Raven

Chapter 15 - The Calm Before the Storm

I roll over with a groan, the sheets of my bed tangled around my legs, encasing me in their grasp. I hear Amanda let out a sigh and a groan before sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes. The window over my bed lets light fall upon her face and she puts a hand up to shield her tired eyes. I kick my legs, allowing the sheets to unravel and pull them over the bed until I am sitting with my legs dangling off of it. I let out a sigh before sliding my feet across the ragged carpet to my bathroom, closing the door and locking it. I make sure to close the door leading to Aidan's sleeping chambers as well, to avoid any possible awkward situation with my brother.

I had already set out an outfit for today's lunch "date" with Raven and can't help but feel nervous after all the harsh words and new found feelings from last night. I look down at my outfit placed on the sink and wonder if Raven will like it or think I am pretty. Probably not. My mind rushes to telling myself that dressing to impress another girl is wrong. It is wrong, yet why do I still want to impress her?

I quickly slide on the black frayed jean shorts along with my white DC comics cropped T-Shirt, then brush my golden locks and pull it into a ponytail. I look at myself in the mirror and decide that I am probably decent looking enough to enter the public. I unlock both doors and reveal myself to Amanda who probably thinks I look like trash compared to her perfectly dressed lifestyle. She simply smiles at me before taking her bag into my bathroom to change as well. As she is changing, I walk across the room to my closet where I usually hang dresses or jackets of mine. I need to find something suitable to wear for tonight.

Soon the door of the bathroom swings open and Amanda walks out, beautiful as ever, wearing a short crop top revealing her flat, lightly defined stomach and I can't help but feel jealous of her perfect body. Below her small top are very small jean shorts which curve around her upper thighs perfectly. She walks over to me before suggesting, "Hey, we should have a little instagram photoshoot or something, it'll be fun!" I ponder the idea for a moment before agreeing to this offer. I've never done anything like this before, not even with Ashley, so this will be an exciting new experience for me.

Amanda smiles brightly before dashing out the door and down the stairs. She awaits at the front door until I unlock it to unleash her to the outside. There is a small fence in the front of my yard in which Amanda sets her phone up against before stepping back, ready to pose. I rub my arms awkwardly and avoid eye contact with the camera as the photoshoot is about to start. I have always been insecure about myself and especially in full body shots with a camera.

"Remember when I kept failing at that one part of the Harry Potter game last night? It was so simple and we were stuck there for like, 15 minutes!" Amanda suddenly turns to me. I recall her various failed attempts at finding all the missing objects in the game and chuckle at the memory. Suddenly, Amanda places her arm around my shoulders and at first I am surprised and uncomfortable, but then find comfort in the gesture and respond by wrapping my arm around her as well. We both smile brightly at the camera in one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken. 

As the camera continues to take pictures every three seconds, we start to pose in various positions. We stand back to back, then I jump onto her back as a piggy back ride, and then we both do a squat looking seriously at the camera before bursting out in giggles. I have never had a friend that I could be a normal teenager with and honestly, this is a dream come true. I just wish she didn't have to leave so soon. Soon we are both tired out and she runs forward to pick up her phone and look through the photos. I trot to stand next to her and we laugh at all the attempts at looking serious within the pictures.

"Do you mind if I post a couple of these on Instagram? I understand if you don't want to," Amanda asks. I am uncomfortable with this idea at first, but decide that it's time to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there.