euphoria

ii.

as previously stated, wednesday is my favorite day of the week. it held sentiment, but wednesday's were the days that donny and i celebrated every week, even if it was something minor. even if it was just getting milkshakes or watching movies at one of our houses, we always made it the best day of the week. we always did something extreme on july 12th every year. that's when we really put forth an effort to do something grand.

today is a wednesday in september 2018. i've just waken up and beginning my morning routine when i hear a familiar tone play from my phone: weezer's 'my best friend'. this tells me one of two things: donny's sick and not coming to school, or he's an overachiever and started his off-ice hockey workout early, pestering me in the process. i decide i'll check it later and get ready as per usual.

i examine myself in the mirror. i'm a fairly attractive girl, standing at a not-very-tall-at-all five-three with olive skin and freckles grazing my round face unevenly. my eyes are deep blue, and  i have a weirdly shaped birthmark underneath my right eye. i have long, sorta-flat-but-also-not-really dirty blonde hair, with strands in the front that won't stay down. i have two really big front teeth, which got me casted as a rabbit in the school play in the fourth grade, earning the nickname "bun-bun" or "bunny" from donny. i play lots of sports, but i still have a very soft body type. i have an hourglass figure with some "chub" on my stomach as ma calls it, and my thighs are pretty large. i still love myself, of course, everyone has imperfections.

        after showering and fixing my hair best as possible, i examine myself again. this time, i make sure to look at all my best features, things that people liked about me. i have a pretty smile, an amazing sense of fashion; even if everyone thinks fingerless gloves are outdated, a friendly personality, i'm confident, i skipped a grade so now i'm going into my sophomore year at fourteen, and i'm athletic. what else could a teenage girl need for success?

        i check my phone. donny texted to say happy wednesday and that we were getting donuts for breakfast. i giggle at his ridiculous use of emojis, walking downstairs to hopefully slip by my family before they realize i'm gone. ma has been constantly working since her and dad's divorce when i was in first grade and her relationship with coach underwood which began when i was in second. he keeps her on her toes, but she still struggles with parenting with the contrast of her kids. luca and conner went to live with dad, while lucia, florence, asher, bowdy, and i stayed with mom.

    "good morning, gemma!" i hear florence sing. i stop dead in my tracks and wave, trying to leave as soon as possible. "where are you going so early?" asher asks. "she's going to meet with her bestie, donny, you two know this," lucia adds, annoyance dripping in her voice. i roll my eyes. "i'm leaving!" i holler. "you haven't eaten breakfast yet!" florence calls out as i shut the front door. i get midway through our driveway before i see donny run up. he hands me a small bag and continues to breath heavily. "did you run?" i ask playfully. we begin walking. "well, yeah, i had to do my workout!" he laughs. "you didn't shower?!" i scream. "showers are for cowards," he adds. "this is why you don't have a girlfriend," i tell him.

    we continue talking about really anything we can think about that we haven't already told each other. i'm the more talkative one out of both of us, so i usually have the best stories to tell. we used to challenge each other and see who is better at embarrassing themselves in public, and i won by a landslide. i notice that when donny laughs, his smile truly shines in a way incomparable to the sun, and his eyes glow a beautiful chocolate color. would i ever tell him these things? no, precisely because it's a little weird to notice every single feature about your closest friend. i just try to admire him from a distance.

    he tells me about how coach thinks he's improving faster than average and is almost already the best player as a sophomore. his eyes light up again, and he gets a little flustered, like he's embarrassed to brag on himself as if he hasn't always bragged on himself to me. donny has always been shy, while i was always fond of social interaction. "enough about me, what's up with you lately? have they said anything about the writing contest?" he asks. "not yet, i don't think my entry was all that good to be honest," i chuckle nervously. "are you kidding? you made me analyze that entire five-page essay and it was magnificent! you're gonna do fine," he reassured me, giving me a small side-hug. i smile up at him, and he smiles back before immediately turning away.

    we get to the school and walk in, feeling the immediate rush of the surprisingly cold atmosphere and the buzz of many cliques. i try to navigate my way to lexx and the group while checking behind me to make sure i don't lose donny. lexx waves us over to her locker, where the rest of the group is already standing. "took you two longer than enough time to get here," blair remarks. "ignore her, she's upset because the rodriguez's are running a campaign for student council," aaron snickers. "he's only running because everyone knows him and his parents! alexander and his brother can't lead!" she cries. "you got donuts and didn't bring me any?" lexx questions us, a smile creeping onto her face. "as if you need any, morstad," alexander scoffs, walking past us. "oh you little mother-" blair starts to storm off. "blair- BLAIR-" ethan yells, running after her.

    lexx shrugs and laughs, "i'm kidding gemma, unlike some people i remember what today is," i smile. "shit! i'm gonna be late for band!" donny sighs. he kisses my forehead. "see you in third," he smiles and runs off. dawn, his sister, and blayke, her girlfriend, snicker. "he's in over his head about you, girl," dawn adds. "i don't think he is," i reply, laughing slightly. "he has done that since you were kids," blayke reminds dawn. "yeah, but, he looked different today!" dawn protests. "cmon silly, we're gonna also be late for band," she kisses dawn's cheek, causing her to flush. "see you guys around!" dawn calls out, being dragged by her girlfriend.

    "they make me feel lonely," alexxis whines. "you're too sappy, lexx," i snicker. "not my fault you're not a lovey-dovey person," she replies. "you complain a lot," i remind her. she lightly shoves me and laughs. lexx naturally turns heads. i've never been that kind of girl, i usually keep to myself, and i could really care less what people think about me. there's no shame in liking the attention, though. lexx has always been good looking, probably the best looking in the friend group. she developed earlier than the rest of us, but she's very humble about it. the only thing that guys dislike about lexx is that she's plus sized, but the guys at our school don't care, she's hot regardless.

lexx and i walk to class, joking the whole way. first period english is one of the only classes we have together. we sit down at our desks when olivia whitney walks up to us, a flustered expression on her face. her friends are all giggling and whispering. i think she's trying to prank us. "hey, so i know you guys are close with donny and all," she starts, her carmel colored skin turning red. my lips curl into a smile. i finally get to play wingwoman! "yep, know all about the ugly little shit, what do you wanna know?" lexx chimes. i elbow her. "well, uh, i can't believe i'm asking this," she sighs, "is he single?"

i slam my hands on the table excitedly. "you bet your buck he's single!" i exclaim. she smiles brightly. "thanks gemma, put in good word for me!" she giggles, flipping her hair as she walks back to her desk. i couldn't be more excited. with donny off the hook and off my radar, i could finally seem appealing to a guy! lexx laughed, "you handled that well," she remarks. "you know what this means, right?" i ask her. "i'm not following, babes," she sighs. "i can finally get a boyfriend!" i squeal excitedly.

"sorretoro! morstad! do i need to separate you girls?" mrs. yoo yells. "no ma'am!" we reply in unison. alexxis and i exchange looks. "it's not gonna work," she whispers. "sure," i smile. personally, i think it's gonna work out well.