Still Water Runs Deep 1

                                            Pre-Chapter

“Hey” River spoke softly wiping the tears from my cheek hugging me tightly “What’s wrong?”

“I…thought” I cried hugged him back. “I thought you were dead…. I thought…. I thought…”

“Hey” River hugged me tighter. “No… no I’m not dead. Mae, I’m not going anywhere, ever. I’m gonna stay with you forever.”

“No” I cried more and more into his chest. “No… you need to get out of here. You need too… out… of… here… River!”

“Mae” he cried looking at me. “Sweetie your not making any sense.”

I pushed him off of me and he fell with a thud onto the ground.

“You have to go. You have to go” I cried. “If you don’t leave…”

“Mae” River cried jumping up off the ground hugging me, he began to whisper softly into my ear. “I’m not running away anymore! I’m staying right here with you.”

“You can’t” I whispered. “You can’t.”

Just then the door flew open at the speed of sound causing a loud bang and my heart to drop slowly.

“Get the fuck off my girlfriend!”

                                                 1
But I’m getting ahead of myself. It wasn’t always like this. Things weren’t always really shitty. There was a point were I didn’t feel like a complete asshole. There was times were I can say I was truly, completely, utterly content with the life I use to live, with the boy I use to love. There was point were Lake was all I needed. He was perfect if you looked at him. Perfect: jock, beautiful, blonde, perfect. But then River had to come and fuck it up. I wasn’t supposed to like River. No make that, I never wanted to like River, it just happened. But I always wanted to like Lake. I really did. But then in the beginning, when I was with River, even when I was busy hating him and denying my feelings, I could feel no pain, no weakness, no anything, I was free from responsibilities, inhabitations, and uncertainty. I was free. I felt free. But other times when I wasn’t with him, when I was with the Lake, Lake just destroyed all of that. He created those responsibilities, inhabitations, and uncertainty. Lake always, always made me feel guilty. Whatever I did, whenever I wasn’t with him, every second of the day, he made me feel guilty. And the thing is that when I would go with River for a mere thirty seconds and he would take that all away: The guilt, the inhabitations, the uncertainty, everything. It would float down the River. I was trapped. I was really trapped in between what I wanted, what I needed, and what I was suppose to have. I was trapped in between the boy I was suppose to love and the boy I was never even suppose to think about. But again I’m getting ahead of myself. Every river has a beginning…
                                                 2
Tick, tock, tick, tock the clock goes, tick tock tick tock, the clock goes tickey-tockey, fickey, fockey. Staring at the clock with my eyes during Pre-Calculus class is not something to be proud of, but creating a song to the motions of the clock, now that’s something my grandchildren won’t find out about. But that’s just me, Mae West, always letting her mind do something weird and unpredictable. It’s not my fault, though really. The class is called pre Calculus for Christ sake. Like we actually need to learn Calculus before we learn Calculus? I highly doubt that for some reason. And if this is pre Calculus and I’m making up tunes to a clock, then what will I be doing in Calculus? Show tunes? Maybe I’m being too hard on poor Pre Calculus. That’s probably so. It’s all our teacher, Mr. Bruner’s fault. Pre Calculus is scary and confusing and well boring, and it’s not like he even tries to make it anymore exciting or even bearable. He actually makes Mr. Roger entertaining. He makes me want to become a Libran and hope to have an exciting life. Seriously! The man bores everyone to shits.

Ding!, the bell rang just then. Saved by the bell, my mind couldn’t help cheering. I began to gather my things, faster than an Upper East Side mom searching for a Limited Addition Prada bag in Saks.
“Don’t forget” Mr. Bruner droned deadpan. “Pop quiz next class.”
Ha, I thought to myself almost giggling towards my locker, only Mr. Bruner would tell us about a Pop Quiz. How is it Pop than? I swear they hire anyone as teachers…

“Mae.”

I looked up to the tall smiling figure in front of me that I learned to know and love quite much, my boyfriend, Lake Lipton. Lake’s not much in the brains department, as a football player, what can I expect, but he’s so hot. He has this really cute thick set of curly blonde hair, and blue eyes that totally somehow match his dimples. And he’s really sweet and he tries really hard…

“Lake.”

Lake flashed that golden smile and locked hands with me.
“I missed you” you finally beamed.
“It’s been three hours” I giggled locking my hands tighter.
“Three hours too long” he huffed laughing too.
Then it happened again: my stomach shuffled as his leaned down and in for a kiss. But not that good kind of shuffle… that kind of “ugh not this again” shuffle. Stop it, I yelled to myself, Lake is your dream boy. He’s cute and funny and so good to you. So just stop it.

And I held that close to my heart and leaned back.

“Why don’t you two get a room” I heard a snicker.

Which caused Lake to get completely out of the mood or moment or whatever, causing him to unlock lips instantly, which caused my stomach to settle.

“What did you say asshole” Lake said looking up towards the voice.

