Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall.....

Best Day Ever

For the first time in a long time, I actually had a good day at school. I was by Angel's side, and suddenly, I was no longer looked at or treated like a loser. I was smiled at, complimented, and people actually knew my name. I passed halls with Angel and we couldn't stop sneaking smiles at each other, but I wondered if they were for different reasons. I still kinda hoped that despite the magic, Angel feels the same way I do about him. 

But it was oh so sweet walking down that hall, finally feeling like a somebody. Autumn and her servants were at the end of the hall. Autumn was sitting in a dirty corner with tearstains on her face, her minionettes sitting on either side of her. When Autumn saw me on Angel's arm, she buried her face in her arms and started crying again. Everyone who saw her moved away from her and started whispering about that outburst she had earlier. I grinned with pride. So far my plan was working. For once, Autumn was losing, and I was winning. This is the day I was waiting for, for a long time. 

When school was over, Angel rushed out to meet me. "Hey babe", he said, kissing the top of my head. I giggled quietly when he called me "babe". This was just like the dreams I had at night, only this was so much better. "Hey", I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Do you want me to drive you home?", he said. "Sure", I said. "But how will you get home?" He waves his hand. "I can always walk. Coach said if I want to be in good shape for our games, I should fit in all the exercise I can. And the weather's okay." I smile and climb in the passenger seat. "In that case, take me home, Mr. Quarterback."

Angel eventually stopped by my house. "Hey, do you want to stay for a while? My mom would never forgive me if she knew I had a boyfriend and didn't let her meet him." He smiles. "I'd love to", he says, shutting the car door.

"Just watch out for Judy", I say, taking his hand.

"Who?"

"My sister. You'll see."

I open the door and Angel grabs my waist and kisses me as soon as I locked the door. I laugh.

"Angel, what was that for?"

"Mm, just because. I have a right to, don't I?"

We were about to do it again when I felt a pair of eyes on us. I turned and it was Judy, staring at us openmouthed. Before I could do or say anything she races away screaming, "MOMMY! MOMMY! ARIELLE'S KISSING A BOY! ARIELLE'S KISSING A BOY!" "Judy, you get back here!", I yell, but that brat had already gone and done it. I growl. I'm going to strangle her one day. Angel laughs. "Little sister, huh? I have one of those. They're the worst sometimes, aren't they?" I laugh breathlessly and nod. I'm glad someone understands.

My mom and Judy come out. My mom's eyes widen when she sees Angel. "Well Arielle, who is this?", my mom says, obviously intrigued. "I'm Angel, Arielle's boyfriend. It's nice to meet you ma'am." He extends his hand, and my mom takes it, smiling. "Well! It's nice to meet you too, Angel!", she says. "He really is a nice boy, honey", my mom says to me. "And he's handsome too." "Okay, mom thanks", I say giving her my best red alert look. Angel seems to enjoy the compliments. Then my mom got a weird look on her face. It looked as if she had a flash of recognition. "Wait, did you say your name was Angel?", she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, my daughter talks about you all the time!"

I freeze. I had forgotten that I confessed to my mom that I had a crush on Angel for the longest time. And now she was going to spill the beans.

"She's always saying how handsome and athletic and popular you are. And now I see she wasn't kidding! So how did you two end up together? I mean, pardon me for saying, I'm glad you didn't end up with that nasty Autumn girl Arielle also tells me about. But did she finally tell you she liked you?"

"Mom!", I say, my face turning bright red. I cannot believe she is embarrassing me like this right now! Angel stifles back his laughter. "No, Ms. McCormick it's not exactly like that. Actually, I was somehow reminded by the kiss me and Arielle shared back when we were seven. And that made me realize I really liked her, and I was finally able to ask her out." "You two kissed when you were seven?", my mom asked, ignoring everything else Angel said. Angel nods. "Arielle never told me that." She turns to me. "Why didn't you tell me that? I would've helped you start dating a long time ago." "Mom! Stop it!", I hissed, turning an even darker shade of red. Angel chuckled and looked at the clock. "Well, I should get going", Angel says. "But it was nice meeting you Ms. McCormick. Goodbye Arielle. I'll see you Monday." He gives me a kiss before heading towards the door. "Wait a minute!", my mom says. "Would you like me to give you a ride? I saw the weather forecast, and it said it was going to rain." Angel looks at me and then nods. "Okay, I guess that would be alright. Thank you", he says, smiling at my mom. Before she grabs her keys she says to me, "He is definitely a keeper." I roll my eyes as she and Angel head out. That's when I remembered. Arista! I needed to give her an update. 

I quietly go upstairs to my room and lock the door behind me. I look into my mirror and say, "Arista." My reflection morphed into Arista's face and she floats out of the mirror. She flies over to my bed and sits down. "So, what happened at school? Did the wish work?" I chuckle and sit next to her. "Oh it worked. Boy did it work!" I told her everything. We both laughed when I told her about Autumn's temper tantrum. And we both sighed when I told her about the magical kiss me and Angel had in the hallway. "For the first time ever, I had a really good day", I told Arista. "Thank you. It's been a long time since I had a real friend." She smiles warmly. "Yeah, me too. And we'll always be best friends, right Arielle?"

"Um, yeah sure", I say. "But, what happens when I finish all my wishes?" Arista didn't seem to hear. She flew to the center of my bedroom and twirled around. "Oh, I'm so excited!", she says. "With me on your side, you'll be a legend at your school!" "A legend?", I repeat. She nods. "Yes, you have eighteen wishes left, and you can do whatever you want with them." She thinks for a moment. "Suppose we use the next wish on Autumn?", she says. "On Autumn?", I say, confused. "Why?" "Because today was just the beginning", she replies. "Sure, you won one battle with her today. But people like Autumn will come back for more. She might try to take away your new popularity status. She might try to steal Angel away from you. And you don't want that to happen, do you?" I slowly shake my head. "No, I don't", I say, beginning to understand what Arista was saying. "You're right Arista. Autumn will come back for more. And if I don't do something, I won't be prepared." She smiles and nods. "Exactly. So, what do you want to do?", she asks. I think for a moment. "Well, I shouldn't be quick to make any wishes on her now. She hasn't done anything yet. But what can I do to make sure she doesn't?"

We're both sitting in silence, thinking until Arista speaks. "I've got it!", she says. "What if you take me to school with you?" I stare at her like she's crazy. "Arista, I can't do that. Someone would see you, and somehow I'd have to explain everything." She holds up her hand. "First, hear me out. I'm a ghost, and I have the power to live inside someone else's body and make decisions for them, kind of like a conscience. No one would see me or hear me, because I'm inside you. Only you would be able to hear me. I would be able to hear and see everything going on around you. I would be able to help you with people like Autumn. I sit, thinking. Is this really a good idea? I mean, I wanted to keep my popularity, Angel especially. And I also wanted Arista to see my school, help me when Autumn unleashes her claws of wrath at me. "Could I have some time to think about it?", I ask her. She shrugs. "Take all the time you need", she says, smiling sweetly. "I can wait." She flies towards the mirror. "Goodnight.....bestie", she says before going inside. "Good night", I say, rain pattering on my window, and me sitting in the darkness of my bedroom, trying to make a near-impossible decision.....