Secondhand Girlfriend

.17

Looking in the mirror, I unbutton the top button of my shirt and exhale deeply. Homecoming day is finally here, and I no longer have a date. Selena caught strep a few days ago, and is now waiting in the hospital to get her tonsils removed. Because I already paid for my ticket, I decide to go alone anyway. The only other people I know going are Andre and Wyatt, both of whom have dates. Yep, Taylor took my advice, baked Wyatt a red velvet cupcake, put a note in it and gave it to him at lunch. Wyatt happily accepted the invitation and then devoured the cupcake. As for Andre, he's bringing his new girlfriend Naomi; I'm always given the short end of the stick.

I step out of the bathroom and walk into the living room, where my mother is watching television. The clicking of my dress shoes against the wooden floor draws her attention, and she bolts up right from the couch. Doing as a mother does, she fawns over how handsome I look, and goes to fix a piece of hair that has fallen into my face but I tell her to leave it. Jokingly, I tell her I'm trying to become a Zayn Malik impersonator, but she doesn't laugh.

"Tough crowd," I chuckle as she adjusts my collar.

"Oh hush, and I'm sorry about your date, but I'm sure you'll still have fun," she assures me.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I get it out and read the text on the screen. It's just Wyatt telling me that he and Andre are on their way, and I send him a quick okay. On their way could range from just leaving to a block away, and it seems to be the latter as there is a knock. My mother answers it promptly and is attacked with hugs from both boys when the door is opened. They kiss her cheeks, and then she moves aside to let them in. She tells them to make themselves at home, and we head to the kitchen to grab drinks from the fridge.

"To get into the spirit of Halloween season," Andre starts as he grabs a pop can.

"And because you're going stag to the dance," Wyatt continues also grab a pop.

"We bought you antlers," they finish together.

They pull our a pair a of what look more like horns than antlers, and I look at the as if they're crazy. Wyatt begins to explain that they're gazelle horns, because apparently deer horns are harder to find. I tell them I'm not wearing them, but then they pull out their own pairs of rabbit ears and a pig snout. Holding the small horns in my hand, I literally say fuck it and put them on. Furrowing my eyebrows, I complain about how it's going to mess up my hair and they say fuck my hair.

"Language," my mother yells.

"Sorry, mamma," we say, and return to the living room.

Instantly my mother looks at us and laughs. She grabs her camera to take pictures, and we begin to fiercely strike poses and vogue with every click of the camera. Laughing at us continuously, she tells us to be serious and take a decent picture, so we keep our costumes on and put our arms behind our back as we smile. We take a few with the ears off, and then we're on our way out the door. Andre goes to pick up his date, so I drop Wyatt off at Taylor's house.

When we pull up to the house, Taylor is standing on the porch with wolf ears and muff on his face. Matching costumes, how cute. I wave them off and begin my long drive to the high school. Reaching over to turn on the radio, I stop myself as I rethink it and drive in silence. Quickly rubbing the tooth hanging around my neck, I try to ease the pain in my chest. You don't need her, you don't miss her, I tell myself over and over, but I do.

I finally pull up to the grey brick building, that looks more like a prison than a school, and hand my keys to valet. There is a blue carpet leading up to the door, and I slowly make my way into the building. My eyes take a munite to adjust to the dimness of the hallway which is bathed in small fairy lights, and I follow them down to the gymnasium. Pushing open the double doors, my mouth drops open slightly as I look about the room. They really go out for these things, it doesn't even look like a gym room.