“Get. A. Room. Did. I. Sutter. Idiot can play football like a pro, but you have the brain compactity of a chimp.”

Whoa! My brain froze. Never in all of my three years at James Edison High had I heard anyone talk to Lake that way. He was well liked among must people and those who didn’t like him, kept there mouths shut. My eyes bugged out of there head to this mouthy sucker. He wasn’t half bad looking, but one of those really like “emo” guy with the tight ass jeans with the chains on them, the long black hair, and all of that. He seemed to be equip with a little sliver ring on his bottom lip as well.

Too bad Lake is about to kill him, I thought almost sadly, what a waste

“You looking to get your ass kicked, motherfucker” Lake stepped to him.
Which didn’t cause the boy to stir or look frightened or anything, he just stood there.

“Well, well” Lake said moving closer to him. “Has the mouthy little fucker lost his will to talk? Cat got your tongue?”

Instead of looking angry or backing down, the boy did nothing, until I noticed a smile curl up on his mouth. He was smiling!

“What the fuck are you smiling at, prick” Lake yelped lunging at him.

But the kid was fast and ducked. Then out of nowhere flipped Lake onto his ass. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing! My body froze, my mouth stood open, I couldn’t move… it was like… insane.

“What the fuck…” Lake screamed. “You asshole. I’m gonna kill you.”
Lake jumped up and lunged again, but this time the boy ducked out of the way, just in time to have Lake go crashing into the lockers, fist first.

“Owwww” Lake cried in pain like a little baby. “My hand. Oh my god I think it’s broken”

The dastardly guy laughed this time.

“You pretend to be so tough” the guy quietly laughed. “But really you’re all talk. You’re not even worth my time, really.”

“You…you… you…dick!”

“Such wise words from the star football player. You kiss your mother with
That mouth? No wait you kiss her” he gawked pointing at me. “Gotta admit she’s pretty hot… for a bimbo.”

This caused me to completely jump out of my trance.

“Bimbo?” I questioned.

“That’s right” he laughed repeating very slowly. “Let me say it so you can understand: B-I-M-BOOOO”

My mouth dropped to the floor once again. Who did this guy think he was?

“Listen, you little asshole. And listen well” I started. “I don’t know who you think you are or what you’re doing here. I have to admit it’s pretty shocking to see Lake getting canned like this…”

“Mae!” Lake whimpered getting up. “I can’t believe this…”

“Sorry, Lake” I said quickly removing. “Listen I think your really hurt. Go to the nurse okay.”

“Mae…”

“Please” I said walking over to him kissing him on the head.

“I don’t trust this asshole” Lake whispered. “He’s a real weirdo.”

“Don’t worry about it” I whispered reassuring. “I’ll take care of it.”

With that, he gave an understanding nod and headed out.

“This ain’t over asshole” Lake yelped holding his arm.

“Yea” the boy laughed. “Its not next time I’ll kick your ass in front of your friends too.”

“Why you little…” Lake began.

“Lake” I yelled.

He nodded sadly and scampered off.

Which left me and crazy boy alone in a hallway… we stood silent for a second.

Then without even warning, or a goodbye or an apology or anything, he just began to walk away. The nerve!

“Hey wait” I yelled after him.

He stopped just then and turned around slowly.

“What makes you think I’m a bimbo?”

Another one of those devious smiles creped up onto his face

“Because” he finally said.

“Because of what?”

“Look at the way you look. Look at the way your dressed.”

I looked down at my clothing ‘cause it was the best I could do without a mirror. Some skinny jeans, a cute yellow cami from Abercrombie, and some yellow flats. I think I looked really cute.

“What’s wrong with the way I dress” I asked confused a bit.

“You look… like a clone” he said quickly.

“What’s wrong with my face” I asking rethinking what he said.

“Your…” he searched for words. “Too pretty?”

“Huh” I yelled. “Are you serious? I’m a bimbo… cause I’m too pretty. I’m a bimbo cause I dress nicely? How can I change being too pretty? What are you stupid? Well you know what you’re an asshole. You really are a big gapping asshole.”

“Big gapping asshole?” he questioned a bit spitefully. “Colorful language coming out of such a color individual, I see. Care to explain how I am a as quoted ‘big gapping asshole’?”

There he was again, judging me, mocking me, making fun of me. What horse did he ride in on?

“You…” I started trying not to break out into tears. “Don’t even know me.
And you’re judging me and making these false assumptions about me based on my looks and my clothes? You call Lake stupid? You say he’s dumb? That’s true maybe I will admit that. But your even stupider. You go around making these judgments like your so high and mighty making this preconceived notations when you don’t know anything!”
I was out of breath at that point, holding my sides. His face went expressionless and I couldn’t read it. It was blank.
“I’m… gonna… go” I whispered sadly holding in tears turning around.
“Hey” I heard him yell. “You may be right.”
I turned around to look him in the eye, to see if he was sincere or if it was just another one of his sarcastic comments, but he was gone.