Monica #1

******A short story about one of my characters in my head

It started Junior Year of high school, Monica was getting antsy that out of her closest friends she was left behind and still hadn’t had her first kiss. She had befriended a boy named Preston and he quickly became her guy best friend (these never work out.) They had one class together and would talk on Instant Messenger, AIM, every night. They got to know each other more and even though Monica had her crushes she enjoyed talking to Preston and not feeling the pressure of acting cool. I guess this was her mistake, she never told Preston of all of her crushes but especially her main two and how heart broken she was when they both discarded her feelings and left her.

Call it perfect timing, but when Preston asked Monica on AIM if she liked anyone and at that moment in time she didn’t and when she asked him, he said yes, her name started with a M. Monica panicked and logged off and when she asked him the next day in person if it was her he denied it and she felt a sense of relief because even though he was a great guy and some would call him good looking she did not find him attractive. He was nice enough but she was still pining for her other 2 lost likes and enjoyed being alone and sad about them.

Summer came and Preston made a bet with Monica, if she fell asleep on the car ride home from the amusement park, they would kiss. Monica said that wasn’t fair because as everyone knows she is known for falling asleep everywhere and she didn’t feel like giving up her first kiss to him, but he brought up again that she was the only one left in the group without kissing anyone and lucky for her Preston had plenty of experience and it would mean nothing. So she agreed because she just wanted to get it over with and sure enough she fell asleep with a Hershey bar in hand and when she woke up he was ready to claim his prize. She panicked and stuffed the chocolate bar in her mouth and when he would taste her he would call their kisses Hersey kisses forever after that night.

One kiss led to more kisses and more hangouts. Preston assured her it was nothing serious, they were going into Senior Year and no point in being tied down. Monica agreed, Preston didn’t know Monica found it really hard to connect with people so not to say she didn’t care if things led to something but the odds were unlikely she would get attached or want more.

Preston on the other hand, got very attached. Monica had a lot of mental disorders going on so she couldn’t handle all the pressure Preston was giving to her about making it official to be a real couple after a couple of months of fooling around. She felt bad hurting him since she was only used to hurting herself so she caved. The only time she ever caved to pressure was this point, she agreed and Preston was delighted. He told everyone, he invited her to everything, he treated her like a Queen that she felt she didn’t deserve, and bought her everything she wanted. It was a weird feeling and the more he gave her whether attention or gifts the more she felt bad about the whole thing since her heart wasn’t in it. She tried to bring it up but he wouldn’t listen and assured her it would take some time for her feelings to catch up to his but it would happen eventually and he went on to plan their whole future together. He even had kids’ names picked out and it was then that Monica knew she had to break up. She couldn’t handle being attached forever so young and expressed these concerns to Preston but he wouldn’t listen. “No it is fine,” he would say, he would be “patient” and wait for however long.

Monica was a coward though and couldn’t just have a clean breakup. She was always one for drama though so she got with not one guy but three! She didn’t sleep with them but just held their hands and a couple of harmless pecks on the mouth, no tongue, but enough to damage Monica’s reputation forever in high school. Once Preston found out, he was furious of course and called her every evil name in the book. Called her crazy, told her she was unlovable, and a fool for giving him up and she would never find anyone like him again. Monica to one up what he said overdosed on pills and was take to the mental hospital after getting her stomach pumped. She was there for a month and lost crucial senior year moments, some that still haunt her to this day, but she had to accept what she did so no regrets.

How Monica walked into school when she was finally released is beyond anyone. Everyone she passed knew her as the “suicide girl,” “the cheater,” “the slut,” “the crazy girl.” None of that mattered to Monica though because she still had her core group of friends that called her while in the mental hospital, some even visited, and the only thing that mattered to Monica was finishing up high school and doing all the Senior year events that were coming up. What did matter to Monica was when seeing one of the two boys she actually liked throughout high school and cared for, gave her a hug and held her for awhile even though he had a girlfriend and told her he didn’t believe Preston. He knew her since she was 14, knew her feelings ran deep, knew that she just needed help, and most of all that she was one of the most beautiful people he would ever meet inside and out. It still sticks to Monica now how wonderful his words were and what an amazing person he was and how she chose right to like him since she was 15. He would always have a part of her heart.

Monica enjoyed Senior Week, Senior Prom, Senior ditch day and even though she still had to see Preston at school and had many mutual friends she forgot about him. She moved on and enjoyed her time in high school. This drove Preston crazy as Monica would later find out, he spoke about her to everyone and every chance he got. “How could she do this to me,” “You never really know someone,” “She is the worst and just crazy, needs to stay longer in the mental hospital.” Monica never confronted him about it though, she understood he needed to be this way to move on, to forget about her. But he never did, even after 20+ years he still talks about her and asks about her. See, he blocked her on every social media and can’t see her but their mutual friends still tell her about it and while Monica is now happily married with kids she hopes Preston will move on and also find his happiness that wasn’t with her.

*****I will write more stories about Monica but I am not sure how often. She is a fun character I dreamed up of and when she haunts my dreams too much she will get a post