Crazy, Stupid, School Life

The First Weekend

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Author's note:

Not everyone is who they seem. This statement is going to be greatly used in this chapter. Take note; this chapter is technically two whole chapters, but because of the sleepover, Lacey doesn't find time to write in her Diary. So it is two chapters in one; I hope you enjoy reading this part of the story narrated by Lacey Jane Hearst.

9/8/12
Dear Diary,

Today is the first weekend off of school. It's also the probably going to be my most drama packed day of my life. At 11am, I am going to meet Adrian and his friends at the mall, and we're going to see the movie, 'Iron Roses.' Then we'll hang out at the mall until 5pm; and then I have Olivia's sleepover party at 6pm. The next morning, I have the Renaissance Festival with Trish from 1pm-4pm; and my Study Date with Tom at 5pm at his house. This is going to be a crazy weekend, but it will also probably be the funniest, and best weekend of my life. Secrets will come out, some people will get kissed, and somebody will get revenge...

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When I write, I don't concentrate; I don't think of what's coming next. I hear my brain pump and generate ideas, I grab a pen, and I write down these ideas in my diary.

I bite my lip while I write the last sentence. "Who do I like more," I ask myself. "Do I like Adrian or Tom more?" I ponder this question as I stumble into the Dining Room. "Hello my beautiful Lacey darling! I haven't seen you in forever!" I turn to see my mom, and she wraps her gentle arms around me. "Mom!" I say and I hug her back. We both break apart and smile at each other. I decide to tell my mom about my plans for this weekend. "Mom, my new friends invited me to the mall from 11am to 5pm. And then Olivia invited us all over for a sleepover at 6pm. Then on Sunday, Trish invited me to a Renaissance Festival from 1pm- 3pm, and later that day, I have a study group at 5pm," I say and I look at my mom's face. She smiles when I say, "new friends," and "study group." Then she looks at me and says, "ok, but how are you going to get to all these places?" And I say, "that's where you come in." I smile my biggest smile, and I hug my mother. "Ok, I'll drive you to all these things. But you have to walk Coco," she says. I say, "don't worry! I'll walk her." I say and I eat some Frosted Flakes cereal.

I change into some baggy clothes and I take Coco for a walk. I check my phone; two unread messages! 'Wow! I get more popular each day haha!' I open the first message; it's from an unknown number. "I think it's Adrian," I tell myself as I open the message. It says: "hey beautiful! Ready to see Iron Roses at Toconos Mall at 11am today? I can't wait to see your beautiful face! Meet me at the movie theaters at 10:45am! Cya soon! Xoxo, Adrian." I smile and I reply saying: "see you at 10:45 at Toconos!"

I run home to get ready for the movie. It's 10am, and it takes 20 minutes to get to Toconos Mall. I put on a navy ruffled tank- top with some dark- wash shorts, topped off with some pearly earrings. I decide to wear my black Nike shoes, and I brush my chocolate brown hair until it's perfect. I grab a purple Coach bag, and I put my phone and my wallet inside. I also add the pepper spray, I tell myself, "who knows? It might come in handy." Then I grab my bag for Olivia's sleepover party; and I call my mom and tell her that we should go soon.

It's 10:10, so I sit on the couch and I turn on the TV, and kick back and relax. It's some stupid show that my sister Stacey had been watching. It portrays a brunette girl and a blonde boy fall madly in love; then the brunette realizes that the blonde boy is a cheater, and he already had a girlfriend. 'Oh great! I hope this doesn't happen to me. But I don't think it will; Adrian is a great guy, and he doesn't have another girlfriend...' But then I think of how Sasha said that Adrian had been a two- timer. Then I remember overhearing Sasha ask Cameron to go to the mall with her... Sasha told Cameron that she heard that Adrian and I were going to Toconos Mall. But how would they know about the mall? I mean, who told them...?

"Ready to go?" My mom says. I say, "yea, let's go," and I pick up my purse and my overnight bag, and we head out to the car. My mom is pretty chill; she doesn't ask me any questions, but she turns the radio to my favorite station. "Oppa Gangnam Style!" Comes on the radio. It brings back good memories of my summer at Pebble Harbor with my favorite cousins Julia and Casey. We made soo many lame jokes and crazy songs... But that's another story.

I decide to check my phone again. Three unread messages! I opened the first one; it was from an unknown number and it said: "hey Lacey. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be a bit late for the movie. My mom is making me clean her car before she drives me. Just meet me inside the theater. See you soon love, xoxo Adrian." I quickly reply saying, "ok, see you then!" Then I open the second message... I realize that I forgot to check it after I walked Coco. It was from Jade, and it said: "Lacey!!!! I overheard Adrian give Abby and Cameron your number. Beware those bitches!" I feel my jaw drop, and I suddenly can't move. I open the next message, also an unknown number. This message says, "ready for the mall today at today 3pm? Ian said that he can give people rides, do you want one? -Adrian." Gosh, I'm so confused. 'Which unknown number is Adrian? Do I still go see Iron Roses at 11am? Or is it a trap? Thank god Jade warned me! I owe Jade now.' I decide that I'd go see Iron Roses, but I'm going to sit in the back so I can watch everybody walk in- and- out of the theater.

I walk inside Toconos Mall and I find the movie theater right away. I quickly buy a ticket for Iron Roses, and I find the theater swiftly. I check to see whether anyone is inside, it's empty. I check my phone, 10:45pm. I decide to get out of the theater and buy some food. I wait in line behind a blonde girl and a brunette boy, and I decide to eaves- drop. The boy says, "are you excited to see Breaking Bad?" The girl nods, and her blonde hair goes up- and- down. I hear her say, "it's going to be awesome!" Then I watch the boy 'yawn,' and he puts his arm around the girl. I find myself saying, "awww!" And they turn- around. "Lacey?!?!" Says the brunette with sea green eyes.

"Travis?!?!" I say, "why are you here?" Then I look at the girl and say, "who is she Travis?" Travis looks at the ground, then quietly he says, "she's my girlfriend." The blonde girl blushes and she smiles at me. "Since when did you get a girlfriend?" I ask. "Since when did you become my mom?" Travis says. "Well, I'm your sister, so technically I can boss you around too!" I find myself saying. It's true... Travis Hearst is sadly my brother, but I had no idea he had a girlfriend! I watch Travis put an arm around the blonde girl, and I say, "ok, I won't tell mom you're here if you buy me a small popcorn and coke." He says, "deal." Once I get my popcorn and drink, I walk silently back to the theater.

I find my seat in the back, and the time is 10:55am. There is no sight of Adrian, so I take out my phone. 2 unread messages! I open the first one, it's from Jade: "so what are you going to do about Abby and Cameron?" I grind my teeth; I had totally forgotten about those idiots. I scan the crowd to look for the blonde bitches; and I spot two blondes in the fourth row. I decide to walk in the fifth row so I could eaves- drop, and see who it is.

