CHAPTER TWELVE

Sweetest (Willow’s Ending)

Willow had heard all the forgiveness talk, and she was fine that it wasn’t sinking into her heart. In her mind, sometimes people needed to be cut off. If you’re too nice, then people walk all over you, she thought. The dance team was having tryouts for the next year, and Willow was going to make it a point to be there and confront Hillary. What Willow hadn’t faced was the fact that if Hillary had started the list, then Hillary was probably the one who put her name on it. Willow didn’t have to psych herself up for what she was going to say.

Willow was ready to rip a new one into Hillary, but she wasn’t prepared to see her nemesis balled up in a corner, crying. As mad as Willow was at Hillary, seeing her in a somber state made Willow have compassion.

“What’s wrong?” Willow uttered, not wanting to be too nice.

Hillary looked up and said, “Oh, just my luck you’d see me at the moment I found out my world was over.”

“What do you mean, Hillary? Your world is over? You are always on top of the world.”

“Joke’s on me this time, Willow. As much as I’ve done to try and pull you down, looks like I should have been paying attention to my own life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not going to graduate, okay!” Hillary huffed.

“Huh?” Willow was dumbfounded. She knew Hillary wasn’t a brain, but to not graduate? “Really? Is this a joke?”

“You’re looking at me like I don’t know the letter I just got,” Hillary replied in an upset tone. “My mom’s already planned a big celebration. We’ve got family and friends coming to see me walk, and I’m not going to march, alright? That’s what I get, though. Starting the swoop list, it all comes back on me. What am I gonna do? How am I gonna face everybody? I wanted you to have nothing. Now I’m the one who’s going to be looking stupid.”

Willow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Hillary was remorseful. But there was one question Willow wanted answered.

Willow asked, “Why did you hate me so much?”

“When it came to you, I was always on the wrong side of everything. Eleventh-grade attendant on the homecoming court, you got it. Lead dancer, you got it. And Dawson, you got it,” Hillary explained.

“But when the list came out, he and I weren’t even together,” Willow uttered as she scratched her head.

Hillary shook her head and grunted. “You don’t even remember. Back in the fall, I was trying to talk to him, and you laughed in my face and sashayed off with him. I thought if he knew you were a tramp, he’d want me.”

“Funny, Dawson always knew I needed to cool down, but he liked me anyway,” Willow said, having her own revelation.

“I know that now. Me creating the list stopped you from messing around with so many guys and sent you into his arms. I’m sorry I put you on the list, and I’m sorry I created the list.”

“Honestly, you did me a favor.”

Hillary smiled and said, “Good, but I’m also sorry I was dogging Pia. Those boys raped several other girls.”

“Are you serious?” Willow asked.

“Yep, that’s what’s coming out. I defended their butts.”

“You didn’t know,” Willow said, even as she couldn’t believe she was being so nice to Hillary. But she saw no fun in kicking a girl when she was down.

Being on the swoop list, she’d been the victim and felt people’s verbal attacks and constant badgering. And while things had gotten a lot better, she still felt the pain and didn’t want to make anyone else feel as low. Even if that person happened to be the one who caused her all the grief in the first place.

Willow sat down beside Hillary, pulled out the tissues from her purse, gave one to Hillary, and said, “Look, so you’re gonna have to repeat a couple classes. Might not be the way you want it to go, but it’s not the end of the world. Better learn a lesson that we shouldn’t chase popularity and drama when we need to be chasing our dreams and our education. This little hiccup will propel you to greatness. Now you’ve learned a lesson, so when you get in somebody’s college, you’re gonna be focused.”

“Get in somebody’s college? I’m not even getting a high school degree. Give me a break.”

“You’re not getting a degree next week. But that doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get one by the end of the summer.”

“But then I would have missed my opportunity to go to college.”

“So, maybe you wait one year or one semester. Or, maybe you go to a two-year school and get your grades up. You can actually save some money that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Right now you won’t be qualified for the Hope Scholarship. But if you go to a great place like Georgia Perimeter Community College, take your basic classes, and get at least get a 3.0, then you can transfer. And you will qualify for the Hope Scholarship and will have saved a bunch of money. Lots of community colleges are more affordable but offer the same basic classes with teachers who care.”

“And how do you know?”

“I’ve heard people talk about it at my mom’s church. Lots of kids go that route. She was thinking about it for me, but I’m gonna go ahead and go to Spelman.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re going to Spelman? I’m going nowhere!”

“Hillary, what are you talking about? My life is not your life. That has been your problem. Stay in your lane. Don’t worry about mine.”

Hillary sighed. “You’re right.”

Willow stayed there and joked with Hillary for another few minutes until Hillary went from crying to laughing. Willow didn’t want to be her best friend, but she didn’t want to leave her somber either.

“You taught me something,” Willow said to Hillary before they parted.

“What? How ‘what goes around, comes around’ is the truth?”

“No. If I can have empathy for you while you’re going through this, then I’m not the big, mean, bad wolf after all. That’s good to know.”

Hillary called for a truce, thanked Willow for her support, and said, “Yeah, deep down I must admit, between the two of us, you’re the sweetest.”