next to him and held his hand under the table as the teacher started talking.
“All right, class,” Mr. Johnson said. “Today we have another fun and interesting dissection for you all to do.”
The class groaned as he said this.
“Mr. Johnson, do we really have to keep doing this?” Billy asked.
“Why yes, Billy, it is important. We have to dissect things to see how they work. If we don’t know how they work, how could we ever help them? Today we will be dissecting cats! I will be handing out the specimens for your use. Please partner with the person you were with last time,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” James asked. “You look ill.”
“Yeah, I got sick after you left earlier. I had to go to the nurse, Cara was there.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“She said she knew we were together and that you were using me,” I said with my head down.
“You know that isn’t true,” he said. “I would never do that. I love you, Juliet, more than anything.”
“I know. It still gets to me sometimes. I mean, why would you want to be with someone like me anyway? You can have anyone.”
“You’re all I want. I don’t want or need anyone else. As long as I have you I am fine,” he said while looking into my eyes.
As he finished, Mr. Johnson put our specimen in front of us. It was shaved and it looked like it had been dead for a while. I could handle dissecting a frog, but a cat was a whole different game. I had a cat growing up, and what if this was someone else’s pet?
I made James cut it open and dissect it. I figured he probably didn’t have too big of a problem with death, and that he could handle it. I couldn’t even look at the cat. The putrid smell it gave off made me feel like I was going to vomit. How did people do this for a living? How did they think it was a good idea to give a bunch of teenagers dead cats to cut open?
Biology was over pretty fast. James did everything and let me rest as I still was trying to fight off my nausea. When the bell rang, I was sad. I would have to stop being able to have him close to me, comforting me. I wanted it to last forever, but knew it never could.
The day went on and I started feeling better. The medicine the nurse gave me really worked and I finally felt okay. When I made my way to lunch, something happened that I never thought would.
It was Brittany. The encounter James and I had with her didn’t sit too well with her. She wanted James and she wasn’t shy making it known.
She started to approach me and I knew something was about to happen.
“We are going to settle this once and for all,” she said to me.
“Settle what, Brittany?”
“James. He was mine before you came along and I want him back.”
“I’m sorry Brittany. You need to get over it. He never was yours and you really need to back off.”
I was surprised I was so assertive with her. Usually I would just agree with someone confrontational to get them to stop. This was different though. This was about the man I loved.
“Excuse me? We are settling this tonight. Meet me at Founder’s Park at 8 unless you’re too scared.”
“Brittany, I’m not doing this with you. Just give it up.”
“No. If you don’t meet me there then you don’t deserve him.”
I turned around and started to walk away.
“I knew you were too much of a coward,” she said.
I wanted to turn around. I wanted to just turn around and punch her. We aren’t in third grade anymore having to meet behind the bleachers after school. We were almost adults and could have sorted this out as such, but she wouldn’t let that happen.
She wanted to humiliate me and I knew it. I knew that she would give some low blows and cheap shots to get me down and then tell everybody I was weak and a coward and that she was the best. It was how all of these things always happened, and I knew it
“All right, class,” Mr. Johnson said. “Today we have another fun and interesting dissection for you all to do.”
The class groaned as he said this.
“Mr. Johnson, do we really have to keep doing this?” Billy asked.
“Why yes, Billy, it is important. We have to dissect things to see how they work. If we don’t know how they work, how could we ever help them? Today we will be dissecting cats! I will be handing out the specimens for your use. Please partner with the person you were with last time,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” James asked. “You look ill.”
“Yeah, I got sick after you left earlier. I had to go to the nurse, Cara was there.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“She said she knew we were together and that you were using me,” I said with my head down.
“You know that isn’t true,” he said. “I would never do that. I love you, Juliet, more than anything.”
“I know. It still gets to me sometimes. I mean, why would you want to be with someone like me anyway? You can have anyone.”
“You’re all I want. I don’t want or need anyone else. As long as I have you I am fine,” he said while looking into my eyes.
As he finished, Mr. Johnson put our specimen in front of us. It was shaved and it looked like it had been dead for a while. I could handle dissecting a frog, but a cat was a whole different game. I had a cat growing up, and what if this was someone else’s pet?
I made James cut it open and dissect it. I figured he probably didn’t have too big of a problem with death, and that he could handle it. I couldn’t even look at the cat. The putrid smell it gave off made me feel like I was going to vomit. How did people do this for a living? How did they think it was a good idea to give a bunch of teenagers dead cats to cut open?
Biology was over pretty fast. James did everything and let me rest as I still was trying to fight off my nausea. When the bell rang, I was sad. I would have to stop being able to have him close to me, comforting me. I wanted it to last forever, but knew it never could.
The day went on and I started feeling better. The medicine the nurse gave me really worked and I finally felt okay. When I made my way to lunch, something happened that I never thought would.
It was Brittany. The encounter James and I had with her didn’t sit too well with her. She wanted James and she wasn’t shy making it known.
She started to approach me and I knew something was about to happen.
“We are going to settle this once and for all,” she said to me.
“Settle what, Brittany?”
“James. He was mine before you came along and I want him back.”
“I’m sorry Brittany. You need to get over it. He never was yours and you really need to back off.”
I was surprised I was so assertive with her. Usually I would just agree with someone confrontational to get them to stop. This was different though. This was about the man I loved.
“Excuse me? We are settling this tonight. Meet me at Founder’s Park at 8 unless you’re too scared.”
“Brittany, I’m not doing this with you. Just give it up.”
“No. If you don’t meet me there then you don’t deserve him.”
I turned around and started to walk away.
“I knew you were too much of a coward,” she said.
I wanted to turn around. I wanted to just turn around and punch her. We aren’t in third grade anymore having to meet behind the bleachers after school. We were almost adults and could have sorted this out as such, but she wouldn’t let that happen.
She wanted to humiliate me and I knew it. I knew that she would give some low blows and cheap shots to get me down and then tell everybody I was weak and a coward and that she was the best. It was how all of these things always happened, and I knew it
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