"I cannot believe that Ryan Up Jr. decided to quit his contract after this film! He is an amazing Iron Rose!" I her a girl say. I think she kind of sounds like Cameron Freed. I hear the other blond say, "I know right! He's my favorite actor. We better see Revenge of the Mummy when it comes to theaters; I heard that Ryan plays the leading role!" That voice sounds more familiar, but I'm pretty sure it's Abby. I decide to go up to my seat in the back row, pick up a random soda left from the movie before, and then walk back down into the fifth row. I hear the previews fad away, and the 'Silence your cellphones,' kicks in. I raise my soda, so it is above the blonde girls heads, and I drop it.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!" The girls shriek. I jump up and I say, "that's for being a bitch! Next time, don't mess with me!" Then I look at the blonde girls faces, and my jaw drops. "Lacey, is that you?" Trish asks; and I slowly nod my head up- and- down. I look at the other girl; it was Hannah, Trish's sister. "I'm so sorry!" I start to say, but Hannah finishes it for me, "I don't know who you are, but why the fuck did you just do that?" I bet everyone in the movie theater is staring at me now; so I say, "I'm sorry, I thought you were somebody else." And with that, I run out of the movie theater and into the bathroom.

I open the door and I hear a familiar voice, "oh my gosh she is a loser. I need to convince Adrian to break up with her already, so Sasha can date him again." I'm pretty sure that they're talking about me. I quickly run into a stall head- down, and close the door. I don't think they hear me because I hear Sadie speak, "but what if your plan doesn't work Abby?" Then I hear a gruesome laugh, and Abby says, "don't worry Sadie, it will work." Then I hear more footsteps walk in and out of the bathroom. I listen to the door open and close at least 4 times. Then, I open the stall and I come face- to- face with Sasha McInterny.

"Why hello Lacey. Funny seeing you here... All alone. Where are all your new friends? Did your popularity sink as low as the low- life you really are?" Sasha spits at me. I look Sasha in the eye, and I say, "if you ran as much as your mouth does, you'd be in good shape." Then I hear myself laugh, but Sasha looks prepared. She says, "please get your head out of your ass, it's not a hat." And she smiles her perfectly white and straight teeth. I have to tense every muscle in my body to keep from hurting Sasha, so I finally spit out, "you talk so much shit that I am starting to smell it from your breath!" Sasha's jaw drops, and she slaps me across the face. I fall to the ground, and I slowly stand back up. Then I give her a good jab to the stomach, and I hear her cry for pain. "Don't mess with me, bitch," I find myself saying, and I leave the bathroom.

'Where do I go now? I don't want to go back to Iron Roses; but it's only 11:30am.' I decide to check out Breaking Bad because I remember hearing Travis and his girlfriend talk about the movie. I find the theater easily, and I slip into a seat near the entrance. I watch the rest of the movie; it was epic. There were amazing fight and action scenes, but my favorite part was the love triangle. The main character is a female who dresses up like a boy to impress the king, and she ends up falling madly in love with the prince. The prince falls for his maidservant; and the maidservant falls in love with the main character. It was hilarious, and I would love to see Breaking Bad 2.

As I leave the theaters, I spot a blond guy with his arm around a small blonde girl. I feel the rage and hate- fire burn inside me, but I cannot control it this time. I run at the blondes, and they turn around. Two random strangers... Awkward. Then I hear someone say, "Lacey?" And I turn around. Someone looks at me with their beautiful sea green eyes, and I just melt. "Hey," Tom says, and I say, "hey Tom!" He smiles and he walks towards me, but he also tugs around a frail brunette girl that looked about our age. 'Oh my gosh, he came here on a date! This is so awkward!' Tom says, "so what movie did you see?" I reply, "oh, I saw Breaking Bad. What about you?" Tom looks at me with his beautiful sea green eyes, and he says, "we saw Iron Roses." Then laughs, and he says, "wanna hear the funniest thing?" I nod and say, "sure," but I actually don't want to know... "Do you know Trish? Well Trish and her sister were sitting a couple rows infront of us, and then this brunette comes out of nowhere, and she pours her drink on top of Trish and her sister. Trish and her sister screamed, and they stood up. Then the crazy brunette yelled, 'that's for being a bitch! Next time, don't mess with me!' And then she stormed out of the movie theater. Whoever that girl was, I love her for doing that. Stupid Trish didn't even see it coming! That's what Trish deserves after spreading rumors about people and stabbing them in the back! I cannot believe she had the nerve to ask me out. Of course, I said, 'no,' but she would not take no for an answer. Finally, I got away and sat with you guys for lunch. Gosh, Trish is crazy," Tom finishes, and I smile. 'Should I tell Tom that it was me? No, I'll tell him when we're alone. Wait, did he just say that Trish asked him out? Oh my gosh, why?' I look at Tom and I finally say, "ready to study on Sunday?" Tom says, "haha yea. Hey I was also wondering if you were busy after studying. There's a new ice-cream shop that I have been dying to go to." Then he looks at me with his sea green eyes, and he smiles. I say, "sure!" And the brunette hiding behind Tom pulls on Tom's arm. Tom says, "sorry, but I gotta go. See you Sunday, and have a great time at the mall with Adrian, Ian, and Nate!" Then he and the brunette leave the movie theater.

I decide to check my phone, I have four unread messages! The first one is from an unknown number, and it says: "bitch, break- up with Adrian, or I will make your life miserable." I can tell that it's either Abby or Sasha. I open the next one; it's from another unknown number: "hey Lacey, ready for the mall today? So where do you want to meet?" I decide to make his contact now that I know that it's Adrian. Then I reply: "I'm so excited! How about we meet in front of Galaxy Shakes?" I smile as I send the message; and then I frown to see who the next message is from... It says, "hey bitch! I thought we were friends! Thanks a lot! You are the worst friend ever. Don't come to the sleepover. Don't come to the Renaissance Festival with me. I want you to stay away from me you bitch!" I don't reply; I'm speechless. 'Do I tell Trish that I thought that she was Sadie and Sasha? Or do I pretend nothing happened at all? And what about the sleepover? That's tonight, and she's mad as ever!' The last message is from my mom, and it says: "Lacey, stay out of trouble, and make good decisions. God gave you one life, and you should use it to the fullest!" I smile and reply: "thanks mom. I love you."

I stand in front of Galaxy Shakes, but I'm not seeing any of the guys. I check my phone for the time; 1:28. I decide to buy myself a shake while I wait. I order a mint double chocolate chip shake with extra chocolate chips. As I wait, for both my frappe and my boyfriend now; I see three brunettes talking to a blonde. They look like they're having a great time; they laugh, they joke, and they sip their frappes. I believe that they go to Cherrydale, so I walk over to introduce myself. "Hey! Do you guys go to Cherrydale?" I say. The brunettes and the blonde turn around. "Hey Lacey! Ready for my sleepover tonight?" Olivia says. I reply, "yea! I'm so pumped!" Then the blonde says, "Lacey, why are you here?" I say, "gosh Owen, get a life." Everyone laughs, even Owen. Owen Martin is my neighbor; he is always so annoying, but he's also a pretty funny guy. "Hey Lacey, do you know our friend Matt?" Macey says as she points to the brunette that sits beside her. I shake my head no, and Matt says, "well, my name's Matt Silver and you must be the famous Lacey Hearst." I nod my head, and I say, "so what are y'all doing here?" Macey says, "just getting coffee, then we're going to see Iron Roses. Want to join us?" 'No, no, no more Iron Roses.' I say, "sorry, but I just saw that movie with my brother." Then I hear Owen say, "I heard that Lacey is meeting up with her boyfriend Adrian McCorskey today!" Everyone goes "oooh!" And "aaaah!" Then they talk about some code names or something that has to do with silver; obviously an inside joke. I hear the waitress call out my mint double chocolate chip shake, so I get it; and decide to stand outside Galaxy Shakes to wait for Adrian.

