You And Your Fake Friends

Sleepover Party

You and your fake friends sit around your dining room table talking about boys who you have no interest in knowing about. Your mother insisted on inviting the popular girls from your school over to celebrate your birthday, but you have never spoken to these girls in your life, and they suck.

"Oh Tina, you should get a boyfriend."

"Oh Tina, you should be more like us."

"Oh Tina, you should wash your hair for once."

"Oh Tina, you should lose some weight."

"Oh Tina, you should join the track team."

"Oh Tina, ----"

You hate people more than you hate chocolate frosting on chocolate cake; the only cake left in the store when your mother went shopping. As they all sing happy birthday your ears starting ringing. It's bad enough that you have to listen to these people talking on and on about their fake problems, but now you have to listen to their singing as well. It's too much for you and your eardrums. At the end of the song, Bethany blows out your candles before you can even make a wish. The rest of the girls laugh, and you try not to cry as you run out of the room. This is only the beginning of the worst birthday party ever.

You wipe the tears off of your cheeks and walk to your bedroom where all of the girls are setting up their sleeping bags, rearranging you organized room. Your slightly OCD mind screams in aggravation, especially when they pull out makeup and nail polish. They urge you to sit down with them as they force make-up onto your clean face.

"Hey, we should play truth or dare."

You try to smile as the secrets within you hide. The girls force themselves into a circle around your bedroom.

Stacey, the worst out of all of them, says with a high pitched voice, "Tina is the birthday girl so she should go first. You clutch your fists and take in a deep breath as Stacey asks you, "truth or dare?"

You go with your instinct and say, "truth," even though you realized it could be used to their advantage. The girls all huddle up into a circle. Your hands start to sweat as they turn back around with smiles on their faces.

Stacey asks, "What is your biggest secret?"

You swear at that instant, Stacey becomes your worst nightmare. You tell them that you don't want to answer, but they all call you a wimp. Is it a wimp if you really don't want to answer a profoundly personal question?

Luckily, your mother comes and turns off the lights. You tell yourself it's almost over, but as you fall onto your bed, one of the other girls snore louder than anyone else ever had. You get up from your bed and walk downstairs to sleep on your couch.

You try to go to sleep, but the couch's stiffness doesn't help, so you count as the hours' pass and for your 14th birthday to end.