“Cry Me a River”
"Tracy! Get that cappuccino machine cleaned before customers come in!” Harold’s voice was ringing in my ears as I was wiping down the counter tops.
“Ugggghhhh!” I groaned, I hate
cleaning the cappuccino machine.
“I don’t want to hear your
lip!” He said as he shot me a look that felt like daggers going into my body.
“I don’t appreciate how you’ve been slacking just because you’re upset! I
thought I told you to stop wearing makeup to work! You never listen to me! You
think just because people call you Cinderella, that you’re a princess! Well
you’re not! That’s life sweetheart!” His yelling faded away as he walked into
the back. I just rolled my eyes to everything he said. I only keep this job to
make money, I’m saving up for designing school. But I did as I was told and
cleaned out the machine. It wasn’t the worst it’s ever been, but it could have
been better.
My day went on, I served many
customers, watching them come and go, but I could only think about Matt. At the
end of the day, I clocked out, grabbed my helmet, hung up my apron, walked out
the door, got on my moped, and drove home. At every stoplight I found myself thinking
about mine and Matt’s memories and questioning why he left. I got home, walked
into my room, picked up our picture I kept out and held it tight. How I longed
to run my fingers through his long dark brown hair. I had tears growing in the
corners of my hazel eyes, I felt my long blonde eyelashes getting wet when I
blinked. I could only imagine the mascara running down my face. I pulled my
shoulder length blonde hair into a bun then I flopped down on my bed, buried my
face in my pillow and wept. He left after two extraordinarily happy years
together and now he acts like we were nothing. I’ve been crying a river over
him ever since.
I played with my bow necklace
from my grandma, wiped my tears with tissues, and decided to design some clothes.
I took out my iPod, put on “Black Keys” by The Jonas Brothers, took out my
sketch pad and began to let my creative imagination flow from my mind to my
pencil to the paper. The lyrics from the song gave me ideas for unique clothing
designs, but cute ones at that. I began to calm down and just focus on what I
really wanted, to be a fashion designer. I decided to make some of my designs
come alive and began to sew. Around 10, I decided to finally go to bed because
I had school in the morning.
The week flew by, but my heart was pierced so much. Matt walked around talking to other girls, making them laugh the way he used to, to me. It killed me inside, but I wouldn’t let anyone see. Somehow, however, Aaron noticed.
“I care about you, you know. I know you’re not okay. When you fake smile you only show some of your teeth, when you’re truly smiling you show all of your teeth. Recently, you’ve only been showing some of your teeth.”
“Of course. Your real smile
brightens my day.” He replied which really made me smile. “There it is. Come on
let’s get to biology, we can talk later.” I looked at him, smiled, and hugged
him tightly.
I continued talking to Aaron
for a while, he became my crutch, my best friend, and I appreciated it greatly.
But I found that I fell for him one day when we were hanging out.
“Does this make me look
prettier? You know I like to look my best,” I asked jokingly looking at my
reflection in the mirror.
Aaron was like a gift from God,
I’m not the type of girl to quote his word chapter and verse, but I do believe
and pray. I know Aaron has to be a gift from God because no one else has ever
cared so much. Not to mention he’s gorgeous beyond belief. I sat on the bed
next to him and he put his arm around me.
“Tracy Cliff, you’re so
beautiful, I want and need you to remember that I will always think that, even
if you’re not wearing nice clothes, your hair is in a messy bun, and you don’t
have makeup on.”
“I’m sorry Tracy! I didn’t mean
to it just sort of happened!”
“No! No! Aaron, you didn’t kiss
me I kissed you.”
“No, I kissed you.” Our faces were burning red again.
“Looks like we’re both guilty, huh?” I smiled at him and all his gorgeousness as he flashed a smile back.
Aaron read my face, “Tracy,
what’s wrong? Am I a bad kisser? Don’t tell me nothing’s wrong either, you know
I know you too well.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t.”
As the night came to a close he
and I walked out the door.
“Goodnight beautiful Cinderella.”
“Goodnight Aaron.” We hugged and
somehow our lips found each other and met again. He left and I was smiling to
myself like an idiot, but I texted my five best friends to find out what to do
and they gave me their advice, and for once I decided to listen.
I texted Matt, “Hey meet me at
the Café in the morning I want to talk to you.”
Within a few seconds he texted
back, “Okay see you there J “as if he were sitting around waiting for my text.
Which is okay, it helped with my plan where I would tell he two at the Café who
I choosing. Aaron was already going there to see me, I just needed to get Matt
to come (which I knew he would).
At the Café, I looked my best and
ignored Harold’s comments. I wasn’t letting him ruin my independence day.
“Well hey there beautiful! Don’t
you look stunning?!”Aaron walked in and made me smile right off the bat. He sat
at the counter as I gave him a mint hot chocolate.
Then, Matt walked in. Looking at
the two together made me realize their only similarity was their long hair,
which weren’t even the same colors. Matt had dark brown hair, while Aaron had
blonde hair.
“Look I want you both to know,
you’re both attractive great guys, but only one of you really gets me going.”
“Tracy, baby girl, I knew you’d
come back!” Matt just assumed I was taking him back. Aaron and I shot each
other side glances only we could tell what they were.
“Hold it right there. Why should
I take you back?”
“Sweetie, I’m lost without you! I
need you! I’ve cried so many tears!”
“As did I. I cried a river over
you, but Aaron helped me move on.”
“You can’t be serious! Why him?!”
“No one’s ever been able to
understand me the way he does.”
“I did! I gave you two years of
my life!”
“How long means nothing, it’s how
much. I’m not even officially with Aaron and he’s given me more than you have.
You broke up with me a month ago and now a month later I’m breaking up with
you.”
“No! No! You can’t do this!”
“I can and I am. Sorry Matt, this
is happening.” To that he became very frustrated, stomped toward the door.
“You’re going to regret you’re
decision!”
“No I’m not. It’s for the best.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, you
know. I’ll never stop crying over you. ”
“Oh then cry me a river.” I
smirked at my own comment and with that he opened and slammed the door to the
Café. Aaron came behind the counter and held me by my hips.
“Well my beautiful Cinderella,
why did you choose me and not Matt?”
“Because even while I was a mess
you were willing to be my Prince Charming and save me.”
“Oh! By the way!” He got down on
one knee and pulled a rose out of his back pocket, “Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Of course I will, you goof. How
did you know roses were my favorite?” I took the rose into my hand and smelled
it.
“I remember you talking about how
much you loved the smell of them and wished your mom would put rose scented
candles in the bathroom instead of lavender. “
“You know me so well. “
“Of course I do.”
With that we smiled, hugged, and
our lips found each other the way they always would.