While I stand there, I decide to check my phone. New text from unknown! It says, "hey Lacey! We'll be at Starbucks in 5 minutes! Xoxo, Adrian." I decide to look in the window of Starbucks and I see the saddest thing ever. Owen leans into Macey for kiss, and Macey flips her hair in his face. Matt goes, "oh shit!" And Olivia starts cracking up. Then, Owen turns red, and he leaves the Starbucks; he sees me. I stop him in his tracks, and I say, "you like Macey, don't you?" His blonde head goes up- and- down. I sigh, 'poor Owen likes Macey, but Macey likes Tim. Wow that is one messed up love triangle.' And Owen ends my thoughts by saying, "well, since you know my secret now... Let me pee." And he walks off towards the bathroom.

I watch him go, and then I felt two warm arms wrap around me. I scream and I drop my shake. Then I hear, "I got you Lacey!" Someone says with a gentle voice. I turn around to meet Adrian's gleaming, sky blue eyes. We both laugh, he picks up my shake and hands it back to me. Luckily, none of the shake spilled, so I gladly take it, and he takes me by the hand. Ian and Nate stand next to Adrian, and both of them are smiling. "Well, let's go have some fun!" I say, and we all race through the mall.

We decide to walk into Alora & Frederíck. Nate says, "we're in my crib, haha!" I see Ian start to cough as he enters A&F, and I wish I could give him a gas mask. Nate starts flirting to the cashier, a beautiful bronzed woman with gorgeous midnight black hair. The more I watch them, I hear more talking than flirting. 'Oh my gosh! Is that Natalie Reiner; Nate's sister? It must be; they look exactly alike!' Adrian pulls me back to reality, "do you like this shirt?" Adrian asks as he holds up a navy blue collared shirt. I examine the shirt, it really brings out his beautiful blue eyes. I tell Adrian, "you would look so hot in this," and he smiles. "I think it looks gay," I hear someone say. "Shut- up Ian," Adrian says, and I hear Ian laughing; and then I hear choking, and Ian announces, "I'm going to the bathroom." Then Ian runs out of the store.

"Hey, why'd Ian leave?" Nate asks; Adrian says, "Ian needed a breather. He was going looney; you know what the scent does to him." "What does the scent do to him?" I hear a girl say. She sounds familiar, and I hate it. "Well... What are you going to do bitch?" Abby says. Adrian says, "Abby! Lay off!" Abby walks closer; and every other step she takes, she flips her hair, and smacks her bubble gum. "Adrian honey, aren't you supposed to be with your girlfriend, Sasha McInterny?" Abby says, smacking her gum really loudly. I feel Adrian cringe, and he says, "Sasha and I broke up." Then Adrian looks me in the eye, and he says, "Sasha is history." And he looks at me with his beautiful crystal eyes, and I just melt. I see him lean in, so I lean; and I swear in that moment, we were infinite.

And I wish that we would stay that way; me in his arms. Then I felt pain, and I couldn't feel my side anymore. I fell to ground; too stunned to stand up. I grab my side, and I hear moans escape my mouth. Then I see Abby, her blonde hair was sparkling in the dim lighting; then I see a fist fly through the air, and I watch Abby fall. "She deserved it!" Abby cries, and I see her crawl towards me. Someone kicks Abby and I hear them say, "stay away from my Lacey, you bitch! I cannot believe I actually trusted you. Were we friends, or was that all a lie?" Soon I feel comforting warm arms wrap around me, and they bring me outside of the store.

The light blinds me as I am carried out of A&F; and finally the person gently lays me down on the bench. I try to sit- up, but I guess I'm too stunned to move. Finally, I gain enough strength, and I sit- up; and I gaze into the chocolate brown eyes of Nate Reiner. My mind is racing; I'm trying to remember what just happened, but my brain suddenly is not registering anything. And the next thing I smell is the strong Alora & Frederíck perfume; and his soft lips against mine. I run my hand through his dark brown hair, and I feel his hand caress my hair. I had no idea that something so wrong could feel so right. Then Nate breaks away, ending my fantasy and crushing my dreams. My thoughts scatter, and I hear my heart race; and Nate looks from left to right. I decide to look at my side, to check for any bruises. My side is a deep purple, and I feel the pain kick in. I scream, and look for Nate... But Nate was already long gone...

"Lacey! Are you ok?" I hear someone ask. I turn around; it was Ian. "Wh- wh- what happened?" I stutter, and I feel tears well up in my eyes. Ian looks me in the eye, but he doesn't say anything. He sits beside me, and takes my hand; but he remains silent. Soon, I see somebody come out of A&F; I don't see their face, but I can tell that they are hurt because they are limping. I lean against Ian for support, and I put a hand over my side. Pain shoots through my side, and I feel as though somebody stabbed their knife into me. I bit my lip to conceal my screams; and then I see him, his beautiful blonde hair shining as he walks out of A&F. "Adrian?" I say, and he walks over. "I'm here for you baby," Adrian says as he puts his arm around me; and I feel safe again.

"Wow, this is too much love for me to see guys!" Ian exclaims, and Adrian and I laugh. "Well, who do you want to go out with Ian?" Adrian asks. I lean closer because I want to hear exactly what Ian says. "Well... It's none of your business!" Ian stutters. "Please tell us," I say. "Pretty please," Adrian says. "Shut it! I'm not telling you guys!" Ian says and he turns away. I wonder why Ian won't tell us. Adrian obviously won't let Ian off easy; "why won't you tell us Ian?" Adrian says, his sky blue eyes twinkle. "Because I don't want your criticism!" Ian says and I see his face turn red. Before things get ugly, I suggest, "how about we play Truth or Dare?" Adrian says, "yea! It'll be fun!" Then he nudges Ian, "Ian, you're going first. Truth or Dare?" "Dare," Ian says, and he turns around.

Adrian and I stand far away from the escalator, but close enough to see Ian fulfill his dare. Ian starts running up the escalator, but he doesn't make any progress. Luckily, nobody was using the down- escalator, so Ian didn't have to dodge anybody. No matter how fast Ian ran, he wouldn't move. That was because he was running up the down escalator. Then I see someone; her brown hair billowed behind her as she walked closer... And closer... And closer to the escalator Ian was running up. She stepped on, and she took out her purple bejeweled phone. She didn't seem to notice Ian, because she did not move when Ian tackled her...

"I'm so sorry!" I hear Ian say to the brunette, who lay on top of Ian at the bottom of the escalator. Adrian and I catch up to Ian, as the girl brushes off her ocean blue skirt; and then she promptly walks away in the opposite direction. I hear Ian keep calling after the girl, and I wonder who she is. Finally, Adrian gets Ian to stop calling after the girl, and the mall suddenly becomes silent. Then I decide to open my big mouth, and I ask, "who was that?" Ian sighs as he wipes away the tears, that are now splattered across his face; and he says, "that's the girl I like."

