Cheap Shots

00:25

25.

            Regardless of the fact that you’re not in school, being suspended, especially for a long period of time, is shit.  It was the third day of my sentence, and I had already blew through every existing episode of “One Tree Hill” from start to finish, and the dozen pints of ice cream stored in the freezer for emergency situations, like this, were half gone.  I was down to very few things that kept my amusement for longer than three seconds. 

            No one came to visit me, save for Jacque, Lauren, and Tess, who wanted to see what the hell I was thinking when I beat down Georgia, (I’d like to think that the fight was much more one sided than it really was) but no one else.  I texted Finn the night of the fight, and updated him on Georgia’s hopefully black and blue face, and he responded with so much enthusiasm that when he didn’t answer for a few seconds after my response I thought he might have experienced a fatal heart attack. 

            That wasn’t the case, really.

            To make the situation even more depressing, I was going to attend the second sectional’s game of the field hockey team, but as soon as I stepped foot on the premises I was escorted out by one of the monitors for apparently “violating my suspension from school,” which earned me an extra day.

            My mother wasn’t too thrilled about that, and after our heart to heart, she went right back to yelling at me for the little things, such as another suspension day and not cleaning my room for at least a few weeks already. 

            It was Wednesday, after school, and Lauren and Jacque had thankfully broken me out of my four-walled prison and took me to the mall.

            “Halloween’s on Friday!”  Lauren whined.  “We need to figure out these costumes, because we only have two days, and I don’t feel like showing up at Beckett’s house with a shitty costume.”

            I rolled my eyes at her and sipped on my milkshake.  “What store are we going in?”

            “The costume store,” Jacque pointed out like it was obvious.  “Where else are we going to find dresses?”

            “I hate you guys.”  I commented offhandedly, following behind them as they walked through the crowded mall. 

            It was only the third day of my now six day suspension, and they decided it would be a good time to go Halloween costume shopping for the group costumes they persuaded me into being a part of.

            We were all attending Beckett’s annual Halloween party at his huge house, and Lauren and Jacque were convinced that we had to look authentic, but also hot at the same time.  Her words not mine.

            “So who are we being?”  I asked them.

            Lauren rolled her eyes.  “We’re being bridesmaids, like from the movie Bridesmaids.”

            I nodded, my mouth forming a small ‘o’ as we walked into the costume story.  “I still haven’t seen that movie, I have no idea who they are.”

            Lauren waved me off.  “You’re fine, we’ll do your makeup and stuff for you.”

            “Hey, by the way, do we need another person for this costume?” 

            “Well,” Jacque said, “We don’t have six people, but one of us should be the bride.”

            “Why?”  Lauren questioned me, an eyebrow raised as she turned to look at me.