Scarlet Desires (Sample)

Chapter Four

Aliyah stood at her window looking down into the street at the girls, all dressed up and walking to a party which was only a few blocks from her house. They walked in pairs or groups, some with their boyfriends and those whose houses were not within trekking distances, came in cars. Aliyah stood there sulking. She also wanted to go so much. Although, she was antisocial but because the party was being thrown by her crush in school, she just wanted to be there and see him, if nothing else..

"Aliyah!" She heard someone yell her name and she looked down only to see four girls in a red open-roof car and the one driving, Quinn, jutted the back of her middle finger at her as the car cruised by. The coral dolls! Aliyah cringed. That was what they called themselves. She hated them so much, they were unbearably haughty, proud, bullies but were from rich homes and lived in rich neighborhoods. She heard the girls giggle at her and call her names like loser! Soot! and weirdo! as the car sped off down the street towards where the faint sound of the party was coming from.

Aliyah was weary of watching already. She was tired of being the bystanders and watching beautiful girls all dressed up with their glossy lipsticks and makeups shining under the harsh lights of the street lamps. She wanted to be part of them. She wanted to have friends like cheerleaders so that she was invited to every party and she wanted to wear the best which would make almost all the guys in school dying to take her out. She let the curtain fall back into place and she sighed heavily with her back against the wall closest to the window.

She glanced at the open novel on her bed, it held no more appeal as she thought about the fact that almost everyone she knew in school were grooving several blocks away while the only minute fun she would get was the tidbit details of the party and the talk about it in school tomorrow. Not like she'd be told, whoever shared jist with her? except her nerd friend with teeth braces and big rimmed glasses, Pearl. Aliyah knew she would only get to eavesdrop on everyone while they talk and laugh about how they had all had fun in Zack's house.

Perhaps, she could go. It was just few blocks away and her mother wasn't supposed to mind since it was not that late into the night yet. With hope in her eyes, she pushed away from the wall and dashed across her room. She hurried downstairs and turned into the sitting room. Her mother had her head on the back rest, she was sprawled on the couch with her reading glasses askew on her face in a funny way. Her arms were limp at her sides but one seemed to be unconsciously holding a open book and gosh, she was deeply asleep and was snoring. Aliyah frowned. If she had girlfriends and the girls wanted to have a sleepover in her house, she would refuse. Her mother was a chronic snorer and her snore could always be heard from across the hall from her bedroom.

She glanced at the TV whose volume was low and she shook her head. Her mother always fell asleep while doing anything but of course, except in the kitchen, at work perhaps or when her fiance was around. She just kept breaking up with one fiance and in two months time, another came around and Aliyah wondered if she was ever going to get a step father at all. She didn't like any of them. She picked the remote control and switched off the TV then she nudged her mother with her leg on the thigh. At first, Clenora only grunted and moved a bit but soon slipped off into slumber again and continued her snoring.

Aliyah observed her mother for a while. She didn't want to be fat like her. She just wanted to be slim and portable for any guy that would want her and not be scared to fall asleep in his arms without the fear of snoring and making herself look like a fool. She knew that being fat wasn't bad, but the girls she knew preferred to keep fit and keeping fit earned oneself more wooers. The fat girls in her school either had low self esteem and had no friends or they were just frustrated bullies who bullied others to make themselves feel better. She sure didn't want to be fat and she secretly prayed that she would take her after father's slim and tall stature not her mother's pudgy one.