Hype

~Chapter 19~

            I know I say how much I love my job, but not right now.  Not at nine o’clock in the morning on a Saturday.  Who wants a smoothie at nine AM?  It was clear that nobody did, because Fusion was barren: something I’ve never seen since I started working there.  Even the mall itself was quiet.  I saw some people go by here or there, but not the usual gigantic crowd.  Even though it’s been over a week, I was still nervous about having a Mackenzie sighting.  So every few seconds I still kept looking towards the entrance, making sure the coast was clear.  My neck was starting to hurt after a while.  The crowds came and left. My shift ended at two. My friends were supposed to meet me at four. I was practically jumping up and down. I was so anxious to see them.  I don't think I've ever even been away from them this long, except for vacations.

             With all the time to spare, I decided that I would do some shopping. More school clothes, and presents. It was Faith's birthday on Wednesday, and Fran was coming home from college on Sunday.  We were going to do sort of a combined party thing at our house for the both of them. I was a little on edge about Fran coming back. We haven't been speaking much since she found out I was going to Newpoint. I don't get it. Why didn’t she understand that this was my only option? I felt like she was just so angry with me. Before, she used to call me and send me messages all the time. Now I have to send something to her, and she won’t respond for days. 

             You know what I think? She took what Reverend Dave said to heart. Fran has always been closed minded. Just like me, Mercy was all she knew. Everyone believed what Reverend said. Hearing him from kindergarten to twelfth grade, I can assure you that Fran did.  I did too, until I saw for myself.  I just kept wishing that Fran would let me talk to her about Newpoint. It's just automatic to her−I'm defying God because I chose a public school. I’m sure that if she met Hope and Mai, seeing how sweet they were, she would have a different opinion.

            Anyway, I did my shopping. I got a few more shirts for school−modest ones. As for Faith, she was going through a phase where she was obsessed with teddy bears at the moment, so I found her a cute one. It looked like a panda with pink glittery fur. Adorable. I knew she would love it. I was even considering getting myself one. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten a new stuffed animal in a while...As I was saying, I did the shopping.  Good, now that was done.

             Four came around and I met up with my friends. Everyone came: Ginger, Jasmine, Hayden, and Jana. I was so thrilled.  I would be able to eat out with my friends and not hear a whole bunch of complaining and cussing.  I tried to choose a place that we all liked, and where I could actually find something to eat. Sometimes going out to eat when you’re a vegetarian can be a bit tricky. So, we all agreed on the Japanese sushi style place.

           I stood outside, waiting for them. All of a sudden, I see the only person in the mall that has on a long skirt.

            "Ginger,” I screamed and ran over, hugging her to the point of where she almost fell to the sidewalk.

            It was so weird. I felt like I hadn't seen her in years. Hayden and the rest of the girls came soon after. Still, it felt so strange to be with them again. We went in and got seated. Almost instantly, the night had gone from exciting, to awkward. I think nobody knew just what to say.

          Using her strong will, Hayden finally broke the silence.  "So, are you going to give us the details about Newpoint or what Frey?” 

             I smiled. "That's basically why we're here, aren't we?"

            I did my best to describe everything. It was a little rough. I didn't want to make it seem like Newpoint was this wonderful place. It was good, yes, but not even close to Mercy. Plus, there were all these details I had to leave out. Let's not forget the one major thing: Reverend Dave's web of lies. To them, they all thought it was true, (except for Hayden) and still adored him, like I used to.  How am I supposed to tell them that the school’s beloved Reverend Dave was a complete and utter liar?  I tried to focus on everything possible that he hadn’t contradicted.  That didn’t leave me with much.  All I could think of were details about the school.  I was trying to describe it in-depth.  Pretty much saying things like, “my chorus room looks like this…”, “all the lockers in M-Wing are white.”