Changle my plans, Initial

CHAPTER 1

GOOD GIRL

I turn to the black-haired girl, named Melany Ryan, who stands leaning over a row of lockers and shoots me a look as if I have marked her life with suffering and sadness.

,,Come on, Melany, I'm not going, don't look at me like that." She doesn't take her eyes off me, and I try to avoid her by pretending to be looking for something in my locker that has absolutely nothing in it. I rummage through nothingness and get nervous. I start to panic because she realized that I was just fiddling with the locker and inserting the books and notes I had written down during the lecture.

,,Go with someone else." I turn to her and close the locker door. She watches me in silence, crossed her arms over hers chest and sighed desperately. She frowns, and I ignore her and lean against the locker. My shoulder hits the tin surface, but I try not to wince and whine in pain.

,,Andrea, please, it's my birthday, you have to make an exception." A sweet childish smile appeared on her face. She relaxed her shoulders and lowered her head. I know what Melany's up to. If I didn't agree by force, she wants me to fall on her sad face. What a fickle.

,,It's not up to me, it's up to my parents. Besides, I don't want to get in trouble." She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her dark brown eyes. I know she won't give up, but I can't help myself. I can't help her either. It's just like that and I'm used to being bored.

,,Andrea, you are no longer an elementary school that your parents have to give permission to." I shoot her a look because she had to ruin my day that started so nicely. She keeps telling me that I am a grown woman now and that I just have to inform my parents about my plans. I push myself away from the locker. I'm not going to her party. We haven't known each other long enough to trust her. We had a couple of lectures together, but it never grew into anything more.

,,No!" Melany banged her head on the locker. She looks desperate and thoughtful at the same time. She must be coming up with a new tactic. I wonder what they will offer me next.

,,If it comforts you, I will bring you a present on Monday for the first lecture we'll have together or on a Saturday before your birthday madness." I rummage through the keys and grab the lock of the locker. I push the key into the padlock and open it. I take all the books I left in the locker, gently close the locker and lock it. I hear behind me an aggressive banging on the tin cabinet doors. Melany has a fit of rage again because it's not the way she wants it.

,,Andrea!" She squealed behind me, and I didn't even bother to look back.

,,Please." She took me by the upper arm and turned to face me. Now we stand face to face with our whole bodies facing her. She knows full well that there is no chance of persuading me. It looks kind of gloomy. Is it really that important to her that I come? No one has ever begged me to be present at an organization or celebration before. Everyone always told me that I was rather shabby, stiff, and official. This is completely new to me. I'm sure I've never seen this pleading look directed at me before. I relax my shoulders and straighten up. I look her straight in the exhausted brown eyes.

,,I will think about it." I just say. I had nothing to think about, I said what she wanted to hear. She jumped for joy, and I took a step back in panic.

,,Melany, what shall I tell my parents? Should I agree not to go to the club? I can't do that." There is not a shred of concern or even tension on her face. She is relaxed and casual. Does she think I'm going to lie to my parents about such a thing? If she thinks so, then she is definitely wrong. My parents didn't deserve to be lied to.

,,You don't have to lie to them, you are old enough to go to the club." She smiled as if I had said a perfectly normal thing that wasn't bad or dangerous at all. I look at her in disbelief not knowing what to say to her.

,,You are crazy if you think I'm going to do this to my mother and father." I didn't want to choose such a gentle tone of voice, I wanted her to take me seriously. It was my intention to sound resolute and intimidating. I really hoped to be able to set boundaries, but I didn't quite succeed.

,,You are really exaggerating. You will be eighteen soon. You are going to college! It's totally normal for college friends to have fun!"

,,I don't want to be among them!" I interrupt her in the middle of a sentence. This time I was rather rude. I screamed even though I didn't want to. She doesn't want to listen to those stories. That's awful! She pursed her lips slightly to say something, but I interrupted her and interjected before her.

,,If they let me, you are lucky, if not, I'm staying home with Luca, though I'm not sure if I will go if they let me." She frowned and relaxed her body. She starts grumbling, and I look around to see if anyone is watching us, this has become embarrassing.

,,Andrea." She growled and approached me. ,,Why are you like this? Teenagers are crazy, not responsible."

,,Melany!" I quietly snarl at her to straighten up because people are laughing at her and watching her like she's crazy. She frowned even more and took a step back.

,,If you want to come, come, if you don't get approval, stay home, I won't expect you."

We spend a few more seconds in silence looking each other straight in the eye. I'm not sure how she feels now. I'm not sure how I feel about our conversation. Her eyes are completely empty and cold. She turned, and I measured her back. She started walking down the hall without looking back at me.

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