Fake Smile, Real Smile

Chapter 1

"I'm just so sick of everything.. I don't even care about my virginity anymore!" Liza said dramatically as she layed on the sidewalk, her bouncy brown curls next to her best friend Brianna's wavy blonde hair. They had just walked out of the teen group dance and were wearing dresses, Bri's a pretty floral pattern of pink and yellow and Liza's a lace black and magenta. The girls couldn't be more opposite, not just in looks but in personality, somehow they fit perfectly together. "Oh come on that's not true..." replied Brianna. "Seriously Bri, I'm so tired of trying, there aren't any good guys out there anyway, it's horrible! there are only two kinds of guys around here creeps and ones who don't even know where babies come from! " Liza said laughing ironically as Brianna joined in. "Seriously I'm going to break soon.. I want to just go do whatever, drink, smoke, sleep around..I wish I wasn't so damn smart!" Liza said half kidding and Brianna replied with a short "Ha". Liza continued "It's a curse! I just want to be blissfully unaware and just be stupid sometimes you know?! I'm just so stressed and I need an outlet!" "I know you, and that's not you. You know in the end you're better off doing what you think is right.. and not just giving it all away. You say you're going to do this stuff but you never do, you're better than that." said Brianna encouragingly. " I'm not better than anything.." said Liza under her breath.

It was almost time to leave and Liza spotted Brianna's brother William, and sister Lily, it was time to get to Williams old firebird that she often teased him about and head back to Bri's house. When they got to the car Liza was about to sit in the back with Brianna when Lily said she was tired and wanted to be in back where it was more comfortable, so Liza got in the passenger seat next to William. " So Bri did you dance with any guys tonight?" Will said giving her a cheesy grin. " No, of course not the guys around here never ask!" replied Brianna, annoyed that her crush Lucas had ignored her the whole night as usual. "Yeah, nobody asked me either.. I would have danced with you, if you asked." Said Liza looking away from Will and not quite sure why, she was unusually aware of his presence, she could feel him so close to her. " Oh I'm sorry, I would have asked you but I wasn't sure if it would be weird cause we're like brother and sister you know?" Replied William. " Ha no, we aren't really brother and sister, and it's just dancing." said Liza. " Well I'm sorry and I'll be sure to ask you next time." William said smiling that smile again but slightly more mischievous this time.

They pulled up to the house and went upstairs to Brianna and Lily's room, Liza plopped herself face first down on the bed before saying " My feet are killing me! We barely even danced.. just jump around like idiots the whole time.. it hurts, ah!" Brianna replied " I know!" as they both laughed and whined simultaneously. "I bet your feet don't hurt, since you were being all sulky in the corner the whole time instead of err.. "dancing".." Liza said to Lily. " Hey, I danced!" Lily replied half insulted. "You were thinking about Greg weren't you?" Lily stuffed her head in the pillow and girlishly screamed, a seemingly happy and frustrated sound all at once, then popped just her eyes out from under the pillow and said " No.." and then continued to spazz. "Right.. okay..I suppose you DON'T want to barrow my phone to text him now?" said Liza trying not to smile too big. "No.." said Lily as Liza threw the phone at her with a straight face that was hard to pull off and headed downstairs for a midnight snack with Brianna.

They woke up the next day, tangled up together, Bri's arm over Liza's face. " Ugh Bri!" Liza said as she pushed Bri's arm off of her. Bri replied with a mumble and fell back to sleep as Liza sat up. Liza headed downstairs alone, she was perfectly comfortable with roaming the house and raiding the fridge by herself, of course she couldn't find anything, they never had any food! Liza heard a car pull up and ran up stairs to get ready to go home, threw on extra clothes she had stashed in her friends closet, grabbed her stuff, kicked her sleeping best friend's butt goodbye as Bri let out a groan and said " uh.. go away!" and headed out the door smiling at the thought of their friendship.

As she rode away from the house that day her smile quickly became a frown.. she walked into her own house to hear her family fighting, as usual. Her mom was mad at her, this time for not answering her texts, her phone had died and she was usually over there, so why was her mother angry? Because everyone in her family was angry. She grabbed a bowl of frosted mini wheats and hurried outside. Liza loved being outside, even when all the birds or crickets were being loud.. it seemed so peaceful. She liked to eat her breakfast on the porch and just pretend for a few minutes that it wasn't always a mess inside and it wasn't her job alone to clean it up. Later that day her parents went out and Liza decided to do an extra good job on the kitchen, she put on some Disney music and danced around, and sang while organizing and cleaning every bit of the kitchen, in hopes that her mom would be proud. Instead when she got home.. her mom told her " Well you should be doing this everyday.. should I be impressed?" Liza put on an angry face and yelled " You never appreciate anything!" went to her room, and sobbed uncontrollably for hours, she looked at herself in the mirror to see her swollen face, she somehow couldn't stop looking, and thinking to herself "How pathetic you are, Liza? Why would anyone love you?"