“Pepper Ann! Pepper Ann!” I heard a voice.
“Uh… huh…w-what?” I weakly said from my seat.
“Pepper Ann Pearson! I said, you have to write this, 100 times on the blackboard!”
I was then handed a piece of paper.
I looked around me. Where the heck am I?
Now, wait a minute! How in the world did I get to detention again?
I saw Nicky and Milo outside the room by the doorway. I stood up and then approached them.
I grabbed them by their shoulders.
“Nicky! Milo! How did I get here in detention?”
“We carried you here, Pepper Ann, “ Nicky replied.
“Carried me? Here? But why?” I asked, still confused.
“Don’t you remember, PA? “ Milo said, “Mr. Carter and the class saw you faint outside the classroom earlier!”
I fainted outside the classroom? But how… oh yeah! Now I remember.
“Why did you faint, PA?” Milo asked.
“You guys wouldn’t believe it, but Craig asked me out to meet him in the park tomorrow at around 4pm… alone! This time, it’s really a date!”
“Really, Pepper Ann?” Nicky said, surprised. Then she smiled, “Wow! I’m proud of you!”
“I’m proud of you too, PA!” Milo agreed.
Come to think of it, I’m proud of myself too!
But another question hit me.
“Wait a minute. If I fainted, then why didn’t you guys bring me over to the nurse instead?” I asked.
“Well, “ Nicky replied, “Mr. Carter concluded that you faked off your own faintness just to avoid class.”
“HE WHAT?” I gasped.
“We tried to reason with the poor misguided soul, PA, “ Milo explained, “but I think that you’re previous brushes with him clouded his judgment. We’re sorry for you, PA.”
“Oooh!” I groaned. I put my head down, “When will the injustice stop? When guys, when?”
“It’s okay, Pepper Ann, “ Nicky assured and gave me a pat on the shoulder, “It’s okay.”
“It’s okay, PA,” Milo also assured me and shrugs a bit, “Besides, it’s weekend anyway.”
“Thanks guys!” I started shedding a tear, “You guys (sniff) are the greatest!”
I then hugged them into a group hug. I’m just glad to have friends like them.
Then, after we gently broke off from the group hug, Milo spoke again.
“Hey, Nicky! Do you want to go out and eat? Same place.”
“Oh I love too, Milo.”
“Let’s go then, Nicky.”
“Okay!”
They then started to turn around and walked towards the door out of the school.
“Uh, guys! Wait a minute! How about me?” I asked.
“Sorry, PA “ Milo said, “Since you’ll be there for awhile, maybe tomorrow. We want to make the most of our weekends now.”
“But, but…”
“See you tomorrow, PA, “ Milo said as he reached for the door going out of the school.
“But, but how about…”
“Milo’s right. See you tomorrow Pepper Ann, “ Nicky waved and then she followed Milo out of the school.
“But, but…”
Oh well. It’s fine with me. I wouldn’t DREAM of stopping their fun at my expense. Besides, I’m looking forward with Craig tomorrow so it’s okay.
That night, I was in bed in my own room.
I tried to sleep, but I just couldn’t.
Instead, I just sat on my bed. I had mixed thoughts about tomorrow with Craig.
What will I wear? What will I put on?
More importantly, what will I SAY to him?
I then looked at myself in the mirror by my bed. My hair looked terrible.
Maybe it’s because I lack sleep? I don’t know.
Then I heard a voice.
“Come on Juliet! Get some sleep so you’ll be ready for your Romeo, tomorrow.”
Whoa! Who said that?
Oh. It’s just my “conscience” in my mirror staring back at me.
What? You don’t know who she is?
Well, you see, my “conscience” sometimes appears on any reflection that I see. She looks like me, she talks like me, well… she IS me!
Others call it an “imaginary friend” or something. Others call it a “self-manifestation”. Others, well, just call it, plain old “nuts”.
As for my “conscience”, well, you be the judge.
“But I don’t know what to wear tomorrow!” I told her.
“Relax,” my conscience replied, “Just be yourself and you’ll be okay with Craig!”
“Really?”
“I’m positive! Now please get some sleep, Juliet.”
“Juliet?” I questioned, “That IS what I’m afraid of tomorrow.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Don’t you remember the time when Craig was Romeo and I was Juliet as a last-minute substitute just to save the school play?”
“Right? Well?”
“Don’t you remember when he kneeled onstage and spoke his line, ‘But soft! What light through yonder window…’ and something like that?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember when I appeared on a high part of a makeshift window of the stage set and spoke my lines, ‘Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou…’ then I suddenly fell from that high part of the stage set and landed onto him by accident?”
“Oh dear!” she replied, “Yeah?”
“Remember when AFTER I fell onto him, so did the ENTIRE set and the play was cancelled right then and there?”
“Oh my! I remember.”
“I’m afraid that another disaster will happen between me and Craig. THAT’S why I’m afraid of tomorrow.”
“Oh you mean today, huh?”
I then looked at the clock and it was already indeed past midnight.
“AAAAHHHH!” I started to panic, “What am I going to do?”
“I said it before,” she assured me, “You don’t have to do anything to make an great impression on him. Just be yourself, okay?”
Thoughts then rambled within my mind. I remembered the time that I was the school mascot for the team and Craig talked to me. Since I was in a suit, he didn’t recognize me. I can’t believe that I was actually very comfortable in talking to him while I was in the suit. But when I was myself without the mascot, I would just melt in front of him.
Then, I knew I had to admit sooner or later that it was I inside the mascot. I did admit it. But then, to my surprise, he told me he knew that it was I all along! I remember also fainting at that time he said that.
Oh Craig, I’ll be able to talk to you once more tomorrow. I hope that you’ll understand me. I hope that you’ll…
“Juliet?”
“Uh… uh… What?”
“Just get some sleep, girl?”
“I just thought about what you said before and you’re right about being myself. I’ll just be myself tomorrow and I’ll go to sleep.”
“Okay!”
“Good night!” I then laid down, closed the lights, and closed my eyes.
I could barely hear her speaking softly, “Good night too… Juliet!”
Sheesh! Will she stop saying that name already?