The Teenage Guide To Popularity [COMPLETE]

Chapter 7: My Generation,

Imagine getting a nasty cold the night before a major event. In the case of Leigh, she didn't have to imagine. Her outfit had been picked out, dry cleaned and hung up on her closet door; her hair had been freshly crimped, courtesy of her Gold N' Hot crimping iron, with feather clips of various colours laid out, ready for the attachment. Now it all seemed like a perfect fairytale, instead of tomorrow's reality.

As Leigh curled up on the couch in the living room, sipping on some hot, honey-filled lemon water, several thoughts raced across her fuzzy mind. First, she would miss the chance to see Kiran Jones play. She had been looking forward to it, and had promised herself she would congratulate him with a massive, passionate kiss on the lips right after the first song. She had envisioned something like the kiss between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Second, she wouldn't be able to show off her awesome outfit; a fabulous black spandex mini dress, a crop-top leather jacket, fingerless fishnet gloves, and layers upon layers of necklaces.

The Fates had decided to make her sick, thereby ruining her whole fantasy.

Leigh had decided to tell Carter of her misfortune at the last possible second. She wanted to wait it out, hoping it was just a twelve-hour spell, but alas, no such luck. So on Saturday afternoon she picked up the phone and dialed her best friend's number.

"How am I supposed to go through it on my own?" Carter said. "You were supposed to be my right-hand man... woman."

"You don't need me," said Leigh, even more depressed after hearing the strain in Carter's voice. "You're gonna do fine, and it's gonna be awesome."

"Why did you have to go and get sick?"

"Trust me, I'm more upset about this than you are. I don't even get to show off my cute new outfit."

"And that's another thing, you were supposed to help me get dressed."

"Why don't you come here instead? Bring some clothes, and you can try on some of my stuff as well.." It would certainly help lift Leigh's own spirits. Dressing someone up was an art form to Leigh. Carter was her blank canvas and the clothes were endless possibilities of colour. 

"Leigh, you're a lifesaver. I'll be there in an hour."

Exactly one hour later, because Carter had the uncanny ability to be precisely on-time for everything, the doorbell rang. Leigh rose from the couch, a thick blanket wrapped around her, and headed for the door. Her head felt heavy and her eyes begged her to go to sleep, though her heart wouldn't allow it. She was determined to help Carter get ready.

"Here, I brought you some chicken soup," said Carter after Leigh had swung the door open. "Your parents aren't home?"

"No. They had some company retreat thing. My mom wanted to stay home for me but I made her go."

"That was nice of you. I would've made her stay and cook for me," Carter said with a smile.

The two friends headed for Leigh's bedroom. "I've decided to let you wear the outfit I was supposed to wear."

"What? I told you, no pink tutus."

"It's not a pink tutu. It's a little black dress. Trust me, you'll look awesome. And don't worry, you can skip the leather jacket and fishnet gloves... and crimped hair."

"You know, you should really consider joining this decade."

"What for? It's so boring. Our generation needs a shake-up," Leigh exclaimed. She was proud of her style, and she wasn't going to change it for anyone. Though she knew Carter always meant it in a light, joking manner, the rest of the students at Newton High weren't always so understanding.