The Unfortunate Life Of Amelia Thorn.

CHAPTER ONE:

"I refuse to go to this stupid party."

I must have said this around five thousand times, yet here I am, sitting in the car while my dad desperately traces his  finger along the never-ending roads on the map. I roll my eyes and press my forehead against the cold window, taking in the crisp summer's evening.

Mom and Dad had practically bullied me into coming tonight. I was not in the mood to crawl out of bed and exchange my old and tattered t-shirt for the bright, flirty see-through blouse my mom had bought especially for the occasion. "It'll be good for you", they coaxed, "You can't stay cooped up in your room all weekend." Oh, how I protested. I assured them I was fine. I explained that I needed to study, even though we all knew I would spend all weekend lounging in bed with the curtains closed, scribbling thoughts and contorted sketches on paper. 

As we pull up outside, I notice the brightly coloured balloons hanging on the fence. Sounds of loud music and laughter drift through the air. The birthday girl emerges and starts walking towards me, her comfortable look putting my skimpy blouse to shame.

"Stay away from the guys, love," she warns, "They're dangerous.." 

And with that, she walks away, leaving me to my own devices. I spot another friend of mine and awkwardly glide towards her, hugging her from behind. 

"Cute guys here, huh? Maybe we should do some mingling? All the single ladies, right?", Jay suggests.

Although Jay was one of my closest friends, she didn't understand. How could I even so much as think to start looking at guys so soon?

I glance around the room until my eyes focus on the group of boys Jay was talking about. They huddle together like lost souls. One or two are pretty cute, I must admit. 

I wink at Jay as I shift into a different gear. I am no longer the depressed Amelia, I am no longer the girl who escapes to the world beneath her sheets everyday. I am now the flirty girl-next-door, the adventurous girl who doesn't have two cents to give to the world, and couldn't care much less about it either. I am perfect, and out of everyone's league.

As I casually slip into the huddle, I ease a smile onto my face. 

"Oh, ahoy there! I'm Amelia, what's up? Why are you all hiding away? Get around a little!", I explode confidently, knowing that this is definitely the way to attract some attention.

My father taught me as a young girl that people were loud due to the fact that they were insecure. I went through middle school believing that being quiet and assured was how to make a good impression, yet it got me nowhere. I ended up becoming the rebellious daughter my parents had never hoped for. From coming home on the back of stranger's beastly motorbikes to fights over my eyebrow rings and black hair, my parents got the full experience of parenthood. Ever since then, I've always been set on being the bubbly person everyone wants to be around.

And sure enough, they take the bait. They all return my smile, except one who seems pre-occupied with his phone. One by one, they step forward for a ceremony of various greetings. 

"Hey there.", dark-haired boy squeaks, along with a hug.

"I'm Jerry.", blonde cutie who offers a high-five.

"Hi", tense dark boy, giving up a fist pound.

Finally, there is only Cellphone-Boy left. Up until now, he hasn't lifted his gaze from the screen of his Blackberry. I recently received the new Blackberry model for Christmas, and figure this would be the only way to capture his attention: