Disconnected

0.5

• imagination perfection •

Michael dropped Kara off last night, driving her in her car and walking himself home afterwards. When he stood with her at her front door, under the dull lights of her porch, he felt it was the most perfect moment to kiss her. The sky was a peachy sunset as the only sound of the beeping in her kitchen was heard because of the burning smell inside, but he liked it. His fingers grasped her cheek, rubbing over her bone as he smiled down at her. Her eyes were fluttering, and Michael knew it was because she liked it. But the moment was ruined when Michael stepped back and left instead of stepping forward and kissing the hell out of her.

"Where on earth are you going, Kara May?" Her mother stood next to the flight of stairs, resting her arm on the chestnut wood as Kara pulled her hair out from under her dress and adjusted her necklace.

"I have a friendly dinner," she replied, looking into the mirror to check herself, only seeing the devious smile on her mother.

"So a date?"

Groaning, she turned and put her earrings in at the same time. "What was it that blinded you from the keyword friendly?"

"Don't try to fool me, Kara. You might not be with this boy, but what about the future?" Her mother brushed at her apron as she looked back at Kara with a bright smile.

During this time, Kara was heavily imagining a future with Michael. They'd have an apartment in the city, and Michael would complain about their cat lying on the couch. Every morning Kara would kiss Michael's cheek, and tell him that she loved him. When he would come home, he'd have two or three kids run to him and yell "dad" as he'd swoop them up in his arms and kiss their foreheads. They'd be together right until retirement, where eventually they'd spend their last breath in each other's arms. Kara sighed loudly, romance is not an easy task.

"What, are you picturing your life with this boy?" Mrs. Smith laughed, and although she was joking, she was hoping she was right.

"Of course not, I don't have time for love."

Mrs. Smith sighed too, hoping that if Kara overcomes this obsession with technology, maybe she could be happy in her life. A happiness love could create.

"You don't have time for your phone."

She rolled her eyes and popped a piece of strawberry flavoured stick of gum between her lips. She saw Michael drunk a strawberry milkshake yesterday.

"Whatever, mom." She brushed at her dress-and suddenly felt like her mother by that action while she grabbed her clutch and headed out the door to her car. "I'll see you tonight."

While Kara drove, she couldn't help but imagine what a life with Michael would be like. Sure, Kara was young, but usually people don't start giving birth until they're in their early twenties, which was only three years away until she hit twenty. Would he stick around for that long? What if her friends didn't approve of their relationship? What about the dreamboat from school? Each question was an answer that only the future could answer. When will the future say? Who knows, but right now she had to focus on one thing-and that was her appearance for this date.

She physically slapped herself seeing as she was alone in her car, and reminded herself to not call this a date.

In fact, Kara realised that she had never been to a real date-dinner-like this before, and she had never been asked by a boy. Kara had had her first kiss, which was with an excited and happy go lucky kid called something along the lines of Axel? She was in fifth grade, and it was picture day. She was in the bathroom adjusting herself when she heard the click of the knob each within the disgusting and untrustworthy walls of the loo. She had met the green eyes of the boy, and he smiled brightly by the fact that it was Kara in the stalls and not some other girl. He walked over to her, tripping over his loose lace in the process and suddenly kissed her for at least two seconds. He had read in his mother's magazine that a kiss lasting only two seconds would lead the girl into a frenzy and she would want more from the guy; it worked.

Kara pulled up at the restaurant where she was to meet Michael, and sat back for a few minutes. Kara was always one to be fashionably late.

She couldn't stop thinking about what her mother said, "what about the future?" It sure was a good point, but come on. Hardly anyone lives a long life with their high school sweetheart. Kara began to ponder on her reply. Why couldn't she stop the harsh tone and narrowed eyes whenever she was around her mother? She remembered the first time she had ever spent a night at Denise's, the way her frown would grow to curved lips and sharp teeth. She witnessed her friend's abrupt behaviour and it contagiously spread and brainwashed Kara, resulting in a clone of Denise. The thought scarred Kara and left her lips in a disappointed thin line.

"Table for two for Michael and Kara?" Her voice was so confident as she stood in her tight black dress and high white heels.

The waitress used the mouse of her computer to scroll and began to type the names as she smiled and nodded. "Right this way."

When the waitress gestured for Kara to follow her, she found it harder to find Michael's crazy coloured hair within the crowd, until she saw him look right past her at the counter. He checked his phone a number of times and impatiently tapped his fingers agains the oak wood of the table.

"Michael, what have you done?" She said, standing right in front of him with the waitress standing aside awkwardly.

Mali, the seemingly asian waitress wasn't sure if this prissy teenager was in fact a jealous ex-girlfriend that got in by using the name of the current girlfriend. Was she to interfere?

"Um, excuse me Mr. Gordon, but is this your date to this dinner?" She spoke, eyeing the girl with her chocolate brown eyes. Thinking of her eye colour always brought that "pretty brown eyes" song by Cody Simpson to her head, ugh. She dreaded it.

Michael, who had taken the colour out of his hair and was now sitting in a fancy restaurant with gold looking chairs that costed more than his car. He wore a dark suit, which made him look absolutely thrilling and mysterious, and there was no sign of his eye catching eyebrow piercing. "Yes, this is her. Thanks a lot," Michael confirmed.

"We aren't dating," Kara said at the same time.

The waitress hurriedly left and told another worker about the awkward situation she was in, a smile printing on her face as she said, "they are quite the couple."

Kara still stood ahead of Michael, staring at his head in disbelief as she closed the space between them and gripped a handful of natural hair.

"I can't believe you changed... You."

He sat with a grin, trying to ease up the guilt he knew she was feeling. "It was my choice."

Rolling her eyes in annoyance by that damn sentence, she still tugged at his hair and said, "but this isn't you."

"I like it, and I like that you like this style."

Kara was taken back. Had Michael gone to such lengths of changing his persona that he was now just a clone of her imagination? Did he want to be like the man she wanted in her head?

"Mikey," she started, surprised by the sudden nickname herself. "I really, really liked the lavender hair and ripped shirts, and that goddamn shiny eyebrow piercing. It was so you," she said, meaning every word as she continued to pull at the suit. Why did he go and do this? Was he trying to show her that this was alike herself, changing who she is so others would accept herself?

"Kara, it's okay. I like a change once in a while, and I want you to like it as well."

She sighed, still shaken by the sudden and drastic change. "I like it." Was all she said with a fake smile.