The Boy In My Head

9

On Saturday, three o'clock can't come soon enough. I spend the day trying out different hairstyles, which unfortunately gives me too much time to think about my decision. Part of me wants to agree with J.P. and skip the party altogether, but then I think about how this could be my chance to make real friends. I decide I won't chicken out, but I still don't know how to do my hair. Should I put it up or leave it down? I don't want to make it seem like I'm showing off my upgrade, but then again, everyone cheered when Will showed off his. Maybe everyone at the party will think my upgrade is just as cool. I can't be sure. I decide to put my hair up but in a way that's easy to let down if I start getting odd stares. I tell my watch to display easy updos, and it shows an enlarged holographic screen in front of my face. I flip through different styles before I settle on one.

"I'd keep your hair down," a voice says in my mind. At first, I think it's an ad playing off the website I'm on; I've gotten used to that the past few days. Then I realize that it's the same voice I heard in the pool. "Who are you?" I demand out loud. The voice doesn't sound familiar, so I'm sure it's not someone I know. It's clearly a male voice, though. "Just a friend." "A friend? If you were a friend, you'd stay out of my head. Who are you?" "You can call me Parker." "How did you get in my head? I should be able to tell if I'm on a call with you, and I'm not. What's going on?" "I have my ways," the voice says. In the brief silence that follows, I take a moment to think about what's happening. I must be imagining the voice, right? It doesn't sound computer generated, and I don't hear the quiet static in the background that would tell me I'm on a call. Perhaps my intense feeling for needing friends has made me go crazy. "I don't need a friend," I tell Parker, but I know it's a complete lie. "Stay out of my head."

Parker doesn't say another word, so I figure he's gone. I'm about to put my hair up when I decide to leave it down. I curl it to give it a little volume.

I don't leave until 3:00 so that I'm not the first one there. I consider taking my car, but I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to show off even more than people think I already do, so I decide to take my bike. Mom gives me a hug goodbye and tells me to enjoy myself. When I ride up to 1113 Mulberry Lane, the driveway is already crowded with cars and bicycles. Someone says hello to me as I enter the house, but it's so crowded that I can't tell who greeted me. I plaster a smile on my face to make it look like I'm enjoying myself, but all my insides have turned to fire as I nervously wonder what I'm going to do next. A lot of people have drinks in their hands, so I make my way to the kitchen to grab a glass. Out the window, I can see another crowd of people around the pool. Some are swimming, and there are girls tanning on the patio. Aline's house is smaller than mine, but her pool must be twice the size. All I can hope is that she doesn't spot me at her party. With so many people around, I doubt she will, though. I take a sip of my fruit punch while I continue scanning the backyard through the window. I spot a game of volleyball going on out in the lawn. I've never been one for sports, but there are a group of girls I recognize from school watching the game. Perhaps it's best to try talking to them. They look like the type of girls I could get along with. I push through the crowd and out toward the volleyball court. The five girls I spotted from the kitchen haven't moved. When I approach them, one of the girls turns. She has short bright red hair, but with her fair skin, it suits her. "Um, do you mind if I sit here?" I ask, gesturing to a spot on the grass. I know I don't really have to ask, but I don't want to intrude on their group, either.