A Recipe for Disaster

teenage dream

For Oliver Lucas Anderson, Marrissa Jane Mckayle, and Malerie Richard, thank you for being my muse for writing this, but I still hate you guys. And thanks to my family, I actually love you guys.

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When people say high school is "the best time of your life," they were probably homeschooled. 

Because waking up at 5:30 AM, getting stuck in hallway traffic jams, feeling like people are staring at you when they couldn't care less, and dealing with teachers who act like being two minutes late to class will make you homeless isn't exactly "the best time of your life."

Honestly, it's the worst part of life—and the most confusing, especially if you're like me: a 5'4", mildly annoying, love-blind teenage girl who had a crush on her best friend but didn't know it at the time because she was a love-blind idiot.

It was a week before school, and I actually couldn't wait to go back. I felt like this year would be different. For one, I felt more confident. I'd studied my subjects over the summer and gotten a tan (which was slowly fading but still slightly visible!).

But the best part? I'd finally get to see my best friend, Graham.

Graham was one of the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for—sweet, kind, caring, funny. And he was a vegetarian. Unfortunately, we didn't see each other much this summer. He travelled to Pennsylvania for two months to visit his grandma, then spent two weeks in New York with his older sister, Emma, who was studying to be a physical therapist. (Personally, I think it is just a free pass to touch people, but hey, it pays well!)

By the time he finally returned to San Francisco, I was leaving for a two-week family trip to Mexico—extended family included. It sucked, honestly. My cousins, mostly little kids or ten-year-olds, spent 90% of the time screaming and crying. By the time I got back, it was just a day before school, and I was too exhausted to hang out.

Today was the first day of school, and I wanted to impress everyone, to show off my "glow-up," even if I hadn't really had one. I'd grown two inches and gotten a tan. But, deep down, I knew who I was doing this for: Graham.

I didn't want to admit it back then, but I liked him. I admired his brown hair, his warm brown eyes, and how passionate he was about everything he did—especially when he played piano and guitar. I still remember how he blew everyone away at our elementary school concert with "Pop Goes the Weasel." That was why I picked up piano and guitar myself—because of him.

That day, I wore a light pink dress, white Nikes, and a white headband. I tied my hair in a tight high ponytail, even though my braids were begging to be undone. Graham had said he liked my ponytail on the last day of school, so I figured it was good luck.

When I finally spotted him near the lockers, a huge smile spread across my face. It'd been two months since I'd seen him. And, wow—he'd grown. He was taller now, at least 5'11", which got me thinking about how much he'd changed. Puberty, right? He looked great, wearing the beige Green Day shirt I'd given him with cargo pants.

"Hey!" I called out, trying not to sound too excited.

He looked up and smiled, that familiar grin with the dimple in his cheek. "Hey, stranger!"

I let out a laugh, feeling a little lightheaded. "Looks like someone's Christmas wish came early," I teased.

Graham chuckled. "Don't tell Santa; he made me swear not to reveal his magic powers."

"I won't tell a soul," I promised, grinning. "But how was your trip?"

"I texted you a paragraph," he said, giving me a playful look.

"Saying 'it was good' isn't a paragraph."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Fine. It was actually great. I went to this crazy parade where I thought I'd get trampled! But I made a few friends too."

"Oh yeah? Like who?" I tried to keep my voice casual, but curiosity bubbled up inside me.

"Well, Maya, John, Lukas, Luke B, and Ronald."

I tried to keep my tone neutral. "Oh, that's cool. How old is Maya?"

"Fifteen," he replied.

I paused, giving him a strange look. "So, is she cool?"

He shrugged, looking casual. "Pretty cool."

I wanted to ask more, but just then, I heard loud voices calling my name.

"Amy!"

Joyce, Malerie, and Marissa came running toward me, waving their arms like they were at a Taylor Swift concert. Before I could prepare myself, they tackled me in a group hug. Little did they know, I hated hugs. They made me uncomfortable, and I never knew whether to hug around the neck or the waist.

"Hey," I said, awkwardly pulling out of the embrace. I noticed Graham had already drifted off to his friend Menelik. I felt a pang, wishing he'd stayed a bit longer. But I forced myself to focus on my friends. "What's up?" I asked, trying to ignore the urge to chase after Graham.

"Not much," Marissa replied, smiling widely. I immediately noticed something different.

"You got your braces off?" I asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yeah, I did!" She grinned, showing off her new smile. "Wanted it to be a surprise! I wanted a summer glow-up without you blabbermouths spreading the news."

"Is that from Dior?" I asked, admiring her dress.

She nodded, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Yeah. My parents are getting divorced, so my mom's spending as much of my dad's money as she can. She even let me get a belly button piercing."

Before I could ask how she felt about all that, Joyce jumped in, her voice filled with barely-contained excitement. "Oh my gosh, did you hear? Kalie broke up with Mark B over the summer. I heard she was pregnant because I saw her at the clinic next to the ice cream shop where I work."

Joyce, of course. She always managed to know everyone's business, even the things you'd rather not know. Sometimes, her jokes could be funny; other times, they crossed a line. It was like she didn't even realize it.

The first week of school flew by in a blur. I had no problems with anyone, and no one had problems with me. The work wasn't as hard as I expected, but, once again, it was only the first week of school.

As Joyce went on about Judah's breakup with his girlfriend Daliah—who just happened to hook up with his older brother or something—Marissa joined in with the latest rumors about the sophomore class. I tried to listen, but my eyes kept drifting over to where Graham was laughing with Menelik at their table, my mind wondering what they could be talking about.

"Earth to Amy!" Marissa waved her hand in front of my face, smirking. "You're not listening, are you?"

"Oh, sorry!" I laughed awkwardly, snapping back to reality. "What were you saying?"

"We were asking if you wanted to come to the ice cream shop after school," Malerie said, giving me her classic don't-even-think-about-saying-no look. "My treat."

"That sounds awesome!" I replied, trying to shake off my distraction and focus on my friends. But just as I said it, I caught Graham looking my way. For a split second, our eyes met, and he flashed that same dimpled grin I'd missed all summer.

4o