Adrian punches Ian; "you like Sylvia Corrieñdo? And you didn't tell me?" Ian shakes his head and says, "yes." 'Ian likes Sylvia Corrieñdo? But why? I thought Sylvia liked Tom Moriarty because they always hung out together in home room. That must be why Adrian is mad; he knows that Tom liked Sylvia.' I sigh, "Tom likes Sylvia," I whisper to myself, and I feel a tear well- up in my eye. I try to listen to Adrian and Ian's bickering, but all I understand is that Ian knew Sylvia was going to be at the mall; so Ian decided that he wanted to be there too. 'But why does Ian like Sylvia? They have nothing in common; Sylvia is into the Arts, and Ian loves sports.' Then I hear Adrian asks something that whips me back to reality; "hey, where's Nate?"

"Nate! Nate! Nate, where are you?" I call down the halls of the mall. Toconos Mall has four levels, so each of us took the bottom three. Ian took the third floor, and Adrian took the second floor; so I was left to explore the first floor, otherwise known as the ground floor."Nate!" I call out again, only louder; and I hear it echo down the halls. I notice the people in the hallway stare at me, but I keep shouting "Nate!" Then I hear someone scream, "Lacey!" I look all- around me, but I can't seem to find the voice that called me. Soon, the hallway isn't that crowded anymore; I quickly look up, and I know why. They run at me, their blonde hair billowing behind them. And then I turn, and start running in the other direction; but I bump into something, or was it someone? "Well, well. What do we have here?" Says the person I bumped into. I look up to meet the chocolate brown eyes of Sadie DeLouisa. I grind my teeth, and now I'm surrounded by two more blonde girls; Sasha McInterney, and Cameron Freed. One against three, their odds in favor; I can't fight, but I can't think of anything else to do. I run at Sasha, and I tackle her to the ground. I felt Sadie and Cameron pile on top of me; their hands grabbed my clothes and my hair. A scream escapes my lips, and I can barely breathe.

I hear someone say, "come on guys! Get off her!" Suddenly, I can breathe again; the pressure is gone, so get off of Sasha. I hear her cough, but all I can do is look at the guy who saved us from killing each other. His brown hair was shining under the mall lights, and his chocolate eyes made me feel hungry. He smiled, his almost perfect smile, and he thrust out his hand to help me stand up. The blondes get up, and they just leave; Sadie and Cameron on either side of Sasha to keep her upright. I call out to Adrian and Ian, "I found Nate!" And I hug Nate, and he hugs back. Then I hear him whisper, "please don't tell Adrian about the kiss. He's my best friend, and I don't want to lose him." I look at Nate and I say, "what happens at Toconos Mall, stays at Toconos Mall," and I smile.

For the rest of the day we do crazy dares that end up in a heap of giggles and smiles. Ten minutes before we have to leave, Nate suggests we get some ice cream. We decide to go to an ice cream shoppe called Bonnie & Janet's. I order the Blue One; it's a mix of Oreos, cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chips. And it's blue, so it's ultra cool. I decide to order first; and after I order, everybody seems to want the Blue One.

And now we're all skipping through the mall, arm- in- arm, eating our blue ice cream; and everyone seems to be staring at us... But we could care less. Soon, Ian says, "awe guys, look at the time." We all check our phones: 4:30. "Awe! We should do this again soon!" I say, and I hug each of them goodbye. "Goodbye Lacey," they say, and they walk away. I walk outside the mall; it's bitter cold outside, but I see my mother's silver minivan pull up to the curb. I open the front door, and hop inside. Luckily, the air is already turned up, so I sit in my seat relaxing in the warm air. "How was the mall?" I hear my mom ask. I look at her, and I say, "it was a blast." Then she says, "ready for Olivia's sleepover?" And I say, "hell yea!"

Ring, ring, ring! I don't know what to expect; raging Trish drama, or Macey and Olivia's fun love life stories. "Hey Lacey!" Sarah says as she opens the door and greets me with a hug. I smiled, and hugged her back. Then Sarah leads me in Olivia's house. "Where's Olivia, Trish, and Macey?" I ask. I actually don't care where Trish is; I just hope I survive tonight. Sarah laughs and she says, "it's the funniest thing. She keeps blubbering that you dropped a drink all over you, and she wants to murder you." Then Sarah looks me in the eye and she says, "but you couldn't have possibly done that, right?" I sigh, and Sarah gasps. "You're screwed; you know that, right?" Sarah says as she opens the door to the basement.

I hear Trish cry as I take a step downstairs. I see Macey and Olivia crowd around Trish; Olivia turns her head to face me, and she gives me a 'what- in- the- world- happened' look. I sigh a shrug my shoulders. "You. You. You! You bitch! Why'd you do that?" Trish stands up and walks towards me; Macey & Olivia grab each of Trish's arms, but Trish keeps coming closer. Every step she takes, I bite my lip harder; and I feel my pulse beat in my ear. Now she's only a foot away; and she loses it. First she runs at me, and she hits me to the floor. Then she sits on top of me, and she pulls my hair; hard. I scream, and I arch my back; I twist over, and Trish falls off. Trish stands up, and falls back ontop of me. I slap her, and she shrieks in pain; and she tries to slap me back. But thankfully, Olivia and Macey grab each of Trish's arms before Trish got a chance to swing. "So what are we going to do now?" Trish spits out the words with such disgust, it ties a knot in my stomach. "Now we talk, and we settle things," Sarah says.

"So Hannah got two tickets to see Iron Roses at 11am on Saturday; so she invited her boyfriend Jack two days ago. But Jack dumped Hannah last night... So Hannah invited me to see the movie with her; so she would hopefully forget Jack. Hannah and I barely share anything in common, so when she invited me to see a romantic action film, I got confused; and I didn't want to go. But we talked before the movie started, and we started to connect for the first time in my life... And then you decided to ruin it! I don't know what you poured on me, but it stained everything; my white shirt, my jean shorts, and even my pink handbag. I had to take three showers to get the smell of the drink out of my hair, and it was even worse for Hannah. Hannah yelled at me, and she blamed me for everything; she blamed me for her Jack leaving her, she blamed me for your interruption, but the most hurtful thing that she said was, 'Trish, I would rather die than see another movie with you. Cross my heart and hope to die!' I left the movie theater; I left alone, helpless, sister less, sad, bitter, and betrayed. I was betrayed; you betrayed me Lacey. I thought we were friends again, and you stab me in the back! After all I have done for you, you're still as self- centered as you were before! You didn't even care about me! I can't believe I trusted you; I can't believe that I invited you to the Renaissance Festival. You don't even know how excited I was to go to the festival with you! I literally jumped on- and- off the walls; and I ran around my house singing in joy. But you, you Lacey; you're heartless." Then she looks me in the eye and says, "you're now, and will always be, nothing to me."

I try to register everything Trish just said. But one question still bugs me... Is it true; do I believe this? I guess I really don't know what to believe anymore; my wit or Trish. I may not be the smartest, but I'm sure as hell not the stupidest- "Lacey, it's your turn to say your half of the story," Sarah says, and it interrupts my thoughts. "Well..." I start to tell the story from my point of view.

"That's bullshit!" Trish screams once I am done telling my side of the story. "You can't believe her! She's a backstabbing, lying bitch!" Trish rants, and she tries to break free from Macey and Olivia's grip. Every time Trish yells a horrible word at me, I feel my heart thud louder and louder. I grind my teeth, and I feel the tears trickle down my face. And all Trish does is yell more disgusting phrases at me, and I weep in sorrow. This is the Trish I was afraid of; this is the Trish that pulled me to the ground on the first day; this is the Trish that I had thought I had cured in theatre class. But I guess it didn't help... Because she's back as hungrier as ever; and she is thirsty for revenge.

