by Amanda Agu
Chapter 5
I walked into school at around 7:00 am, which was 15 minutes before classes would start. My hair curled to perfection, nails on fleek, (that is what they call it nowadays, right?) and clothes on point.
As I walked in the hallways, eyes met my whole body from every direction.
They were staring.
My confidence boosted by the second. I continued walking down the halls, adding a bit more hip to my walk.
“Is she new,” I heard someone say.
“Probably,’ said another.
“Wow, she’s… hot,” I heard a familiar voice say.
I looked to the direction the voice had come from.
Harper.
She thought I looked… hot?
A smile crept onto my face as I continued walking to my locker, #324.
I put my passcode in, 30-0-50.
As I twist the stroll to open it, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and begin to smell a nice scent; a familiar one.
Oh my god… Nic.
I turned around slowly and took a deep breath.
Chapter 6
“Hey Coy…” Nic said as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Hey, um, what’s up?” I said realizing I sounded like an absolute idiot.
He laughed.
There it goes again.
“I like this change you’re trying out,” he smiled.
My cheeks burned in the color red.
“Uh, thanks, I actually-” I was cut off (thank god) by the voice of a hyperactive teen; Harper.
She hugged Nic tightly and pecked him on the cheek. He turned to his side and squeezed her hand. I saw it clearly. In her eyes, love, and in his eyes, lust.
He turned back his attention to me, and as he opened his mouth to speak, a louder voice from his side spoke up.
“Hi, I’m Harper,” she held out her hand smiling like a two-faced bitch (well maybe to me it seemed that way). Harper looked down at my hand, gesturing that I should shake hers.
God, do I look that different?
I ignored her hand.
Nic turned to her and whispered in her ear lightly. She took a large step back, her smile faded, and her eyes widened.
“COIN?” She shouted a little too loudly.
“It’s you?” She paused, her face puzzled.
“Whoever did this to you is a true miracle worker.” She laughed.
Nic next to her still as a wall. She tapped his shoulder and he let out an artificial laugh.
Harper and I have been enemies since the first grade, so I assumed and am continuing to assume that it is a lifelong hatred.
She focused her attention in 5 seconds, seizing her laugh.
“Well I guess we could give this friendship thing a shot.” She sighed, “Friends?” a faint smile on her face.
I burst into laughter, spat on here shoe, closed my locker, and walked off.
Lol, if only that were possible.
I stook out my hand returning the “friends” statement.
She smiled, grabbed my hand, and dragged me down the hallway.
“Nic, close her locker, bye! Remember to tell Saf that I won’t make it to cheer practice when you go for football!”
“Okay, bye!” He shouted back.
As we walked down the hall, I saw Tia.
“TIA!” I shouted.
She turned her neck so fast, I’m surprised it didn’t break. She fixed her bag and ran towards me. Realizing the person next to me, she slowed down. She now was approaching very slowly.
“Hey?”
“Hey!” Harper said back enthusiastically. “We are friends now. IF you would like to join us at the Japena Carnival later today, we would be pleased to have you.”
Harper moved close to Tia, releasing my arm once and for all.
She bent over and whispered in her ear, “Good job, I didn’t have the guts to do it. And now that you have..” she looked over at me, “it’s for the better.”
I rolled my eyes lightly, hoping she did not see.
Harper backed away from Tia and grabbed her and me by the arms.
“We are going to be great friends. Tia you are rich, Coy is pretty, and I am both.”
We all laughed (me at her stupidity, Tia as well, but her, she thought she was funny).
Ding
The bell sounded loud. I unlatched myself from Harper and smiled at both her and Tia.
“See you guys after school,” I said as I began walking to my first class, Spanish.
“Don’t forget! My house, 6, nice red or blue clothing. The carnival is covered, I am paying!” Harper shouted.
“Okay, bye!” I shouted back.
She and Tia walked off into the same direction. Going into their first classes, Tia, art, and Harper, Orchestra.
Chapter 7
I looked at the clock.
5:36pm.
In 24 minutes, I’d have to go to Harper Fahara’s house to attend a carnival with both her and her friends. Who were now, supposedly, my friends.
I called up Tia.
“Hello” she said sounding nervous.
“What’s wrong?” I said.
“Nothing, just a bit worried about this thing with Harper.”
“Me too!” We both laughed.
“I’ve chosen my outfit… It’s blue.” Tia stated, now sounding confident.
