Life, Love, & Lemons

Barbie Downgraded

I couldn't sleep. It was like the storm inside my head was louder than the storm outside of my window. I just couldn't understand why Kai had put himself in that position for me. Not only did it get him suspended, but now we wouldn't even be able to see each other. These thoughts just swam around my head all night until I was forced to get out of bed and go to school.

I really didn't want to go. I actually have gone. I should have been the one suspended. The pills were in my locker. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror as I got dressed, and it took every ounce of energy I had to even slip on sweatpants. Dad had some kind of meeting or something in the morning, which was the first time I had heard him ever say that word since the lay off, so Gabby said that she would pick me up for school.

"Whoa, rough night or were you just out celebrating your return to school?" Her eyes widened as I slipped into the passenger seat of her car.

I just stared at her, hoping that she realized by the way my eyes narrowed and my lips didn't move that it was definitely the first scenario.

"So you're not happy to be returning to school?" She asked and pulled out of the apartment complex. "It's the big game tonight and Homecoming tomorrow, and like everyone I've talked to said that they voted for you for queen."

I picked at the nail polish on my fingernails. "I don't even have a date anymore."

"You don't need a date to have a good time and Kai can still go to dinner with all of us. Then you can leave right after you're crowned queen or whatever." She changed the song on the stereo to a more upbeat one.

"I don't think he even wants to see me for dinner," I muttered, slowly peeling back the pink nail polish.

"Well from what you said about him taking the blame for you I think he must like you a ton."

That wasn't exactly how I saw it. Yes, he obviously really liked me, but it seemed like he wasn't thinking. By taking the blame he made it so that we could never see each other again. His Mom just thought I was some drug dealing low life that got her son into drugs and would definitely never let us be together. If he wouldn't have taken the blame maybe she wouldn't have even had to know.

It was even harder walking into school than I thought. From the first day at East Kai had been at my side and even though I had Gabby I still felt very alone.

"Hey Bentley." The last person I expected to walk up to my locker, before first period, was Macy. With her blonde hair perfectly done and not a single wrinkle on her belted shirt dress.

"Uh, hey Macy." I didn't look at her as I grabbed my History book from my locker. I was hoping she wasn't going to be asking me about Kai or I would snap.

"Um," she smacked her overly glossed lips. "Like I know you may have a different view about dress up clothes or maybe you've been busy or something, but um..."

She paused and I looked over at her. She was staring up at the ceiling. Actually her big blue eyes always seemed to be looking at the ceiling when she talked.

I was getting frustrated. I slammed my locker as I looked over at her. "What Macy? What in the hell do you want?"

"Oh..um..well.." She stepped back a bit, obviously not expecting that reaction. "Well it's supposed to be a dress up day for prom court and you're not exactly well..." she leaned in and whispered. "Dressed up." She looked me over. All the way from the top of my bright orange University of Illinois shirt, down my over sized blue sweatpants, and right at my cheetah print slippers.