The Portal to Reflection

The Dare

"Race you there?" I asked Mandy.

"Course. Duh." she replied, winking, "Anything for my BFF."

We were racing to the house at the end of the street - the house that was covered in spiderwebs, coated in never-drying paint, filled with bugs that would make you faint, and home to the souls of the undead. No one dared to even go near there; I had to steel myself to do it after Mandy dared us to do it. I would never have told her, though; she would never let it down if she knew that I was too chicken.

We ran, trying to overtake each other but in the end, as always, it was a tie. We stood in front of the rusted iron gate, wating for the other to go in first. My heart was thudding, not from the race but from the fear that coursed through my veins. I was petrified at the thought of entering the haunted house.

"Can I confess something?" Mandy asked nervously.

"Of course. You can always tell me anythinng," I replied, hoping that she would say that she was as scared as me about going into the haunted house.

"I'm dating your brother." Mandy blurted out.

Say what now? My brother was 2 years older than me - 18 years old soon - and the worst person to have as your older brother. The most annoying thing was that it was impossible to hate him. He was the nicest, most popular boy in high school. He always shared everything with me; he introduced me to his friends, let me sit with him at lunch, you name it - he did it for me. It should have been embarrassing for him, since I was the most socially awkward person in the grade. Instead, he loved me with all his heart. Just like my brother, Mandy was popular. She was the captain of the cheer squad, the Head Prefect, the dance captain, the choir leader, and yet she still made time for me. I don't know why she ever chose me as her friend, though, me having the most patheticc reputation at school. But she chose me as her BFF anyway, and I could not be more grateful. If she was dating my brother, and she was happy, then I would support her.

"Well?" Mandy asked hopefully, anxiously awaiting my response. Lines crossed her unblemished face, worried about my response.

I smiled at her reassuringly. "You have my blessing. You and Jake will be the IT couple at school."

I was still a little hesitant though; would she forget about me? Would my brother forget about me? Would I even matter anymore? 

I looked at Mandy and said as confidently as I could, "Let's blow up this haunted house."

With that statement, I pushed open the tall iron gate, which creaked like it strained with the effort as it opened.