“Slow down, Celia, you’re driving way too fast!”
I glare in the rear view mirror and put my foot harder on the gas in response. For some reason, this night had seemed like a good idea a month ago, but I’d learned that a lot can change in a short amount of time. It was so much more than I’d ever believed could have happened. The events of the past month now flood into my mind, so I crank the stereo to drown the thoughts away. I sigh in relief as Green Day begins to blast out of my speakers. Thank God for music; it has always been my sort of escape from reality, and this has especially been the case recently. I would tell you all about it, but I just don’t want to talk about it. Besides, I don’t really need to tell you about it; you’ll see it soon enough. It’s sitting in the back seat of my car at this very instant. I bet you’re really curious about what this “it”is now, aren’t you? I’ll just give you three words for now: “Lindsay and Alex.”
“Could you turn down the music, Celia? I’m trying to tell Alex something,” says a teenage girl. With her sleek blonde hair, her baby blue eyes, and her hot pink dress, she looks like a living Barbie doll. Yep. You guessed it, I’m sure. That’s Lindsay, my best-friend-turned-worst-enemy.
“What? I didn’t catch that,” I say, my voice laced with acid.
“I said ‘could you turn down the music?’. It’s way too loud, and I’m trying to talk to Alex.”
Oh yes. Alex. I’ve secretly had a crush on him since junior high. We’d known each other and had been friends since elementary school, but I’d never approached him about how I romantically felt for him. I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had. Lindsay had no interest in Alex until the beginning of our junior year in high school, over a month ago, when I finally told her about my crush. All of a sudden she thought he was the greatest guy ever, which he is, by the way. Tall, curly brown hair, an adorable smile, and just the sweetest and most gorgeous guy you’d ever meet. I guess it’s only natural then that Lindsay, “Miss Perfect,” would end up dating “Mr. Perfect.” September 15th, the day Lindsay and Alex started dating, was the worst day of my life. I take that back. Today is the worst day of my life. Well, technically it’s night, Halloween night to be exact, but you get the point. Needless to say, I won’t turn my music down. I just turn it up louder and start head banging. Celia has a little hissy fit (oh, boo hoo), but when I peer back in the rearview mirror, I can tell that Alex is amused, and is trying hard to conceal a grin. Hmm, maybe this night won’t be as bad as I thought it’d be…
“What are you smiling about?” Lindsay says, her pencil-thin eyebrows arched in v-formation.
“Nothing. I was just wondering what Celia’s costume is supposed to be,” Alex says. Nice save there, Alex.
“I’m Juliet,” I say. That’s me for you. I don’t go along with the usual high school girl’s slutty cowgirl, nurse, or in Lindsay’s case, Barbie. Nope, not for me. I was Hester Prynne last year, and the year before that I was Hermione Granger. What can I say, I’m a book worm geek. I can’t wait to see what Alex’s costume ends up being. Lindsay told me he wasn’t going to put his costume on until we get there. He wanted it to be a surprise.
“Ah. Beautiful,” Alex says. I blush and can’t help but smile like an idiot. “The costume, I mean,” he adds quickly.
“Of course,” I say in a small, dead voice. My mind is numb, but my throat is aching and filled with repressed emotion, and my eyes blur over with tears. I hurriedly dab them away as I pull into the parking spot. We’ve made it to the party I’d been excited for since the end of the summer. Suddenly though I’m just not in the mood. Can you guess why?
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