"Dakata! Time to come down mom needs you!" Delilah screamed outside my bedroom door, pounding rapidly on it. This is what I don't get about her; she can say every word in a children's dictionary, but can't say my name right. My parents praise her for that but god forbid you ask her to spell something over 3 letters. I knew that if I didn't get up now, she'd probably break down my door.
I flipped over to the other side of my bed to see what my mom picked out for me. It was quite dark for her, but I knew she was trying to fit my aesthetic of my "Too Cool for School Teenager Phase". I didn't understand why my parents acted like this because of my age, but then again they don't know what happens now at that age. At least, in this type of year. They think that the teenager phase is hooking up with boys, ditching school, going to parties, and rebelling against your parents in general. In reality, it's just knowing more about the world than your parents do, trying to fix those mistakes they made, scrolling through social media, having a silent hatred for school, and listening to music while putting on eyeliner as dark as your soul from a random mall store.
I put on the violet dress and slip on the black stockings and shoes. I brushed out my hair, touched up my makeup, and then finally went downstairs.
"Surprise! Welcome to your 14th birthday!" My mom popped up behind the dining table tied with purple, black, and gold balloons on the ends. There were about 15 presents, all from my family members I presume, who couldn't bother to stay and dropped off the gifts. 10 out of the 15 gifts were clothes, deodorant, hair and makeup brushes, and more makeup. The other five gifts were from my friends, who gave me books, stuffed animals, posters, gift cards, and a new phone charger. "Their parents came and dropped off the gifts!" Mom says. Makes sense, Carmen would have dragged me out of bed to give the gift to me.
As I read one of my new books, Deliah came down with a mauled teddy bear. It smelled of strong lavender perfume and had a bright pink dress on it. It had smeared pink lipstick all over it and small flower earrings on its ears. The sad-looking bear held a piece of paper that said "From Deliah Too Dekaka. Haqqy Birthbay!" The number of misspellings made me cringe inside, but I took it anyway.
My father came out of the kitchen with a stack of "Birthday Pancakes" for me. 6-8 pancakes with small bowls of different types of toppings and a can of whipped cream and Cool Whip. I made a neat skull and crossbones on the top pancake with bananas and a small dollop of Cool Whip around it in a pattern. As I ate, I got a call from Issac.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaappy birthday!" He elongated the A's and sounded very soft even while he's screaming. His voice is drowned out by rave music and shouting. "Come to 42nd Silk Road, we have a surprise for you~"
I took that as a sign to leave, packed my mini bag, and was about to leave. "Wait Dakota, I need to give something to you!" I sat on the couch and Mom pulled a medium-sized box, about up to my knees.
Inside the wrapped box was a doll in a black dress with lavender lace. She had black and purple striped socks and long, loosely curled, dark brown hair. She had light makeup, a little bit of blush, lip gloss, and a small eyeliner wing.
I was surprised by the attention to detail and sat the doll on the couch next to me. I realized the scent of the lip gloss was...strawberry? This doll had so much detail, I was finding that it looked like an actual human person. Her eyes were very human-like, and her skin was soft and a little squishy.
I looked back at the box again. It had things on it that said "Dollz 4 Teenz!" I guess this was supposed to appeal to teenagers? That would explain all the black. "Hi, my name is Ruby!" So the doll's name is Ruby? That gets rid of hours trying to figure out a name. "Perfect for hardcore teenagers with a secret soft spot (shhhhh)" Oh my god I wanted to gag there. Who was this made by, Westerburg's school board? "TeenToyz, Made in Japan" TeenToyz? This is obviously adults' way of trying to connect with their kids. Or, so they can open up more cause they feel like children again. Either way, I applaud, it's a perfect cash grab for the company and a waste of cash for uneducated parents who don't know how to deal with a 13-17 year old.
I was going to interfere more when I got a text from Carmen.
Bookworm
'Wru?'
'Don't worry, I'm coming'
'Getting your ear talked off by your mom?'
'Might as well be'
'Cya then'
'Cya'
I turned off my phone and placed it in my pocket for safekeeping after the conversation was over.
"Don't stay out too late!"
"I won't!"
I thanked my mom for the presents, grabbed my bag, and headed out to 42nd.