"C'mon Trish! Lacey had no idea that you weren't Abby & Sasha," Sarah tells Trish. Tris replies firece, "but she also said that Sadie and Cameron were there too. So why does she decide to poor a soda on two random blonde girls? Tell me that again." And she looks me in the eye, "tell me how she decided to pour her soda all over two blonde girls; and she thought it was four blonde girls that were after her. Tell me Lacey." And then I'm stunned and I can't find the words to say; I'm speechless. I finally will up enough courage to say something, "Trish, I'm sorry. If I had known that it was you and your sister in that movie theater, I would've sat down with you guys; and we would've had a blast talking about Ryan Up Jr. But I didn't, so I made a total wimp move; and I poured that soda all over you guys. I am sorry for everything I've caused you; I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart." Then I look into her crystal blue eyes, and I say, "Trish, I want you to be my friend again. I miss my beautiful blonde friend; the one that is always talking and making jokes. The one that would always laugh and smile; the one that made my day. Please be my friend again Trish." And Trish stops thrashing; and she stares at me. I swear I see her mouth curve into a smile, and we hug. Hopefully our friendship will last; last for the rest of eighth grade...

"Well, let's party girlfriends!" Olivia says as she turns on her stereo. Then we engaged in a full out dance battle; Macey and I vs. Olivia, Sarah, and Trish. Neither team won, so we just laughed at each other as we shouted the lyrics. Then we decided to play a fun game of Truth or Dare.

"Dare," I say, and I grin. Macey pauses to think, and finally she says, "I dare you to lick the pole." There is a pole in the middle of Olivia's basement; it connects the floor the the ceiling to give Olivia's house more support. Usually we run around the pole with one hand on, or we climb it. None of us know if it's been cleaned or not, but it is disgusting. I walk up to the pole, and I stick out my tongue; and as soon as my tongue makes contact with the huge pole, I pull it back. "Done!" I say cheerfully; and then I ask, "Olivia, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," she says. I say, "I dare you to FaceTime Zach O'Malley," and I grin. Olivia's face drops, but she picks up her phone. She hesitates before she presses FaceTime; and her phone starts buzzing. The phone screen read, Connecting... And Zach O'Malley's face appears on the screen; and he says, "hello Olivia. Long time no hear." Olivia pauses before asking me, "can I please disconnect now?" "No," I reply. "Why'd you guys FaceTime me?" Zach asks, the harsh tone in his voice gives me chills. "I... I... I..." Olivia stutters, "I... Still... I still... I still like you." Zach says, "I still like you too Olivia. But I don't understand; you broke up with me in 6th grade, remember?" Olivia bites her lip. 'Should I disconnect the FaceTime? No, Olivia and Zach need to have this talk sooner or later-' Olivia's reply ends my trail of thoughts, "I was stupid, ok. I shouldn't have done that. It was the worst decision I have ever made in my life. And I have regretted everyday since sixth grade." And then she looks through the phone at Zach; and she says, "could you ever forgive me?" And Olivia heads upstairs to continue her conversation with Zach.

"They are so getting back together," Trish says, and she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I think she still has feelings for KR," Macey squeaks. KR is Olivia's friend from elementary school who she dated last year. Olivia ended it with KR because she found out that KR was cheating on her. "KR's such an asshole," I find myself saying; "I doubt that Olivia still likes KR." Sarah perks up, "hey, do we want to keep playing Truth or Dare while Olivia's gone?" Macey says, "I think it's Sarah's turn to ask Trish." "Ok, Trish, Truth or Dare?" "Truth," Trish said and she smiled; her yellow teeth gleaming in the fun light of Olivia's basement. Sarah starts to think, and then she says, "what exactly did Tom tell you when you asked him out?" I hear Macey gasp, and I feel myself scrambling for air. "You asked Tom Moriarty out?!?!?! Why didn't you tell me?" Macey asks, and she crossed her arms over her chest, and she scrunched her nose to make a perfect annoyed look. Trish started, "well, I thought that we were going to have the sleepover tonight, so I decided to ask Tom out in the same day. You know what they say; the earlier the better!" "But what exactly did he say?" Sarah asks again impatiently. Trish takes a deep breath, and then she says, "'Trish, I do not like you. Please go away. Nobody likes you, so leave'. I swear that's exactly what he said!" I hear Trish start to cry, and Sarah comforts her. Macey and I pat Trish on the back, and we say, "it's ok" and "everything is going to be ok." But a question keeps bouncing back and through my head; 'Is she telling the truth?' I begin to develop second thoughts; do I trust whatever Trish says, or is she lying again?

"Ok, Macey Truth or Dare?" Trish asks. "Um, Truth," Macey says in reply. Trish says, "would you ever go on a date with Owen?" And Macey says, "oh hell no!" Then Sarah, Trish, and I gasp; 'they'd look so cute together oh my gosh!' "Why not?" Trish persists; she's obviously fighting for Owen, or team Owacey. 'Haha, team Owacey! What about team Macewen; or even team Owenacen.' Nora looks us in the eye, he brown eyes twinkling, and she says with a stern voice, "because I do not like him." Then she faces Trish, and she says, "you can't tell me who to like Trish! You can't make me like Owen!" And then Macey runs up the stairs, and out into the safety upstairs. "What's her problem?" Trish says, and she twirls her perfectly blonde twists. "I don't know," Sarah says. 'It's her choice, she can choose who she wants to like. You can't make her like someone.' I silently agree with Macey.

"Hey! What's wrong with Macey?" We turn to the stairs, and Olivia's head pops out. Her pretty brown curly hair is tightly pulled back into a messy bun, and her wispy curls bounce on her face. Her chin is tilted down to look at us on the floor, and her lips curve up, to give the impression of a smile... But her eyes told otherwise. Her naturally hazel green eyes were darkened; the beautiful glow in her eyes were gone, and replaced with a dull midnight blue tint. She looked at us with her stern eyes; her gaze piercing our hearts, and reading our souls. "She just needed a breather," Trish coos. Olivia hesitates before she replies sarcastically, "sure." 'We need to change the subject!' I find myself saying, "so what happened with Zach after you left? You have to tell us everything!" Sarah smiles and she squeals, "don't you still like him?" Olivia continues down the stairwell hesitantly; then she looks up, her eyes glowed a beautiful green tint, and her smile stretched all the way across her face. Then we all heard her say, "hey guys, I have a boyfriend now."

We gossip about our crushes and boyfriends. We laugh at funny pick up lines and yo mama jokes. And we decide to end the night with a sweet movie; the Titanic. It was amazing and jaw- dropping. I feel the tears well up in my eyes and I try to blink through them, just like I did the first time I saw the movie. Sarah and I went to see it in 3D in theaters. We both cried, and held each other's hands; it was so heart- breaking, I needed to squeeze something. Sarah was always there for me, she was like the older sister I never had. I have always wanted an older sister; I thought that they were so cool- "Earth to Lacey!" Trish says, and I snap out of my trance. "What?" I say, and I snatch some popcorn from Olivia's bowl. "Want some War Heads?" Trish asked, and she held up an enormous bag of War Heads. I shook my head no; I hate War Heads...

