Note: this story has been published through Self Publishing. Keep in mind that the Wattpad version is only the first draft! For the polished version without the many mistakes, buy a copy!
Where can you order a copy, you ask? Please use Create Space, because they give me more royalties!
Create Space: https://www.createspace.com/4799393
On Amazon (but they barely give me any royalties).
Don't hesitate to message me about where to buy it!
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When I woke up on Sunday morning, it was because Paulie was banging on my door. I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head, ignoring the knocking and yelling. All I wanted to do was sleep – it was barely eight o’clock. This was a Sunday – not a school day!
“Demona! Get up!” Paulie got impatient then, opening the door just a bit.
That was against the rules Eve had explained to me. Sam had set some very important rules about living together when she’d come to live with Paulie and two girls who had left school quite some time ago. Rule number one was that no one could enter the bathroom when another girl was taking a shower or going to the toilet or anything. Rule number two was that no one was allowed to go into a room that wasn’t hers, unless invited in. Rule number three was that when someone had a boy over and wanted privacy, she could retreat into her room and her roommate would be banned from that room until curfew set in. Rule number four was that no one could borrow the possessions of one of the other girls, unless asked for specifically. There were a few more, but I couldn’t recall them; these seemed to be about the most important ones. And Paulie wasn’t allowed to enter the bedroom Eve and I shared, unless we asked her in.
“Come on, Demona, come on.” She was almost begging now. “Just come out. You can go back to bed later.”
“What’s the matter?” I asked, the sound of my voice muffled by my pillow and sheets.
“Trust me, you'll want to see this for yourself,” Paulie chirped – and I could just hear the smile in her voice. “Someone… dropped off something for you.”
“What?” I asked, looking sideways at Eve, who had propped herself up on her elbows and was looking at me sleepily.
“Something was delivered for you.” Paulie said excited. “A black box, you know, a jewelry box.”
“I’m coming,” I replied. “Just give me a second, all right?”
I shot into the orange flip flops that were next to my bed, right where I’d left them yesterday night. I looked down at myself, taking in my pink Victoria’s Secret silk pajama’s – the same ones as yesterday, too. I pulled a grey Hello Kitty sweater over my head and pulled my fingers through my hair. Well, that’s as good as it could get in two minutes. I looked at Eve then, who was sitting on the edge of her bed now, wearing her blue silk pajamas with her green bathrobe tied around them.
“Are you coming?” I asked her. “Wanna see what Paulie was talking about?”
“Well… only if you don’t mind,” Eve answered, smiling a little, sweet smile. “I understand it if you want to take a look at it yourself before deciding if you want to show anyone.”
“I won’t get that chance with Paulie around,” I reasoned, rolling my eyes. “Besides, I’d probably have showed you anyway. So – are you coming?”
She put her feet in her simple, black slippers and followed me into the living room. Paulie was practically bouncing up and down, holding out a simple, black box with a blood red bow tied around it. Sam was sitting on one of the big white couches, her feet on the table in front of her. She was watching MTV and shooting irritated looks our way. I took the box from Paulie and sat down with it. Eve and Paulie sat down on either side of me.
“Well – what are you waiting for? Open it!” Paulie prompted.
“I’d first like to know where you got it,” I requested. “Did someone bring it…?”
“No, no, someone knocked on the door and when I opened it, this box was just sitting on the floor. There was no one near - I checked. And there were no footsteps to be heard either – and believe me, I’m far enough in the Trans to be able to hear every single step.”
I contemplated that for a while. “Okay…” I had the feeling I was overlooking something, but I had no idea what that could be.
“Stop thinking and open the box!” Paulie sighed. “Come on, I’m dying.”
I carefully untied the bow and put it aside. I opened the box – which was black and sleek and opened at the slightest touch, the lid remaining attached at one side of the box. Paulie’s face was lit with excitement, obviously expecting some kind of expensive necklace or something. Inside, however, was something no one would have expected to be inside a box like that.
“It’s… plastic…” Paulie said, surprised.
“It’s a bracelet,” Eve added, sounding just as taken-aback as Paulie was.
Inside was a cheap-looking, plastic, neon orange bangle. I picked it up and examined it, but it was really nothing but a plastic bangle. There was something else in the box, though – a neatly folded piece of paper. I took it out and unfolded it carefully. It was heavy, probably expensive, paper that people used for wedding invitations and such. There was only one sentence written on it, in an elegant handwriting.
