Painted Pretty ♡

twenty-eight ♡

Time was doing this weird, jumbled dance, like it got stuck in a sand timer. Everyone around me was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming homecoming dance. For me, though, it was like we'd hit the fast-forward button, and suddenly, bam – it's the day before the big event. Friday, right now, and the dance? That's tomorrow. And guess what? I haven't even got a dress yet.

School had finally let out, and I found myself squeezed into Stephanie's car with Nea. She'd been sweet enough to swing by and scoop us up this morning because, guess what? We had plans – epic plans to hit the thrift stores.

"Dude, seriously, Trey pulling that stunt today? I legit had to smack his head. Who does he think he is?" Nea was venting, her irritation palpable. "Honestly, clout turns people into the weirdest creatures."

I held up my phone and pressed record, flipping the camera on us. Stephanie leaned over from the driver's seat, flashing a peace sign and sticking her tongue out. We all cracked up, and I wasted no time uploading it to my TikTok. My followers hadn't ditched me yet; it looked like my five minutes of fame wasn't fading away just yet. "Bloop!" I said, shooting our silliness out into the digital cosmos. "As for Trey, he can think whatever he wants. If he's out to spread rumors that I slid into his DMs first, let him. I've got the receipts, and I'm not afraid to use 'em if things get out of hand." I started screen shotting everything, because these days people would say anything, true or not.

Sure, it was only a matter of days that I went viral, but gossip and rumors already started to spread like a wildfire. Honestly, I'd grown tired of fighting back unless the lies were completely outlandish.

"Listen, Ari, we can't let chasers like him mess up your image. Your engagement is skyrocketing, while I can barely rack up more than 300 views on my vids," Nea chimed in, waving her hands dramatically.

"We'll snag a selfie, and I'll tag you, alright?" I suggested, and Nea grinned.

"Hey, don't forget to tag me in that vid," Stephanie piped up, starting the car and pulling away.

"I seriously need to figure out what to wear for tomorrow. When does the thrift store close today?"

"I think it's open till like 8 or 9. No worries, we got you. We're gonna roll in there, fingers ready to take down the many racks of clothes until we find that mind-blowing dress that'll leave people floored." Nea's imagination was firing up, like she was scripting some video game mission.

I could practically hear the triumphant music in the background – that "choose your warrior" tune, mixed with the Super Smash Bros theme. In my mental game chair, I had two choices: Stephanie, the Instagram queen, or Nea, a Pink Power Ranger who radiated positivity and sparkles, almost like a character from Sailor Moon. Then there was me, caught in the middle of the fantasy, trying to decide who'd be the ultimate contender for this epic battle.

Before I could pick a warrior for this thrift store mission, Stephanie had already parked, she stepped out of the car closing the door, Nea soon following her. Paul was busy seeing his patients throughout the day, and we had decided to meet up for the Homecoming game tonight, the school was also getting ready to announce the homecoming King and Queen for the year. I decided to just wear what I was already wearing to the game tonight which was just a flannel, some skinny jeans and vans. "Come on, Ari!" Stephanie waved for me to get out the car, but I received a text from Peter:

Peter: Hey there..

Ari: Oh, hi! So, guess what? Tomorrow's the big homecoming dance. Tonight's the game, so I wasn't sure if you wanted to meet tonight or tomorrow?

Peter: Oh, I see. No worries, I can totally wait. How about we catch up after the dance? Feels like it's been forever since we really talked. Hope everything's been good on your end...