“Oh-” I paused, “I’m going to go red, I just need to pick it out.”
I heard someone shout Tia in the background.
“Yes,” Tia shouted, “Coy, I’m sorry. I gotta go, see you at 7.”
“6!” I shouted.
“6, yeah right, thanks, bye.” she cut the phone.
I walked over to my closet and looked through my jeans. I chose a dark denim short with cuts on the fronts.
“Shirt, shirt, shirt,” I said continuously looking through my tops.
I spotted a red crop top, it cut off in the corners, and it was long sleeve. It was cute.
I got a velvet choker out of my jewelry box. I put on my clothes quickly and entered the bathroom. My curling iron was already plugged in, so I began combing through my hair.
I opened the drawer in the bathroom and brought out a bigger curling barrel to replace the one on the counter.
I placed it in and began curling my hair (Lana Del Rey style).
When I finished, I placed the curling iron back on the counter, and unplugged the tool. After spraying my hair with hairspray, I walked back into my room, getting a glimpse of the clock.
5:52pm.
I screamed loudly, surprisingly the neighbors didn’t call the police.
I ran downstairs to where my shoes were, Nike Air Forces, in white, not black. People who wear black ones truly do not care about their lives. I put them on, grabbed my car key, and went to my car.
Harper’s house was on W Washington Rd, which was 5 minutes away, but it was 5:56.
I drove 7 mph over the speed limit (rebellious, I know) trying to get there in time.
A red light got in my way. Oh fuck. I was at the light for a good two minutes. The lighted flashed green, but the person in front of me was a teen texting their life away.
I honked my horn, which was a bit rude of me, but rough circumstances call for desperate measures. The girl turned around, gave me the stink eye, and continued to text as if it were an assignment.
I sped up.
Gilmore, Decatur, YES! Washington Rd.
I turned onto the street a little too fast causing the wheels to screech along the streets.
I drove into Harper’s driveway. Tia’s car was already there, a stunning G Wagon with the license plate ‘PRNCESS,’ I looked at it and smiled.
I got out of my car, and walked up to Harper’s front door wiping the streak of swear daring to drip down from my forehead. Before I even was able to bring myself to knock on the door, Harper opened it up, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
“You’re late,” she said gloomily.
“It�
��s 6:03!” I said in a panic.
“I had to run out of my house, and I was speeding. I could have of been on ti-” She stopped me.
“It’s okay, I’m not that crazy,” she said smiling.
I faintly smiled back. She moved to the side, opening her door wider, inviting me inside.
I walked inside and was astonished. Her loft was bigger than my whole house. Chandeliers hanging from the towering ceilings.
Many large glass windows in the building showing amazing views of the whole California.
“Wow,” I said in my head.
“What?” Harper said.
I guess I said that aloud.
“Nothing, my foot was just feeling a bit odd, it’s probably because of all my running.”
“Right…” Harper said doubtfully.
Tia came out from the corner behind the steps. Thank God.
“Hey Coy,” she said, “Isn’t her house amazing? It’s said it was the house used in Mean Girls for Regina George.”
“It is!” Harper said, “Cost quite a few millions, but my parents did not mind. Anything for me, right?
Yeah, except for them. I thought to myself.
We all stood there awkwardly for a good two minutes.
“Shall we get going?” Harper said, finally breaking the silence.
“Yeah,” I said laughing, Tia joining along.
Harper led us into her garage of cars. It was full of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, G Wagons, BMWs, Soccer mom vans, and much more. She took a key from the side of the door, it being the big 7 seater Jeep in the back.
Tia and I looked at Harper oddly and looked at each other in the next second.
“What?” Harper said with a puzzled look on her face, “I have other friends coming as well.”
We shrugged and followed Harper into the car. She put in the key and twisted it to the right. She put the car in reverse, opened the garage, and we drove off.
Chapter 8
We reached the carnival. Bursts of lights coming from all directions.
A big Ferris wheel to my left and a scary-looking roller coaster to my right. My eyes opened wide at the sight of the ‘Popular Group’ members running over to us. All of them dressed in red, blue, or white. They looked like an American flag,
They finally reached us, after what seemed to be forever. Were they walking in slow motion or what? Anyways, a blonde-headed, brown-eyed girl named ‘Saf’ hugged me.
“Hi, my name is Saf!” as she pulled out of the hug.
“When did you move to LVHS?” She said boldly.
