waiting for spring

•Chaper One• Liz

I'm sitting in the seat beside my window. Blinding white snowflakes begin to fall to the ground, hitting tree branches, rooftops, and the black streets. Slowly, I see my town being wrapped in a big, white, fluffy blanket. It's beautiful, but cold.
I grab my phone and take a picture of the world. I shiver vigorously and put on a sweater. The heat in my house is busted and every window has a damn draft. Buttoning up my black, knitted sweater, I decide to call Liz. She picks up:
"Hey Gracie, what's up?" She answers.
"Hi Liz. You wanna go for pizza or something? I got nothin' to do," I say.
"Yeah sure. I'll meet you at the corner in 10, sounds good?"
"Cool. Bye," I reply.
"See ya'," she hangs up. I pull off my pajama pants and put on jeans. I take 5 bucks and head out the door into the frigid storm.
Liz and I met when we were 4 in preschool and it turns out, we stayed friends. Although we could never be more opposite, I've spent 11 of my 15 years of life with this amazing, crazy, reckless, bitchy, and slutty girl and I love her like a sister. I don't know if anything could break us.
Strolling down the cracked sidewalk to the corner we always meet up on, I study the fascinating New York scenery. And no, it's not what you're thinking. I don't live in Manhattan, I live in Queens, so there are no big skyscrapers, only houses. But even without skyscrapers and big parks, New York is still amazing.
Finally I see Liz waiting on the corner for me, shivering her ass off and blue in the face. Snow coats her perfectly curled, multicolored hair. She's barely dressed compared to me. "Gracie, what the hell took you so long?" She said through a trembling jaw. She's wearing a thin PINK sweater and yoga pants. She's never wearing anything warm. I guess that's the reason she got pneumonia twice this winter.
"Well, you say 10 minutes, but mean 3 minutes and technically..." I check the time in my phone, "...It's been 8 minutes since I last talked to you." I reply cheerfully. Liz rolls her eyes.
"C'mon smart ass, let's go." She tells me playfully. I love being a smart ass. We start walking up town where all of our local shops and stores are. "Do you wanna come with me to Keith's party? It's tomorrow night," she asks abruptly.
"Uh... yeah, sure. But who's Keith?"
"Oh. I guess I forgot to tell you. On Thursday, I broke up with Josh for this guy I met at our last basketball game, Keith. He goes to St. Francis Prep. But I think I'm gonna break up with him after the party. He won't stop grabbing my boobs..." she replies to me. After and awkward silence, we both laugh.
Liz is always getting guys. She already lost her virginity! But while she's always got a hot boyfriend, I've never had one. Ever. And she's a really pretty, size DD cheerleader at our school, St. Agnes, so she hooks up with all the basketball players. "You need help! What is he, your 40th play toy?" Smart ass strikes again.
"Haha, very funny," she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes again, "No, he's my Boyfriend. Not 'play toy'. And I've only had 26." I look down at my boots, silent. "Oh-shit. Sorry, Grace. I-I didn't mean for it to come out that way." Whatever. I change the subject. "Well I'm sure that Aunt Bella won't mind that I go to the party, as long as you're there...and as long as I tell her I'm 'sleeping over' a friend's house," even though we were walking so close together, the space between us was huge.
"Okay that sounds good. Um, so, you wanna hitch a ride from me? I'm stealing daddy's car. He's not gonna be home!" She giggles, trying to make this less awkward. It's not working. "Yeah okay." I live with my Aunt Bella because I can't stand the rest of my family. Also, she has partial custody over me after my mom died, and I sorta have to stay with her while my dad's in rehab yet again.
"But I'll only go with you if you let me drive home. You'll probably be as drunk as a bottle of Grey Goose," I tell her seriously. She rolls her eyes another time. She does that so much I think her eyes might fall out of her head one day.
"You're such a fucking nerd!"
• • • • •
After pizza, I walk back home, while Liz goes to Keith's house to get banged. I decided to take a shower, even though I took one this morning. Aunt Bella didn't get home from work yet... she works way too much. But at least I have the house to myself for a few more hours.
I like to just take showers. Because it's my alone time- even though I'm alone most of the time. I think a lot in the shower. I think about my life. I also cry in the shower. I cry about my life. I'm not a happy person.

Sometimes I do more than cry.