Lions Pride: Mean Girls Next Generation

16

Clara found herself sitting on Naomi's bed surrounded by her towering bookshelves that staked against her back wall. Then, hung over the wooden bed frame itself was, shocking absolutely no one....more bookshelves. It was a wonder if she actually read all those books or not but, knowing Naomi Smith-Wieners, Clara didn't doubt it.

"I have taken the liberty of researching exactly what we need to make our sleepover a thrilling success! Now, if you'll open your packet to page 1, it will display to you the itinerary for the night. There will be designated times to use the restroom just to insure our night is packed with as much riveting excitement as possible!"

Clara fumbled with the stabled papers trying to find exactly where "page 1" was. Due to the packet having about ten pages of "research" on the history of sleepovers, the apparent page 1 wasn't so apparent.

"Okay? So...I get to go to the bathroom...3 times....?"

"Precisely! As well as using the loo, our food consumption is also listed. As you know, while we were at the corner store, I had picked up an assortment of goodies! I don't usually eat in my bedroom but according to multiple accounts on the Internet, it is something often done at a typical sleepover. Therefore, that's what we shall be doing! Here, enjoy this bag of delicious potato chips!" Naomi passed a bag of lightly salted plain potato chips to her friend then went off on her next point without a hitch.

As entertaining as it was for Clara to see Naomi go off on a rant about how important it is to pick the correct movie to watch at a sleepover. Personally, Clara wasn't a huge fan of watching movies. It's not like she hates them, it's just that she'd much rather talk, or play a video game verses sitting still watching something she has no control or ability to interact with.

In fact, as a young child Clara just couldn't sit still for a movie. Cady and Regina only brought her to the movies enough times to count on one hand. This was due to her inability to be quiet and still enough for everyone else in the theater. The child would crawl all over the place, carry on a conversation despite being told by her Moms that she needed to be quiet, and ask to go to the bathroom twenty times in the span of ten minutes.

The last memory Clara has of going to the theater as a whole family was when she was about five or six. By that age, sitting still and understanding silence is a fairly important skill. It was one Clara grasped well at home or even in school, but at the movies...it's like she was a completely different kid. As soon as the lights went down, the girl crawled her way across the rows of seats on all fours.

"Clarabelle?! What are you doing?! Get back here and sit down!" Regina whispered just loud enough for Clara to know she was getting scolded. The girl just looked back at her mother and stared, pretending she hadn't heard the instructions. "I mean it Clarabelle Heron-George! Get over here right now!"

Cady, who was occupied with the 3 year old Ithlilen and Raph, glanced over finding her daughters eyes. She didn't say anything, but the glare she gave was enough for anyone, child or adult to quiver. That was enough to round the rambunctious child back to her seat.

"Mommy...I'm bored!" Clara whined to Regina. Pinching the bridge of her nose, the blonde searched through her arsenal of parental tactics she could use to keep the little girl at bay for the extent of an hour and a half movie.

"How about you help me count how many times there's a purple car?"

Clara looked to have been thinking about the offer of a "game" then slumped back in her seat as a silent way of agreeing to play. Regina gave Cady a sly smirk to which she received a playfully eye roll. Though the victory was short lived. Only 15 minutes later Clara had her arms crossed grumpily.