The Guy in the Pajamas(unedited)

Chapter 9: It Was A Bet (edited)

The next morning I woke up with my throat feeling dry. I guess throwing up took more out of me then I thought. My throat felt so raspy and sounded horribly deep. I had a headache and my back was hurting. I guess I fell harder than I thought too.

I was starving so I made a way to the kitchen. Mom was at the sink looking out the kitchen window at the neighbors—she had a habit of being nosy. Once I walked into the kitchen, I plopped in a seat next to dad.

He looked up from his newspaper then went back to reading. “Are you okay?” he asked as he flipped a page. “You look like shit.” Well I could always count on my parents to tell me the truth, always.

“Yeah honey, you do,” mom said. “Maybe that job is taking too much out of you.”

“No!” I shouted then lowered my voice. “I can handle it and besides this is teaching how to make my own money, right dad?”

“Huh…” he looked up from his newspaper, “uh yeah, what you said.”

I sighed, he was no help. I could always count on dad for no support. Mom was usually my go-to person, but even now she’s against me. What happen to women sticking together?

I had only forty minutes to finished getting dressed. I took a quick shower—monkey free. Then I went to my closet and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a yellow and black floral blouse. I combing my hair and let it lay in curls around shoulders.

By the time I was out of the house. I had three minutes to run to the bus stop. It almost left me, who am I kidding, the driver would have left me. It wasn’t like he’s never did it before. He’s done it a lot and every time was worse than the last. The first time was when it was raining so everywhere we stepped there was a mud puddle. You could probably guess what happened next and no, it doesn’t involve clean clothes, well, not until after school.

After the bus arrived at the school, I walk/ran to my locker, eunning was not allowed in the halls. I had a feeling Lacey was hot on my trail. It was like I had a sixth sense except I don’t see dead people, I see Lacey. I typed in my combination and as soon as my locker clicked open I heard her voice."

“Sooo, are you free today?” Lacey squealed.

“Actually no, I tried asking for the day off but he said it was too soon,” I lied. I rather work then to go dress shopping with Lacey. I am not walking around a store for six hour just so she can say that she couldn’t find anything even though she swore it was the perfect store.

“What!” she shouted. “I told you about this before Ri. You said you’d come.”

“I know but I have a job to do. You want me to have a car, don’t you?”

“Not when it cuts into some serious shopping time. Maybe you could ask your dad to get a car instead? A car is just as good as a truck,” she leaned against my locker and pouted. “Please Ri, I need to get that dress.”

“Sorry,” after years of getting to know Lacey, I became immune to her persuasion. “I can’t. Ask Jasmine. Where is Jasmine, by the way?” I asked.

She shrugged, “probably trying to figure out a way to get more funny-looking clothes. You know she has no taste in fashion.”

“But she won best dress,” I said.

“On a technicality,” Lacey smirked. “Everyone knows I was too sick to enter so they felt pity for Jasmine.”

“You think it’s good to talk about your own friend?”

“I’m not talking about her. I’m just stating a fact,” she circled around me. “I can’t help it if people love me and will do whatever they have to-to make me happy.”