Chasing Charming ✔️

4 - Where Are Your Shoes?

My dad answered the phone after the second ring.

"Hey, Hunny, you okay?"

No, I wasn't okay as I stood shaking in my wet clothes. I sniffled into the phone. So I guess switching schools is as bad as all the movies make it out to be.

"Dad, I want to come home." My voice was soft. I did not want anyone to hear me whimpering in the hallway.

He paused, and I heard him sigh, but luckily he is a great dad.

"Oh, Betty, I will phone the school. Are you okay to drive home?"

"Ya, I will drive home," I said, relieved that I wouldn't have to sit through two more classes while sticky and cold.

"Good. I will meet you there. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

I hung up my phone, holding my tears at bay. A group of younger girls were watching me, and I did not need to end up in anyone else's Snapchat story.

I tried my best to ignore the curious stares of clueless students as I trudged out to my car. I wanted to yell at them. Tell them to look away or leave me alone, but I held my tongue. I had never felt this way before, so humiliated.

"Be nice," I whispered to myself.

I almost wanted to apologize to my car when I got in it, all sticky. I put my backpack down on the rubber mat to keep the sticky substance from rubbing off on my seats. Why didn't I clean myself up before coming outside?

Maybe I could have avoided stares if I had just made myself more presentable, and then the whole school body wouldn't realize that I was the one to get slushied on the first day of school. I put my head down on the dash of my car, fighting the urge to scream.

I felt like such a moron. I had tried to convince myself that I would be okay when deep down, I knew it would be this bad. I had tried to convince myself that the handsome boy had wanted to stand up for my honour or something, and he shoved that back in my face as well.

The tears came faster, the more humiliated that I convinced myself that I should feel. Why would someone do that to me? It seemed so cruel.

They didn't even know me.

But I guess that had been the point.

I drove home with blurry eyes. Luckily the roads were clear.

My face was stinging and bright red from the cold and the tears by the time I made it into the safety of my house.

My dad had been sitting waiting for me by the front door. He had a worried expression on his face when I walked in, but as he looked me up and down, he started to giggle.

I agree I must look a little ridiculous, but I don't know if I was ready to laugh about it just yet. I glared at my dad in response, and he just started laughing harder.

"I am sorry for laughing, but this is objectively funny. I am assuming these kids thought Glee was a good show to base their decisions off of." The more he looked at me, the harder he laughed and soon enough, I was snickering along to his joke.

He looked triumphant when my tear-stained face turned from devastation to laughter.

"Go shower and change! We will go out for drinks and get you a new backpack. That one is gross and old anyways. Put your clothes in the hamper... and Betty, where are your shoes?" he smiled.

I looked down. Crap. Guess those were still sitting at school. He laughed at me and motioned for me to head upstairs.

I smiled back at him and rushed up the stairs. My dad, even though he laughed at me, always knew how to make me feel better. There is no reason to whine about this situation forever, and at least it would make a funny story.