Baby Fever

Give Me A Break

"I really hope the boys do not order that Mac N Cheese again. I ate that shit once and my waistline will never be the same," Chloe complained.

"Shhh and help me with this bra strap," Julian responded. 

"I can't believe your bra seriously unhooked. That's why we don't wear overly intricate tops." Alanna said.

"Who you trying to impress, anyway?" Tiana asked.

"No one, I can't look cute for myself now?" 

 Ugh, what a pathological liar. She only ever pulled out her ridiculously intricate tops when she was trying to impress a guy. 

"No," Grace said and they all broke into giggles. 

"So is it just me or is Cree looking bronzer this year?" That was definitely Chloe.

"As if that were even possible," Julian responded. 

"Hey, do you guys think we should drop by Tori's place with some food? I'm worried someone might have put something in her drink," Alanna said. 

I smiled at her thoughtfulness, but the thought of having them over just made me nauseous. 

"Typical for us to change our plans to accommodate her," Chloe said and Julian laughed. Since when have I ever had Chloe change her plans for me? Was she mad at me about yesterday? What had Julian told her?

"Relax, she's a cheer sister, and if she needs help we should be the first to know." I heard Alanna say. 

"You guys are impossible. Let's go before they eat all the food," Faith said. It wasn't until I heard all their footsteps exit that I counted five minutes and left the stall. 

I screamed as I found myself face-to-face with Alanna. 

"I'd recognize those champagne pink toes anywhere." She said with her hands on her hips.

I tried to look anywhere but her face. 

"Explain." She demanded. I fidgeted with my phone before my vision became clouded with tears. Her assertiveness evaporated as she encompassed me in her arms. 

"I made a terrible mistake, and I really didn't feel like confronting any of the girls about it." 

She wiped my tears with her elegant finger and held my face in her hands. "Oh honey, Alanna to the rescue, duh! Wait here." She squeezed my arm before going for the door. "Wait ten minutes." 

"Okay." 

"And Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow, breakfast at Tina's. You will be explaining." She said before walking out. I went over to the mirror and wiped at my mascara with a napkin, ugh, I forgot my purse at the table. I tried to clean my makeup as best as I could and texted Layla back. I went back inside a stall and leaned my back against a wall. 

After counting fifteen minutes in my head, I left the bathroom. None of the cheer or football squad from earlier were there. Alanna must've detoured them somewhere else.

Alanna and I met in ninth grade, and she was the first cheerleader to accept me. Out of all the cheerleaders, she knows me the best, and I don't have to try when I'm around her. It's just hard to talk to her about certain things when she's so attached to the cheer members.

 Layla was already indulging in the rice I'd ordered when I got back. 

"You will not believe what just happened. Alanna came marching out the bathroom with her hair extensions and 6-inch  heels and threw an entire fit." She cleared her throat to imitate Alanna, "This place smell's like my grandfather's sock closet! I can't even!"  and "I literally can't even get two bars of connection at this place. How am I supposed to Instagram my food?" 

"Did you not notice me missing?"

"I was too busy recording." She responded. I rolled my eyes, retrieved my car, and pleaded with Layla to get the food to go. After being forced to explain the situation to Layla in the car, she started laughing hysterically. 

"Okay okay, so you just pimped Alanna out because you were too scared to face your fake friends," She said through her craggy laughs. 

"I was not! Whatever I'm taking you home." I said in annoyance as I drove to her house. She laughed almost the entire way before resigning to re-watching the video of Alanna several times. When we pulled up to her house, she tried to hide her smile at Dominic waiting for her at the door with a box of pizza.

"He's such a cliche," She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. 

I took her hand and smiled at her. "You're his queen. Now go go, I'll bring the rest of your stuff on Monday."   

She nodded and went to greet her Prince Charming. I watched as he picked her up and swung her around before planting an intimate kiss on her lips. He waved and smiled at me.  I waved back before pulling out of the driveway.

All the Dominic's in this world were either taken or gay. I hit my head on the steering wheel and picked it back up to see a middle-schooler frozen in front of me on the crosswalk. I quickly hit the brake and the boy flicked me off before speeding off with his bike. I brought down my window and stuck my head out to yell "Sorry! But that is no way to treat another person!" Which earned me the finger from his other hand.

Great, now I'm pissing off twelve-year-olds. 

I headed back home and spent the rest of the day making bracelets and baking. I packaged my brownies in cute miniature boxes and stored them away. 

My mom was in her room watching her telenovela when my dad stumbled into the house at 11 p.m. 

"I'M HOMEEEE." He announced as he slammed the door and showcased his empty beer bottle. He tripped over the chairs on the counter and grunted before planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. 

"I can see that," I helped him to the couch. I heard my mom's tiny footsteps on the stairs, and I turned around to see her with her arms crossed and eyebrows knotted in anger. She marched up to my father.

"Get comfortable because you'll be sleeping here for the next couple of days." She snatched the bottle from his fingers. 

"Gladly." He rolled his eyes and put his feet up on the couch. She shoved the bottle in my hands before aggressively pushing his feet off of the sofa and getting in his face.

"What has gotten into you these days?!" She yelled. I put the bottle in the trash and snuck up the stairs. I slammed my room door before me as I tried to block out the insults.

"TERRIBLE DRUNK" and "ANNOYING PRISS" were the last words I heard before I plugged in my earbuds and drowned out the yelling with my music. I snuggled up in a corner of my bed and pulled my legs up to my chest.

 I went to bed that night with my music submerging all my thoughts...