'Being a teenager is a full-time job'
Six hours...that's how early Mercy drags my ass to my room at the mansion to start getting reading on the day of Homecoming. But according to Mercy, we are running 'late, late, late!'.
It has been a very busy and anxiety-inducing week so far, inaugurated by an elaborate pep rally, parade, and the game yesterday--that we won--and now wrapping up with the Homecoming dance.
I attended each event with a nonchalant cloak hiding my ever-bubbling anxiety with the sole purpose of supporting my best friend Graham. But I know if the situations were to be reversed Graham would do the same for me, I just have to keep reminding myself that as I get through today's dance.
Right now I have Mercy helping me with my make-up given that I have no skills in that department whatsoever, while 'All Dolled Up' by Janelle Monáe and Kelly Clarkson is blaring in the background.
"Hey, we're getting all dolled up. Feeling fresh and free, looking oh, so juice," Mercy sings along with the music as she finishes up with my eyeshadow, swaying her hips to the beat.
"There all pretty," she says finally done with it and looking quite pleased with herself.
"You're amazing," I acknowledge, having a look at her handy work myself and finding myself at a loss of words at her talent.
"How do you think I should do my hair?" Mercy tilts her head in the mirror examining herself.
"Flat iron," I shrug, she hums in agreement.
"What are you going to do?" She asks referring to my hair that is still a bit damp from my late shower. I shrug again, not sure yet.
"I was thinking maybe loosely curl just the tips and let the rest remain natural," she suggests. "You have naturally good hair, babe," she assures with a wink reading the uncertainty on my face.
Nothing more needs to be said before we both get to work on our hair. I start off by applying a heat protectant to my hair while Mercy goes plugs in the straightener and curler.
"Those smokey eyes are going to look so bomb with that dress of yours," she squeals excitedly re-examining her masterpiece that is my face, almost bouncing on her feet.
"Hold the fuck up!" She yells abruptly with wide alarmed eyes and a tense stance. I frown.
"What?" I demand.
"We didn't take pictures yet!" She rebukes facepalming herself before going at fetching her phone followed by filling our wait for our appliances to heat up by the flashing of her camera and one pose after the other.
"We look so fucking good!" She squeals. "Wait till we have on our dresses and complete look," she adds with a beaming smile that I try to reciprocate.
Once the make-up is done the hairdressing part goes by fairly faster, mostly because we decide to keep it to a bare minimum. We slip on our dresses--Mercy having to help me out a bit with my backless dress that has some strings lacing it up there.
Finally satisfied with our looks, we take a few selfies in my full-length mirror and lounge for a bit longer in my room as we wait for Graham and Mason to text us that they're leaving to pick us up.
"So?" Mercy asks for her spot at my bay window, I raise my brow in question. "How's it like living here?" She asks, I shrug.
"You have a good view, I'll give you that," she remarks. "But how are you adjusting with them?" She inquires. I smile at her concern.
"They're nice," I nod. "Mostly," I add under my breath.
"You know our school is a good thirty minutes drive from here, right?" She points out and I nod.
"Do you plan on changing schools?" She asks and I can see the uncertainty in her eyes causing me to sigh.
"Honestly if it were only up to me? I wouldn't even think about changing school," I tell her honestly. "But mum did bring the topic up," I add and see her nod in understanding.
"This plac--"
"They're here," I announce cutting her off by accident. "Sorry, you were saying something?"
"No, it's nothing c'mon," she dismisses before grabbing her clutch and chucking mine at me as we leave my room.
"My two beautiful girls," mum announces as soon as we make it down the stairs and I groan inwardly. I hate the attention she's bringing to me right now.
"Don't the two of you look absolutely gorgeous," she gushes us with compliments while the two of us just smile politely.
"Where's the back?" Kayden frowns immediately, studying my attire. I roll my eyes and shrug.
"I left it at the store," I reply sarcastically earning an annoyed eye roll from him.
