From a bet to true love

Chapter twenty-one - Arguments and disappointment

Bailey's POV:

For the past week, I had three tests. I think I did well. I never say perfect because I don't know what can happen. What I know is that I need to get maximum points. Otherwise, my mom won't be happy. I still think she is wrong, but I can't do anything. I don't want to go against her. The chances of us starting to argue are high. That is the last thing I want to happen. It's enough that our relations are not perfect. I don't need to make them worse. The bad thing is that I cut off Jason. I didn't want to do it, but I wasn't in the mood for him. I was sure he would ask me many questions. At that moment, I wanted to be alone. Of course, I will apologize to him. He is not guilty of anything. Also, I can't put my mood on him. That is not right. I should find a way to deal with my mom without involving anyone. It will be hard but not impossible. Honestly, things started changing after I went out with Chelsea. That's how I met Vanessa at the mall. The rest is history. My life was calmer before. I have to say that it was boring as well. Thanks to Jason, I went to a party. It's not like I don't want to forget it. I will never go to a party again. At least I tried to see what it was. I don't know how people enjoy this. I don't see anything good in getting drunk. Despite that, the rest of the things I did were good. Jason is good to me. I have no idea why he changed, but I like this. I doubted him in the beginning. Now, I don't do this anymore. I trust him completely. I don't think he will hurt me. Let's say that he had many chances to do it. He was a bad boy before, but things have changed. Jason is a different person now. It's not a lie that I like this version more. I prefer to be around people who care. I hope all of this is not an illusion or a plan to make me trust him.

Today, I will get my first test result. I won't lie that I am nervous. Each test has to be signed by a parent. If I have even a single mistake, my mom will kill me. Not for real, but she won't like it. That's why I am studying so hard. It's because of her. I wouldn't be under constant pressure if I did it for myself. Well, I can't change anything. I only hope that this won't be repeated at university. I don't want to live the same life again.

I woke up and went to get ready for school. Mom made comments about my style the other day. Today, I might dress as usual. I don't need another lecture from her. It's not like I don't get them daily. I wish my dad could do something. The thing is that they might start arguing. It's better if he stays away from this. When I was ready, I went to eat breakfast. There were waffles on the table. As good as they look, they can't make my appetite come back. It left with my mood.

- Good morning.

- To you, too, kid. We have waffles.

- Yay.

- What's wrong? You don't look energetic.

- No, I'm still sleepy.

- If you don't stay up late, you won't feel like that. - my mom said

- Thanks, mom.

- I will work from home today. Don't forget to show me the test. I want to see your results.

- Ok, I will give it to you when I come home.

- Good.

After breakfast, I walked to school. I saw Jason with Vanessa. Toby and Alice walked up to them. I can do it too, but I don't know if he wants to talk with me. He still hasn't answered my message. I sent it yesterday. Well, I have nothing to lose.

- Hey.

- Hi, Bailey. How are you today? - Vanessa asked

- I have been worse.

- Ignore her. She has no idea what she is talking about.

- I won't be so sure. Anyway. Jason, can I talk with you?

He didn't say anything and walked away. That means he is mad at me. I don't think he will talk with me. It's not like I plan to give up. I want to apologize. Will he keep hanging out with me or not? It's his decision. I talked with Vanessa, Toby, and Alice for a while. Later, I walked to my class.

It's the third class. The teacher said he would give us the results at the end. Usually, that is after he finishes his lesson. The whole class, I was nervous. Now, it's time for the truth. I hope I have a good grade.

- Ok, students. I have graded your tests. Some people surprised me, others not. I will say that some of you should study, especially if you want to graduate with decent grades. I won't read the results out loud because this is personal. Also, not everyone likes to share this. The first one is Adam.

I took my test and saw the result. I had ninety-nine and a half points out of one hundred. This can't be real. No, no, no. That is not happening. Mom will kill me.

- Excuse me.

- Yes, Bailey.

- Why do I have half a point off here?

- Because you didn't answer the question correctly. I ask for the usage of that. This is your mistake. What you wrote is not correct, but you shouldn't worry about this. You have the most points out of everyone, as usual.

- You don't understand. If my mom sees this, she will get mad at me.

- Bailey, it's half a point. I'm sure she will understand.

- No, she won't. Well, thank you.

- You're welcome.

On the lunch break, I went to search for Jason. He was in front of his locker. I walked up to him before he went to eat. I know he doesn't want to see me, but I do. I want to fix this. He was about to go, but I grabbed his hand and made him face me. There were no words. I took him to the field. The team doesn't have practice now. He has to listen to me.

- I want to eat.

- I want you to listen to me.

- You have five minutes.

- I'm sorry about that day. I know I shouldn't put my mood on you. I didn't want to upset you.

- Ok, and?

- I'm sorry, ok? I want to study with you again. Well, if you want that.

- I made the mistake of trusting you.

- What?

- I'm kidding. Ok, fine. I can go back only if you never do this again.

- I promise. Thanks.

- Let's go for food now.

When my last class finished, I waited for Jason. We'll study at home today. Mostly, I did it because of my mom. She will be there. I already know how she will react when she sees my test result. Soon, we arrived, and I opened the door. Mom was in the kitchen, working on her laptop. The moment she saw me, she got up and came to us.

- I'm home.

- Where is your test?

- In my backpack.

- I want to see it.

- About that.

- What? You failed, didn't you?

- I did.

- I was too good with you. Give the test. I want to see your mistakes.

- Here you go. - I said and pulled it out from my backpack

- You have ninety-nine and a half points out of one hundred?

- Yes.

- How could you fail an easy question?

- I'm sorry.

- No, you don't. The test wasn't hard at all. Looking at the questions, I realized that a second grader could do better than you.

