COMING OF AGE SHORT STORIES

TLLCE 1+2

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Story 1

The Boarding School.

It’s Monday, November 9th, 8:00am, my maid entered my room with my breakfast so I can wake up and get ready for school, the most HORRIBLE school in the world… You’re probably wondering why ? It’s because we’re mixed with poor people, they only have 1 car and don't have any maids at home. Only Eva, Jill and I, are the rich people at school, all of them aren't supposed to breathe the same air as me.
My name is Marie Lerthend. I'm 17 years old. If i had to describe myself I would say that I’m a woman who doesn’t need anyone and doesn’t let herself get carried away. I live in an extremely big house, with personal maids. There is a pool, a golf course, a huge garden and more but I don’t know what, so ask my dad. I live here with my parents, I don’t have any brother or sister, I’m an only child and I'm happy about it because otherwise I wouldn’t be the center of attention so it’s better this way. Well now I have to go to school. When I arrive at school, my friends who are also domestics, Eva and Jill, hold my books, otherwise I would have a backache.
« Have you heard about the new girl ? Someone said that she was pretty and kind but also that her father died like 3 months ago» said Eva.

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It’s Monday, November 9th, 8:00am, my maid entered my room with my breakfast so I can wake up and get ready for school, the most HORRIBLE school in the world… You’re probably wondering why ? It’s because we’re mixed with poor people, they only have 1 car and don't have any maids at home. Only Eva, Jill and I, are the rich people at school, all of them aren't supposed to breathe the same air as me.
My name is Marie Lerthend. I'm 17 years old. If i had to describe myself I would say that I’m a woman who doesn’t need anyone and doesn’t let herself get carried away. I live in an extremely big house, with personal maids. There is a pool, a golf course, a huge garden and more but I don’t know what, so ask my dad. I live here with my parents, I don’t have any brother or sister, I’m an only child and I'm happy about it because otherwise I wouldn’t be the center of attention so it’s better this way. Well now I have to go to school. When I arrive at school, my friends who are also domestics, Eva and Jill, hold my books, otherwise I would have a backache.
« Have you heard about the new girl ? Someone said that she was pretty and kind but also that her father died like 3 months ago» said Eva.

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« Huh pretty ? I’m a 100% sure she’s not as pretty as me » I answered to her.
“Poor little girl, let's find her,” said Jill. We went around the school several times before we found her in the bathroom. She had a beautiful face but as i said not as pretty as mine. We walked to her to introduce ourselves :
“Hi I’m Marie and here are Eva and Jill”, she looked scared, let’s laugh a little…
“I heard that you lost your dad recently, it must be really horrible ! Do you want to talk about it ?” I said with a smirk. She answered with a little shy voice:
“Thank you and also nice to meet you, it’s very kind of you to care about me but…” I cut her off by telling her “Oh I don’t care sorry, If you need help, ask your last remaining parent to make an appointment with a psychologist, that’s not my job”. After I said that, I saw in her look sadness and hatred. What an exciting feeling. “You’re not pretty but at least you’re funny”. And now the best part, her tears flowed. “Oww I’m so sorry I hurt you, that was not my aim at all” It was, and thanks to that little dialogue i’m pretty sure she understood to whom she was speaking to. We left the bathroom with her crying inside, several students heard crying from the bathroom and walked in the direction of the bathroom, we looked at them with a frightening stare so they understood and let her cry in her corner. It continued like that for several weeks but then one day, I was in chemistry class and the principal called me to the speaker to come and see him in his office. I left the class and walked to his office and when I entered the room, my dad was there and stood up when he saw me. I didn’t understand what was going on, why dad was there, why they asked me to come. First of all I thought that they were going to talk to me about the new girl and what I had said to her, but both of them looked really sad and dad was about to cry. 

