Beyond Reality

I

"Do we have to?" I really wasn't looking forward to Desiree's plans for today, but I was in need of company. If she weren't my best friend, I definitely would have said no and walked away.

Desiree's eyes were filled with deviancy as she was preparing her response. "You need an upgrade and I don't trust you to do it without my direction. Plus you love that one place in the food court, so if you don't complain too much we can get dinner there." Her smile was terrifying as she waited for my acceptance to her torture.

I knew she wasn't going to back down by the fire she held in her eyes. "Fine," I slowly nod. "I really don't want to be there long enough to have dinner there though, that is way longer than our agreed upon two hour limit for a mall. If you really want to drag me around for that long it is going to take more than some food." I glared at her with a playful scowl, there was nothing I could do to possibly scare this girl.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into a deep hug. "Will a sleepover make up for it?" She said a little too loud right next to my ear. Desiree always did something like this, ask for something she knew I can't stand and then offer up something barely equal. "I promise I'll behave this time, and I won't make you do anything too girly."

I push her away from me and hold her at arms length. My eyes are squinted as small as they can go while still being able to see her. "Who do you think I am? There will be nothing girly and plenty of bad movies."

Her smile was enough to know that it was a yes, but she whipped her head up and down enough to send her brown curls over her face. She looked ridiculous, and she would never do something so unflattering in public, only in the safety of one of our bedrooms.

We are quick in getting our shoes on and out the door. I was not ready for the next four hours of shopping and outfits that make me uncomfortable. This was Desiree's favorite thing to do, and she somehow always managed to convince me to go with her.

It became much more bearable when I set a list of rules for her. 1: anytime we go to a mall, we can only be there for two hours, not including time spent eating, 2: there is a limit of three outfits to try on for each store, 3: no matter how appealing something is, the price can instantly put it on the 'not an option' list, 4: any clothing that exposes more skin than necessary, has sequins, glitter, fur or animal print is instantly put on the 'not an option' list, 5: any and all cute boys must be mentioned to the other as soon as they are spotted. It didn't seem like too much to ask for, but there was always a 'please' or 'just this once' coming from Desiree.

In no time at all, I look up from my phone and see the mall parking lot. How I wish this could be over soon with no problems. It could never be that easy though, so for the next four hours I completely zone out except for a sharp poke in my side every once in a while bringing me back to the boring reality of being surrounded by clothes.

I couldn't have been more relieved when we got back into the car with only a few bags. The leather seats were warm from the sun and I could already feel my legs sticking to them. Desiree made winding down the roads look easy as she sped through most of them.

"I know you're a hot shot and all that, but it would be great if we could make it home alive." I lightly punch her arm as she finally turns onto my street.

She whips her head to look at me, not slowing down at all, and has yet another one of her devilish grins. "I am not a bad driver, the only accidents I've been in were minor and not my fault."

"Not a bad driver my butt, you barely follow enough of the road laws to not have a drawer full of tickets. I'm sure that's going to help you in your future." I bring up her wish of becoming a lawyer to prove the irony of her behavior.

"Hey, now, no need to be like that. You would have absolutely no fun if it weren't for me. Seriously, you don't even leave your house for anything that isn't entirely necessary. It is possible to let loose and enjoy your youth, you know?"

I sigh, knowing she is right. I only go out for school and work, any other time is when Desiree rips me from the comfort and safety of my room. I move to open the door when she turns the car off, but my other hand is grabbed and all of my attention is brought to the person holding it.

"I'm not going to let you stay locked up anymore. Once we get moved into the dorm, you are going to have fun with me and go out and make mistakes. Talk to as many boys as possible and regret almost all of them." Her brown eyes are wide as she looks into mine with love. I give her a small smile and an awkward hug over the console.

"Just promise that you make a quota for how many people I have to meet." I laugh as I am finally released and step out of the car and up the steps to my house.

Desiree is close behind me as we make our way to my bedroom and get comfortable. "Maybe there won't be a quota, but you will have to find a few people that you can hang out with." She points her long finger in my face as she continues. "You need more than just one friend. This is supposed to be a time of experimentation and exploration."

I fall back on my bed and groan at her badgering. "I prefer my experiments to be in the science lab and my exploration to be in a book." Suddenly Desiree plops her head on my stomach, forcing out an unpleasant sound on my end. "Do you have to be so extra with everything?"

My question goes unanswered as Desiree has already got the TV remote in her hand and scrolling through Netflix and nudging me each time she finds a synopsis funny or misleading. Within minutes there is a movie playing and we are both pointing out any errors we can find and mocking the movie all around.

A few movies go by and I notice that Desiree fell asleep already. I didn't even realize it was so late, even though we had watched three movies already. I slip the remote out of Desiree's hand and turn the TV off,