Wreck this Journal
Prologue
“Stop staring, Elle.”
“I’m not staring,” I murmured into my palm, elbows propped into the cafeteria table.
“Oh really? You—Elle Peirce—are not eye raping Cam Hari—“ I cut my best friend off, slapping my hands over her mouth in a vice like grip.
“Shhh…” I hissed. “Don’t say his name!”
“Okay, you’re just hard-core staring at he who must not be named.” The girl then laughed at her own joke and in return I shot her a glare.
“Shuddup geek,” I nudged her shoulder and rolled my eyes. And then I settled back and turned my attention to the back most part of our chaotic cafeteria. A small sigh left my lips as I set my chin on my laced fingers.
“You know, someday he’s going to find out what a crazy stalker you are.”
My face turned down, “I’m not a crazy stalker.”
A smile tugged at my best friends lips. “Oh yeah, you’re just a simple girl who HAPPENS to walk behind he who must not be named in the hallways almost everyday and just HAPPENS to always be looking in his direction.” She said this all very dramatically—obviously dripping with sarcasm.
I just smiled at her. “Exactly. It’s all coincidental that I happen to look in a certain direction or that I happen to walk behind certain people.” I waved off her comment before glancing back to the farthest table. “But someday, I’m going to talk to him…”
“And I wont be around to get puked on again.”
“Anna,” I whined, “I just had a bad chimmy chonga for breakfast!”
My friend lifted a hand and began to pat my back sympathetically. “Sure, sure,” then, she looked at the clock once more and huffed under her breath, “Where is Kellan, anyways?”
I think that she was just speaking rhetorically but still, I answered. “I don’t know, he left Math early this morning and was heading to the nurses but he didn’t look sick at all to me. He’s probably just ditching to sneak out for a good lunch,” I reasoned. “And not take that horrible test that we had…”
But, of course, my friend was not listening to my brilliant conclusion and instead had her nose to her cellphone. I frowned at her, sticking out my tongue, only doing it when knew that she wouldn’t see the gesture. “Next time, I’ll grab your tongue. And then he who must not be named will finally know that you exist the embarrassing way.” I sucked my tongue back in, straightening away from my friend. I know that she would actually do that… it’s happened.
Clamping my mouth closed, I leant in to look over Anna’s shoulder so that I could read her text instead. But, she turned a fast glare at me, holding the screen to her chest defensively. “Is that your internet friend?” I asked with wiggling eyebrows.
“No,” she snarked back.
“Oh,” I nudged her shoulder, “Don’t lie to me… I know it’s that boy…” I poked her cheek, trying to poke the words out of her. “It’s him, right? Right?” poke, poke.
She slapped my hand away, “fine, it’s Empathy021. But, it’s not like I’m serious. He’s probably some forty years old who’s balding or something. I’m not stupid… it’s just… he’s kinda sweet.”
“Or, it’s Chris Hemsworth trying to have a normal relationship online with a cool chick.”
“Then I would be the forty year old balding man on the internet…” she said with blank eyes. I scoffed a laugh.
“Wow,” was all I could say. “But you and Chris Hemsworth would be a power couple.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m not his type.”
“But you’re gorgeous. Any guy would be lucky to stand next to you.”
“Well, I don’t see a line anywhere? Do you?” Anna said and motioned to the hectic cafeteria around us.
It was like there was a moat around our table where everyone would walk around us like we weren’t even there. And compared to the wrest of the room, the two of us were more mellow that the rest. I turned back to Anna with a look that plainly said I would slap her if she called herself ugly once more. Anna was fare skinned and had this deep red hair that fell all of the way down to her waist. And when she pulled back her straight across bangs, she had these electric blue eyes that could make you freeze. The girl was stunning and she never believed it. Sometimes, I could just slap her… you know, on the shoulder or something because she’d probably slap me back harder.
Then, I watched as a smile broke across Anna’s face and I turned around to see my only other friend, Kellan. When he saw our smiles, he smiled in return. Then my eyes dropped down to the bag in his hand and my smile dropped. I turned to Anna, grabbing her should and pulling her to me. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother?” I whispered close to her ear. Pushing away from her, “Ahh… this is going to be so embarrassing! I can’t believe you would do this to me.”
My friend tsked. “Don’t be a drama queen. And it’s not as bad as you think it is.” And then she reached into her bag and pulled out a camera. Oh, she was going to document the embarrassment too?
“Hey, hey, hey!” Kellan called out to us, slinging a plastic bag onto the tabletop and plopping down opposite of the two of us. Anna instantly clicked off a shot. “Happy birthday Elle,” he smirked and reached into his bag of mystery. Then, he slowly extracted a box of orange cupcakes. And it was that bright orange with green letters on it that slowly spelled out ‘b-day 4 the old lady’ across the yellow cake. It was all because I was turning sixteen before my two friends. Really know how to rub it in. I glared at them ruefully. Anna blinded me with another shot off from her camera. Kellan lifted up the lid of the cupcake box and I was hit with the smell of sugary goodness. And suddenly, everyone in the direct vicinity quieted down and turned to us slowly.
