Outcoming

no

"I'm not going."

"You are"

"Not"

"Are"

"I swear Nancy you're coming to this party whether I have to force strip you myself and tie you up while I do your hair and make up." My best friend Carter stated in a voice that basically signaled a ending to this battle and that I'd lost yet another argument against her.

"Okay, but I get to pick out what I wear."

"Nope, sorry Nan, you have no style, and if I gave you the choice you'd wear the same dark jeans, a cheap band tee and your 'oh so precious' converse, plus I already brought you over something to wear from le closet de carter, you're welcome." I hate her. I mean sure I may not flip through magazines to keep up with the latest trends and live for online shopping, but I mean she couldn't put it in a better choice of words? Sure it's plain old Nancy, the one with huge glasses, long brown curls dragging down her back, never spotted out of her home, has never had a boyfriend, and one friend , hence the one dragging me outside of my humble home to a raging high school after party, held by the one and only Percy Adams. 

"Shower now, and wash your hair with this." She says pulling bottles of shampoo and conditioner out of the duffle bag she brought along with her. I mumble a line of swear words and self pity on my way to the bathroom in my room stripping myself and getting into the shower. I scrub the grease out of my hair with the lovely tropical smelling shampoo and conditioner.

"SHAVE YOUR BODY" I hear Carter shout to me, and there follows another line of swears from me as I pull out my razor from my shower caddie and shave my legs and underarms.Once I finish 20 minutes later I wrap myself in a towel and re-enter my bedroom seeing Carter set up for my what I consider torture. Various curling and flat irons, lipstick ,eyeliner, mascara, lined up along the ends of my dresser and a bag of clothes dumped on my bed. Just then a thought popped into my head , an excuse to get out of the party.

"Um Carter, how are we supposed to get to the party without my parents knowing ?" I could possibly have the world's strictest parents. This is why I am here today, because they never let me leave the house until all work is done and I have emailed my teachers asking for possible extra credit. Which by the time I finish 10 page papers and about 30 worksheets, I'm exhausted and longer have the thrill to leave the house.

"Shit, you're going to this party some way , somehow whether I have to sneak you out or not." She declares.

"I've got it, you're staying the night at my house, I know all your work is done and you've already emailed your teachers and since they obviously allow me over here , they have to allow you over my house I mean, come on parents love me." To think Carter actually had a point. I mean they couldn't actually say no. But I really didn't want to go.

" You can always stay here and we just watch The Notebook ?" Using her dying obsession with Ryan Gosling as bait. But she wouldn't take it, I could tell by the look in her eye that we were going to this party.

"Get dressed in your regular clothes and pack an overnight bag while I pack up, we're going to ask your parents." I threw on some randomly tossed jeans and a beatles t shirt and watched her re-pack her bag placing everything back in place. We went down stairs, my parents sitting on the couch watching the Geographic Channel side by side with a bowl of popcorn in between them.

" Mom, Dad" They kept watching the screen and I knew this meant they were deep into the show and wait until commercial. In the next minute a commercial came on.

"Mom, Dad" I said again.

"Yes Nancy"

"Well, Carter and I were wondering if I can stay the night at her house just until tomorrow around noon, and before you say no all homework is done, I've emailed my teachers for extra credit ,and there are no upcoming quizzes or test in the next week or two." My dad turned around to face me, my mom still focused on the screen.

"Well what is at Carter's house that you guys can't do here. Carter always stay the night." I coughed and glanced at Carter, because lord knows I'm the worst liar.

"Well, Mr.Burchell my parents are having a fall get together and they adore Nancy , so of course they wanted me to invite her. But they also need help setting up, so I volunteered to help and I knew Nancy would help so I volunteered her also. But with gas prices at the way they are, as I am here now I would rather just bring her over now for a early start. Rather than just waste time." She had a plastered smile on her face and batted her thick lashes at my father. My father glanced at us both for a minute then turned his back to us again and quickly got my mother's attention for a quiet debate on whether or not I could go. My dad sighed and turned back to us.

"Nancy, you may go. Only because we trust you so much and it's Carter. Now come hug your mother and I goodbye and take this $20 dollars so you can pick up something to bring to the party."

"Party ?" I gasped they already knew. Shit I was screwed they were gonna kill me. I was grounded until I was 40.

"Nancy's parents party dear, the one you're going to tomorrow?"

"OH, yes that party of course dad, bye Mom, bye Dad , thanks for the money." After quick hugs and lectures on behavior , Nancy and I were out the door and on our way to her house to finish what we started.