[ e i g h t ]
31st December 2007.
New Year's Eve.
Ashleigh hated New Year's Eve. No, she didn't hate it. She despised this particular date.
It was supposed to be a delightful day, where everyone would be swarming into the city. They would be in a state of bliss, in spite of the fact that it was boiling hot. The vast majority of the girls would be donned in sun dresses, and several boys would be topless.
Sunglasses were worn everywhere, and everyone was pumped for the new year to arrive. Parties were being held, and the suburb's playground was filled with kids, running around.
Ashleigh looked out the window of the car, watching the other kids jump around with elastics. It was a connected rope which would hook around two people ankles, and the kid jumping would have to get everything correct, before going to the next level.
"England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, inside, outside, inside, on."
"Aw man! I didn't get it on!" a girl pouted.
Ashleigh wished she could be one of the girl's friends. She would be able to have an experience where she wouldn't be caught up in a mess with Deborah.
Her dad parked the car, after roughly thirty minutes, which had proved to be a tedious period of time.
"Daddy, can I have some ice cream?" she asked, tugging on her father's shirt.
"Sure, sweetie. Which flavour?"
"Chocolate!" she exclaimed, grinning.
"Okay, wait here. I'll buy you one."
Ashleigh leaned against the pole behind her, and stared out at the harbour. Ships and ferries were going out and coming in, and she watched people board the ferries.
She inhaled the whiff of sea breeze, when the wind blew over.
"What kind of clothes are you wearing?"
The blonde girl turned around, only to see a boy slightly taller than me. He had blue eyes and spiky black hair, and it was evident that he used an excessive amount of hair gel for this day. He held a mint ice cream in his hand, and licked some of it, waiting for her response.
"A dress," she replied.
"It looks ugly on you."
"No it doesn't!" she exclaimed, in defense.
"Yes, it does, but I know how to make it look better," the boy suggested.
"How?"
He threw his ice cream cone onto her. What she didn't know was that his peers were coming up, and doing the same thing.
"Stop it!" she protested, many times.
But the boys were relentless. Ice cream stuck to her hair, some going into her eyes. Her dress was a gooey mess, with different shades and flavours of ice cream stuck to it.
Her dress was ruined.
-
When the fireworks started, everyone was screaming, and jumping in joy. Ashleigh covered her ears, attempting to block out the roaring of people beside her and the loud racket that the fireworks created. She wasn't enjoying this.
Fireworks were scary.
To her, at least.
A few girls around her giggled, seeing Ashleigh in such a vulnerable state like this. They teased her.
Scaredy cat.
Wimp.
Wuss.
Weener.
Her self esteem slowly diminished, as she continued watching the booming fireworks.
As the fireworks died down, Ashleigh felt a spark land on her bicep. Pain shot through her arm, as she realised the spark was from the firework.
