Chapter 34

Thanks to Mr. Lopez, I didn’t have to shadow Vicky. We went to get me enrolled and after a full day in the office, starting Monday, I was a student at Menlo Atherton High School.

I spent two days at home with Mr. Lopez, and it was okay. He stayed in the front room in an easy chair in front of the TV, drinking.

When Vicky came home, we toured the city I’d grown up in. It’d changed a lot.

Vicky tried to steer me away from my old house, but I’d already been there. There was a new house there with Mexicans in it. Oddly, I had no emotional ties to the place.

Saturday morning Vicky woke her dad up, which was something that did not happen before three. She came back in the room.

“Shi? Why aren’t you ready?”

Not fully prepared for the rest of the day, I got up.

Vicky dragged me shopping; she dressed me and picked out this and that. We argued and disagreed on just about everything. Seeing myself in the outfits Vicky picked out made me realize I actually had a nice body. Very nice.

My mother was right; you wake up one morning and… BAM! There it is…

My bra size was almost double D. Vicky’s looked bigger, way bigger.

After a day of arguing, Vicky got to dress me, but I got to pick the size. She told me no girl wore big clothes, and that I’d look like a Tomboy.

I shrugged, starting to really fear high school.

We made it home by dinner. Mr. Lopez bought us Jack in the Box, and we ate in the car on the way home. I think I would have died thinking about my first meal out and being so excited to be out. But after eating Dr. Richards’ cooking my first meal out didn’t compare.

We barely got back to the house, and all my bags in Vicky’s room before she was ready to go again.

She came in the room. “My dad said we could go to the movies.” I was kinda excited until she said, “Now you can meet my friends, well, our friends.”

“Vick, I’m tired, and my stomach hurts.”

She nodded, “We don’t have to go.”

“No, go. I'ma be okay. I’m just gonna chill and get all my stuff together.”

Vicky nodded and started grabbing clothes. An hour later, she was dressed and gone. Mr. Lopez dropped her off, so I had the house to myself for the first time. I was alone for the first time since I got out.

I started unpacking. I opened the closet and looked around for hangers. On the floor was a pink duffle bag, and my heart stopped. I hadn’t seen that bag in two years.

I dragged it out, sat on the bed, and opened it. The first thing I found was my old cell phone, which I knew was off. I tossed it aside and kept going through my old clothes and gifts. When I got to the bottom, I felt better. I thought I’d cry or… I don’t know…

I heard something make a soft thud on the carpet. I picked up my duffle and looked around. On the floor was something shiny. I bent over and picked up the silver chain with the small heart on it. I held the heart in the palm of my hand and then brought it up to my face to read the inscription.

‘We’ll never be far apart, as long as you have my heart.’

And then I relapsed.