Buying Happiness

Chapter 2

After school, Aleeah came up to Dreylyn and asked, "Do you want to go shopping at the mall this afternoon?" She batted her thick, mascara-caked eyelashes pleadingly. "A bunch of other pops are going. I heard Lexine's even gonna be there."
Dreylyn couldn't put her finger on it, but something was bugging her. Something deep down in her heart was fluttering. She was determined to find out what it was. Since shopping always made her feel better, she agreed to go. "Alright," she said. Aleeah laughed, knowing that she could always make her friend cave when it came to the mall. The two parted ways and drove off.
Dreylyn pressed the button on her screen to turn on her favorite radio station: Pure Pop 107.3. This was the only station she ever listened to. Suddenly, her fake fingernail skidded across the screen and her finger slipped. The station turned to ChristianPop 22.5. "No! Ugh, stupid low-tech car," Dreylyn screamed. The radio was blaring out a seemingly good song. It was actually pretty catchy.
Dreylyn listened to the lyrics intently: "I will cast my cares on You. You're the anchor of my hope. The only One who's in control. I will cast my cares on You. I'll trade the troubles of this world for Your peace inside my soul."
"Christians make no sense," she said to herself. "They're all like, 'Trust God' and 'God loves you' and stuff. But when you actually try to trust Him, He doesn't respond at all. How can they believe in someone they can't even communicate with?" Dreylyn turned off the music. She sighed, and drove the rest of the way to the mall in silence.
* * *
"Hey girls!"
Dreylyn greeted her group of "friends" warmly. This consisted of Renae Quimby, a high-school varsity volleyball player; Lexine Carter, Dreylyn's rival for student body president; Jessi Fredrick, a gorgeous blonde cheerleader, Lauryn Little, an all-around genius (who somehow managed to be popular, even though she was a nerd), and Aleeah. Dreylyn secretly despised all these girls except for, of course, Aleeah. She only hung around them to maintain her status as a "pop".
Dreylyn and her clique walked around the mall, "taking a peek" into stores and coming out with shopping bags full of clothes and makeup. Dreylyn bought about five different sweaters, a couple pairs of jeans, and some adorable boots she just HAD to get; along with some new mascara (even though she had about 10 tubes at home), peach lip gloss, and an eyeshadow palette.
After their wallets were about empty, they grabbed whatever they had leftover and bought a drink at Starbucks. Dreylyn got a caramel macchiato frappuccino, and sipped happily as she and her friends chatted about all the drama happening at school.
"Did you hear that Wendy and Steven are talking?"
"Yeah, Kenzie told me that Jordan said he saw them together at Olive Garden."
"They would be so cute together!"
"Oh, did you hear about Brock?"
"Oh yeah, didn't he write profanity all over the guys' bathroom?"
"Yeah, Principal West was SO mad. He made Brock skip football practice for two months!"
As Dreylyn tuned in and out to this chatter, she couldn't help but think about her run-in with Courtney earlier at school. Courtney was so cheerful all the time. It annoyed Dreylyn, but at the same time, it made her wonder. Could I be that happy? She wanted to be kind to people; she wanted to be a nice person, but it was hard when you were so popular. Everyone expected Dreylyn to be a jerk, so she was. What would happen if she suddenly changed? Would she lose her popularity? Dreylyn didn't want to think about it anymore. She sipped her frappuccino and tried not to wonder what would happen if she was as sweet as Courtney.
* * *
After the girls finished their drinks and gossip, they headed back home. Dreylyn left her friends and drove over to get ready for her date with Ash that night. They were going to see a new movie called Busted Hearts, and Dreylyn had been anxious to spend time with Ash. Maybe seeing him would put her mind a little more at ease.
Dreylyn entered her house with a fake smile plastered onto her beautiful face. "Hey, Mom, I'm home!" she yelled out. There was no answer. "Mom?" Dreylyn searched the house for her mother, but there was no sign of her. There was a note on the refridgerator in the kitchen that said,
Dreylyn,
I'll be home in a few hours. Your dad and I are going on a date tonight. Have fun with Asher! Love you!
Mom
Dreylyn set the note on the kitchen counter and sighed. She wouldn't let this get to her. She would still have a fun time with Ash. Running to her room, she decided to get ready for her date.
Dreylyn picked out a cute red romper, some pearl dangle earrings, and straightened her hair, then added a cat-eye eyeliner and a little pink blush, along with peach lipstick. She grabbed her brown wedges, her pink clutch, and was all set. She heard Ash pull up in his Mustang, and greeted him outside.
"Good evening, m'lady," Ash said as he took Dreylyn's hand and ushered her to her seat in his car. He opened the door for her and motioned for her to step in. She giggled. "You're too kind, dear sir," she laughed. Ash smiled, dimples showing, and started the car.
Dreylyn noticed that Ash wasn't driving to the local movie theater right away. "Ash, where are we going?" she asked, smiling. "You'll see," he said with a wink.
Ash pulled up next to a sign that said, Wimbledon Park, Est. 1933. There were a few scattered trees in the distance, a playground next to the sign, and what seemed to be a trail leading into the trees. "Let's go on a nature walk," he said to her, grabbing her hand and leading her into the forest. Dreylyn laughed as Ash dodged trees and almost tripped over a rock twice.
"Here we are."
Dreylyn stared at a beautiful old wooden bridge. "Oh my gosh, Ash, this is so cute!" she said with a gasp. The forest surrounded them in one big gulp as they crossed the bubbling creek. Ash held Dreylyn's hand as she walked over the bridge. At the end, Dreylyn tripped over the last wooden step, and flung her entire body . . . right into Ash's caring arms.
They looked at each other, smiling, and Ash leaned in, about to kiss Dreylyn.
"Wait!" Dreylyn screamed, and immediately Ash pulled back. "What?" Ash asked awkwardly. Dreylyn just didn't feel like it was right for her to kiss Ash, even though she had done it a million times before. She had this odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her want to throw up. It's just not right, Dreylyn thought. "I'm sorry, Ash. I guess I just wasn't feeling it. Please don't be mad."
Ash frowned. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Dreylyn. I try to be all romantic and take you to this dump. You could have at least repaid me with a little peck on the cheek!" Ash let go of Dreylyn, causing her to almost fall face-first in the dirt. Thankfully, she caught herself.
"I'm leaving," Ash said as he started to walk away. "Good luck finding a ride home."
Dreylyn was stuck there. She had no way of getting back home, and no way of stopping Ash once his mind was made up. What was a girl to do?
Wow. Chapter 2 completed. This is crazy, guys. It's taking me forever to finish chapters now. School has been tough; really tough. I apologize in advice for my lack of updating on "Juniper's Diary" and also "The Sister's Sacrifice".
What do you think of Ash? Team Ashlyn (Ash and Dreylyn), or nah? He kinda left Dreylyn in the dust, didn't he?
So guys, I have a confession. I don't know what's going to happen next. I know what
the ending's gonna be, but I haven't figured out the middle part yet. So if y'all have any ideas, PM me!
Thanks for being patient with me and thanks for the reads, comments, and votes! Love y'all to death! -theyellowpanda01