by Rua Hasan
Well, too bad for him!
I crossed my fingers as I wished to the lords that maybe Beyoncé would come in all of a sudden and save me by distracting everyone so I could flee, or that the ground would crumble underneath my feet and suck me away from this place I called torture.
But of course, we can’t always get what we want.
Chapter 8
I didn’t think I had ever been happier in my life when I heard the bell ring. It was as if heaven struck my ears, and I was the first one to dash out of the room. The other students probably didn’t see me exit because I ran as fast as the speed of light.
And I know what you’re going to say, that nothing is faster than the speed of light. Well, oh yeah!? I hated physics! So that rule doesn’t go for me. No wait, hate is a strong word . . . I despise it. Yeah, that’s more like it.
Anyways, I made sure to walk past the gates without any interaction with Tyler. Must be a miracle, because all day, no matter where I went, he was there, whether it was in real life or just in my mind. He was hiding in the corner as he watched my life turn upside down, haunting me.
One thing I learned today was never to listen to your teacher when they pair you up with the one person you despise greater than physics. Just go with your guts and say “no”. And if they still refuse to listen to you then you’re screwed.
I reached into my back pocket of my jeans and then took out my phone. Before detention I made sure to turn it off so that Matt or anyone else wouldn’t call me and got me into even more trouble. I didn’t know how many times my phone rang in the middle of the class, eventually causing my teacher to take it away from me.
I turned it on as I walked down the road and called Matt. I placed my phone to my ear as I listened to it ring. Matt picked up at the second ring.
“You know, I’m starting to think that you don’t have any friends but me,” Matt said through the speaker. I rolled my eyes as a chuckle escaped my lips.
“Yeah, and why would you think that?” I asked in amusement.
“Because all you do is call me. I mean I know I’m special and all but you really need to start socializing more, get to know more people.,” he teased.
“I do too know other people! It’s just you don’t know about them. In fact I just made a new friend today,” I said. I heard a pft sound escaped his lips from the other end and I’m pretty sure he would be rolling his eyes by now.
“Okay sure. Let’s pretend you’re telling the truth. What’s her name?” he asked.
I paused as I tried to think of any names from today or any familiar faces I’ve seen earlier until I remembered a certain blonde.
“His,” I corrected.
“Oh, so it’s a guy huh? What’s his name then?” he asked sounding more interested than earlier.
“His name’s Dan,” I answered. There was a moment of silence as the only sound I heard was my footsteps.
“Did you just say Dan? As in Dan Walker?” Matt asked.
I bit my lips as my eyes averted towards the sky, trying to remember if he mentioned his last name or not.
“I don’t know about his last name, he didn’t really tell me but yeah that’s what I said. Why?” I asked.
“Dan is one of the most known people in school, quite a player if I tell you,” Matt said as he chuckled.
“Tell me about it. I knew that at first glance,” I said as I quickened my pace, wanting to get home faster so that I could watch some Netflix and eat Nutella, leaving the homework I was assigned with for tonight.
Don’t we all do that?
“Had fun in detention today?” Matt asked, clearly trying to tease me or at least hit a spot.
“Oh yes very fun, especially with Tyler burning holes into my head the whole time while Dan told me about the time he was dared to eat a worm.” I said sarcastically while cringing to myself. “The best time of my life.”
Matt’s laughter boomed through the speaker, causing my lips to tug upwards into a grin.
“Wow, I wish I was there, that sounds like a lot of fun,” he said between chuckles.
“Yeah, I wish you were there to see the disgusted look on my face.”
Throughout the entire detention, when the teacher wasn’t looking, which was most of the time because she was using her phone, Dan would crack a joke or say something to get my attention. I tried to ignore him and Tyler’s stare, but it was so difficult with him sitting right beside me. I wouldn’t say he was that annoying because he was better company than Tyler will ever be, it’s just that his cringe stories made me want to leave that suffocating room.
“So when are you planning to go on your daily run?” Matt asked.
His words brought me to a sudden stop.
“Huh, have you finally decide to come run with me?” I asked in glee, a smile growing on my face. I always wanted to have a run with Matt, wanting to see if he was as fast as I am. But he always refused when I would bring it up on the phone. I even tried to convince him yesterday at school but he was too stubborn, saying that he hates to run. I still wonder how he is so fit.
“Never,” he said simply, making my smile drop.
A groan escaped my lips as I pinched the bridge of my nose; my hopes came crashing down to the ground. I knew it sounded too good to be true.
“Oh come on! Why not?” I whined as I stomped my foot to the ground.
“Because if I do run with you then I will just crush your ego because of how fast I run and you don’t want me to do that, do you?” he lied.
I rolled my eyes as I started to walk forward, my house coming into view.
“Yeah like that would happen. You know I’m too good,” I said with a smirk plastered on my face. Before he could start denying or say anything else, I interrupted him.
“So if you aren’t going to run with me then why did you ask?” I asked.
“Because I wanted to know if you are free this afternoon, if you aren’t then clear up your plans,” he said as I walked to the front door and took my keys from my bag.
