Dork Pork

I couldn’t wait. I’d worked really hard to get great grades, make mom and dad happy, and get the heck out of that horrible place where the other kids talked behind your back right in front of you. Then finally, the school year was over and I could relax. I could look forward to a whole new place where maybe I’d be able to start over, maybe make more than three friends, maybe even meet a boy who wouldn’t tell me in private that he thought I was cool, then in front of his stupid friends say I was his favorite – his favorite hedgehog, that is. Ha. Ha. Ha. Thought I’d never stop laughing at that one. Yeah, sure. Thought I was going to die, was more like it. Crap.

So okay, summer. That meant hanging out with one of my three friends, the one who spent as much time in the library as I did. Was that the problem? Was I too much of a dork? Bad enough I was on the round side. In fact, one of the girls at school (oh, yes, she’s my fave!) gave me a lovely nickname. I was late for class one morning because my dad’s car wouldn’t start, and when I came came in the door, she goes, “Hey, it’s Dorkpork!” The other girls laughed their dumb heads off, and all the teacher did was mutter something about that not being a very nice thing to say. Of course she wouldn’t punish the girl – her parents had contributed boatloads of money to the school, apparently, so she never got in any kind of trouble. Ever. Anyway, the nickname stuck, which was another reason I couldn’t wait for high school.

And now, back to summer. I was going somewhere with this…oh, right. The summer before high school should have been great, since I had new stuff to look forward to, a chance to do things differently, all that. I ended up going to the library a lot because I can’t stand not having a good book to read, and besides, they had a whole section of piano music I could check out. I must have driven my mom nuts, though, since everything I liked to do involved sitting down somewhere in the house. Well, except bike-riding. I loved doing that, too, and obviously didn’t ride in the house. But I really did spend more time practicing (hey, I honestly loved to practice, so don’t hate) or reading.

We went on vacation as usual, and for the first time I felt weird about always having to be with my parents and little brother. I was only fourteen, but…well, I was fourteen! I shouldn’t have to practically have my hand held every time I took a step, right? What made it really bad, was that there were tons of cute guys my age everywhere we went that summer, and I mean everywhere. I kinda think they’d always been around, only I wasn’t ready to notice them before. So how embarrassing is that – having mom and dad obviously sticking to my back, my goofy little brother running around us in a circle and demanding to know what everything was, when we were going to go home again, and could he have another ice cream. Aaaahhhh!

That was when I figured out what “angst” meant. I had read the word here and there in a bunch of books, but it didn’t make much sense until some kid looked like he was flirting with me (with me!) and was asking where we were staying, and then my mom snuck up behind us and asked if I wanted to go on a tour of the local Revolutionary War fort with her and my little brother. What? Was the woman blind? Couldn’t she see this was a pivotal moment in my young life (I read about “pivotal,” too – even looked it up so I wouldn’t sound like a moron if I used it wrong)? Naturally, the guy took off after giving me a strange grin. I suddenly felt that life didn’t matter. Who knew how many years it would take before I stopped expecting my mom to pop up out of nowhere at the most crucial moments to ask if I wanted to do something dweeb-like with her and my little brother? I was devastated, traumatized, and after a very brief moment of self-analysis, realized that at that exact point on the time continuum, I was what is known as “angst-ridden.”

Be quiet. No need to point out that I used the words “time continuum.” I already know I’m a nerd (on top of everything else), thank you very much. Clearing my throat and shaking off the discomfort…

Now, where was I? Oh, right. Summer. Emotional trauma. Angst. But otherwise we had a

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: The author owns the the copyright to this work, and according to the laws pertaining thereto, it may not be copied, quoted, or otherwise used in whole or in part without the express written consent of said author.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 26.12.2011
ISBN: 978-3-86479-031-7

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Widmung:
To all those who understand what "that awkward" stage is, and who may still be going through it.