To go with your orange flip flops.
Paulie was leaning toward me so she could read it as well. “Aw, that is actually pretty sweet.”
“I wonder who gave it to you,” Eve mused, her eyes dreamy.
I looked down on the box, the bracelet and the piece of paper. Something fluttered deep inside of me, making me feel slightly light-headed. I had no idea why anyone would get me something – especially without actually giving it to me. But just the fact that some guy had taken the effort to find something that actually was the exact same shade of orange as my flip flops, was pretty amazing. I wondered who had gotten it for me…
That triggered something inside of me. How did Paulie know this box was meant for me? Sure, the message inside said it all – but she couldn’t have known that… And I hadn’t seen my name anywhere on the box or the red bow. I turned the box over and examined the bow closely, but there was nothing there to see.
“Paulie?” I asked softly. “Was there a card with my name on when you picked up the box?”
She frowned. “No, why?”
“How did you know the box was meant for me then?”
Paulie looked surprised, scratching her neck while thinking. She obviously hadn’t given a moment’s thought to this before I’d asked. “I don’t know… I just…knew.”
“Who else in this room would have a secret admirer?” Sam said mockingly. “If you guys don’t mind, I'm going over to Davy’s.”
“I don’t think Davy’s even up yet,” Paulie said, taking out a cigarette and fumbling around for a lighter. “He mentioned something about sleeping in when I saw him last night.”
“Egon always gets up around seven, so I’ll hang out with him,” Sam shrugged, getting up. She was wearing old leather jeans, a comfy-looking black hoodie and her hair looked messy. Usually, she looked somewhat more dignified; yet she looked scary no matter what she wore. I realized it was Sunday – the day for comfortable clothes.
“I am getting dressed,” I announced, rising from my seat.
“It’s still pretty early,” Eve said, yawning. “I’ll go to bed for just an hour more.”
“I’ll be ready in a sec.” I promised. “Then you can go to sleep again and I won’t bother you.”
“See you guys later,” Sam told us when she took her leave, stalking out of the room. “Oh – Demona?” She called from the hallway. “Watch out, all right? You never know what kind of creep gave you that bracelet. No one likes stalkers. Just be careful. Bye now.”
Paulie, Eve and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows when we heard the door slam shut behind her.
“She was actually trying to be nice,” Eve said, smiling.
“I think you’re fully accepted now, girl,” Paulie said, sucking on her cigarette and inhaling deeply. “Took her much longer before she actually tried to be nice to Eve.”
“Well, I don’t think she does it on purpose…” Eve said softly. “She has had a hard youth…”
“Hell, she is a bitch on purpose all right,” Paulie said, grinning. “Believe me, I know, she’s my best friend after all. But she’s a good person.”
I left the two of them to talk some more, going into the bedroom myself to get dressed. I pulled on a nice black dress with a lace pattern at the flowing skirt. It was a bit fancy for a regular day, but I’d decided to dress up today. Since everyone had laughed at me for being dressed comfy on Saturday, I might as well give them something to talk about on Sunday. I took a pair of heels out of a shoebox, admiring them in the little light that was coming through the blinds. They were black with red accents and a cute little bow at the front. Anne had bought them for me a year ago – she’d always said leather shoes looked good on me and she had said I should wear heels more often… I was definitely calling her today.
When I stepped out of the bedroom, Paulie almost choked on her cigarette. “Girl – it’s comfy day, remember?” She said, coughing. “Don’t get me wrong, you look lovely, but…”
“Might as well give them something to talk about behind my back,” I explained, laughing. “I think I just don’t like fitting in or something. They all think I’m a freak anyway.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” Paulie disagreed, grinning. “Sam has already been down for breakfast and when she came back, all she said was: ‘there were a little too manyorange flip flops for my taste’. Make whatever you want of that.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s surely got nothing to do with m-”
“I sure think so,” Paulie interrupted. “Where are you going?”
“Getting Simon,” I replied, stalking to the door on my heels. “I’m hungry.”
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Where can you order a copy of this book, you ask?
Create Space: https://www.createspace.com/4799393
On Amazon (but they barely give me any royalties).
Don't hesitate to message me about where to buy it!
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