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« Huh pretty ? I’m a 100% sure she’s not as pretty as me » I answered to her.
“Poor little girl, let's find her,” said Jill. We went around the school several times before we found her in the bathroom. She had a beautiful face but as i said not as pretty as mine. We walked to her to introduce ourselves :
“Hi I’m Marie and here are Eva and Jill”, she looked scared, let’s laugh a little…
“I heard that you lost your dad recently, it must be really horrible ! Do you want to talk about it ?” I said with a smirk. She answered with a little shy voice:
“Thank you and also nice to meet you, it’s very kind of you to care about me but…” I cut her off by telling her “Oh I don’t care sorry, If you need help, ask your last remaining parent to make an appointment with a psychologist, that’s not my job”. After I said that, I saw in her look sadness and hatred. What an exciting feeling. “You’re not pretty but at least you’re funny”. And now the best part, her tears flowed. “Oww I’m so sorry I hurt you, that was not my aim at all” It was, and thanks to that little dialogue i’m pretty sure she understood to whom she was speaking to. We left the bathroom with her crying inside, several students heard crying from the bathroom and walked in the direction of the bathroom, we looked at them with a frightening stare so they understood and let her cry in her corner. It continued like that for several weeks but then one day, I was in chemistry class and the principal called me to the speaker to come and see him in his office. I left the class and walked to his office and when I entered the room, my dad was there and stood up when he saw me. I didn’t understand what was going on, why dad was there, why they asked me to come. First of all I thought that they were going to talk to me about the new girl and what I had said to her, but both of them looked really sad and dad was about to cry. 

“Please sit down Marie”, said the principal. I walked and sat next to dad. He looked at me with this look, I will never forget the way he looked at me, how expressive his eyes were, how much I could feel his pain. “Marie it’s really hard to tell you that but something happened today with your mom, she had a car accident and she didn’t make it, i’m sorry sweety”. When I heard the sentence ‘didn’t make it’, I felt like my heart had given out, that everything around me was falling apart. The principal and dad kept talking to me but it was impossible for me to hear anything. I stared at my feet until they finished talking to me and then dad and I went home. We didn’t leave the house for 1 or 2 weeks, dad turned very badly and he wasn't paying attention to himself anymore. We lost everything we had, I was no longer rich and I had no domestics anymore but it was absolutely not necessary for Eva and Jill to know it. If they were ever to find out what was happening to me I’d be associated with all those poor people in high school who look like nothing. That day I was going back to school, I prepared myself as I used to do when I had my domestics so no one would see a change in me. When I saw them I tried to act like I used to but it felt like something was pinching my heart. When I saw the new girl I was more aggressive than before, I was taking it out on her. The day passed, on my way home dad was waiting for me sitting at the table with a bottle of alcohol next to him, mad looking at me, and this time I knew what was going on, he knew about the new girl, what I did to her, he said that he enrolled me in a boarding school, no phone, no friends, nothing with me, the same schedule as a prisoner.

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When I arrived there the manager gave me a uniform, no privacy, and small beds. I felt like Cinderella in the beginning of the story. The boarding school allowed me to see that I was not a good person and that I had to apologize, because even when I knew how hurtful it was I had kept being evil with her and most of all, she did nothing to me so I didn’t have to be mean to her. After 2 months in this boarding school,I realized I had to apologize to the new girl . Then I went to the new girl to apologize and asked her to forgive me for all the horrors I had told her and I also told her what happened to me and we talked about it, she is really nice. I guess I have a new friend now.

The end 

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When I arrived there the manager gave me a uniform, no privacy, and small beds. I felt like Cinderella in the beginning of the story. The boarding school allowed me to see that I was not a good person and that I had to apologize, because even when I knew how hurtful it was I had kept being evil with her and most of all, she did nothing to me so I didn’t have to be mean to her. After 2 months in this boarding school,I realized I had to apologize to the new girl . Then I went to the new girl to apologize and asked her to forgive me for all the horrors I had told her and I also told her what happened to me and we talked about it, she is really nice. I guess I have a new friend now.

The end 

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Story 2

Over the edge.