- That is not true. I tried my best.

- No, I tried my best when I gave birth to you that day. You didn't try. Otherwise, you won't fail. You are such a disappointment. I don't want to deal with you. - my mom said, gave me the test and left

I didn't say anything and ran to my room. How can she say that? I'm trying my best to be the top student. She has no idea how much work that is. I have to study day and night to be that good. I was about to take out my books when I heard loud noises from downstairs. I opened the door to see what was going on. Jason was arguing with my mom. That won't end well. I quickly walked up to them. Otherwise, they might kill each other.

- You can't talk like that to her. She has low self-esteem, thanks to you.

- The fault that your parents don't care about you is not mine.

- They do care about me. The one who doesn't care is you. She lives in fear whenever there is a test. Do you know how much stress that is? Why are you doing this? Bailey is not a machine. Stop treating her like that.

- What I do is my business. You have no word here.

- Yes, I do. She is my friend, and I care about her.

- Bailey doesn't have friends.

- Yes, she does. I am her friend.

- Now I know why she is failing. It's thanks to you.

- STOP!

- What?

- That is enough. I won't sit here listening to both of you talk about me.

- I have work to do. - my mom said

- You won't go away that easily. - Jason said

- Let her go. I don't want her here. I didn't invite you to argue with her.

- But she.

- No! Let's go. We have a lot of work.

- Fine.

Both of us walked to my room. He tried to defend me, but this only made things worse. Mom will never change. It's better if I leave her alone. I don't want to talk about her. I guess my dad will sign the test. As I have said, she signs only the ones with perfect scores. I will never be able to understand her. I wonder how my grandparents treated her in high school. Maybe that is why she is acting like this. Well, I can't ask them anymore. I had to do it earlier.

- Look, I'm sorry about that. I can't stay doing anything while she talks like that to you.

- I understand, but don't argue with her. You can't win. Once she gets something in her head, there is no turning back.

- That is ridiculous. She can't treat you like that. You are human, not a robot. Even they don't know everything.

- Google does. - I said, chuckling

- Yes, but you are not Google. You are Bailey. A sweet girl with who I shouldn't mess.

- Why?

- Because your mom hates me.

- Ignore her. She talks like that because she is mad.

- I thought you would be upset.

- I'm used to this.

- That is your mistake. You can't let her win.

- Jason.

- No, I will help you with that.

- Jason.

- We can defeat her together.

- Jason! I won't go against my mom. You are crazy.

- So you want to live like that.

- No, but arguing with her won't do anything. That won't resolve the problem.

- Are you sure?

- Yes, I am. Let's study now. That's why you are here.

- Ok, I won't mess with you.

- I didn't say that.

- That's what it looked like to me.

- Think whatever you want. I won't be part of this.

- I'm sorry.

- It's ok. I know you can't keep it calm.

- No, I can't. That's how I am built.

Jason and I studied the whole afternoon. Surprisingly, he had a B- on his test. I'm sure his parents will be happy. They wanted this for so long. When we finished, we walked out. Mom wasn't thrilled, but I didn't care. She can't keep me inside. We walked around the town. There was no direction. Sometimes, I prefer this. I don't want to go to a specific place. Mostly, I do this to clear my head. That's the only thing I need right now.

- Do you feel better? - Jason asked

- Yes, thank you. The walk was needed.

- For you always. You don't have to listen to her. If you feel the need to go out, do it. She can't tell you anything.

- I know, but I don't want to argue with her. It's stupid and a waste of time.

- I will agree here, but at the same time, you can't do everything she says.

- Can we talk about something else? I had enough of it today.

- Ok, what do you want us to talk about?

- I don't know. How are you and Vanessa? You two haven't been soon.

- Well, she started going out more often. We are in the friend zone.

- She is not your side chick anymore.

- No, she has always been more than that. I might have been with many girls, but she was the only one who made me stay. Also, she understands me better than anyone. Well, that was before you appeared. Since then, things have changed.

- I'm glad to hear that.

We walked for a while. Later, Jason went home. He offered to come with me to my house, but I cut him off. The argument with my mom was enough. I don't want them to have a round two. I walked home and saw my parents talking. I'm sure she has told him about my test. Mom never forgets to complain about me to him. It's not like he cares. Dad has always been on my side. He tried to talk with her a couple of times. I told him to give up. It was visible that she wouldn't do it. I took my shoes off and walked to my room. I might skip dinner. I came out of the bathroom when I heard the door. It was my dad.

- Hey, you are home. - I said

- I am. Can I know what happened today?

- What did she tell you?

- That Jason attacked her and hurt her badly.

- He hurt her ego for sure. I can't believe she said that.

- It's not like I believed it.

- Good for you.

- Can I see your test now? Someone has to sign it.

- Here it is.

- Good job, Bailey. I'm sure you are at the top of your class.

- Yes, I am.

- You don't sound happy.

- It's not a perfect score.

- So what? Some kids can only dream of this. Be proud of yourself.

- Mom said I was a disappointment.

- Please, don't listen to her. She didn't mean it.

- No, she did.

- I will talk to her, ok?

- Yes. Thanks.

- You're welcome.

Dad and I talked for half an hour. Mom called us for dinner. She didn't look at me at all. It's like I was a ghost. I didn't eat much and walked back into my room. Before bed, I called Jason. At least he is on my side. I told him about my conversation with my dad. He said I have to listen to him more. I want to do it, too. The thing is that I have to be against my mom. I can't do that. Someone might say that she deserves it. Well, I am not such a horrible person. I want us to have peaceful relations. Maybe one day, this can happen. For now, I have to keep studying. I hope that when I graduate, she won't pressure me so much.