Vision and Revision

Ms. Paldino's Vision and Revision elective is in full swing! This fall Ms. Paldino's Sophomores hand picked some artwork from Ms. MacLure's 3D class for short story inspiration. The student who wrote this chose to remain anonymous.  Please enjoy!

“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.

“Tracy, you okay?” He approached me in the hallway during school.

“Yeah Aaron, I’m fine, thank you for the concern,” To that he looked me in the eyes and pulled me aside,” What are you doing? We have to get to class.”

“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.”

“You pay that much attention to my smiles?”

“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.

“I personally think you look your best in everything. “ As he said that I walked over to mine and Matt’s picture, picked it up, and put it into the box full of the other things he’d given to me. “You know he didn’t deserve you right?”

“I know now.”

“Tracy, I know you loved him and this has all been hard for you, but I want you to know I’m here and that I’m going to do my best to protect you. You don’t deserve the pain and suffering you’ve had in your life.”

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.”

“But that’s what I look like right now.”

“I know, that’s why I said it.” We both leaned in and kissed. The kiss made me forget everything including Matt! After the kiss our faces were as bright red as Rudolph’s nose!

“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.

“Yeah. Better hope we don’t get arrested!”

“Oh hush, you’re a goof.”

That’s when I got a text from Matt which read “Hey, Tracy, listen, I need to talk to you. I made the worst mistake of my life by letting you go. Please forgive me, I miss you like crazy. Baby girl please take me back, I’m lost without you.” Of course, now that he can’t have me, he suddenly wants me back.

I texted him back, “I don’t know if I can. I’ve started to move on.”

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.”

“No Aaron! You’re an amazing kisser, it’s just Matt texted me. Look.” I showed him my phone screen.

“What are you going to do?”

“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.