Bad Boy
Junior year, my childhood sweetheart, Sarah,
fell for the school’s bad boy, Jake. He got her
skipping class, smoking, drinking, and her
grades plummeted. I couldn’t stand to see her
self–destruct, so when her parents asked, I told
them everything. They grounded her. The night
she and Jake planned to run away, her parents
stopped her. Jake died in a car accident that
same night. Later, under our parents‘ pressure,
Sarah and I got married and had a daughter.
Then, in another car wreck, I pushed Sarah and
our daughter out of the way of an oncoming
truck. As I faded out, Sarah leaned in and
whispered, “Our daughter isn’t yours. I never
loved you. I married you to get back at you.” |
died, staring into her hateful eyes. Then,
- up. Back in junior year. The day Jake asked her
out.
ke
“Ethan,” Sarah’s pretty face swam into focus.
“Jake asked me to hang out tonight. Think I
<
should go?”
I stared, stunned. I was reborn. Back in junior
year.
Sarah waved a hand in front of my face. “Earth
to Ethan? Hello?”
Sarah was my childhood friend. A dancer, she
was going the arts route for college. Slim,
graceful, and talented, her only weakness was
academics. I was in the advanced placement
classes, headed for a top–tier university. At her
parents‘ request, I tutored Sarah three nights a
week, helping her prep for the entrance exams
for her dream dance school in New York. I used
to think it was perfect. We’d both go to New
York, I’d confess my feelings, and we’d get
married, just like our parents wanted. Our future
was laid out, just waiting for us. Then Jake
showed up.
Like Sarah, Jake was a big name on campus.