It was supposed to be a good day.
It all happened in the middle of June, on a hot summer’s day and the very last day of high school. In a few days, I would be graduated. Time flew so fast! How I was going to miss those years.
I hid the bracelet I bought for Grace, the girl I had been in love with since 9th grade, in a drawer in my closet. It was the present I would give her when I would ask her to be my date for Prom Night. I was excited but also stressed… I grabbed my backpack and my phone after taking a last look at my outfit then leave my bedroom.
On the road, I told my parents about my summer plans. After graduation day, I would spend two weeks with my friends in L.A. : going to parties, Santa Monica beach, museums… I couldn’t wait! I was interrupted by my phone alarm. It was a text from my best friend, Austin. He lived a very close
steps from me and I was used to giving him a ride on our way to high school. Strangely this morning, he cancelled, claiming a headache. That wasn’t like him. He would never have missed a workout. He
was one of the best quarterbacks of the city.
I made a detour to his place, to see if everything was fine. After spending several minutes at the front door without getting an answer, I walked to school.

1

It was supposed to be a good day.
It all happened in the middle of June, on a hot summer’s day and the very last day of high school. In a few days, I would be graduated. Time flew so fast! How I was going to miss those years.
I hid the bracelet I bought for Grace, the girl I had been in love with since 9th grade, in a drawer in my closet. It was the present I would give her when I would ask her to be my date for Prom Night. I was excited but also stressed… I grabbed my backpack and my phone after taking a last look at my outfit then leave my bedroom.
On the road, I told my parents about my summer plans. After graduation day, I would spend two weeks with my friends in L.A. : going to parties, Santa Monica beach, museums… I couldn’t wait! I was interrupted by my phone alarm. It was a text from my best friend, Austin. He lived a very close
steps from me and I was used to giving him a ride on our way to high school. Strangely this morning, he cancelled, claiming a headache. That wasn’t like him. He would never have missed a workout. He
was one of the best quarterbacks of the city.
I made a detour to his place, to see if everything was fine. After spending several minutes at the front door without getting an answer, I walked to school.

East Bridge High was a very noisy institution. I could feel the excitement of the end of a year.
Students were chatting, laughing, singing our national anthem.
Once I arrived, I was welcomed by my group of friends : Porter, James and Keene. Austin was still missing.

In class, I was distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about Prom Night, what I would wear, if Grace would be my date or not, if she already had been asked and how I would manage everything…
Lunch break came really fast.
I sat with my friends at our usual table. Near the big windows where we could have a full view of the soccer field.
While in the middle of a talk about a movie we saw at the cinema, we got interrupted by Austin’s soccer team. Just like us, they were wondering where he was. Nobody had heard about him since the previous day. I started to worry. What if something bad had happened to him ? I could ask his father, our principal…

A few minutes before the end of the break, when we were getting ready to get up, Austin showed up. Without giving us an explanation of his late arrival, he put his lunchbox on the table and started to eat his eternal ham and cheese sandwich.
Keene started asking him questions about where he had been, why he hadn’t answered our phone calls. But he kept staring at us without saying a word, as if he couldn’t understand our language.
Once he had finished eating, he took something else out of his lunchbox.

1

I was the last one to react.
A gunshot sounded in the hall. At first, people screamed. Maybe by surprise and fear. And then, silence replaced everything. There was no sound at all.
Austin was standing there, in front of me, his left arm raised in the air.
He pointed the gun at me, ordering me to sit down like the other students. So, slowly and trembling, I sat.
When I saw the scared expressions on students’ faces, the fear, their eyes full of tears… This was the moment I knew that what was happening was real. My friend holding that gun was real. But still, I refused to believe it. How could it happen ?
I tried talking to him, draw his attention on me, on my voice but he wasn’t listening.
Someone opened the door of the cafeteria.
It was Grace. Followed by the headmaster. I thanked God. She had heard the shot and had asked him for help. We were saved !
Austin’s father approached him cautiously. Grace was just behind him.
He tried to talk to his son, to make him stop what he intended to do. They had a violent argument about Austin’s future. He blamed his father for what he had become. For the fact that he was never free, always controlled by him, bending to his will, pressured by all the responsibilities he put on his shoulders. It lasted a moment that seemed an eternity.
They came to blows. I took Grace’s hand to make her sit next to me in case things went out of control. I was right. Next instant, Mister Howell was shot dead, a bullet in the head. Students screamed in terror.