She really said it with her whole chest. I could not tell if she was being serious or joking.
“Oh, I’ve been here since freshman year,” I said giggling.
She laughed back, squinted her eyes, and tilted her head a bit. She thought I was joking, but I just ignored it.
Nic emerged from the crown and my stomach dropped.
“Hey Tia, uh, Hey Coy,” He said with uncertainty.
“Hey,” Tia and I both said, me holding myself back from blushing.
“Let’s go to the Ferris Wheel guys!” a boy shouted from the crowd (it was probably Jonas).
Everyone just shouted a simple ‘yeah’ and made their way to the ride.
The conductor asked us for our wristbands. Harper brought out a stack of cash and handed it to the conductor.
“14 wristbands please!” She said smiling deviously.
He handed them to her and we all put ours on.
“Enjoy the ride!” The conductor said counting the hundreds of dollar change Harper had just given him.
They all began choosing people to sit with while Harper latched onto Tia, so I was alone. I looked around for Saf, but she was partnered up with a girl named Kadence. The only person left was Nic.
Great!
I just concluded I was going myself.
“Nic, go with Coy!” Harper shouted.
My eyes widened, I quickly forced them closed, and opened them back up less wide.
Nic put his hand on the back of his neck and strolled over slowly. A faint smile on his face.
“Let’s go everybody,” Saf said in her commanding cheerleader voice.
Everybody went on the ride two by two with their designated partners. It was Nic and I’s turn. We got on the ride, the conductor closed the entrance to the hot air balloon like seat we were in, and the ride began.
“So, uh, how is Buddy?”
“He died a few years back,” I said.
Buddy was my dog. Nic lived on my street when we were younger. He was the chubby short boy back then. Braces on his teeth, and those type of sandals that would make you question his livelihood.
“Why did you decide to um…”
“Change?” I said boldly.
“Yeah..” He said scratching his brow.
“I felt like I needed a change. Senior year, well, it needed some changes. I wanted to meet new people, but I just wasn’t in the same category as ‘em, you know?”
God, I said too much.
He chuckled lightly.
“I know, remember, short, fat, brace face me?” He paused, “You’ve always been beautiful Coy. There are no categories. Everyone is the same. If you wanted to speak to me, I am available.” He gave me a sincere smile. One I hadn’t seen since we were kids.
“Thank you,” I said.
He looked into my eyes, me looking back. A glimpse of something sparked in his eyes. What was it? He began leaning in… I felt my face turn bloodshot red.
I turned my face right, and pretended to admire the city I’d lived in my whole lifetime.
“I’m sorry,” he said shamefully.
“It’s… okay.” I said faintly.
The ride stopped, and we finally got off along with everybody else, two by two.
I spotted Tia and pulled her to the side. I was breathing in and out heavily, but at the same time trying to scream.
“What the fuck is it now?” Tia said, “Why is your face red? Did he hurt you?” Her face scrunched.
“No… but he, um, almost…” I couldn’t go on.
Tia gasped.
I turned a few heads, but luckily not Harpers.
How would Harper react if she found out, this would make her 1000x worse than she ever was to me before.
“It’s okay, I got you.” Tia was approaching Nic.
I ran up and stopped her just in time.
“No!” I said shouting but whispering at the same time, “Leave it, it was just a mistake. It doesn’t take single day for someone to begin liking another. He was just blind for a second, but he came back to his senses, he even apologized.”
“Okay, but Harper is our friend now, so if we, or you, want to maintain that, just remember that the next time you’re with HER boyfriend.” Tia stomped off.
Why was she angry? How fast can a group of unappreciative spoiled children change a sincere person under twenty-four hours.
I thought back to middle school. Tia was a ‘rich popular girl.’ I was that one shy unnoticed girl.
One of the cool boys thought it would be fun to start bullying me.
From shoves in the hall, to texts, to full-on fists coming from left and right at me.
Tia saw it one day when I was at the school bus stop.
She kicked the boy in his stomach so hard his food came back up. Since that day, we’ve been best friends.
As our friendship grew, her popularity dropped.
She gave it all up for me. A bullied mid-class girl with no sense of responsibility.
I’ve been holding her back. Now it was her chance to get back up to the top again, but… As always, I was holding her back.
I looked off and saw Tia eating cotton candy with Harper, a girl named Carly, and Ren.
She looked happy. She wasn’t alone. Her hair flowing, blue cropped hipster shirt on with her American skirt.