Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Rebellion Strikes (Part 2)

Sister sternly pulled my arm, "Didn't you hear me? I said you were next." I hadn't even realized the line had moved in front of me. How long had I been gone lost in my own thoughts? Obediently, I walked over and sat beside Father, Mr. Grumpy himself. I went through the motions quickly and emotionless, and then stopped in mid-sentence. "It's been…" How long had it been since I was last at confession? "Who really cares?" I thought and said, "A week since my last confession" knowing full well it had been much longer than that. Father nodded.

I knew I was supposed to pour out my indiscretions at this point but wasn't in the mood. I toyed with how to proceed and Father eyed me curiously out of the corner of his eye. Feeling dangerously mischievous I proclaimed, "I don't have anything to confess, Father."

He shifted his weight and turned so I was looking straight at him. "You have nothing to confess?" He didn't sound like he believed me, probably because he didn't. I always had lots to say.

"No, I took a break from being a bad sinner this week, Father. All of us have to be good some time, don't we?" Part of me was thinking, "Have you lost your flipping mind, girl?" but the other part of me didn't care. For some reason, I felt like I was challenging him, probably because I was!

I could feel the tension growing between us as my defiance never weakened. "Get out of here now!" he bellowed. Oddly calm, I thought, "That took longer then I thought." I got up and walked out with Sister and everyone else staring at me. As I strode past Steven, he looked up with an odd smirk on his face. I knew I was going to be in deep trouble this time, but I didn't care. I don't even know why. I just didn't.

In the schoolyard I stood quietly gazing at the rose bushes, feeling anti-social, and not at all happy. My trip to see the principal had gone about as well as I had expected. I got a long lecture and a promise to call my Nan, which means I would be in deep doo doo when I got home. Still I didn't have any regrets. I was tired of this place and most everyone in it.

I felt warm hands wrap around my eyes. "Guess who?" I couldn't help but smile. "Hhhhmmm…Steven?" I asked trying to make it sound like I wasn't sure. He turned me towards him with a big grin. "What were you thinking?" I shrugged. He laughed, "I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall in Sister's office this morning. What happened?"

Not wanting to get into it, I shrugged again. "Okay, I get it. You don't want to talk about it. Meet me after school. I'll walk you home." The bell rang and we watched as everyone ran to get in line. "Well…?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to meet me?" I noticed he was holding my hand and realized I didn't even know he had taken it in the first place.

"Well, yeah, of course." He smiled, and we walked over to join the rest of the clan. He had never walked me home before, usually he disappeared as soon as we got out the doors, so it made me wonder why now.

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