One time last summer, I was in a car with some friends, and we were on our way to a dive meet. My friend's mother had brought some War Heads, so she passed one to each of us. I decided to try one, and I willed up enough courage to open the candy, and throw the thing in my mouth. Little did I know, it was a lemon flavored cough drop war head... And it was absolutely disgusting! I did not spit out the war head right away, I did not want my friend's mother to see that I did not like the candy she gave us. I decided to hold it in my mouth until we got to the pool; it didn't seem that long of a ride. Little did I know that my friend's brother loves War Heads...

"Hey Lacey! Do you want to hear a story about Jackie?" Jackie's little brother, Brandon asked me. Jackie pushes Brandon, and she says, "nobody cares!" Brandon laughs, "but Jackie, it's really funny!" A sigh escapes Jackie, "fine!" Our dive friend, Corzac starts laughing, "hey Brandon, how stupid can Jackie get?" Jackie pushes Corzac, and he falls over. Jackie, Brandon, and I laugh, Corzac can be so stupid sometimes. Corzac sighs, and picks himself up; then he says, " gosh you guys suck." We laugh; then Jackie pushes Corzac over, again. We all teeter with laughter... But then I start choking.

I cough and strive for air; I dig my fingernails into my seat, and I try to scream. I feel Jackie pat my back several times, and then I feel a harsh pain in my stomach. I spit out the cough drop war head, and it falls perfectly into Brandon's mouth. He grins at the taste of the war head, "yum." I swear, I almost threw up when Brandon said that the war head was delicious. Luckily, Jackie patted my back, and she told me that everything was going to be ok. Brandon smiled from ear- to- ear while he sucked on my old war head...

I still remember the face he made when the war head touched his tongue; and I can still feel a bad taste in my mouth when I hear the word war head. I look Trish in the eye, and I say politely, "please do not ever give me a war head. They remind me of a disgusting event that happened to me." Trish looks at me and smiles, "oh well. More for me!" Trish says as she dumps her whole hand in her bag. She rips off the blue wrapper, and she throws the green war head in her mouth. "Yum, yum, yum!" Trish exclaims; and I feel my stomach lurch. I grab my stomach, and I clasp a hand over my mouth. "Lacey, don't throw up," I tell myself quietly, but not silently enough because someone says, "Lacey, are you ok?" I look up... To see a fair brunette with big brown eyes. bearing a huge smile, even her purple colored braces were twinkling in the dim light. "Macey! Are you ok?" I say, and I beckon her over. She plops down beside me, I hear her breathing quicken. "It's ok," I say.

Sarah must have fallen asleep, because her head was weighing down my shoulder. I gently pushed her head to lean on Trish, who was also asleep. Then I looked back at Olivia who was very into the movie. I decide to turn to find brown- eyed Macey; I say, "are you annoyed with Trish?" Macey sighs, "yes. Why did she bring Owen up? I don't like Owen!" "I know you don't like Owen; Trish just doesn't know," I say. "Hey Olivia, do you like Matt Silver?" I ask. Olivia looks me in the eyes, and she says, "Lacey, I have a boyfriend." "Then why were you too at the mall with Owen and Matt?" I question; 'why won't they just tell me why?' Macey and Olivia laugh, and Olivia says, "Macey and I heard about your date at the mall, so we decided to stalk you. Then we got tired, so we headed to Starbucks to get some coffee. And then Matt and Owen jumped behind Macey, and she screamed soo loud! Then they invited us to hang with them, and we agreed because we had nothing else to do." Olivia stares into space, and I see her lips curve up; Macey is grinning from ear- to- ear, 'why do they look so happy?' "Well, I'm going to hit the hay," I say, and my eyes flutter closed.

•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

I am awakened by squeals and giggles. Then I hear the exact movie from last night in the background, 'is it on replay?' I open my eyes and yawn; I look around, "hello?" I say in the empty basement. I am utterly scared to death; 'where are my friends?' "Guys, this isn't funny. Where are you?" I say firmly. Then the movie on the TV shouts, "shaddup," in that western accent. I jump, I did not expect the TV to make a noise. "You," the main character in the movie says. "You are the chosen one. You must find my ice princess before she is killed." I feel chills up- and- down my back, 'did he just say killed?' The main character flips his shiny red hair, and then I see the tears in his eyes. He says, "Lacey, please find my princess, and save her." I am taken aback, "how do you know my name?" I ask as I stamp. "Because you know who the killer is," the man in the movie keeps talking. "Lacey, I need you to believe me. Save the princess; defeat the demon; marry the pauper. Just remember those three things!" "What?! You only said to save the princess! Who's the demon? Who's the pauper?" I question the TV. But the man of red locks was gone. 'Why me?'

"Why me? Why me?" I scream, and I turn around. "Olivia, Macey, Sarah, Trish, hey!" I say. But none of them move. "Guys?" I ask. Still no reply from any of them. "Guys, this isn't funny; cut it out!" I yell at them. They don't even flinch! I run up to Trish, and I scream as loud as I can; right in her ear. Trish looks at me with ice cold eyes, but she keeps still. "Trish! What's going on?" Trish opens her mouth to speak, but an sly deep voice comes out of her mouth, "you must find the demon before the demon finds you!" And then I see Macey, Trish, Sarah, and Olivia, and their eyes turn blood red. They maliciously laugh, "mwahahahaha!" I feel the tears build up in my eyes, and I cry out, "why me? Why me?" I shake Trish's shoulders, but the voice barks out at me, "find me before it's too late!" "How will I know if it's too late?" I ask the foul demon trapped inside my friends. "How will I know? I demand you to tell me!" Then I hear the demon's voice again, "you'll know. You'll feel it, you'll witness it, and you'll absolutely hate it." "But why did you pick me?!?" I bark out to the demon. "Because you're Lacey Jane Hearst," the demon says. "How do you know my name?" I demand. "Lacey, Lacey, Lacey. I know absolutely everything about you; I'm a demon. Good luck trying to find me!" Then I hear its horrid laugh. I scream, "I will find you. And I will kill you!" Then my friends close in on me; their blood red eyes piercing into my soul. Hands grab me; they pull, they tug, and they shake me. So I do what any normal- headed person would do: I scream.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•

I am awakened my Macey shaking me vigorously. I look at my friends, their eyes are not blood red, and they look back at me. "Lacey, are you ok?" Trish asks. "Yea, I'm fine," I reply, but they keep staring at me. "You didn't sound fine," Olivia says. "What are you talking about?" I ask. "You were screaming the entire night," Macey says. "You woke all of us up at like 3am!" Sarah exclaims. 'So it was a dream. It was all a dream.' "But it felt so real," I say. And then I laugh; it was only just a dream thank god!

We ate some donuts, and told funny jokes; "What did Cinderella say when she left the photo shop?" Olivia says. We all shrug, and Olivia smiles and says, "someday my prints will come!" We all laugh, except Sarah seems very hesitant when we all laugh. "I don't think Sarah got it," Macey whispers in my ear. We look at each other and laugh.

"So Lacey, do you still want to go to the festival with me today?" Trish asks after she's pulled me aside from the group. "I don't know. I'll ask my mom when she picks me up," I say. "Cool, hey, just text me about it," Trish says, and we go back to the group.