I lifted my hands to my head and closed my eyes. “Oh no, oh no…” I muttered.
“Oh my gawd!” someone screeched, “Happy birthday girlie!”
“Yeah, happy birthday best friend.” Other’s agreed, standing up and patting my shoulder in comradeship. It was like I just found some friends that I never even knew I had…
“If you don’t know her name, get the F*** out,” Kellan commanded with a hooked thumb to the door of the cafeteria. I slumped my head onto the cafeteria table. Oh my lord, could Kellan be anymore outspoken? I was seriously going to die.
A slew of boo’s and awe’s then followed his outburst and we were left. “Now, I also got these cool blue and purple candles.” I looked and Kellan was smiling hugely with candles in his hands, splayed out like cards. Anna’s eyes searched the floor of the cafeteria for a moment. Then (completely NOT suspicious) she leant over the table and pulled out her silver lighter. Pretty much leaning on the cupcakes, she lit the candles up. But when she was done, Anna didn’t sit back down, instead, both her and Kellan leant so that no one would be able to see the cupcakes when they were lit. And there Anna was, smiling with that damn camera all at the ready.
“Now, make a wish,” my friends said together.
I looked at the cupcakes and then to my friends. Okay, I smiled. My friends were so sweet. And they smiled back at me. Then, Anna tsked. “Don’t start cring. Then I’ma cry!” and yeah, that got me. I blinked, laughed and a tear clipped off and fell down my cheek. Anna laughed too and leant her head forwards, whipping under her fiery bangs.
“You guy’s are too sweet, you know that?”
I took in a big breath, looked at my neon birthday cupcakes. They were only missing yellow and red but Anna had the red hair down and I guess I had the blond. Then, I looked up and past my friends to a certain table. Some of the kids that sat there were looking my way… or more like my cupcake’s way. And there Garrett was, leaning over to talk to his best guy friend. He was so gorgeous. All dark hair and dark skinned. So swarthy and calm.
That’s what I wish for, I breathed out. I wished I could be someone who didn’t become frazzled when talking to new people. Didn’t stutter or throw up when speaking up. Was cool and confident. I bet then I would be able to become Garrett’s friend. Then maybe more.
I smiled up at my friend when I finished my wish. “Let’s get fat!” Anna joked, grabbing a cupcake and sitting back down next to me. Kellan agreed, grabbing two for himself.
I reached in and grabbed one for myself. I picked up the fork that Kellan handed me. “Awe, you know me too well,” I told him and then dug the fork into the cupcake. And of course, I got the cupcake with the old across the top. “Did you write it out yourself?” I asked Kellan, pointing with the fork.
“You have terrible penmanship,” Anna joked.
“Har har,” my friend said around a mouthful of orange frosting.
“Oh, before I forget,” Anna announced aloud. She then stuffed a huge bite of cupcake into her mouth before setting it onto the table and reached into her bag. “Here,” she pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me. “Use it well.” I looked down at her hands, reaching out for what she was handing me. It was a book. Or actually, it was a journal.
“What’s this?” I asked. I pulled it too me, discarding my cupcake. Then, I began to flip through it. but, before I could actually see anything, Anna alligator slapped the cover and back of the book closed.
“No, you can’t look at it yet.” She lifted up a menacing finger. “You can’t cheat and look at other pages before you finished the first. Do it in order. And don’t peek at what’s to come.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Cheater.” She whispered.
So, that was what I did. I looked at the cover. “Wreck this Journal.” I muttered the name.
Anna patted my shoulder. “It changed my life.” She told me.
“Didn’t you just start yours?” Kellan said.
“So? The first few pages changed my life.” Kellan snorted around cupcake and then began to cough. “Damn, learning how to eat?” Anna asked.
Kellan cleared his airways. “Shaddup…” he muttered.
I opened the book to the first page. It was just a cover page so I thought it would be okay to flip it to the next.
“WARNING : During the process of this book you will get dirty. You may find yourself covered in paint, or any other number of foreign substances. You will get wet. You may be asked to do things you question. You may grieve for the perfect state that you found the book in. You may begin to see creative destruction everywhere. You may begin to live life more recklessly.”
I raised my eyebrow. What was Anna getting me into?
. . .
Okay, Keri Smith has copy right-ed the book in mention. Its absolutely fun. I think everyone should at least check it out. Seriously, I'm having so much fun. And, this story is the outcome of that epic-ness.
But still, Keri Smith owns 'Wreck this Journal'.
Have you done it yet? Any fun memories?
I don't know if I should put this under adventure or humor... >.>