“Why? Is this the part where you ask me out on a date and confess your feelings to me which you have been hiding for years?” I asked sarcastically.
“In your dreams kiddo,” Matt said.
“Then why?” I asked in confusion, stepping my foot into the lonely place I call home.
“You should be getting your answer by now,” he said as I locked the front door. I lifted an eyebrow as I placed my bag on the counter.
“What on earth are you talking about?” I asked.
And as if on cue, the doorbell rang, making me stop in my tracks as I was walked into the kitchen. I turned around slowly, looking suspiciously at the door, while wishing to myself that I had the ability to see through objects from afar.
I wasn’t expecting anyone.
“What did you do?” I whispered as if there was a serial killer waiting outside my door.
“Clare-bear, you know a serial killer wouldn’t ring a doorbell, right?” Matt said, sensing what I was thinking.
“A polite one would,” I said.
I heard him sigh as the doorbell rang for the second time.
“Gosh, stop being dramatic and just open the freakin’ door,” he said.
I forced my legs to walk to the front door, mumbling to myself. Who knows who would be behind that door?
I stopped my thoughts from wondering off as I looked through the peek hole to see three girls standing next to each other. I opened the door and faced Jasmine and the twins. They greeted me with warm smiles, and walked into my house as if they owned the place.
“What’s going on?” I asked Matt on the other end of the line as I closed the door slowly.
“The girls will be taking you shopping for Friday’s party. We all know you have such a bad taste in fashion,” he said, sounding like a bride getting ready for her own wedding.
“But today’s Tuesday! The party isn’t until another three days,” I whined.
“Yeah, well, it’s better sooner than never
, huh?” he said.
“You mean better safe than sorry.” I corrected as I sent a smile to the girls standing in front of me.
“Oh, shut up and just end the call,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and said goodbye as I pressed the decline button. I placed my phone onto the counter as I faced Jasmine, Eva, and Sydney. They all looked like they went home, freshened up, then came here to see me because they weren’t wearing the same clothes that they were wearing earlier today. They all had bright smiles on their faces. I could already feel the excitement radiating off of them. They seemed like children getting their presents on Christmas.
“So, you ready?” Sydney asked. I lifted an eyebrow at her.
“Now?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yup,” they all said in unison, nodding their heads.
“There’s no going back, is there?” I asked as I rubbed my face with my hands, looking at them with the best puppy face I could make.
“Nope,” they said, while popping the ‘p’ and shaking their heads.
I let a huff escape my lips as I ran my hand through my hair. I guess Netflix and Nutella will just have to wait.
“Fine, let me just go wear something else then,” I mumbled, and made my way toward the stairs, while they all nodded and sat on the couch.
I walked up the stairs and into my room, grabbed a dress from my closet and changed in the bathroom. I braided my hair into a fishtail then climbed back downstairs. I left my face without make up because I didn’t want to do all this in the beginning.
I just wanted to wear my pajamas while I stuffed my face in junk food and watched The Vampire Diaries. But no, I had to buy a dress for a party I didn’t even want to go to. I didn’t really like the idea of being in a place full of drunken people grinding on each other with music blasting so loud. But I knew I couldn’t convince Matt to drop the subject.
He was just as stubborn as I’ll ever be.
Chapter 9
I walked slowly to the front door, trying not to pull a muscle on my sore legs. They were sore to the point that I could feel a cramp coming in every few minutes and if you were just like me, then you completely despise cramps. They were just one of the most painful things in the world. But strangely, after going through the pain, I would feel satisfied for some unknown reason.
Maybe it was because I didn’t peel my own skin off just to replace the pain of my muscles torturing me. Or because I didn’t go crazy and made the president of the United States a prank call like I would usually do in times of need.
Once I’m in front of the door, I grabbed my purse and opened it to look for the keys. The quicker I open this door that’s blocking me from falling on my bed as I snore the night away, the better. I looked through my purse which was kind of difficult because I was holding a bunch of bags that contained clothes, accessories and underwear Jasmine and the twins forced me to buy. I didn’t even know why because all I needed was a dress but they insisted in buying other stuff to go with it. I put them all on the ground and continued to search for that stupid key but the sun setting didn’t help at all. It was getting darker and darker by the second.
Finally, I had it in my hand and opened the door. I stepped in to be greeted with silence. I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe my parents welcoming me home but I knew that would never happen. I should be living in reality. I then placed the bags on the counter, too lazy and tired to bring it with me upstairs.
Once in my room, I did the thing I wanted to do most, since forever. I took off my dress and got into my sleeping clothes then crawled into bed. I pulled the cover over me and rested my head on the soft pillow which felt like a cloud. I was simply in bliss. It felt like heaven. A small smile tugged on my lips as I felt the dark creep closer.
Today was such a long day and shopping with the girls didn’t really help. Shopping with them was like going on a wild goose chase. At one point we were at a shop then the next we were in another. Before I could even blink, they were shoving clothes in my face, making me pick from the colors of blue to red. I didn’t think I would want to repeat this day ever again.
