Take My Picture

Chapter nine

"Brinley, what are you doing for your birthday?" I questioned when I found her at her locker before school. She hasn't talked about her birthday yet, and it's her 16th so I thought she'd want to do something.

"I have to go out for dinner with my mom tonight, and tomorrow night, dads cooking lasagne cause it was always my favourite meal when I was little." She didn't sound all that excited and I saw the slight flash of horror when she mentioned going out for dinner and the lasagne. I just assumed it was because she doesn't want to see her mom and that she wants to do something different this year.

"Don't you always do that? Let's do something different, something fun. It's your sweet 16th after all." I smiled big, hoping she'll say yes. I mean I don't know what we'll do but I'll think of something.

"I mean you could come for dinner and we could do something tomorrow night after dinner. Or we could just do something on Saturday instead?" She suggests.

"I'd love to come for dinner. And I'll think of something we can do and I'll tell you whether it'll be on Friday or Saturday depending on when it'll work best. Anything, in particular, you wanna do?" I question hoping she'll give me some ideas because I'm drawing a blank.

"I mean the thing I really wanna do is go to a concert but there are many reasons that won't happen," she states as she sits down at her desk in homeroom. I look at her questioningly and she catches on pretty quickly explaining why it won't work. "Well, for one, its way to short notice, its also kind of expensive, and there isn't anyone I really want to see playing a show anytime soon," she explains. We let the subject go for now as the bell rings and our teacher walks into the class.

...

I was in my photography class just before lunch when I had the idea. I had been on Instagram in class, claiming I was doing research when really I was just bored of the class. But anyway, I scrolled past a post from a dance school advertising an open class/intensive day on Saturday. This would be perfect. Brinley has been saying she's wanted to get back into doing these things again. I take a screenshot of the photo with all the details so I can ask her at lunch if she would be into it.

I had even less desire to concentrate in class right now because I just wanted it to be lunch so I could talk to Brinley. I still had 20 minutes of class though. I jumped slightly when I felt my phone vibrate against my leg, I pulled my phone from my pocket to see the notification was actually a message from Madison. Demi gave her my number after finding out that I was the person she saved and whose camera she saved. Over the past few weeks we've been talking a bit, she's a really cool person, she's been telling me about this short film script she wrote, and how she and her friends are making it a real thing. Which is pretty cool.

I'm also still talking to Demi, she tries to inch towards the deeper stuff when we talk but I've stopped sharing so much, directing the conversation elsewhere when she does that. She's noticed too; I think she's starting to get a bit worried about me. I'm fine though. Like really, I was really tired and stuff for like 3 days but then I was fine. For the past two weeks I've not been staying up really late or sleeping excessively, I've just been normal. Like I feel good, normal. I can concentrate in class, well, mostly, and I don't have to constantly have to be doing something.

When the bell finally rang signalling the end of the lesson and the beginning of lunch, I was out of the classroom so fast. I found Brinley waiting at her locker for me and we made our way to our spot of the day for lunch. "So what do you think about this?" I question as I hand Brinley my phone right after we sat down. "It's on Saturday, Elise or Jordan will be able to take us and we can just get a bus home or your dad can pick us up maybe," I continue to explain while she looks over the post.