A puppeteer's yellow shirt

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by Teardroplies

by Teardroplies

3 years earlier

Rain tumbled down the window of the barn, smudging my view of my family's overly extravagant backyard. Squinting, I tried to detect a flicker of white blonde hair or maybe bleached teeth, but everything was cloaked with a thick layer of darkness. I tilted my head to the left, tuning in to the rhythmic splashes of rain on the roof, trying to distinguish possible footsteps from thunder, but eventually giving up, with a frustrated flick of my hair. I looked back around at my other friends - Hanna, Aria and Emily, and raised my eyebrow.

"She must be late." Emily whispered nervously fiddling with her bracelet embroided with her name, she glanced at the rest of us. All of us have the same bracelet, with our names in rectangular writing on the top. Ali liked to make us wear them sort of like a reminder to keep our secrets, but to the rest of us use it as a promise of our friendship, and we wear them everyday, as if we would fall apart if we forgot. It's a bit ridiculous, but considering way we have being acting towards each other - secretive and closed off - it makes sense.

We all nodded with agreement but I wasn't so sure. Ali had to be outside. She just wants to make a "grand entrance", I thought bitterly. She would probably show up in half an hour, her hair windswept, but somehow still curled and perfect, and going on about how she was just talking to a boy who wants to meet up with her. She would then look at us expectantly, before being swept away with a stampede of compliments, jealousy and admiration.

"C'mon guys! We don't need Ali to have fun!" I said way too cheerfully. Everyone nodded, but unenthusiastically. Everything went silent again "Oh, Hanna, I think Sean broke up with what's-her-name." I tried desperately , completely changing the subject.

"Oh la la, when are you asking him out on a date?" Aria teased, wagging Pigtunia in front of Hanna's face, who had perked up considerably, like she always did at the mention of her 'one true love'. "You better do it now. I don't think I could stand another hour of listening to you obsess about him." Aria finished loudly, glaring at Hanna with her enormous hazel eyes.

"Shut up!" Hanna jumped out of her seat, but she was laughing. She brushed her dirty blonde hair off her eyes with her chubby hands, and grinned a-dork-ably at Aria "Besides, if I do get together with him - if I do - it would only get worse."

"The woman's got a point," I smiled at Aria, who had begun fiddling with the pink stripes in her hair. "What do you think Em? Should Hanna pop the question?"

Hanna laughed, "Okay, I'm not marrying him-"

"Shush Han, Em is the expert in relationships in this barn we need her advice quick," Aria gestured at Emily, in mock impatience.

Emily rolled her brown eyes, the ones which she was always complaining about how boring they were. For a moment I thought that Emily was still angry about what I had said about Ali yesterday, but then she grinned. "Uh, well in my expert opinion I think that you should wait a little while. He might still be sad about-"

Aria interrupted Emily; "Ugh, Emily I'm sorry to say you're too nice. Hanna, this is what I want you to do-" After a while I stopped listening to Aria's extremely inspirational pep talk and started thinking about how relieved I was that we are finally getting along. It has being such a long time since we have laughed together, or even sat in the same room together without running outside to send a text or "go to the bathroom". It feels like one of those feel good movies where the friends are at a sleepover having a pillow fight or playing truth or dare, with that catchy music that Emily likes to listen to when she runs playing in the background. Maybe, I think hopefully, we will be able to forget about the Jenna Thing and get back to -

Suddenly, with a loud crash, all of the lights in the barn shut off. We shrieked, and glanced at each other nervously.

"Who's out there? Is that -"

But I clamped my mouth shut when I noticed that the barn door was slowing swinging open .....

A/N WOW THAT SUCKS. THS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN U TRY AND WRITE AT 2:30 AM.😂