On the Edge

Part 2

Wednesday night at youth

Tyler Wolfe comes walking down the hallway. I start smiling, and I can't stop. As Tyler nears the group where we're all at I notice he's not smiling. He's frowning like as if he's just been crying and is trying to make it out like he's not. But he is. I can tell.

"How's it going?" Parker asks Tyler.

Tyler has a huge sigh. "Fairly well." Tyler says. 

He hasn't been acting normal for a few months now. He's been acting real depressed like Alyssa was saying on Sunday. Last time I saw him act normal was maybe right before his birthday 7 months ago. 

Everyone goes about their own conversation. Alyssa leans in and whispers in my ear. "You have to do something about Tyler."

"Why me?" I whisper back.

Alyssa shrugs. "You suggested it."

"Hey." Brooke says so all of us listen in. "Just so you guys know, there's a party at my place. At the lake. Like a party to congratulate ourselves for going into a new grade."

All of us started school a few weeks ago. Broooke loves having parties. She will throw parties for any occasion. Any. Doesn't matter. 

Emily and Dylan walk down the hall and take their seats. Emily sits next to me as usual. She just got blonde highlights in her chocolate brown hair. People kept getting us mixed up. We've been friends for as long as I can remember. We both have chocolate brown hair that waves into curls, and hazel eyes. It figures that everyone gets us mixed up. But, now that Emily got blonde highlights it's easier to tell us apart. 

"How are you?" Emily says. 

"I'm great. How are you?" I say.

"I'm fantastically great." She says.

Phillip and Tiffany walk down the hallway towards us. They are the two youth leaders. They're married so it works out well for the both of them.

"Emily, announcements?" Tiffany says. Emily says any announcements the youth group has. Such as new prayer requests, things coming up, or where we're going after youth. We always go somewhere after youth, sometimes it's the park, sometimes it's some fast food restaurant, or it's someones house.

Phillip and Tiffany take a seat, and Emily pops up about to speak. She clears her throat, then begins to speak. "Okay. Well. We have a party on Friday at Brooke's lake. Going night lake swimming. There's no new prayer requests. And, we're going over to Olivia's house after youth tonight." Emily says.

I smile at everyone while they all stare at me. Emily's good at speeches. She loves talking to people, and is a social butterfly. Me on the other hand, I have minor social anxiety, and it's hard for me to talk to people I don't already know, or barely know. I'm an introvert, and she's an extrovert. But, somehow despite our differences we're really good friends. 

Emily takes a seat, and Phillip begins teaching the lesson.

After we're done praying we start to head to my house. "Can you give me a ride?" I ask Emily. She turns to her brother, Dylan, and nods. Dylan is the one that can drive. 

Emily and I get in the back. Dylan's still talking to some people. Emily leans forward and blares the horn. Everyone jumps and turns toward the blue Mustang. Dylan starts walking over, then gets in the front seat and drives to my house which isn't that far from the church.

My parents aren't home at the moment, so I open the garage door so we can get in. It's raining, and I don't want to be standing in the rain. I still don't know why, but my house is huge. It's like a mansion. It has at least 5 bedrooms. It has a downstairs and and upstairs, and hiding areas that I don't know of. So, who knows, there may be more to the house that I haven't discovered yet! It's just me and my sister, Madelyn. 

This is Madelyn's last year in the youth group. I could get a ride with her, but I like hanging out with Emily better, and I love riding in her brother's Mustang. Madelyn looks just like me. Chocolate brown hair that waves into soft curls, and hazel eyes. Our personalities are similar, she doesn't really like hanging out with people, yet she some how makes friends easily. She's not a social butterfly, but she's very "approachable". Since she's older than me she's taller than me. She's a dancer. She's been in ballet forever. And she's been trying me to get in dance, but dance just isn't my thing.

Because she's in dance she's never at home, she's always at practice. Sometimes she goes to youth, but not that often. I walk through the living room. Madelyn's home. She usually just throws her bag on the couch when she gets home. 

The rest of the youth trail in behind me, and we head downstairs. There's a piano down here, and Alyssa loves playing the piano. There's a little mini fridge with soda and food. There's also a bathroom, Madelyn's room, and a room that I don't know what's in there. I've never gone into the other room. It's always locked. I think it's for storage, but honestly I'm not sure. 

A few of the girls go straight to the bathroom to touch up their hair and make-up. We have a mirror that goes from the floor to the ceiling. All the girls love that. Madelyn's door is closed, and there's some music playing. I lightly knock on her door. I hear her music turn off, and she comes to the door. She's in a pink leotard with her practice skirt, legwarmers, and ballet slippers still on. Her chocolate hair is still in a bun.

She smiles at me. "Hey, Olivia." She says.

"The youth are here." I say.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, they're coming today." She laughs a little. "I'll be right out."

She closes her door. I walk out to the couches.

"Hey, where's your sister?" Alyssa's older sister, Brooke says to me.

"She's in her room." I say right when she walks out.

Madelyn's now wearing black yoga pants, and a tank top, and a matching hoodie. 

"Where were you today?" Brooke says to Madelyn. Madelyn goes on telling her about why she wasn't at youth. 

Brooke has been friends with Madelyn their whole life. They're the same age just like Emily and me. But, they look different. Brooke has blonde hair, and Madelyn has brown. They both like different things. Brooke likes Paris themed stuff, and she loves doing peoples hair, and make-up, and she's not in any sports at all. Madelyn loves Doctor Who stuff, she also loves dancing, she just throws her hair into a bun, smooths out any lumps, and goes on with her day. Brooke's room is filled with Eiffel tower things, and fashion magazines. Madelyn's room is filled with Tardis stuff, and dance magazines. 

Alyssa's younger brother, Zachary, walks over to Tyler they start talking. Zachary and Tyler have been friends for what I believe is their whole life. Zachary's just a little younger than Tyler though. I wonder if Zachary knows what Tyler's going through. Or if Tyler's going through something at all. 

All of us sit on the couches and play Mario Kart on the Wii. Then, everyone leaves. 

Madelyn gets changed into a Tardis shirt and goes upstairs, I follow her. 

"Why don't you ever where Doctor Who stuff when you're around people?" I say.

She shakes her head and laughs a little. "Oh my little Livy. You have so much to learn about me. I hate letting people know that I love Doctor Who. They'd all make fun of me."

I shrug. "I guess that makes sense."

Mom and Dad get home and right away they tell us to go to bed and that it's 11:30, and that we should've already been in bed.