My smile suddenly vanished when the song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ filled my ears. In normal times I would have smiled to myself in glee and sang along because it was my favorite song. I mean who wouldn’t?
But not today.
I opened an eye to see my phone vibrating on the counter next to me as the song got louder. I then closed it back and groaned to myself as I pulled the cover over my head as if it would block the sound out. I let my mind debate on whether I should answer the call or not. I finally decided to get this over with because if I didn’t answer then it would just ring endlessly.
I reached for my phone and turned it over to see the caller ID. I cursed in my head when it read Matt’s name. Why did he have to disturb my slumber? It just made me wish I had the ability to stretch my arm through the phone and punch the caller.
Oh, how useful that would be.
My thumb wanted to press the red decline button but I forced myself to answer the call that was keeping me from finally ending the long day with some sleep.
“Hey!” Matt’s voice echoed through my ear. “How’s my best friend doing?” he asked with glee.
“I hate you,” I grumbled.
“Ah, I can see you’re very cheerful. Was it because of the shopping trip?” he asked.
“I hate you,” I repeated.
“The feeling’s mutual babe,” he said and I could already tell he had a smirk plastered on his face.
“Go, die in a deep black hole and never crawl out,” I said, as I tried to express the hatred I had for my best friend at this very moment.
“Gosh! What crawled up your ass?” he asked sarcastically.
“I wish I could tell,” I said, as I closed my eyes, becoming more tired by the second.
“Did you buy a dress?” he asked, getting straight to the point.
“Oh yea, definitely. I also bought you some lingerie from Victoria’s Secret since you know; you love to act like a girl so much. Are you sure you’re not gay?” I asked. I had nothing against gay people. It was just sometimes, Matt’s actions and his choice of words got me into thinking outside the box. But at the end of the day, I knew he wasn’t because if he was, then he would have surely told me. We didn’t tend to keep anything from each other.
There was a moment of silence before I heard him choking on his own spit.
“Clare! There has to be a fashionista in this friendship or else you would walk around this town looking like a hobo,” he defended himself.
“Pft, sure. Explain how I managed to survive all these years without you,” I said.
“Oh, I don’t know. I was thinking the same thing. Poor people, you probably burned their eyes out with the way you looked.” His voice was laced with sympathy and I could imagine him wiping a fake tear off his cheek.
“Shut up, will you?” I grumbled. “You didn’t answer my questions . . . ” I reminded him while a smirk tugged on my lips to tease him.
“Clare, you know I’m not gay. I just like to look after you, that’s all,” he assured me.
“ Sure . . . ” I said slowly. “Let’s just pretend that I believe that so it could help you sleep at night,” I said as a chuckle escaped my lips.
“Yea, yea, whatever. Think what you want,” he said, mumbling.
“So, what’s up?” Matt asked, changing the subject. A smirk curled up on my lips but before I could say anything, he interrupted me.
“And don’t say the sky,” he warned.
“Pft, I wasn’t going to say the sky . . . I was going to say the ceiling.” I corrected him.
“Can you just be serious for once?” he asked.
“Nope!” I said, popping the p. “You made me go shopping and now you’re disturbing my slumber. So that’s what you get.”
“Wait, disturbing your slumber? Don’t tell me you’re going to bed now?” he asked in disbelief.
“So, what if I am
?” I asked.
“Clare, it’s only seven.” He pointed out.
“I’m tired,” I said. It was true because it took every ounce of my body not to close my eyes and leave Matt hanging. I was even surprised I hadn’t declined the call at this rate.
“Can’t you wait for a couple hours?” he asked. “If you go to sleep now then you will end up waking up later and won’t be able to sleep.”
“Ugh, you’re acting like you’re my mom.” I grumbled more to myself but I wasn’t as grumpy as I thought I would be, because a small smile found their way to my lips. It meant a lot to know that Matt cared about me. I was so thankful to have him by my side and telling me what not to do. Like a big brother I never had.
“Hey, as I said before, just looking out for you kid. Someone had to.” I heard him say, but his voice was getting quieter as the darkness took over my body.
“Well, too late,” I said, as my eyes fluttered closed, letting my body fall limp against the soft mattress. I was about to let my ears close for a second because of how overwhelming my body felt, and shut down my brain but a question popped in my mind.
“Matt,” I whispered.
“Yea?” I heard him say.
“Can you sing me a lullaby?” I asked.
There was a moment of silence before he spoke.
“Oh, wait what was that? Sorry my mom’s calling me. I have to go Clare.” I heard Matt scamper through the speaker. A chuckle escaped my throat.
“You live alone stupid.” I pointed out.
“Goodnight Clare,” he said, ignoring my statement.
“Goodnight Matt,” I said, before opening my eyes to press the red button, and then place my phone onto the counter as I let my eyes close again. My chest moved up and down slowly as I buried my face into my pillow, my breathing becoming steady.
The last thing that came to my mind before I drifted off to sleep was how lucky I am to have Matt in my life.