Under the Surface

Chapter 20: Danielle

It was 11am Saturday morning, the day of the carnival fundraiser. Danielle was in her room staring straight at her messy closet, with clothes draping all ways and laying in heaps on the floor. She cocked her head as she studied her clothes trying to decide on an outfit for the carnival. It was the weekend, so she didn't have to worry about a stupid school dress code, however not that she worried about that much recently. She has gotten detention three times due to 'inappropriate' outfit choices. Like god forbid my fucking shoulders are naked, she said to her principle when she called her into her office. She normally wouldn't swear to the principle, but now that she has started swearing it automatically comes out of her mouth before she has even realised that she said it in the first place. It's a constant battle with her mother every time she walks into the kitchen in the morning and she sees what she's wearing. Danielle reached in and picked out a ripped denim skirt and a Forever 21 red and white stripped shirt in which she tucked into her skirt. For her makeup she went with a cat eye and red lips, which she felt went with her outfit perfectly. She braided her long, dark hair into two separate french braids and spritz on some Burberry perfume. She was getting a lift from Bethany who would also be bringing Ava, Ty and Nick to the carnival. They all thought it was lame, well mainly Bethany and she is sort of the leader of the group. Basically, if you piss Bethany off, you're done. They were planning on going for an hour or so to see how things were then go back to Ava's house to chill. Just as Danielle was applying her lipstick she heard a car beep from outside. She knew it was Bethany so she grabbed her purse and ran downstairs and outside to the car. She was home alone as her mother was already with the PTA at the carnival, they had been there since 8am setting up and she had dropped JJ off at soccer practise on the way there and her dad was at work.

The carnival was set up on the huge soccer pitch in Levell High. JJ and his team had to practise at a local club this morning as apposed to the school because of all the rides spread out amongst the pitch. She had to admit to herself, it looked good and she was secretly excited to go on all the rides, she just hoped the others would too. There was a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, a dunk tank and other games you'd find in an amusement park arrayed on the pitch, along with a popcorn and cotton candy machine and the food station, where her mother and her catering team were set up with their 'classy' and 'elegant 'styled burgers and hot dogs. That's how her mother called them anyway, but she did admit they were the most pristine and neat hot dogs and burgers she'd seen at a carnival.

"Danielle!" waved Stella as she walked over to her, quite clumsy looking as she tried to avoid her stilettos sinking into the grass after spotting her standing by the cotton candy machine with her friends. No, please not now in front of them, she pleaded to herself as she saw her mother approaching. "You're here! What do you think? Do you think it's...cool?" she said, probably trying to sound cool herself. She could see Bethany standing there staring at her mother, thinking she is ridiculous trying to be relatable to us teens by using the word 'cool'. "Uh, yeah whatever, it's good!" replied Danielle to her mother. She wanted her to leave, or at least drag her aside and talk to her without her friends being present. Stella turned to Danielle's friends and gave them a fake smile. Maybe they didn't know it was fake but Danielle knew her mother for sixteen years, she knew it was a fake smile. She also knew her mother hated them, just because she heard 'rumours' about them and she always goes on about how they're 'bad influences'. Her mother seemed to be obsessed with Lauren Sanders and seemed to long for the day that the two of them will become friends again. I like her, her mother too! They're both smart and classy people! Her mother would always say about them. "Okay, I get the hint, I'll leave you all be. Have fun!" winked Stella. Danielle doesn't think she's ever seen her mother wink, she was so trying to be one of those 'hip' mothers, like Amy Poehler's character from Mean Girls. After she walked away Danielle rolled her eyes and turned to the four of them and said "sorry". "Don't apologize, I had no clue your mom was such a milf!" stated Nick to which Danielle scoffed in sickness in response. "Come on, let's go on some rides," said Bethany as she led the way to the Ferris wheel as they all promptly followed behind her.

