Dork Diaries: Next Generation

I'm Trying (An Actual Chapter)

Trusting Erin's advice, I realize that I've been nothing but trouble since we moved here. The first step I take to making things right is sign up for a boarding school before Brandon dissolves my trust fund. I pay for the next year and a half, and they let me in immediately. I have a week before I start.

I have a week to fix things before I go.

The first person I apologise to is Terra... Or at least I plan to. I called Brianna in advance to doing something huge for her. Bri said my parents would be gone an entire weekend, and a light bulb went off in my head.

So when the final bell of our last period rings through the halls, I pull Terra to my car. She's weirded out at my sudden outburst of affection; I'm never this excited for anything. Luckily though, she obliges.

"I swear, if you're taking me to Target, I'm kicking you out of my house," she mutters.

Unfortunately, that's exactly where I take her. She glares at me as she gets out of the car, but walks into the store anyway. I buy eggs, toilet paper, and cheap facials.

We head to the place I used to call home, the mansion. Bob is there to answer the door. He gives me a weak, knowing smile.

"Hi, Bobby," I say.

"Brandy," he replies pompously.

"I just want to apologise for the things you've heard."

He laughs and shakes his head. "Are you kidding? I could write a million dollar story on this family." I laugh with him. "You go have fun."

I nod at him, and Terra follows me to the game room. I pull out sleeping bags and the magazines I never threw away. I pop The Perfect Guy DVD into the disc player, and Terra eyes me suspiciously.

"Brandy, is there something you're trying to tell me?" she asks.

I smile at her and grab her hand for what seems to be the millionth time today. "C'mon," I prod, "let's put on the facials while the previews are playing."

She frowns but follows me into the bathroom across the hall.

*~*~*~*

We sit in bean bags, watching the movie but not paying attention. I know she's thinking skeptically, wondering what the hell I'm scheming. I finally speak up.

"I'm sorry for sucking ass this entire year," I blurt.

Her distracted, far-away look breaks from the TV to me, and she looks almost shocked that I actually said something.

"What?" she queries.

"All you wanted was to be friends. And I don't know if it was for my money or for the sake of wanting to know me. But even if it was for bad intentions, you've been nothing but good to me. I'm sorry."

"Why are you telling me this now?" She's too perceptive for her own good. I don't reply. "Look, Brandy, it was never about the money. You should know that. You sleep on an air mattress on my floor, for God's sake. It's just whenever I'm with you, I feel used. Like you only talk to me when you need to. You wanted to prove a point to Vanessa, so you invite me to egg her house. We don't talk for months. Then out of no where, you force me to go shopping because of some odd fucking realization that you're actually lonely as hell. And let's not forget how you disappeared when you and Rick started dating. Now here you are again, living as the worst roommate of all time. And I could have kicked you out knowing how many aunts and uncles you have."

She pouts and huffs after her rant. I don't think I've ever heard that many angry words come out of her mouth before.

"But none of them know you like I do, and I know they'd take Brandon's side," she murmurs.

I smile at her. "I know that. I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for you."

"Is that what all this is? To try to thank me?" Her eyes brighten at the thought of me actually going out of my way to thank her for being such a great friend. She couldn't be further from the truth. I did all this to apologise to her for being such a great friend, to apologise for leaving at the end of the week. I try to keep my expression up as I lie through my teeth. I nod shyly, and she throws herself out of her bean bag to hug me fiercely.

We both let out tears we were holding in.

*~*~*~*

The next morning, Bob leaves us breakfast on the kitchen counter. French toast, bacon, and orange juice. An incomplete combination, I know, but I left a note on the eggs asking if he wouldn't use them.

I also left two hundred dollars attached to the note, apologising in advance.

I grab the two cartons from the fridge and the toilet paper from off the counter where I left it last night.

"We're egging another house?" Terra asks. "You really spared no expense, huh?"

I laugh at the memory of our first, failed sleepover. "Yeah, so hurry up."

"Are we egging Vanessa again?" I shake my head, and she tilts hers in confusion. "Then who?"

A crazy grin spreads on my face from cheek to cheek. I place our dishes in the sink and hand Terra our eggs and paper. I tell her to meet me in the front yard in fifteen minutes, as we had to pack our things before we left.

Sure enough, she's standing outside waiting for me with the toilet paper and eggs. I carry out more bags than I came with, and her eyes widen.

"Brandy, what's going on?"

"Let's just say this is the last time we'll ever set foot in this house." I drop all of my things in the back seat of my car and grab my eggs and toilet paper. I open the carton and hurl an egg at the pristine building. If Terra's eyes got any wider, they'd pop out of her head. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Security?" she says. I laugh.

"We never hired any." I throw another egg. "Bombs away, girlfriend." She shakes her head, but she joins me yet again.

This is a day that will truly live in infamy.

Alright, Erin. I think. One apology down.