“My Most Embarrassing Moment”

“My Most Embarrassing Moment”

By Emma Rivera

(The names of the people have been changed)

I hate Victor with a passion! With the strongest fires in hell and beyond! I feel like crying and I hate that. Today is the first day I didn’t hug Christian, my very good FRIEND goodbye since we started walking back to class together. I can’t believe it! I swore that I wouldn’t let those buffoons change my ways, but I did and I despise myself for that! The only thing worse that I can do now is cry and I swear by all that is holy, Avatar, and everything that I have written that I will never cry because of him. Because of them. No matter how much that idiotic whelp has embarrassed me today. My seat is soaked with sweat, and my face is still burning. My thumbs are still sore from digging my nails into them.

I was talking to Christian in front of my class about a major project for my World Geography class, when I notice Christian was looking at something off to the side. I turned and saw Victor taking a picture of us.

“What the hell?!” I screamed angrily, as I took a few steps forward.

A light flashed and everyone burst into laughter. I imagined my face contorted with anger popping up on the screen. It was extortion and I was FURIOUS!! Every one of those damned preppies were crowding around the camera, looking at the screen and laughing. Laughing their inane, moronic, undignified heads off. I considered kicking Victor and throwing his camera down the stairwell, then racing down, smash it into bits and throw it in his face, but thought that childish. Not to mention I would probably have to pay for it. But they were all still laughing, mocking me. I couldn’t stay out there. I muttered goodbye to Christian and ran into the room, forcing my fingernails into my thumb, concentrating on the pain there, rather than the pain and embarrassment in my heart. My friend Daisy asked me what was wrong, but I couldn’t speak.

“I made him delete it, Emma,” said Katie, a girl with blonde hair and an impish face who had teased me with the rest of them.

Paul, a relatively nice guy and hard worker came up and sat in his seat behind me.

“It’s okay, Emma,” he said reassuringly.

It was NOT okay, far from it. I had never been so embarrassed in all of my life. I didn’t say anything.

“How’s tennis going?” he asked.

Nothing.

“Emma?”

Paul was really nice for trying to take my mind off this debacle. He had been there with the rest, so maybe this was his way of saying sorry.

I turned to the side, staring intently at my thumbs, rubbing away the pain.

“We…we stopped playing during the winter, but we’re starting up again,” I said quietly, still examining my pierced thumbs, “I’m not that good, though.”

“I’m not that good, either. At least your on the team.” He said matching my tone of voice.

I looked up at him in surprise, for I did not know he could play. I was about to tell him that he could come and play and that he didn’t have to try out to be on the team when Bert came up to me.

“We’re not teasing you when we say stuff about you and Christian, we just think it’s cute,” he simpered.

My venom returned.

“And just by saying that you’re teasing me,” I spat.

“No, no. I just think it’s cute,” he said innocently. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to make fun of me or not.

And then Tex came up and towered above me, a jeering smile slapped on his face.

“Emma and Christian!” he sang jocularly.

“Shut up, Tex,” said Paul heroically.

I am forever grateful to him for saying that. What a guy!

“Don’t get mad, Emma,” Tex said, completely ignoring Paul, “We’re just playing around.”

“This is all your fault!” I practically hollered.

“Me?!” he exclaimed, still smiling. The oaf.

I glared at him. It was his fault. He’s the one who started waiting outside the class to say some ignorant remark about Christian and I. And then he got Victor doing it.

“C’mon, Emma, you need a hug.” He schmoozed as he stretched out his arms.

“No,” I replied firmly.

“C’mon,” he said, taking a step forward.

“No, Tex! Don’t touch me!” I was still seething.

“Oh, Emma, we’ve been best friends for life!” he said, but backed away.

“Tex, I only knew you in second grade and that was it.” I said, smiling a little bit.

“You went to our school in second grade?” Paul asked me.

“Yeah we were like boyfriend/girlfriend,” Tex joked, answering for me.

“No we weren’t!” I said, smiling full on now.

“No we weren’t,” Tex admitted to Paul, ”just best friends,” then he turned to me and said, “And you act like that never happened.”

It was true. But second grade was so long ago and Tex seemed to have changed so much, even though he was still pretty nice and fun to be around. I guess I had changed, too. I’d gotten quieter from all those oppressive years in Catholic school. The teachers weren’t oppressive, but the kids were. But that’s another story…

Our teacher called the class to order. I felt a little better. But then my face started burning and my eyes started singing when I called forth the actions brought against me. Remembering the look on victor’s face and the malice in his eyes. I swear that I will never let his actions affect me again and I pray that I can keep that promise.