"Hey mom, can I go to the Renaissance Festival with Trish today?" I ask as my mom as we drive away from Olivia's house. "I thought you and Trish were already going to the fair," mom says. I pull out my phone: 6 new text messages! 'I get popular each day!'

I open the first one; it's from Unknown: "hey beautiful :) ~xoxo Adrian." I smile, and I finally make Adrian's contact in my phone. Then I swiftly reply: "hey what's up? :)"

I open the second text, it's from Trish: "have you asked your mom yet? We can pick you up at 12:30, is that ok?" I tell my mom, "Trish is picking me up for the festival at 12:30, I'll be home around 4:30." Mom says, "ok, have fun." I reply to Trish: "yay! My mom says I can go. I am so excited!"

I open the third text: "hey Lacey, I'm sorry about what happened at the mall yesterday. Jealously just got the best of me I guess. Anyways, I am truly sorry, and I hope that you will ever forgive me~ xoxo Cameron." 'Why would Cameron text me? Well, maybe we can become better friends in Spanish. She does seem like a sweet girl... I say: "it's alright, I forgive you. Hey, want to hang out in Spanish on Monday?" I smile, I'm getting on the good side of everybody!

Then I open the fourth message, and I gasp. I totally forgot all about him this entire week! The message says: "hey Lacey. I missed you during lunch on Friday. I hope you had fun on your Mall Date with Adrian and crew. Hey, I need some help in math, can you help me with a few problems Monday afterschool? -Tim." I had totally forgotten about Tim; poor Tim. I actually do not understand my algebra homework, so I guess I can study with Tim. 'Would it be called a Study Date? Haha I doubt it. I don't think Tim and I like eachother like that; we're just good friends. Adrian is my boyfriend, and I already have mixed feelings for Tom & Adrian...' "Hey mom, can Tim and I work on a few algebra problems afterschool on Monday? I don't understand the algebra terms at all, but Tim is amazing at math," I say. Mom says, "sure sweetie. Have fun!" I reply to Tim with a: "I'm so sorry. We should totally hang out Monday! Where do you want to go?"

I open the fifth text; it's from Unknown. 'Do I open it? I probably should open it because it's probably a text from Abby or Sasha because they hate my guts.' Curiosity got the best of me; it read: "Lacey, about the kiss at the mall... I'm sorry, but Adrian is one of my good pals. I don't want him to lose you. Please don't ever tell Adrian. It can be our little secret. -Nate."

I cannot believe that soo much happened at one day at Toconos mall. First I caught my brother with his new girlfriend; then I spilled soda all over Trish and her sister; then I beat up Sasha in the bathroom; then I watched Breaking Bad; then I saw Tom with a pretty brunette at the theaters; then I went to Galaxy Shakes, and I saw Macey, Owen and Olivia, and I met Matt Silver; Owen has unrequited (unreturned) love for Macey; and then I met up with Adrian, Nate, and Ian. Adrian and I were having an intimate moment, then Abby ruined it; Nate took me outside A&F, and he kissed me before he ran away. Ian, Adrian, and I played Truth or Dare; Ian was dared to go up the down escalator, then he bumped into Sylvia Corrieñdo. Ian likes Sylvia, Sylvia likes Tom, Tom likes Sylvia. I think Tom likes Sylvia. Ian, Adrian, and I look for Nate; I get cornered by Sadie, Sasha, and Cameron. Nate saved me; Nate, Adrian, Ian, and I played Truth or Dare; we skipped, we laughed, we got icecream, and we had fun. And then I came to Olivia's house.

I reply to Nate: "don't worry, I won't tell anybody about the kiss. What happens at Toconos Mall, stays at Toconos Mall."

"Can you come to the Renaissance Festival today?" The last message is from Trish. I reply with a smile: "yes, I'm super excited! When are you coming to pick me up?"

Beep! Beep! Beep! My phone buzzes, new text! "Yes, I cannot wait! We'll be there in an hour to pick you up!" It's from Trish. 'Gosh, that girl can type fast!' I tell my mom, "Trish is coming in an hour to take me to the Renaissance Festival." She nods, and parks the car in front if our house.

I pack a quick bag, I put in a wallet, some lip balm and my iPhone; I brush my frizzy brown hair until it's straight, and it shines in the dim light of my bedroom. Then I throw on a Renaissance gown, and I top it with a floral crown. I parade around my house carrying my purse in one hand, and my pride in my step. I twirl in front of the mirrors, and I sit down on the couch. Somebody had left the TV on; it portrayed a boy's face, which was covered in freckles. The boy's brown eyes twinkled as he looked at the other actor. The other actor was a stout old man, 'that's odd. I thought all Disney characters were tall and thin.' The boy addressed the man, "hey Bertram, can I have some noodles for dinner." Bertram nodded, and he prepared the boy some noodles. 'Gosh, this is the weirdest show ever...'

Ding, dong! Ding, dong! I jump up, and run to the door, and I am egulfed by Trish's thin, but comforting arms. "Hello Trish!" I say. She chuckles and says, "are you ready for the Festival?" I nod. Trish let's go, and she twirls around, her long blue dress only brushing the floor. I twirl in my faded red dress, both dresses glisten in the sunlight. I smile, and Trish and I hold hands as we skip down the steps, and into her car.

'Brace yourself Lacey, you have a busy day today!'

"What am I supposed to do when the best part is being in love with you-ou? What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok? I'm falling to pieces, yeah..." The radio blared as I climbed in Trish's sleek black Porsche.

"To the window! To the wall!" Trish and I shouted to the song as it played. "Till the sweat drips down my balls..."

"We're here!" Trish's mom exclaims and Trish and I jump out of the car. I look from left to right; there's soo many people here! We bid out goodbyes to Trish's mom, and we start to explore the Renaissance Festival.

"C'mon Lacey! You can do it!" Trish screams encouragingly. I try to balance myself on Jacob's ladder, but the ladder keeps swinging back and forth. I clutch the ladder for my dear life, and then I stumble and fall off. '$20, I have completely wasted $20 on some stupid game!' I look at Trish, and she's smirking, tapping away on her brand new iPhone. 'Why did I agree to come to the festival?'

"Mmmmm!" I say as I take my last bite of the huge chicken leg I had bought. It took me a whole hour to eat, but it took Trish less than 15 minutes! "Finally!" Trish says, obviously annoyed. I sigh, and hold my stomach, 'I hope we don't do anymore events today!' Boy was I wrong!

"One more time? Pretty please!" Trish says. She stands in line for the Old Ye rollercoaster. If I agree to this, I would have ridden the ride atleast 10 times. I turn away from her pleas, and I vomit the chicken leg. I feel much better now, but obviously Trish feels different. She turns the other way and throws up her chicken leg too.

We both stumble to her mother's car. "Did you two have fun?" Trish's mom asks as we climb into the back. "Just drive," Trish musters as she clutched her stomach.

The ride back home was uneventful. We didn't listen to music, and Trish was on her phone the entire time. When I finally got home, I said, "thank you for inviting me to the festival. I had lots of fun!"

I sigh as I close the door to my house. Home atlast! My mom breaks the silence, "Ready for your study date?"

