The Goodbye Note

Chapter 30

Song I recommend is FRIENDS by LAUNDRY DAY.

***

We drive in Dan's car to go to school. He's a faster driver than Mack who is slow and Xander who gets easily distracted, but he's slower then me. We pull into the parking lot and I'm about to get out but then I remember my crutches, I reach into the back row and grab them. Dan waits for me and when he sees I'm out we make our way to first period. We have to split up because we don't have that class together.

In first period the principal makes an announcement congratulating the cheer squad for getting second place. No one really cares, we aren't national champs so what's the point of telling us we did a good job. This is why individual sports are better, because if you mess up the only person you can blame is yourself, but in team sports if one person messes up then the whole team is screwed. After first period I head to second wondering if the day can go by any slower.

By the time lunch comes I'm miserable. Xander is the first to sit at the table with me. "Please tell me now, how pissed is Mack?" I ask.

"Why would she be pissed?"

"The kiss," I whisper.

"I didn't tell her."

I feel my eyes get huge. "What do you mean you didn't tell her."

He looks down at his sandwich, "If I tell her she'll treat you horribly. It was my fault so I don't want her making you feel like you're the one who started it." I nod slowly, before I can reply Mack sits next to me. She smiles and then takes a bite of her pizza. I smile back. "Em I just realized that you can't surf for six weeks." Xander says.

"Please don't remind me. This whole thing sucks, I can't believe this happened. And on top of that my dad isn't getting back for another week." I didn't realize until now that my birthday is on Friday. My dad, one of the last people that I love is missing my birthday.

"Well looks like your birthday party is going to be parentless." Dan says as he sits next to Xander. "Which by the way is a good thing."

"Why, so you can make out with another mirror?" Xander says through his laughter.

Dan turns red, "That was one time are you ever going to let me forget that?"

"It's okay Emily literally fell into the pool because she wasn't paying attention. She needs to find a way to control her clumsiness." Xander adds.

I roll my eyes, "You talk about me like I'm not sitting right in front of you. And by the way I feel in the pool at one in the morning, you didn't even make it to eleven." That night was so fun. Those are the days I wish I could relive over and over again. But life doesn't have fast forward or back buttons. Wouldn't it be easier if there were? But that's the point, life isn't supposed to be easy. We can't relive something just because we loved the feeling. "And no one can come for me because I'm not the one who recorded everything." We all look at Mack. Her cheeks turn red.

"If you don't want me to record then don't do stupid things." She says this like we can control falling asleep at ten or falling in the pool or even making out with a mirror. Well he didn't have to make out with a mirror, he had control over that. But falling in the pool and falling asleep early isn't as easy to control.

***

The rest of school goes by slowly. I couldn't stop thinking of the time capsule and the note. The note. I'm finally going to see what it says. In two hours, I learn the truth as to why my mother is dead. I'm in my eighth period with Xander. I thought it would be awkward to be with him but he acts just like he does everyday. I've been thinking a lot about my art project again. I hate that I have to do it. I wonder if I could ask Ms.Fontaine if I could just not do it. But I don't want her to fail me. "Emily, I need to tell you something." I nod. "I want to date you." This takes me by surprise.