Down The Highway

Chapter Thirty-Six

My phone was ringing over and over. Jannet keeps calling me. It was nearly eight in the evening of a usual Friday night. Dinner is done and now all that I am doing is reading a book titled They Both Died In The End. A popular book which Maureen recommended to me.

Just from the title, I already knew that it's a tragic story. That's why I tried it. I like non-happy ending stories, especially the tragic ones. I feel like they are telling the truth that life has no happy ending. In other words, happy ever after doesn't exist and it is just a fictional thing.

Sparks, sparks. Wake up! Reality is bad but we have to wake up from our dreams, imaginations, expectations, and fantasies, or else, we would be disappointed. I took a deep sigh, I couldn't take it anymore so I immediately grabbed my phone and answered Jannet's call.

"Girl, you've been calling so many times! I'm busy!" I closed the book.

"And you aren't picking up. Well, anyway, get ready, we are going to pick you up for the party tonight!" She said excitedly. I rolled my eyes.

"What? Wait, I-" but before I say a single word next to that, she ended the call already.

I don't want to be a killjoy. Of course, I have to be with my friends at the party. "Ugh!" I expressed as I stood up and made my way to my closet to find an outfit for the party. I haven't attended one since the time that Travis and I met at Myrna's boyfriend's party.

Parties are just not my thing. I like them but not that much. It is not as cool as a party I want. Drugs, alcohol, kissing and dancing with strangers, flirting, fighting, and danger. Are those fun? Not. Somehow some people find those things fun but I don't. Everyone is different. And I am casually cruel and different.

After wearing a black oversized shirt and brown pants, I heard a beep from the outside. I narrowed over the window and found Jannet's car waiting. I immediately grabbed my phone and hid it in my pocket as I made my way down our empty staircase.

Mom and dad were not yet home, I had dinner by myself. I expected them to arrive at midnight since that is their usual arrival on Fridays. I was free to do whatever I want in the house and so I didn't find it hard to escape and go to this party.

Sometimes they allow me to go to parties, and sometimes they don't. "Woo hoo! Here comes our girl!!" Maureen yelled excitedly as I held my head down after seeing an old woman look at us. I went inside the car and sat in between Myrna and Maureen.

Jannet would drive. Not a good driver or the best one but the only one among us who has a driver's license. I don't even know how to ride a bike so it's impossible for me to get my car in the shortest time.

I leaned at the back of the seat as I found Jannet looking at me with a smile through the mirror above her. Suddenly, my phone rang and vibrated from my pocket so I grabbed it. I found Dylan's name on the screen so I didn't hesitate anymore to answer it.

"Going to the party tonight, babe?" He introduced.

"Umm, yeah. With Jannet, Myrna, and Maureen" I wondered where he got the information about it.

"Okay, just take care of yourself and be careful. I already told Nolan to take care of you since he's the host tonight. Enjoy and have fun but not too much fun!" He stated.

I smiled in the background but didn't say my next words. Instead, I ended the call and just placed my phone back in my pocket. Time flies snd people changes. Some people change, but some people don't. The bad becomes good but in some cases, the good ones are hiding under some lies.

"You two make me want to have a boyfriend," Maureen said as if we were the best couple. For no reason, I don't even miss him that much but I am sure that he misses me so much.

"I want a man who can treat me like that. Would even ask a friend to take care of his boyfriend" I blushed a little after Maureen said those words. She's right. Dylan is very kind, almost perfect far away from how he was before. But seriously, I never thought he would be my boyfriend.

Maybe he already thought of that before since I've seen how much he liked me ever since then. "We're here!!" Jannet stopped the car and parked it in front of an unfamiliar house.

The first thing that caught my attention was the colorful lights bouncing and bumping through each other. Then there was this infinite count of people drinking, talking to each other, playing games, and some were doing things that honestly shouldn't be mentioned out loud.

But all I did was scatter my eyes around the bunch of people around me. I was just behind the girls since I knew no one in the house. After scanning each visitor, I finally found someone familiar. From afar, I saw Travis. But we were in a public place so I considered calling him Shawn in my mind.

I didn't want to walk to him and talk or anything else like that which would lead me to a conversation with him so I ignored him. Even if I was trying to, I couldn't stop watching him each second as he kept on talking to a group of boys our age.

Still, I couldn't focus because of the very loud music and the dirty topic of the two boys beside me. "Girl! You're so stuck in there! Come on and let's have fun," Myrna said while dancing to the loud music and inserting her fingers through her hair. I am not the type of girl who would just dance in front of a lot of people like that.

Not shy but uncomfortable.