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Chapter 5: Thinking for Ourselves

I couldn't believe it.

I mean, I always knew Aubrey was mean. She was the ringleader of our group for a reason--she scared everyone. But I never would have guessed she would have left me stranded at Harvey's.

Thank the heavens for that quiet girl, Ivory. She seemed to be popping up everywhere lately. It was weird how just a few days ago I barely noticed her, and then today she gave me a ride. It was a good thing, I supposed. Always good to meet new people.

The important thing was, the second Ivory dropped me off at school I was able to butt-kiss my way back into Aubrey's good books. Honestly, I don't even think Aubrey cared about what I said that much. She just liked to keep people living in fear.

"Kennedy, get with the program," Aubrey snapped her fingers in front of my nose twice. "What is this, like the third time you blanked out?"

I shook my head, willing myself to focus. The last thing I needed was for Aubrey to be mad at me again. "Sorry, Aub. I have a lot on my mind right now, I guess."

"Well, clear it. Just watch Hailee for a while, she knows how to keep her brain empty," Aubrey snapped. Hailee's face fell, and she stared down at her hands. When Aubrey saw her hurt expression, she rolled her eyes and lightly hit Hailee's shoulder. "Oh, I'm just kidding Hails, can't you take a joke?" Hailee smiled weakly for a second, then went back to frowning.

"Anyways..." Sacha sighed, clearly annoyed at how off topic we had gotten. "As I was saying, about my party, we need to plan out the guest list very carefully..."

Without even meaning to, my mind wandered off again as Sacha began to rant about the details of her Halloween party. I was sitting on the floor in Aubrey's living room, which was a little nerve wracking considering everything in the room was white. White chairs, white couch, white TV... even her little dog, Princess, was a white poodle. It was intimidating knowing that the fluffy rug I was sitting on probably cost more than my entire house.

"What do you think, Ken?"

"Huh?"

Sacha sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. "About the nerds, duh. Should we invite them just for a laugh?"

"I don't think fake inviting people is very funny."

"We're not fake inviting them," Hailee insisted. "We want them to come, so everyone can embarass them! They'll be so awkward; it will be hilarious!"

I shook my head. My friends were honestly horrible people. "Hailee, that's just plain mean. I thought the whole point of the party was to have fun, not to embarass people."

Sacha sighed again dramatically. "Fine, the nerds are a no-go."

I nodded, satisfied that I had got my friends to see my side, for once. Usually, that was not the way things ended. Although, Aubrey hadn't joined in on the debate, and that was probably the reason things ended the way they did. Normally Aubrey had the last say in things, and if she didn't say anything, that meant...

"Oh my god!" Aubrey squealed and slapped her hand over her mouth. "Holy shit!"

"What is it?" Hailee asked excitedly, scooting over so she could see Aubrey's phone.

Aubrey let out another squeal. "You will never guess who just asked me out this Friday!"

Sacha finally let her curiosity get the best of her, and joined Hailee and I behind Aubrey's shoulder. Boy business was serious business, and it involved everyone's input. Aubrey had been single for a whole two weeks; I guess I should have known she would be getting with someone else soon.

"Who asked you?" Sacha whined as she struggled to get a clear view of the mesages on Aubrey's phone.

"Sean!"

Hailee's eyes darkened. "Sean? As in Sean Desmound?"

"Duh," Aubrey rolled her eyes. "What other Sean is there who is worthy to talk about?"

I mentally sighed. I could smell trouble brewing. This time, however, I had decided to keep my mouth shut and not interfere. If three of my friends wanted to argue over one guy, that was their problem, not mine. And I was not about to get ditched at Harvey's again.

"That's cool." Sacha nodded.

Hailee gasped. "What? So it's fine for Aubrey to go on a date with Sean but you try to bite my head off when I just talk to him?"

"Hailee," Aubrey snapped. "That's different. Sean doesn't like you, get it through your mind."

I noticed that Hailee's blue eyes were watering, and I wondered how much abuse she was going to take before she reached her breaking point. Basically this whole day had been 'pick on Hailee' day. I knew that Hailee's IQ definitely wasn't the highest in class, but she must be able to tell that Sacha and Aubrey weren't her true friends, right?

"You know what?" Hailee stood up suddenly, causing all of our eyes to focus on her. "I am sick and tired of being made fun of by you! All I hear all the time is 'Hailee, why are you so dumb?' and 'you can't do that, you're too stupid.' Well, I'm not just going to take that anymore! I'm leaving!"

Aubrey's eyes flashed in anger. I have to say, Hailee completely shocked me. I never would have guessed she was capable of standing up for herself.

"Hailee, you take one step out towards that door and you are not getting a ride anywhere for the rest of the year," Aubrey glared. I could tell that she was completely serious, and I was curious how Hailee was going to handle it.

"That's fine." Hailee threw her hands up in the air and stomped towards the door. She paused right in front of the door and looked towards me. "Kennedy? You coming?"

I was torn about what to do. Just a minute ago, I had promised myself to not get involved and stay on Aubrey's good side. And now here I was, right smack dab in the middle. Why did this always happen to me? I didn't go looking for trouble, it just always seemed to find me.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm coming."

"Kennedy," Aubrey gasped angerily, "if you go with her, you are dead to me. Like, totally serious. No joke."

My hands were shaking. "Aub, don't do this. I love you, but I seriously have to go."

"Spare me." Aubrey held her hand out in front of her. "I don't want to hear your sob stories. Just go."

My heart was beating a million times a minute, so I just turned and followed Hailee out the door. It was chilly outside, seeing as it was late October and it was very windy. We stood out on Aubrey's porch just looking at each other.

"Well." I pulled out my phone and pulled up Facebook. "I guess I'll message someone for a ride home, I mean, unless you want to walk."

Hailee shook her head immediately. "Too cold to walk. Who are you messaging?"

I sighed, unsure if this was going to work. but I didn't know who else to ask. "Ivory."

Picture in media is Aubrey!