Ghouls (Avenged Sevenfold / Synyster Gates)

Chapter 8

Days went passed since the barbeque at the Berrys’, just tottering around the house playing video games (I really needed to get a job; there was only so much you could do with two dogs and a games console) I was already up when Jade tottered down and put on the radio, blasting the latest from McFly’s; Star Girl. I leaped from the sofa, immediately falling in sync with the song; the both of us sang our lungs out, making the dogs bark. We laughed and danced along until Cam came along so as he tried to shout at us to shut up, we danced around him, singing into his face, making him grunt and go back upstairs; he never was a huge fan. We danced along to the song and laughed together for the remainders of the track, having the most fun I’d had the whole time I’d been in Cali.

“Okay, okay, okay, we’ve got to prep you up for this big date with Zack!” Jade told me, spinning me around, holding my hands. It was if we were 12 or something.

“It’s not a big date, J, it’s just a few drinks,” I told her, giggling.

We stopped, “nevertheless, it’s a date with Zackary Baker so we must prepare!” she said, smiling.

“Okay, okay, what do we have to do?” I asked, smiling at her; Jade was quickly becoming my new, better, best friend.

“First of all, we have to go shopping; I’ve seen your so called ‘wardrobe’ and a scabby old band T will not do for a date!”

“Hey! I take offence to you talking down about my shirts!...they’re my babies..” I told her, acting hurt.

“Oh, shut up; we’re getting something sexier than anything that you’ve bought! Now, get your pants on, shoes on and we can go,” she said, grabbing her keys and waiting for me.

I groaned, “eurgh, sexy is not my thing, Jade, I can’t pull it off for fuck sake...” I told her, finding some shorts and slipping my crummy old converse.

“What!? Of course you can pull off sexy! Have you looked in the mirror lately?” she called to me, giggling.

I wanted so desperately to tell her that I hadn’t properly looked in a mirror for years and that as and when I did, I was sick but all I could muster up was a shrug as I told her to move.

The road into town was quiet; I was still on edge about the whole ‘sexy’ thing. It really wasn’t my thing and I got so worked up about it; I hated when people did give me compliments like that, not because I discarded people’s opinions but because I simply didn’t believe it anymore; after the past few years I’d been made to feel so small and useable that ‘sexy’ just didn’t come into the equation.

Once we were in town, Jade had twigged that I wasn’t as cheery as I was before.

“Oi, grumpy pants, if I take you to Hot Topic will you cheer the fuck up, please? I’m not shopping with you if you’re going to sulk!” she said, taking my hand.

I instantly cheered up, “uh, duh!”

We both laughed and headed to, well, wherever Jade was taking me. We made a deal that we’d find something for tonight first, as we both agreed I didn’t want to do it, so we could get it out of the way.

After almost an hour and a half I was shaking. Praying the dreaded dress shopping would end. I was sweating heavily, terrified that people were watching me. Every now and again, my breath would stop as I saw someone looking at me. All I wanted to do was get home and stay there forever; fuck Hot Topic; fuck Zacky; I couldn’t face anyone.

“What about this?” Jade asked, it was the same question she’d asked over a hundred times already today, as she pulled out a genuinely nice, little purple number.