Making Circles by Vanessa Gilbert (summer beach reads .txt) 📕

that I thought fit what I wanted. Sadly, the only guys that asked me out where the ones always trying to get into a girls pants and always cheated; besides there is only one boy I see fit for me, and he’s taken. I fished around in my left pocket for a while then my left, nothing. Where the hell did I put my keys? I fished in my back pocket and heard a jingle. “Bingo,” I said as I pulled out my keys.

As soon as my keys were in my hand I jumped into the stream of people heading in the same direction as me. Well as soon as I get home I have to get started on the poster I have to do for my Pre-AP English class. I’ve just gotta figure out what exactly to do for the layout. I began to think it out as I made my way for the entrance of the school. “Hey seductive goddess, whatcha doing walking all alone,” someone beside me asked.

I looked and laughed as I saw Mike smiling down at me. “No one wants to walk with a seductive goddess, it’s kinda intimidating,” I joked.

Mike smiled and began to full out laugh as we kept walking; now slowly inching closer and closer to the entrance door. “Well than its got to be hard for such a seductive goddess as yourself.”

I gentle tapped Mark’s arm and pushed. “Okay mister charming why are you suddenly flirting with me. You haven’t talked to me ever since that one time during summer,” I said starring at him accusingly.

He shrugged and smiled his charming smile. Mikes very charming; charming good looks, charming smile, and charming actions. The only thing not charming about him is his personality, he’s kind of…vain. Mike put his arm around me and smiled, “How about I walk you to your car?”

“Don’t you have to catch a bus,” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Nope, I have to stay after school for JROTC,” he said.

“Oh, well I guess you can if you want.”

Mike smiled and put his arm out in an escorting way. I starred at the arm then up at him. “Come on, I don’t bite,” he said smiling his brilliant smile.

“I beg to differ, you bet me in middle school,” I said.

“Okay, okay I’m sorry I bet you,” he said smiling.

I laughed then put my arm in his and let him lead me towards the entrance. As we kept walking and inching our way closer to the entrance Mike and I began to remember our middle school years together. We talked about the lunches we spent together, the days in the morning when he’d see me head facing the ground marching to my first class like a good soldier, and then the day where Terri dragged me across the commons passed him and he gave me a hug trying to keep her from pulling me any further along, of course he failed but still was funny. We finally reached the entrance and pushed our way through. Mike starred at me with his huge charming smile then he began to laugh. I’ve heard Mike laugh, but this laugh was like he was hearing a very good comedian do standup. “What’s so funny,” I asked.

“What you’re wearing, I didn’t realize till now what the shirt says,” he responded.

I glanced down at myself, nothing funny to me. I had my black t-shirt that said, “Wanna lick,” black, ripped skinny jeans, my brown knee length converse, and my rabbit jacket. “Okay, I don’t see what’s funny but whatever makes a smile on your face,” I said shrugging.

Mike began to laugh harder, so hard it made him completely stop moving and bend over in laughter. I stared at him eyes wide open waiting for him to responded. After a long minute of his full hearted laughter he stood completely back up then pointed to my shirt and said, “Wanna lick? Sounds like you want something.”

I stared down at my shirt and then began to laugh. Wow I can’t believe I missed that. “Well I don’t want anything from you,” I said making may way out of the school and now towards the student parking.

Mike trailed behind me arms now open as he asked, “What? Why? What, am I not good enough to satisfy you?”

I began to laugh harder than I’ve ever laughed before and I stared at Mike with my innocent smile and said, “Maybe.”

“Well, like they say with food, don’t hate it till you try it.”

I could feel the blood rush to my face as I shook my head and starred at him in shock. Did that just come out of his mouth? Did he just say I shouldn’t say no to him and I should try doing him? I shook my head and let a nervous embarrass giggle come out as I stared at him unsure of what to say. “Come on, just admit it you want me,” he said.

I began to this time full out laugh as I said, “Yea, whatever. I think your ego is getting too big for your head.”

Mike looked at me dumbstruck at first then began to lightly chuckle and shake his head. We made our way cross to the student parking lot and watched as student’s hauled ass out of and off of the school property. I watched as one of my friends began to back up and begin to turn towards the exit. She pulled up beside up in her new Ford truck, a glossy black truck. She rolled down her window, leaned out and said, “Hey, you guys. Watcha guys doing over here?”

