Friendship Mirrors

Chapter 4 - Things Get Feisty

“Honey, wake up, you’re late for school!” I heard Mum shouting from across the hallway.

I opened one eye, still full of sleep. I was so tired and so not bothered for school. Mondays were the worst.

I stretched one arm, yawning loudly. I turned to look at my alarm clock, but it had seemed to stop working.

Slowly, I peeled off my blanket and trudged towards my parents’ room. Mum was shuffling about, sorting out boxes of her artwork.

“Have you seen the time honey? You’re so late for school! It’s 10am!”

“10am?!” I screeched, hardly able to believe it. What had gotten into me recently, I was constantly over-sleeping!

I ran into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, not even bothering to mouthwash like I regularly did in the morning. I changed into a white vest and a plaid shirt, threw on my skinnies and quickly dipped my feet into my purple flats. I raced down the stairs, grabbed a Nutrigrain bar from the counter and rummaged around for my keys.

“Since you’re in such a rush, I’ll drop you off to school today.” Mum said, taking her car keys from the Hookeychain in the living room.

“Oh Mum, don’t worry about it, I’ll just speedwalk, it doesn’t really take that long.” I said, embarrassed by the fact that my mum was willing to drop me off to school, where everyone could see her and her ugly Fiat Multipla which she recently bought from a second hand Car Sale.

“Are you kidding me? It’s a 25 minute walk from here! Now, don’t be silly love. Let’s go, you don’t want to be even more late than you already are.”

Knowing I couldn’t argue further with my mother, I solemnly walked to her fugly Fiat.  It was so ugly that you'd want to get inside it and shut the door as quickly as possible, so no-one would notice you in it. But sadly when you are inside, it's even worse. I thought nothing could be worse than the exterior of that car, but the interior beat it. Sitting in that car was like being inside a womb of nasty rubber and plastic.

We drove speedily along the highway, taking in the scenery I normally saw while I was walking. White house after white house, big tall trees surrounding these houses. Mum turned on the radio and an old school 80’s song came on. I was so shocked at the fact that Mum knew all the lyrics off by heart. I gave her a surprised look and in return, she gave me a cheeky smile.

“I can’t help it! I have a whole album by the Beastie Boys. They were my guilty pleasure when I was your age.”

I was petrified by the fact that my mum was once a fan girl. The thought of my mum dreaming about these probably dreadful boys and having their posters on her wall made me shudder. I focused on the road and thought about Charlie. Man, I was falling for him bad! But I couldn’t help it, his eyes were like the blue summer sky, shining so bright when they met with the light, his lips perfectly formed, pouty, luscious, so kissable…

“Alright honey, here we are. Big school this is, isn’t it! Are those your friends over there?”

She pointed to Ariana and her clique, this time all wearing studded leather jackets and wet look leggings with Doc Martens. Ariana looked blank for a second, then when her eyes met with mine, her shoulders hunched and her jaw tightened. A malicious smile crept across her face. She whispered something to her pack of wolves and they all got up and started walking towards me.

“Thanks for the ride Mum, you can go now.” I said, climbing out of the car and slowly edging away from her.

“Not until you introduce me to your new mates!” she said, loud enough for Ariana and her group to hear. They all sniggered to themselves.

“Seriously Mum, this isn’t the time…” I was cut off by Ariana, who leaned against the window and smiled at Mum. Her smile wasn’t one of those that was warm and welcoming, but it was wicked and cruel, one that you would be afraid of.

“Hello there Mrs.. Denzel is it? It’s lovely to meet you!” she said, her smile as fake as her tan. My god, she looked like the leader of an Oompa Loompa parade.

“Hello sweetheart! What’s your name then?” Mum said proudly, smiling at Ariana and waving at the other girls.

“Ariana Bridges. It’s so lovely that we have a Brit here in our school, Dana is such a pleasure to have in class. Her accent is just a bonus!” Ariana laughed mockingly.

Mum remained oblivious to her wickedness, eagerly talking to her like they were long lost friends.

“That’s so lovely! You know, it’s been a huge change and I was worried that Dana wouldn’t fit in here in America. But I’m so glad she’s already making friends!” Mum shone me a huge smile.

I tried to act happy, but inside I was raging with fury. How dare that walking Wotsit call me her friend? I was aware of her intentions, and I promised myself not to fall into her trap.  I went along with it, just to make my Mum stop talking.

“Yeah Mum, Ariana and I are as close as two pages in a book. Now recess is nearly over, so I’ll see you at home then, okay?” I said hurriedly, hoping she wouldn’t try to carry on the conversation.

“Okay then, I am sensing that someone wants me to go away!” she laughed. Ariana blinked her eyes at Mum and gave me a smirk. “Alright honey, I’ll see you later. It was lovely meeting you Ariana, do come home one day!”

“I hope Dana gives me an invitation soon, I’d love to see what she’s like in the comfort of her own home.” Ariana said coldly.

Mum was taken aback by this comment, but she laughed and drove off.

“Bye girls!”

I felt so humiliated by this encounter that I tried to scuttle off inside. I could feel my body heating up, warm and moist, my clothes clinging to my sweaty body.

“Not so fast there, Dana. Why, it was a pleasure meeting your mum. Bloody hell, she’s so gullible that I bet she bought that car thinking it was the latest car here in America!” Her posse shrieked with laughter, obviously amused by the tactless remark made my Ariana.

“Don’t you dare talk about my mum like that!” I shouted. I could feel my pale face turning a rosy scarlet, my cheeks flaming like a scorching fire. Anger radiated from me like a bulb and I had to clench my fists, forcing myself not to get violent.

“Ooh, temper eh. We don’t want to see your ugly side, but I’m afraid it’s already on display!” she chortled piercingly, her laugh echoing in the large car park, gaining looks from all the students who were present.

I couldn’t handle this any longer. I wasn’t even thinking straight and before I knew it, my leg lifted by itself and landed a powerful roundhouse kick straight into her stomach. She let out a massive cry, clutching her stomach and howling in torment. Her gang gasped at us in terror and backed away, terrified of what I might do to them.

Ariana raced towards me.

Shit.

What could I do? I was trapped. I stood there, alarmed, not knowing what to do. BAM! I felt a sharp punch hit my jaw, pain exploding in my face, making its way down to my whole body. I could hear my blood pounding in my ears as I drew in a couple of ragged breaths. I stared at the river of blood that had appeared before me.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD IS GOING ON HERE?!” boomed Mr Donovan. His voice was ringing in my ears, making my ear drums vibrate.

“That motherfreakin’ punkass bitch tried to kill me!” bellowed Ariana. Tears were running down her face, smudging her mascara and eyeliner so she looked like The Joker.

“Will you calm down Miss Bridges! That’s it, both of you into my office, NOW!”

We both followed him inside, keeping a huge distance between us. Everyone in the car park stared at us as we made our way towards the building. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as if it were hammering its way out.

But it wasn’t me who I was scared for, it was my parents.

My parents and their reaction.

I knew I was doomed.