About forty minutes had passed and they had gone on nearly all the rides and played all the games. At this point they were sitting down on the grass in a circle. They seemed to do this a lot, sit on the grass in a circle, like a little cult. "Hey...you know what might be fun?" smirked Bethany as she zipped open her bag pack and took out a big bottle of vodka and smiled. "Let's spike the punch," she continued. "Oh my god" laughed Ava as she nodded in agreement. Nick and Ty seemed to be into the idea too. "Uhh, I don't know guys, you could get into a lot of trouble doing that," said Danielle to her friends. "Oh come on, don't be such a baby. Don't you think it'll be funny to see everyone tipsy and have them not know why they're tipsy," laughed Bethany. "Also, I think your mom could use some to loosen up, she seems like she's the definition of uptight by the sounds of it," she added. Danielle made a face. Bethany had only met her mom twice now, both only brief encounters. Was her mother that easy to read? Or maybe it was Danielle's constant complaining about her "uptight" mother and how she wouldn't let her do this or wouldn't let her wear that. Do I really complain about her all that much? She thought. In some weird way it insulted Danielle how Bethany called her mother uptight, she knew it was true however but hearing her insult her mother like that when she didn't even know her made her annoyed. "Well? Come on then!" ushered Bethany and she got up and started walking over to the punch bowl, vodka bottle under her shirt. They rest of them followed, as they always did, like some loyal little puppy dogs. Danielle felt uneasy. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because her mother was the main organizer for this and if it screwed up it would hurt her. Stella took screw ups very personal and they affected her way more than they should. She also knew her mother was going through something. She didn't know what, but her mother was perfect and the fact she rolled up in a police car this week after getting a ticket was a real shock to Danielle. That was not her mother. She hoped she wasn't sick. Or dying for that fact. Although, she overheard her parents arguing the other night. Well, not just the other night, for the past few months to be honest but it's gotten extremely bad at the moment. She wasn't sure what they were fighting about but she wasn't dumb enough to not know that there wasn't something going on between the two of them. Bethany looked around carefully before taking the bottle out from under her shirt and pouring a good amount into the punch bowl, glug, glug, glug. Enough to make you tipsy for sure! Danielle had her arms crossed and looked around to see if anyone was watching. She was also sure people would be able to taste the strength of the vodka. Bethany then proceeded to grab the ladle and pour five cups, one for each of them. "Now what do we do?" asked Ava. "Sit. Wait. Laugh at all the tipsy PTA mothers and nerds who are probably unaware that this is their first time drinking." laughed Bethany. They started walking back over to where they sat before when Lauren Sanders walked past, head down. "Lauren, isn't it?" quizzed Bethany, with a grin on her face. Lauren looked bewildered. Shocked that Bethany Davidson was talking to her. "Uh, yes?" She nervously replied, pulling at her jumper. "Why don't you go have some punch? I hear it has a real kick to it!" smiled Bethany as she pointed to the punch bowl on the table. Lauren looked confused before replying with a weak, "ok," before walking over and doing what she was told. Poor Lauren, thought Danielle. She knew that Lauren had high morals and disagreed with underaged drinking and she always talked about how she was going to wait until she was twenty one to have her first drink. Danielle sighed quietly before sitting down in the circle, where Bethany proceeds to add more vodka to each of their glasses. "Cheers!" smirked Bethany, staring directly at Danielle as she held her glass up for a toast. Danielle stared back at her, before they all downed their glasses. Wow, she thought. She could definitely taste the vodka but maybe that was because Bethany added more to their glasses afterwards. However, the punch nevertheless tasted extremely good, like Hawaii in a drink version. That's it, it tastes like the virgin cocktail she had in Hawaii two years ago when she went with her family for their summer vacation. She could distinguish the taste because she never forgot it, it was the best drink she'd ever had in her life. Ava let out a laugh as she pointed over to the innocent Lauren Sanders taking a sip, looking pleasantly surprised and taking the ladle and adding in two more pours. "Poor child, wonder what type of a drunk she'll turn out to be?" laughed Ty, as he secretly poured more vodka into his glass.