The Secrets We Share

NINE

Dawn

Seven hours ago, I'd received a call from Aria, at five-thirty in the morning. She had been practically hyperventilating, whispering 'Oh my gosh, it's today' and 'I don't think I'm gonna be able to go back to sleep'.

Hanging up after listening to three seconds of her blubbering, I had fallen back into Dreamland.

Thirty minutes ago, she'd called me again, asking me if I could tell her whether the dress was too small 'right freaking now' (to put it in her words).  I'd replied, after seeing a photo, that it fit perfectly and that 'could you please not call again, I'm a little preoccupied with something called suspicious parents'.

And then, fifteen minutes later, I'd run to the phone, seen Aria's name, groaned, then gotten a headache listening to her worry that Jason would cancel the date and go out with another girl.

And I was currently still talking to her.

"It's going to be fine," I told her sternly. "It's not in Jason's nature to ditch girls just like that, and plus since he's the one who asked you anyway, he can't exactly back down."

"B-but what if he's just found another girl and likes her more than me-"

"Aria," I sighed. "I have to go, but just stay calm and even if he does ditch you for some stupid reason, you've got to know that you're worth way more than he'll ever be-"

"Hey! I have an opinion on Jason as well, you know-"

"Okay! Fine. But don't let a boy break you. That's what I'm trying to say."

Silence on the other end. Then, "Thanks Dawn. I mean it. I'd be a mess without you."

"That's what friends are for," I told her.

Then my mum came and told me that I had to 'study right now and stop wasting time on your phone' and I thought, this is what parents are for.

*

"Mum," I said, flicking my pen from hand to hand. I pointed at the clock and leaned on the kitchen bench. "Can I go out for lunch?"

She looked up from the salad she was making. "Don't you want to eat this instead?" 

I shrugged. "Kathleen called me and asked if I could go out and eat with her."

Actually, she hadn't, but mum didn't need to know that. I just didn't like being cooped up in the house all day long. And I knew I could call her and ask her to join me for lunch. She loved food. Aria just liked chocolate. 

And more chocolate.

"Oh... you should've told me she called. When did she say you could go with her to eat?" Mum placed the salad in the fridge and went to wash her hands. 

"She said at one-thirty we could meet at the park?"

Ugh. Why was I talking in questions now? 

I saw my mum raise her eyebrows, and felt my shoulders droop, but all she said was, "Be back by three." 

Beaming (and not trying to hide the big smile either) I went upstairs to ask Kat if she was free from one-thirty to three.  

She answered on the second ring, and I could hear loud banging noises coming from her end. 

"Hey! Is that you Dawn?" 

Bang. 

"I-" I barely got out one word before I heard a male voice yelling from wherever Kat was at the moment, "Goddamn it!"