am not quite sure what propelled me into sharing it with you. But, this is pretty much related to my incidents of real life obviously with a bit of exaggeration. ;- ) *

-divster