M U T E

|| 20 ||

"Come on, you have to come," Bryce's voice says through the phone. 

"Parties aren't my thing," I reply.

"But it's New Year's. Please go. I promise, I will be with you the whole time, and if you want to leave, then I will take you home," he pleads.

I sigh, "no." 

"Please, pretty please, oh pleeeeeease." 

"Stop your whining. I am not going," I say.

"I'll take you to that VIXX concert if you go."

"How did you know that there was a concert coming here soon? And how did you know I like that stuff?"

"I saw you looking up prices for tickets. I'll buy your ticket even, okay?" 

I groan, and just agree to go because I knew he wouldn't stop. The party is tonight, New Year's Eve. There's a party like this every year, but I've never gone. Myra usually begs me to go, but we end up staying in her room watching the ball drop on TV, and have a little party of our own with root beer floats and dancing. I don't dance, but it's fun to watch Myra make up this whole fun dance routine for me. She'd try to get me to dance, but I never did. 

I guess my life has been like watching a TV show. I watch other people have fun while I don't enjoy it myself. Bryce is the only one to reach out of the TV screen and pull me inside to join the show.

I text Myra about the party which probably will surprise her since I never text. I hardly use my phone at all. My mom said I could get this kindle app to read on my phone. I prefer print. One cannot get the same experience reading from a phone. It doesn't feel right.

* * *

"You better get dressed up. Oh, please! Rey, please let me dress you up!" Myra pleads. 

I roll my eyes and lay down on my bed. This gives her all the permission she needs. She pulls out the dress she brought for me. I'd never wear a dress in a million years, but if I had to, as in I was absolutely being forced to like I am now, then I guess Myra made the perfect choice. It's a dress that is not too showy, and also simple enough to be my style. 

It's a plain light blue dress. The dress has straps like a tank top, thicker than spaghetti straps. It goes right up to the neck, but not like a turtle neck because it stops right at my collar bone. The dress changes fabric at the waist. Below the waist is a loose and silky fabric while the top is just a bit tighter with a more cotton-like fabric. The color is a darker blue in change from the light blue top of the dress. The dress goes down below my knees. She gives me flats to wear with it.
Myra's dress is completely different than mine. She wears a tight black dress that goes to mid-thigh. It has sleeves like mine, stopping right at the shoulder, but her dress drops like a V-neck to show some cleavage. She has heels to go with it. Myra has always been taller than me, and the heels add 2 inches.

"Makeup and hair!" She exclaims. 

Ugh. She sits down as she expertly does my makeup. She doesn't put too much on, knowing me, but it still looks pretty, I guess. She does my hair as well.

As she starts working on herself, I look at myself in the mirror. On my eyes, there is light blue eyeshadow with a thin line of eyeliner. My eyelashes look long and dark with the mascara on. She also put some light pink lipstick on me. 

My hair is curly, making it look short. It's all very simple, though. It's perfect for my style. I look around at Myra. She's done now. Her makeup is as usual, but she does her hair differently. She makes it into some fancy up-do with a sparkly silver clip. She looks about 19 years old whilst I have upgraded from a seventh grader to actually looking my age. 

"You look beautiful, Rey. Now let's go," Myra says. 

I follow her out the door. Bryce is taking us there, so we wait in the driveway for him. Thankfully, it didn't take him too long. I get into the passenger seat, and Myra goes in the back. 

"You don't mind taking Myra, right?" I ask.

"I don't mind," he says, "oh, and you look absolutely stunning, Reyna. You both do actually." 

My cheeks turn pink, and I turn to face the window. Myra and Bryce talk for the whole car ride, but I don't say a word. We get to the café where the party is always hosted. The son of the owner is a senior at our school, and the New Year's party is always there. The party is open to the whole school. I just never went. 

Bryce parks his car, and we go up to the party. It's so crowded..at least it's way different than I imagined. 

In the movies and books, high school parties are all wild with alcohol and screaming, or just complete recklessness. It's none of that, thankfully. There is no alcohol or beer kegs. There's no craziness. There are groups of people talking regularly, a DJ playing radio pop hits, a dance floor where people are dancing, but not the crazy reckless dancing and grinding like in movies, and there's the high school son-of-owner working the counter to take orders. Of course, they have just a small menu for the night as there is a small staff working. There are also 2 big digital clocks which are for the countdown. One clock has the actual time 8:25 while the other has the countdown, that keeps going down by the second. 

"Do you want something to drink?" Bryce asks me. 

I shake my head. 

"Do you like coffee? The coffee here is so great. Let me buy you a cup," he says, then goes up the counter. 

I sigh, but I don't stop him from getting it for me. 

"Do you like cream and sugar in your coffee?" He asks.

I shake my head. He looks a bit surprised by that. 

"Wow, I can't stand it black. That's pretty cool, though," then he turns to Ross behind the counter, "two coffees, please. One black, and the other with some cream and sugar, thank you."
Ross nods, punching the order into the register. Bryce hands him the money for it, and Ross brings up the coffee moments later. 

Bryce and I sit down at one of the open tables. All the tables are moved to one side of the café, so that there can be a dance floor. I take a sip of the coffee. Bryce was right. This coffee is great. Myra joins us a couple minutes later with a latté in her hand. We all enjoy our drinks while having small talk for awhile. 

It was all nice and happy until I see Vienna with her group of friends. The friends that beat me up in gym class for a week, and still verbally harass me. To my surprise, I see her with Jocelyn. I didn't know they were friends.. I look away as Jocelyn walks over to us. 

"Hey, Bryce. I wanted to know if you're up for some dancing?" She asks, biting her lip nervously.

"Sure!" He says, standing up, he looks back at me, inviting me with his eyes.

I shake my head, and he follows her out to the dance floor without me. I watch. She's a perfect dancer. She has a ballerina kind of vibe in her dancing, and I can just tell she's probably taken ballet by the way she moves. Bryce dances like everyone else. Not very good, but not as bad as me. 

"Guessing there's no way you'd dance," Myra says to me.

"Got that right," I say. 

Now, if only I had my book right now. Myra and I stand up and go outside. There's an outside portion of the café as well where some people are hanging out in their groups of friends. Myra goes up to some of her friends with me following. They start going on about boys that they think are cute, and stuff like that. I tune out and watch inside. 

One more hour till midnight.