Little Talks

.: Chapter Seventeen :.

When I get home I rush to my bedroom. I haven't planned what to wear to Maddy's party. I pull out my phone and call Celina. When we were closer she would always help me with stuff like this.

"Hey Alliah! How you doin'?" she answers in her usual peppy tone.

"Hey! I, uh, have no clue what to wear for tonight." I stutter.

"I'll be over at 6:30. Get your best outfits ready!" she hangs up.

"Well that was interesting." I mumble to myself.

I got through my closet, but I only have a few dresses, and they're from when I was a kid. I do, however, find a teal off the shoulder top, a blue halter top, a white crop top, a pair of white jeggings, and a pair of black jeggings. I lay down my potential outfits on my bed and sit on the ground for a few hours, until I hear a knock at the door. I run down the steps and swing the door open, greeted by a jumping and squealing Celina. She runs in and gives me a huge hug.

"Oh my gosh you are even prettier than when I last saw you! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you so much too! I wish I hadn't had to transfer schools!" We keep blabbering at each other.

"Let's go up to your room, I want to see what you have."

We run upstairs like little children on Halloween going to the house with the full sized candy bars.

Celina stares at my selection, analyzing my choices.

"I do think these could look good," she says, "but I think I have a romper that would look really cute on you. C'mon, I'll drive you to my place."

We walk out of my house, locking the front door behind us.

"Damn, your parents let you have the Highlander?" I ask while we walk out to her car. It's a steel gray with gold letters signing her last name, Ramos, on the driver's seat door. Celina had always dreamed of having this car when we were younger.

"Yeah, the car is all mine for free until I get a speeding ticket."

"So you never speed?"

"No, I do. I just never get caught." she says with a wink.

She gets into the driver's seat and I hop in the passenger side. I forgot how roomy this car was. Celina keeps it perfectly clean too. Most teens I know would want a fast, sporty car, but Celina has always had an attachment to this one.

"How's your mom going to be home alone tonight?" Celina asks as she pulls out of my driveway.

"Oh, her friend is letting her spend the night at their place." I pull out my phone and make a new chat.

Alliah: Hey Ms. Hemingsworth! Just wanted to ask you to send me a SOL (sign of life) pic of my mom before she goes to bed. Thank you so much again for letting her stay over!

Celina talks about fashion and cars the whole way to her house, and we're there before I know it. She parks the car while I marvel at her house. It's almost three times as bug as mine, but Celina says it's the smallest in her neighborhood.

As we walk in, we're greeted with the smell of cookie dough.

"Is Daisy still obsessed with baking?" Daisy runs up to us with a large silver bowl and a spoon.

"I made edible raw cookie dough for you, Alliah!" she beams up at me.

"Aww, thank you!" I say, taking the bowl. She gives me a big hug before running back into their kitchen.

We take off our shoes and walk up the spiral staircase to her room. Everything is either gray, a powdery pink, or white in her room, shown well in her bed. Her bedframe is gray, her sheets are white and her blanket and pillow cases are pink. The walls are painted gray and the carpet is white.

She sits me on her king-sized bed while she rummages through her walk-in closet. I go on my phone and start to text Kita, while shovelling spoonfuls of cookie dough into my mouth. I've already told him when and where to go during my bus ride home, so now we're just joking around.

"I found it!" I hear her calling exclaim from the closet. "Alliah, come back here!"

I leave my stuff behind and walk in and see her holding a little black romper. She hands it over to me and I look it over.

It's a light material with spaghetti straps. There's little white flowers spread all around on the romper.

"I bought this last year but I can't wear it anymore, I'm not flat enough."

I roll my eyes. "But I am, so it's mine now."

"Yeah, you can keep it. I'm gonna make you a bag of hand-me-downs so you can have more, and better, outfits."

She walks out of the closet and closes the door behind her. Here goes nothing. I take off my warm, green sweater and khaki jeggings, and change into the romper. It fits me perfectly.

"Come in!" I call out.

I hear a metal clang against metal. Celina must've been eating my cookie dough.

"I knew it! Oh my god it looks so good on you!"

"So.. I can keep it?" I ask, half joking.

"Yeah, please do."

I pick up my old clothes and walk out of the closet.

"I'll be out in a few." she says, closing the door behind me.

I sit with my bowl of cookie dough again and continue texting Kita.

"Okay, are you ready?" Celine calls out.

"Yeah, come on out!"

She walks out in a deep red version of what I'm wearing.

"Let's take a picture real quick. We have to go soon." she says.

She pulls me over to a floor-to-ceiling mirror and tells me to smile.

"Aww, I look so cute in that picture!" she squeals.

I try to point out how bad I look, but she doesn't hear me.

"Let's get going!" she runs into the closet and comes out with a gold and a white purse. She tosses me the gold purse and keeps walking.

We run downstairs and to the front door, before she runs back upstairs, returning with a pair of black sandals for me. I force them onto my feet and pick up my Nikes.

"Bye Daisy! Thanks for the cookie dough!" I yell behind me as we walk out of the door.

We hop into her car and I toss my clothes and shoes in the back seat. Celina speeds through the neighborhood, right up to Maddy's party. By then it's already dark, and it looks like the party hasn't even started.

Celina parks on the side of the road two houses down, since there are so many cars parked.

"C'mon, get out, we're late!"

We practically run all of the way to Maddy's house, which is double the size of Celina's, and before we get to the driveway I see a familiar figure.