"Does it have to be that short?" Enrique asks, a frown of distaste sitting between his brows mirroring Kayden's.
That catches me off guard, Enrique has never fussed about my clothes before. 'Do I look bad or something?'
"It's 2-inches above my knees," I mumble in my defense.
"I'll go wait outside for them," Mercy whispers to me before leaving the room awkwardly. I shuffle my feet anxiously.
"She's not going out dressed like that," Ryan declares distastefully as soon as he joins us in the room, making me even more self-conscious.
'Do I really look that bad?'
"You said it looked fine at the store," I whisper to mum who nods in assurance to me.
"You look fine hon, they're just being overprotective of you," she chuckles in dismissal. I frown, Ryan's tone is anything but protective.
"Go change, Olivia," Ryan instructs sternly.
"Why?" I frown.
"Because I said so, now go," he rebukes.
"The guys are already here, I should go," I direct my words to mum who looks to be ambivalent about the situation.
"It's Homecoming Ryan, let her be," mum reasons with him, while I focus on Kayden and Enrique who look less than pleased by the situation.
"Do I look that bad?" I ask bluntly directing my question at the two.
Enrique sighs. "You don't look bad, quite the opposite actually," he replies. "But it's a teenage party, and we would rather you not go there looking quite so..."
"Ready to mingle," Kayden fills in for Enrique who looks rather distasteful at his brother's choice of words.
"Ready to mingle?" I quirk my brow.
"Yeah," he nods firmly.
"Kayden I could be dressed like a nun and still look 'ready to mingle," I roll my eyes at him.
"Don't roll your eyes at me," he narrows his eyes at me and I mirror him.
"Okay, enough you two," mum sighs. "Liv, go have fun. But be safe and make smart choices, okay?" She says and I give her a firm nod.
"I still feel it's rather short," Enrique remarks.
"And without a back!" Kayden chimes in, but before another argument could break out I get out of there as fast as my legs could carry me in four-inch heels--I haven't learned my lesson with running in heels I guess.
They don't even wait until after I finish fastening my seatbelt for them to zoom down the freeway, with Graham as our driver and Mason riding shotgun.
"For a moment I thought we would have to leave you behind," Mercy acknowledges and I nod having the same feeling.
"What the guys went all 'overprotective brothers' on your ass?" Graham chuckles.
"It's not funny," I lean in and smack his arm.
"It is a little funny, Olive," he argues earning an annoyed eye roll from me.
We reached the venue but not before making a quick stop at Graham's place so that his mum could see me and Mercy in our dresses and take an ass-ton of pictures. His mum is basically a second mother to me and Mercy and Mason as well so we didn't mind.
To say the mood of the party is more than underwhelming is an understatement. The music is bland, the punch is already spiked and some Juniors and even Freshmen are already making out in the scheduled parts of the hallway. Admittedly we did arrive an hour too late.
Plastic solo cups littered the gymnasium floor with lights glaring down on us and some bland tune droning in the background.
"This is pathetic," Mason remarks and we all nod in agreement. We have been here for a good twenty minutes.
"But on the bright side, the Seniors and some others from my team are going down to the beach to continue the party," Graham replies, his eyes still glued to his phone.
"We're invited as well," he adds looking up at us with a beaming smile earning a prompt cheer from the two.
"Olive you in?" Graham asks me, hesitation readable from my expression.
"C'mon Livy," Mercy whines.
"It'll be fun," Mason agrees.
I take a moment to contemplate but give in soon not wanting to be the party pooper. "Sure," I shrug off my anxiety and curve my lips into a smile.
"Great!" Graham exclaims while the other two cheer happily before we follow Graham out back to the car and drive down to the beach.
As soon as we get there Graham is greeted with enthusiastic smiles and bro-hugs, Mason and Mercy fit right in not far behind him, while I stick out as a sore thumb. I awkwardly shuffle my feet before trying to blend in with the crowd.
