The Story Of Us(Original)

11

Someone once said I will remember and recover, not forgive and forget.

I've never been keen on forgiveness. The fact is, people hurt me and I allow them back into my life because it's hard for me to forget how much I cared about them before they did.

There's no reason Kellen and I should have lasted as long as we did. The ugliness of our first breakup should have been a deal-breaker for me, but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

It was a week before Valentine's Day when I sat in my dimly lit classroom, broken into groups of four. My group comprised my school friend, London, Aleena Collins, and Violet Lopez.

"Hey, you," Violet hissed to me from the opposite side of the lab table.

Violet Lopez was a cute Afro-Latina with wild kinky curls. She had this smile like she knew all your secrets and couldn't wait to tell the world. She also never came to class with a pen.

"Here," I whispered, passing my extra writing implement.

Violet shook her head, displaying a bright blue feathered pen from under the desk. "Ruth, right? You hang out with Jamal?" she whispered under the teacher lecturing at the front of the class.

"Rue," London corrected.

"Wasn't talking to you, Paris," Violet scoffed, not a fan of being corrected.

"Be nice," Aleena Collins quietly scolded, gently slapping Violet's hand. "Don't mind her, London, she missed breakfast." Aleena smiled with her eyes, shifting her attention to me. "And if it means anything, I like Rue a lot better than Ruth," she whispered.

"Thank you, I like your name too." I beamed.

Violet rolled her eyes, getting straight to the point and asking if I had something going on with Jamal. I pressed my lips together. I knew their secret, but wasn't sure if that information was public domain.

I figured she thought I was trying to push up on her boyfriend and understood how frustrating that would have felt for me. I shook my head and assured her that Jamal and I were just friends and I had a boyfriend.

"Your boyfriend okay with you hanging out with other guys?" Violet grinned.

"What?" I was confused by the question.

"My boyfriend doesn't like me having guy friends," Aleena shyly admitted, bobbing her head side to side quoting, "A shoulder to cry on is a dick to ride on."

"Which is fucking stupid!" Violet scoffed.

"I guess mine is the same way," I said to myself.

I had grown used to Kellen's jealous spikes. Ignoring me if I did something he disliked, tugging my hair if he thought I had been a bit too flirty.

"Like, he kinda gets annoyed when Jamal and I joke around, but they're cousins, so it's stupid." I rolled my eyes.

Aleena's eyes shot up as Violet's grin expanded. "Cousins?" Violet asked, glancing at her friend.

"Yeah." I proudly nodded. "I've been dating his older cousin for almost five months." I grinned just thinking about him.

"How old are you?" Aleena asked, in a fractured tone.

"Fifteen, but age doesn't really matter. It's only a year and a half. He looks older but Kellen turns seventeen next month and I'll be sixteen this summer so it's fine." I smiled, returning to my work.

"Excuse me." Aleena spoke in a hush whisper, grabbing her phone and rushing from the room.

"Cramps." Violet smiled while London and I watched with confusion as Aleena raced for the door. "So Rue, tell me all about Kellen," she prompted with a sharp-toothed grin.