I instantly scramble to my room, and I put on a different outfit. I find a red v-neck shirt and I match it with some jean shorts and sneakers.

"Here's the address," I say as I hand my mother the address Tom gave me. Its not that far away. We arrive there in no time, the clock on my phone read 5:45. "Call me when you need to be picked up!" My mom hollers before she drives back home.

It's big. Like no joke. I step up to knock on the fancy white double doors. "Knock, knock."

I accidentally drop my notebook, and all my papers spill out, covering most of their perfectly trimmed yard. 'Crap!'

"May I help you?" A friendly looking brunette says, her bright eyes sparkling. I feel as though I had seen her before, but I cannot remember where or when. "I'm looking for Tom," I say, scrambling to my feet with all my papers in my hands. She nodded saying, "right this way."

She lead me inside this absolutely wonderful house. It took my breath away; it was stunning and fancy. "Tom has been expecting you," the girl says as she ascends on the staircase. She beckons me with a finger, and I follow her. She opens the door at the top, and she says, "oh by the way, my name is Evelyn. I'm Tom's sister." And she starts to walk away, I say, "thank you," but she is already gone.

"Lacey!" "Tom!" He embraces me with a hug. I feel safe and loved inside his arms, but as they say in the movies, 'good things never last long enough.' Tom pulled away, his mysterious dark green eyes twinkled, "well, let's get started!"

"X = 12," Tom says. I stare at the problem in confusion, "what? How'd you get that?" He tells me, and starts writing it on the sheet. Instead of looking at the sheet, I watch his eyes and his smile, how he blinks and talks. He's gorgeous, and it's distracting me from learning. I have probably stared at him this entire study date, and I still don't understand any of the problems.

"Earth to Lacey! Wanna just get ice cream?" Tom says, and smiles his absolutely perfect smile. "Of course!" I say, relieved that I didn't have to keep listening to math. I can probably just ask questions during class tomorrow!

"So how are you?" Tom asks politely. I shrug, "I'm alright. My day has been ok, but Trish is still getting on my nerves." I believe Tom and I have bonded over how annoying Trish has been over these few days. Tom laughs, and I feel him grab my hand. We're just walking down to the ice cream parlor, two friends hand-in-hand. My heart wasn't supposed to be beating this fast. And the funny part was that I could feel his pulse increasing too.

"Cookie dough for me," I say. "She means one cookie dough in a large cup," Tom orders. "That will be all, thank you very much!" The ice cream vendor doesn't ask questions, instead he fixes up Tom and I's ice cream.

"What was that for?" I say, trying to sound mad, but I just sound weak. Tom blushes, "my deepest apologies, but I only brought $8, and I wouldn't be able to pay for two small ice cream." Then he smirks, "sharing is caring." I roll my eyes.

It's too cold inside to eat our ice cream, so we sit outside to eat it. 'We're just two friends splitting a bowl of ice cream,' I tell myself. 'There's absolutely nothing wrong with this!' I plunge my spoon in the ice cream, then shove it in my mouth. I hear Tom try to say something, but I can't hear exactly what he said. I turn to him, and lean in, but before I could say, "what is it?" Tom's lips came crashing into mine, and I couldn't care about anything else in the world.

That must be why two normal friends don't share one ice cream bowl together. He did this on purpose.

I pull away, mostly because I needed to breathe, but I also saw a particular blonde walk out of the parlor. "Lacey?"

"Cameron, please don't tell anybody about that," I pleaded. "It was an accident. She dropped some ice cream on the floor, and I was going to clean it up, but yeah," Tom said. I glanced at the floor; there was some cookie dough ice cream on it. Cameron bought it, "fine! I won't tell anybody if you get Nate to ask me out." My jaw dropped, so did Tom's. Boy, I did not see this coming...

"I'll mention your name to him," I said. "He must ask me out, if he doesn't, I'm going to spill the beans to Adrian and Sasha. Not only will you both be heartbroken, but Sasha will destroy you." That was harsh. Probably the harshest thing I have ever heard Cameron say. "Deal," I say, as I put out my hand. She takes it, "deal. He better ask me out by Friday, or else the deal is over." And with that, she turns on her heel, and walks away.

"What are we going to do?" Tom asks. "Get Nate to as Cameron out," I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Tom face- palms. "Nate doesn't like Cameron. Wait I take that back. Nobody likes Cameron." Tom is getting angry, and all his muscles are tensed. He looks really attractive... What am I doing? I have a boyfriend! He looks just as good as Tom, maybe even better-

"Ooooof!" I cry as I trip over an unsuspected branch on the sidewalk. Tom catches me right as I fell. "Thanks," I say, and I dig my hands into my pockets as soon as he lets me go. "No problem," he says. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened back there," Tom apologizes. "It's both of our faults," I say. I definitely don't want him to take all of the blame.

He opens his front door for me, like the gentleman he is, and I walk inside but I dorm know where I am going because the halls are all magnificent.

I stumble into a room on the left. Inside there are thousands of pictures of a lovely lady. They are displayed on the canvas which are sprawled all over the floor, her face is carved on many clay sculptures which lay on the desk, and magazines about her cover all the walls of the room. "Who is this woman?" I say. The woman was absolutely beautiful; her brown curls were cascading down her back, and her smile could light up the world.

I saw a tear fall from Tom's eye. "That- that absolutely beautiful woman is my mother," Tom said, as the tear fell down. I hugged him, and I felt more tears fall. I wanted to comfort him, but I don't know how to. I was very curious of the lady, but Tom was my friend, so I decided to ask him about his mother sometime in the near future.

"Is that everything?" Tom asked holding the door open as I followed through carrying my notebook and all my papers that wished to fly away and stay on Tom's perfectly cut yard. "That's all. Thanks again. I had fun," I said smiling. Oh how I wished I could kiss his lips one more time-

"Beep!" My mom's car screeched. "Hurry Lacey! Travis has to be picked up from his basketball game! It ends in 5 minutes!" My mom screams. I face Tom, "good bye! Hopefully, I'll see you at school!" "Oh you will beautiful," Tom says, grinning from ear to ear, his dimples made him look irresistible. We hugged.

"C'mon Travis! Run faster!" I scream as Travis runs from his side to the other teams side, dribbling the basketball back and forth between his hands. He goes in for a lay up... And score! Everybody cheers, and I run up to the court, as everybody lifts Travis in the air.

"That will be $16.43," the Dairy Queen lady asked from behind the register. It's a tradition that after every game that Travis' team wins, the whole family gets milkshakes from Dairy Queen. This being the first game of the year, we hope Travis wins every game in the future because us Hearsts love milkshakes!

I see a familiar girl sitting at a booth in Dairy Queen alone. Travis sees her to, and he walks over to her. "Grace?" He says, and he is engulfed into a hug from Grace's outstretched arms. Young love... It's beautiful.

"Ew. What is Travis doing?" I turn to face my beloved sister. I say, "it's love, don't question its actions, just embrace the feeling it gives you." She obviously doesn't understand, but she smiles and continues using her straw to poke her French vanilla milkshake. Kids will be kids... Hopefully.

We get home, and I am absolutely exhausted. What a long, crazy, insane, weekend? I shudder, "school tomorrow, oh god." And before I know it, my vision is covered by small black spots which grow until all I can see is darkness, and I fall fast asleep.