A Beautiful Mess

Fifteenth: ?

Fifteenth: ?

One more week to go until the Summer Dance.  And definitely a week less until the competition. 

       I went near the pier where a small booth was located and I saw a long queue of girls lining up to get registered and to finally drop their names in the box.  I can’t believe that they were more excited than last year.  Weren’t they nervous at all that someone they hated or someone they didn’t like might be the one who’ll pick their names?  I’d be.

       So for the first time, I joined the end of the line and some girls started to stare at me from my toe to my face like they had never seen me before which was impossible because I work at the café and I always stroll around the beach.  Seven people were still before me.  There were many people around the area and I looked around feeling ashamed because I never really joined stuff like this.  I heard girls chatting in front of me.

       “Hopefully Ethan will pick my name because I have dropped loads of paper with my name written on it.” The brunette said.

       “What if some other guy picked your name, then you’ll have two dates?” the girl said.

       “Even better.” She laughed.

       The line moved fast and I was already at the first.  I wrote my name in cursive and made it complicated just so it would be hard to read.  After that, I dropped it in the box praying that Andrew wouldn’t pick it again.  To make sure, I asked the lady if I could shake it.  Luckily she agreed.  I did my best to shake the box hoping that my name would find its way down the bottom.

       After I left the hut, I saw Andrew just across with his friends in Surfer’s having a snack.  Surfer’s is a small hut that was made into a snack bar with stools that you can seat on.  It was a ‘hanging-out place’ mostly by teenagers.  I realized that Bridget was there too with her cousin Chloe.

       “Hey girls.” I greeted.  I sat on the stool and joined them.

       “Hello.” Chloe said quietly that I almost didn’t hear her.  Chloe was the complete opposite of Bridget.  She was shy and mostly quiet.  Her voice was soft like an angel’s.

       “What up?” Bridget glanced.

       “Oh nothing. Just dropped my name off. Have you done it?”  I looked at both of them.

       Bridget froze and stopped drinking her smoothie, “You mean just dropped your name off in swim class, right?”  She took a sip again.

       I shook my head, “No. I meant for the Summer Dance.  Aren’t you two going?” 

       Bridget suddenly spat spray her smoothie on my white tank.  I skipped back.

       “Bridget! Why did you do that?” I shouted.  “Pass me the tissue will you, Chloe?”

       Chloe passed the tissue and continued sipping her drink as if nothing happened.

       “Oh gosh I didn’t know why I did that! I’m so sorry!”   

       She helped rub the tissue on my tank top which made no difference and didn’t fade the stain at all.  Andrew’s friends noticed us and kept giggling quietly trying so hard not to laugh.

       I grabbed Bridget’s arm and went to the toilets.

     

“If you didn’t like the taste of that smoothie, at least spit it at the ground not at me!”  I pulled as many toilet tissues as I can.  Bridget stared at me and there was nothing she can do because she knew that she’ll add more glitches.  Chloe followed us and went inside the cubicle without even a word.

       “Well at least I didn’t spit at your face, right?”

       “What’s got into you?” I asked.

       “I was just shocked. That’s all.”

       “At me going to the dance?” we talked facing at each other’s reflection on the mirror.

       “Yeah. It’s not like every day I see you dancing, you know.  And wearing a dress and all.  It’s a big change for you.”

       “I know,” I trashed the tissues in the bin, “I already bought a dress.”

       “Can we see it?” Chloe got out from the cubicle.  She washed her hands.

       “My little girl’s becoming a lady.” Bridget sang.

       “No I’m not. I’m just wearing the dress until the dance is over.  You know, like Cinderella?”

       “Like Cinderella?” She repeated.

       “You know the story. When the clock strikes midnight her dress vanishes and she becomes her old self again.”

       She nodded feeling astonished.  “Look at you.  You even have your own Disney Princess story planned.”

       “Not like you.” Chloe said in a straight face.

       “Excuse me?” Bridget crossed her arms.

       “You could be the evil queen in Rapunzel”

       “WHY?” her voice echoed.

       “Because of your hair.  Isn’t that quite obvious?” 

       And that was one of the reasons why I love Chloe.  She can be mean in the nicest way.

       “Isn’t that obvious?” Bridget mimicked Chloe’s voice.

After a few seconds, Bridget came to a pause and studied my reflection, “I wonder who’ll pick you.”