I bend down to pick up the house key under our doormat and open the lock. The door opens with a faint click and I enter, flinging the key over my shoulders into the key bowl. As usual, my aim is worse than a two year old and picking up the key, I throw it into the bowl, cursing. I gulp down a glass of water and enter the bathroom.
This year was supposed to be fun, as it's my last at River High. But here I am, picking out glass from my hair.
I pull off my clothes and stand under the shower for a long time, thinking about the day's major events.
1. My expensive clothes are nowhere to be found. Wow, Michelle has resorted to stealing clothes now?
2. For the first time in my high school life, I didn't go up on stage on Saturday night of the SQ week.
3. I damaged school property. Would have to pay a hefty fine, far more than the actual cost of the windows, to ensure I don't do such things again.
4. A nerd is a finalist at the SQ.
5. Brandon is an egotistical dick.
6. I hate him.
I chuckle, thinking of the times I crushed on him. Brandon is just like any another guy: he knows he's the best, he knows he's always right, he knows that the girl he likes must be an angel, after all it was he who chose her.
Well, Brandon, remember that devils are actually good. It's the angels who're assholes.
I finish rinsing the shampoo out of my hair and wrap a towel around my body and another around my head. I slip into sweat shirts and sweat pants and flop on the bed, sighing.
Wait, where's my phone?
I scramble around on the bed, looking for it. Then I run in the hall and a search under the sofas, the TV, the book cupboard and the shoe rack. Nope, nowhere.
"Argh! Could this day go any worse?" I shout, stomping my feet.
Damn it. I left it in the green room. So much for making a dramatic exit out of the school after having an argument.
I rush into my room and open my Mac to send a text to Alz to get my phone when she's done with her speech and voting. But before I could do any thing, I found a text from my phone to my Mac.
It's Alz. Ive ur phone w/ me. Where d fuck were u? Do u know how much I searched for u? Wait till I get home.
I exhale in relief. That means my phone is safe. I walk to the kitchen, fix myself a cheese a sandwich and flop on the couch, switching on my TV.
The door opens and Dad enters. "Hey," he smiles, probably surprised to see me.
"Hey," I smile at him. "How was work?"
"No, don't want to bore you." He takes off his laptop bag and drops it on the beanbag. Sitting beside me, he rubs his fore head and sighs tiredly. "Mom told you had your SQ Finale today."
I nod, not wanting to have this conversation.
"So," he says, raising his eyebrows. "What are you doing home?"
"TV and sandwiches." I reply and shake my head at him. He gets the hint that I had a shitty day which I don't want to talk about and falls quiet.
Dads are so sweet.
A few minutes pass when he looks at me and gasps in an exaggerated way. "Hold on, is Jennifer Lewis wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants?"
I grin and say, "Yes, she is."
"Why?" Dad asks, widening his eyes. "She stopped wearing them when she started high school. What happened to her?"
I sigh. "She's sad and there are no chocolate-chip cookies at home."
"Aw," Dad says, patting my shoulder. "Mom and Alz?"
I nod, pouting at him.
"Then they need a scolding by Dad."
I laugh and take a bite of my sandwich. "What good would that do? Dads are good cops. No one takes them seriously."
"So much for being the fun dad." Dad says and gets up. "Okay, I'm gonna go take a bath now. Are you sure you don't want to talk?"
I shake my head and smile gratefully at him. He nods understandingly and walks towards his room. As soon as his bedroom door closes, the main door opens again. A fuming Alz enters all sweaty in overalls and clogs, with the makeup still intact on her face. She looks at me as if I had stolen her life savings or something. Mom enters and stands behind her, prodding her to move.
"Where were you, Jen?" Mom asks, looking suspiciously at me. "We were honestly worried."
"I— uh, got cold feet and came home." I say and shrug.
She looks at me for a while and then starts laughing. "I never understand it with you teenagers. Getting cold feet after what, fourteen years?" She walks towards her room. "Honestly, learn to lie properly. Could've told me you were with Aiden. But Alz got so distracted with you going missing, she messed up her speech, thus letting Ana win."
I frown at Alz. "Why did you do that?" She deadpans at me, grasps my arm and walks into my bedroom, pulling me all along.
"Where the hell were you?" Alz shouts.
"I can explain—" I begin.
"You can explain? What does that even mean?"
"I: used to refer to the person who's speaking. Can: be able to. Explain—"
"Not that!" She snaps.
I like annoying her so much.
"Then what?" I ask, looking innocently at her.
She narrows her eyes at me and exhales. I step back a little, remembering the time when she was near to ripping my calf-flesh with her teeth, just because we were arguing for a very long time about who would get to lick the tub of Nutella. Gross, I know, but it's Nutella we're talking about.
"You were supposed to give a speech on the stage, remember?" She barks, tugging the donut bun out of her hair and keeping it on my desk.
"Well, long story."
"It's not like I have exams tomorrow."
I shrug and sit on the bed. "My dress went missing. I was searching for it when I noticed a letter on Lana's dresser, telling me that she was trying it on when the zipper broke and she was getting it mended at the AnC room by a junior. I went there and got locked in."
"Wait," She says, frowning. "You just went there?"
And now I realise it was very foolish of me.
"I had no option." I try to defend myself. "You all were not there, your phones were not with you, my dress was missing.. I couldn't just sit there, could I?"
Alz groans. "Then?"
I skip the breaking-of-windows part. "By the time, the janitor opened it and I got to the auditorium, it was already late and the voting had begun."
"You still could've come!" Alz yells.
"I was a complete hot mess!" I yell at her. "I looked uglier than Ursula!"
There's silence between us for a while. I look at Alz, looking more sad than angry, picking out the hairpins from her bun. I smile inwardly: she's not sad because she lost the SQ— she didn't even care about it— she's sad because I lost it. Aw, my baby sister!
"Who do you think did it?" She asks finally.
"No idea." I lie. "But I'm sure it's not Lana or Steph. They were with you all the time weren't they?"
Alz shrugs. I walk over to her and hug her. "Sorry that you didn't win it."
"Nah, who cares?" She says, hugging me back. "Sorry that you didn't win it."
I pull away and stretch out my palm to her. She looks at me questioningly.
"My phone." I say.
She stares at me blankly. "Yeah, what about it?"
I raise my eyebrows. "Oh don't play dumb. Give it back."
"What? Why would I have your phone?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever." I say, rolling my eyes. "Give it back."
"What the hell, Jen?" She stands up and looks at me defiantly. "I don't have it."
I narrow my eyes at her. "I don't like when you joke about these things. Give it back!"
"I don't have it!"
"I left my phone at the green room." I snap, having had enough of this. "I forgot to bring it back. I was going to text you, when I received a text on my Mac from my phone from you, saying you would bring it back."
She stares at me, confused. "What text?"
I exhale, wanting to end this argument and open my Mac. I pull up the text message from my phone and show it to her. "See? Now give it back."
"I didn't send this text message!" Alz says, looking confused even more.
"Then who did?" I bark.
"How would I know?" She says, throwing up her hands. "I was at the auditorium the whole time! I didn't even go near the green room afterwards. Mom did, to search for you but she came back, not having found you!"
"Then does Mom have it?" I ask her.
"No. Otherwise she would have told me."
I try the scrutinise Alz hard. She seems to be speaking the truth.
"Why would I lie to you? Do I ever lie to you?" She says, pouting genuinely.
No she doesn't.
Which means I'm fucked. Again.