The Consequences of Hell Week (Blue Ridge)

Chapter 7: Unexpected Visitors

Thursday was the day I made a bad decision. A decision that would cost me a week of no skiing or snowboarding. A decision that would cost me a college scholarship. A decision that I spent a full week hating myself for.

My parents and the doctors made me stay home from school ever since. Sitting in my house all day every day was driving me stir crazy.

I was miserable enough that I actually wanted to go back to school just to have something to do.

My mother spent all of her time home from work hovering. I knew she was trying to help, but her treating me like I was fragile or incapable was driving me crazy. She wouldn't let me do basic tasks and it was killing me.

Mason had tried to come over several times, but with all the hovering he couldn't come by without being caught.

Finally exactly one week later when I thought I was going to start banging my concussed and stapled head against the wall just to stop the boredom, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door to see Mason's girlfriend Kristen standing on my front steps with a huge grin on her face.

"Oh boy. I don't trust that mischievous twinkle in your eye. What did Mason do now? Did he convince Jayden that they switched the girls' and boys' bathrooms again?" I gestured for her to come inside.

"No, but it wouldn't surprise me if Jayden fell for that one again. I've never met someone more gullible than that child. I'm actually here for you" she tossed her bag on the floor and went digging through my coat closet.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding you a coat and a pair of shoes. We're going shopping. The Make a Wish Gala is in two days and you still don't have a dress" she tried to help me put on my coat, which only made me feel incompetent. I politely declined her help and put my shoes and coat on myself. I felt fine, well half the time I went fine, and I just wanted people to stop treating me like I was broken.

"I told you I'm not going. If they won't let me go to school, there's no way they're letting me go to a dumb Gala, so that's about the only good thing that came out of all of this" I plopped back down on the couch.

"Mason told me your dad put you on the attendance list, so I hate to break it to you, but you're going. Unless you're going to wear a flannel, you're going to have to come shopping with me. I'll buy you Chipotle, and if bribery doesn't work, then Mason is going to come over here and drag you to the mall with me. Your call" Kristen's smile did not match her threat at all. Maybe dress shopping isn't threatening to most people, but it is to me.

"Fine. I'll go, but I won't like it" I peeled myself off the couch and followed her out to her car.

"Too sparkly, too pink, too frilly, too many ruffles, feathers? Are you kidding me? Who puts feathers on a dress? What am I a chicken? This is-"

"Sienna would you keep your voice down? The store owner can hear you" Kristen hushed me, but she wasn't doing a great job of containing her laughter.

"I'm sorry, but these are all way too over the top" I flicked another dress down the rack. Kristen pulled a floor length, gold, shimmery dress with a beaded neckline off the rack and held it up for me to see.

"No way. I don't do sparkles. I'd look like a disco ball in that" I shook my head adamantly.

"I meant for me. I happen to like looking like a disco ball. I'm glad you approve" she chuckled before putting the dress over her arm, clearly not letting my comment stop her from picking the dress she liked.

"Shoot Kristen, I'm sorry. I meant that I'd look like a disco ball, but I'm sure you'll look amazing" I tried to pull my foot out of my mouth.

"Don't worry about it. I think I found a dress that will finally make you happy" Kristen shoved a hanger into my hand and pushed me into a dressing room before I could protest. I pulled the dress over my head and stepped out of the dressing room without even looking at what I had put on.

Kristen was standing there in her gold dress looking stunning.

"It fits you like a glove. It's absolutely perfect. Do you like it?" she oohed and ahhed over my dress like it was some painting.

"I don't know. Where's a mirror?" I looked around, confused. Online shopping was my best friend. Less time, effort, and no having to try stuff on.

Kristen pulled me over to one of the mirrors. I was wearing a floor length, solid, black dress. The neckline in the front came all the way up to my neck, but the back was completely open. No extra frills.

"Wow. You were right. I do like it" I stared at my reflection, thoroughly shocked. It took about two seconds for the dress effect to wear off, "alright, thank God that's over. Let's go get food"

I didn't mind the fact that Kristen probably thought I was crazy for deciding so fast or being so against this whole thing because twenty minutes later I had a Chipotle burrito in front of me.

"So what's the deal with you and Turner?" Kristen's question almost made me spew burrito everywhere.

"What are you talking about?" there was no way she knew about how he kissed me. I hadn't told anyone, not even Mason, especially not Mason. He would lose his mind if he found out about that.

"Oh please. He's been asking Mason about how you're doing every single day. Clearly there's something going on. You're not that concerned about your friend's cousin that you've only met a handful of times" she insisted.

"He's been asking about me? That's impossible. He and I don't get along"

"Every single day. If it wasn't for your dad I'm sure he would've shown up at your house to check up on you. So spill, what's going on between you two?" Kristen's kind and trustworthy look almost made me spill my soul to her, but then I remembered that she's Mason's girlfriend. Like I said before, Mason can't know.

"Nothing is going on. He's rude, conceited, and he finds joy in messing with my head. I don't want anything to do with him, and now that Hell Week is over the only thing I have to do is avoid him at school and my life can go back to being Turner Sorenson free" I frowned when Kristen started laughing, "what's so funny?"

"Guess who's going to be at the Gala with Mason, Jayden, and I?"

"First of all can't we just call it an event not a Gala? And second if you say Turner is going to be there, I'm definitely not going" I crossed my arms in defiance.

"Oh Sienna, Turner is definitely going and I hate to break it to you, but so are you. This is going to be quite a night"

That Friday was my first day back at school. I made it through the first two classes just fine, but at my locker on my way to third period, I started getting really dizzy.

I leaned forward and rested my head inside my locker to try and stop my head from spinning.

After a minute I felt like I could stand up without falling over, but before I had the chance, I heard voices fifteen feet down the hall from me that made me shove my head farther behind my locker door.

"I heard she's back" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Jayden's groaned.

"Dang it. The past few days without having to hear her annoying, bossy voice have been nice, I'm not going to lie" Turner's unmistakable voice agreed.

"Oh come on. She's not that bad" Jayden tried to reason with him.

"We both know she's irritating. She never stops talking long enough to let someone get a word in edge wise or even present another opinion" Turner was adamant. I couldn't deny that his words stung. Idiots didn't even look around the hallway before they started bashing on me.

The bell rang. I was going to be late if I didn't get moving. It would be so much easier to just hide here until they left, but with third period open it didn't look like they were going to move any time soon.

I took a deep breath, slammed my locker shut, jammed the lock on, and stalked past them.

"Hey Sienna. You're back! How're you feeling?" Turner lightly grabbed my arm as I practically ran past them.

"Don't do that. Don't pretend like you care, you two faced jerk" I spat before wrenching my arm out of his grasp and marching down the hall.

Pictures of Kristen and Sienna's dresses are posted above the chapter. Which one would you wear?

Next chapter is the Gala, we'll see how that goes. Let me know what you think will happen! Don't forget to vote!