"Debate team--Olivia, right?" A blue-eyed curly hair boy asks claiming the seat beside me on the sand. I nod.
"Football team--Daniel, right?" I reply, knowing him as one of Graham's teammates who's a Senior. He chuckles but nods affirmatively.
"So what are you doing here all by yourself?" He asks before taking a sip from the beer bottle in his hand.
I shrug. 'He's cute--shut up brain!'
"Not a fan of crowds?" He inquiries, offering me an understanding smile causing his dimples to show through causing me to swoon inwardly.
"Nope," I mumble softly.
"Me neither," he chuckles, taking another sip. "You don't drink, do you?" He asks motioning to the bottle in his hand, I shake my head negatively.
The conversation dies down after that, but the silence between us isn't awkward or tense, it's comfortable. We exchange occasional observations about our surroundings, but other than that we just sit in silence.
"You look cold, here," he holds out his jacket to me without me even asking.
I try to decline, but he persists. I sigh in defeat and drape the jacket on immediately having warmth spread across my back emitting immediate relief from the bitter cold. I smile at his gesture.
"Hungry?" He asks suddenly. I nod affirmatively.
"How about we go get something to eat then," he suggests causing me to become a bit apprehensive as a reflex. But I contemplate the idea and finally give in.
"Sure," I agree to cause him to shoot me one more of those dimpled smiles of his.
Sending Graham a quick text letting him know of our plan and sharing my location with him, I slip my phone back into my bag.
"Ready?" Daniel asks offering a hand to help me up, I nod and take his hand. He chucks his now empty bottle into a pile of bottles sitting inside a barrel by the side.
Dusting off the sand that's sticking to my butt and following him through the crowd of dancing teens, I rely mostly on him to navigate us through the sweaty bodies and to his car.
I observe us more past the school district and towards the industrial district causing me to frown. "Where are we going?" I ask him.
"There isn't any place open at this hour back there," he reasons. "But there's this diner near my dad's office that's open until late, it has the best hot chocolate and chicken sandwiches," he adds, and I nod in understanding.
Not long after we pull up in front of a small diner in the industrial district, the only thing keeping this place open so late is the employees doing overtime or working late in the buildings nearby.
The bell chimes when we enter and we are soon greeted by a sweet elderly man. "Homecoming isn't what it used to be in my days," he tells us when he inquires about our attire and we explain that the dance was a disaster.
"So what can I get you two?" He asks coming back to our table after giving us a minute to think our order through. Both of us land up ordering hot chocolate and chicken sandwiches.
"So how's being on the debate team treating you?" He asks, I shrug.
"You don't talk much, huh?" He chuckles. I shrug again.
"No worries, I'm good at monologues," he remarks earning an amused smile from me.
"Okay, how about I ask you a question you answer and vice versa?" He suggests and I nod in acceptance.
"Favorites class?" He asks.
"Calculus," I shrug. "My turn. Biggest fear?"
"Childbirth," he replies thoughtlessly, I quirk my brow at him. "Long story, don't ask," he shakes his head and I bite back my laughter.
"Why do you like Calculus?" He asks, I shrug. "Hey, no non-verbal answers," he objects, I roll my eyes.
"I don't know, partly because everyone else hates it and mostly because I find it logical," I reply.
We continue this back and forth until our order arrives, after which we focus solely on our food and light conversation in between bites. Just as I swallow my food while trying not to laugh at Daniel's goofiness my phone buzzes to life.
Kayden: From when did the Homecoming dance include only two students eating at a diner?
I freeze when I read the text, before doing a three-sixty-degree turn in a panic frenzy to stop Kayden. But my anxiety and panic only heightened when I spot not just Kayden, but Enrique as well at the door of the diner looking straight at me.
Author's Note:
Hope you liked this chapter.
I would really like to know your thoughts and theories on what may happen next and how do you like the story so far.
Thanks for reading.
Comment &vote
~Kia