She had her glossy black hair braided off to the side, her chocolate brown eyes covered in mascara, eyeliner, and white eye shadow, she had on the bright white t-shirt I got her for her birthday and the gold chain necklace her ex-gave her as a farewell present. Mike smiled up and I could see the wheels in his head begin to turn. I quickly brought my hand up and covered his mouth and said, “Mark, here, is walking me to my car.”

She began to laugh, probably at my reaction to him beginning to open his mouth. “What? You afraid he’s gonna say something wrong?”

I nodded, “You kidding me? I’m amazed no girl has slapped him across the face, but that can change very quickly.”

Mark’s eyes widened at me and Julian and I began to laugh. “Well, see ya’ girly.”

We watched as Julian pulled out of the parking lot and made her way home. I let my hand covering his mouth drop and I smiled innocently as him, pretty much saying, “You know you love me.”

Mike wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder and began to lead me on towards my little green Toyota. I remember when mom and I got in my first car accident in that car, I remember I went forward and hit my head on the windshield, hit it so hard that there was a nice big crack. Thanks to my new dad and my grandpa they fixed it up and gave it to me as soon as I got my driver’s license. I still remember the bits and pieces of the car lying on the ground. At least it wasn’t as bad as…Terry and Jacie.

The car began to spin, faster and faster it went. I could feel the glass from Jacie’s side of the car rain on both of us and I could hear the screams of not only me but of Jacie and Terry. The car began to slow down it spinning then before any of us could laugh in relief that we all were okay another car hit and sent us flying up in the air doing flips. Jacie and Terry began to scream louder, while I began to cry in complete and total fear. Why tonight? Why right now? I felt the car land but continue to flip. I could hear the sounds of more glass breaking, I could feel the stinging pain of something going through my arm. I let out a yelp of pain and heard sounds that…were unnatural…sound of something wet ripping…bloody screams.

The car flipped on to the top and skidded for a few seconds before it stopped and allowed us to take a breath. I could feel my blood, maybe some of the other girls’ blood, dripping down my face and I could feel my eyes become heavy and unwilling to stay open. I fought to keep them open, I have to check on Terry and Jacie. I looked at how I could get out of my seat without causing too much harm, I barely moved and a sharp pain feeling rang through my body. I looked and there through my right arm and right shoulder was a rod. I starred at the rod, eyes wide open, and fear deep within the pit of my stomach. What do I do? What do I do? I slowly leaned forward and as the rod began to slowly leave the captivity of my arm I let out a scream, a loud scream that even surprised me. As soon as the rods were out I unbuckled my seat as soon as I could and fell, head first, to the ground.

I laid there for several seconds before beginning to look at and for Terry and Jacie. I looked first over at the seat, the now empty seat, were Jacie had sat. No sign of her. I looked in the back and saw Terry…bloody, mangled Terry. I felt tears well up in my eyes; Terry, my best friend, is dead. I starred at the rod that was just through my arm and shoulder…it had gone through Terry’s heart. I starred at her bloody body and felt more tears fall out of my eyes. Why Terry? Why? I slowly turned and crawled out of my window, I have to find Jacie; she has to be alive, she can’t be dead. As soon as I was out I began to push myself up but found myself falling back to the ground. I laid on the cement and starred at the front of the upside down car that I had been driving. How could this have been happening? I gasped as I saw the body of Terry…gently shaking.

 

“Hey dreamy come back to the planet Earth so I can get you home,” Mike said.

I blinked my eyes and then looked at him, dazed at what had just happened. I looked and realized I had stopped dead in my tracks and we were almost to my car. I had also realized that we were just a few inches away from where we had been. “How’d you get me over here,” I asked.

“I was pushing you, I would have made it further but the closer we got to your car the more you struggled so I decided to just bring ya’ back to earth and then we could continue walking to your car,” he stated.

I starred and him and slowly nodded then looked over at my car. That night was the worst night of my life, I had lost a friend…I had lost two friends…and nothing would bring them back. I brought my hand up to touch my check and I felt a stream of tears, I was crying. I sighed and continued the rest of the way to my car. The closer we got the more my arm and shoulder hurt, the more I wanted to fall to my knees and cry, the more I just wanted to die from the regret and quilt. We reached the car and we stood there for an awkward second waiting for someone to say goodbye, waiting for someone to speak….waiting for me to break down again.

I looked at Mike and pasted on a simple grin, a grin that said, “I’m fine,” a grin that told a million lies. Mike wrapped both of his arms around me and pulled me tight against him and began to