Shira's Tale(Wattys2017)

Chapter 9

The wind current was tough the next morning when I walked to school with Dana. It hassled my curls and slapped against my figure. Dana complained about the current and swung her arms at it as if she could just brush it away. Her skirt -bound lower body was infested by growing goosebumps as it absorbed the wind's cold atmosphere. Every once in a while, the wind would attempt to blow her skirt up, but she shielded it with a sheer force of embarrassment breaking out across her face.
The streets were busy as rush-hour occurred in the city. People were scattered across the street and the roads was packed with cars. The glimpse of the yellow taxis stuck in the corner of my eye. The streets were noisy and reminded me of the amount of noise you're exposed to in a dance club. I felt like I was one of the particles of a solid object in a densely packed situation. I felt myself coming into contact with a kinetic stranger's shoulder or arm every minute or so.
"Be careful", Dana warned, "some of these guys don't care how hard they have to push you to clear their way".
"You know even if I do fall over I won't get hurt"?
She looked at me with an expression that told me she wanted me to take back the words I had just spoken and convert them to be false.
"What about if they push you so hard that you are pushed out into the road and you get run over by a taxi? You'll die, Shira. I know you will, tiny people like you don't just get up and walk away from being run over".
I shook my head. "But I can".
She chuckled. "You just believe that because your boarding school taught you that you're the most perfect beings to ever exist that nothing can kill you. Words aren't always true-you out of all people should know that".
What amused me the most was that Dana was attempting to sound like she was the oldest, wisest sister whilst she was the complete opposite.
"No...I have been run over before". I muttered.
She cringed, "what are you-"
"It's true, Dana. When my classmates and I were seven years old, we were taken to the teacher's parking garage. Our teachers got in their cars and ran us over to show us how much pain we would feel. I felt none, I thought it was almost fun, like an amusement park ride".
I looked over my sister and saw her gulp and then curl her mouth: she was laughing.
"You think you're fucking funny, hey"? She giggled to herself.
There wasn't any point in trying to convince her that it was true. Even if I did, I was convinced it would leave a sour taste in her mouth.
"Hey, do you want to get Starbucks before school"?
I raised my eyebrows. "Does that mean you aren't mad at me anymore"?
She scoffed. "I was never mad at you", she said in a high pitched voice, "I was just mad at the whole world. There is a big difference!"
I pulled my lips into my mouth for a moment, wondering whether I should keep it like that or ask Dana the question that has been burning on my tongue.
"What happened with you and that boy, Ricky yesterday"? I eventually asked.
She paused before replying, like she was replaying the whole event in her head so she could explain the details to me. "I kissed him and that's it".
"You sure"?
"Yeah, I decided to tie my tubes and wait until my tits are fully grown".
"You know that 'tie your tubes' means to stop the process of any possible fertilization or ovulation-"
"Do you want Starbucks or not"?!
I shrugged and couldn't help but grow a smile on my face, "sure".
The Starbucks stood right in front of us and we directed ourselves to enter. It was obviously packed but felt like a source of relief to take a break from the chicken coop of the streets. Many cashiers were behind the counter and I could see that the queue was moving at a fast pace. Dana and I joined the queue. Dana looked like she was becoming impatient in the first seconds of standing.
"What are you going to have"? She asked me.
"A frappachino ". I replied.
"Same".
Silences wavered over us and Dana immediately changed her focus to the mahogany wood floor. I stood with my posture straight and my arms crossed against my chest. I caught gaze with a girl consisting of a group a few places ahead of us. She was  probably two or three years younger than me , a dark shade of blonde hair sprouting from her head and cut just below her breasts and heavy eye make-up outlined. Her eyes were glued on me like she couldn't keep her eyes off me, but it felt like she was attempting to intimidate me. Dana soon lifted her head and the girl spun her head like she was avoiding coming into contact with a disease.
"Do you know that girl", I asked Dana, "the one with the dark blonde hair"?
"They all have dark blonde hair, Shira".
I sighed. "Do you know any of the girls there-in that group". I attempted to tilt my head in the direction of where the girls were positioned, but Dana didn't seem to follow my lead.
"What are you doing"? She asked.
"Do you recognise anyone here? Anyone from school?
For a moment, I could see from the glimpse in her eye that she had seen someone she knew but was attempting to avoid them.
"No...why"?
"Just asking".
The girl looked up at me for another moment and smirked as if would make me lose my balance. I looked back at Dana whose eyes were glued to the vacant floor and the sour oder of conflict seeped in the polluted city air.