**amanda's+short+story**

Amanda Ciemniecki Short Story Draft 1 Unknown Title I guess you can call me //that// girl. The one that sits alone in lunch. The one that spends her Friday nights in front of the t.v with a bag of Doritos’s while hearing the crazy party going on next door. The one that can be in a school with over a thousand kids but does not talk to __one__ of them. I guess you can call me Shelly Van Dalinger. The 16 year old loser of East Norbaville High. “Honey!” My mothers so rudely interrupted me with her irritable voice, “Get your little butt down here, your gonna miss your bus!” “I know. I know…” I grunted under my breath while putting on my light blue baggy t-shirt and jeans. This was one of my favorite shirts. It had 3 cats sitting on the beach saying “Isn’t this Purr-fect!” Whenever I saw it, I always had a little smile. Anyways, I slowly took the last piece of my frizzy hair and hid it in the back of my long pony tail. It’s so hard to do anything with my hair. It just hangs there like vines do on a tree. “Great,” I thought to myself as I stared into the mirror, “ Yet another day I look like I am in the fifth grade.” I slammed the mirror face down so I didn’t have to see my childish looking face. I am in my junior year of high school and I STILL look like a child! “Honey!” I hear my Mother shout much louder this time. The rattling of her spatula against the frying pan made her voice sound less intimidating. I would much rather hear her nagging voice than to have to eat her “eggs”. “Coming, gosh mom!” I quickly walk past her with no contact, grab my back pack and run out the door. I don’t want to get stuck with her “eggs” this morning. I mostly try to avoid all interaction with my mom. I mean she’s nice and all, but she always tries to put up a fight or nag. She is a lawyer so I understand it’s in her nature, but I would think she would take a break at home. Maybe she doesn’t realize that her 70’s haircut and make up is the reason I don’t take her seriously. So, I dragged my feet to the bus stop and waited. Before I knew it, I was sitting at my lunch table. (When I say “my lunch table”, I mean “My”.. Seeing how I am the only person who sits here) I was just getting ready for a typical lunch of eating a pizza and reading a book when suddenly, a beautiful blonde haired girl walks toward //my// lunch table. Her big Blue eyes gave me a mysterious look. She was the type of girl that can make anyone stare at her for 20 minutes before they realized they were doing it. She looked like she came right out of the front page of a Teen Vogue magazine. Heads turned as she graciously walked with her pink high heeled shoes. She sat right down at my table, pulled out her lunch, and started to eat. “Huh?!” I thought to myself, “Why would a gorgeous girl like this be sitting at //my// table. Wait, why is anyone sitting here at all?!” “Hey. My name is Marissa. I just came here from,” suddenly pausing to make I was paying attention, “down the south. Boy it’s a lot colder here than what I am used too!” I just stared. “Hello?!” She repeated. “Hi.” I said practically choking up the words. “Well anyways. Than I came to this here school. Not many people jumping out to say hello so I turned ‘round a saw you sittin’ here alone and figured why not.” I just smiled. One of those dumb smiles. The kind of smile that looks like you have no idea what is going on and you think that by smiling, it will looks like you do know. I could kind of tell that Marissa relized I was a loser and that she shouldn’t associate with me. BEEEEEP! The lunch bell rang and it was time for class. I gathered my books and started walking towards the stairs for class. I made enough of a fool out of myself. I opened the Pre-calc door and sat down in the front of the class. Just my typical seat in all my classes. Suddenly I hear, “Shelly. Whats you doin’ up there girl! Come back here with me! I saved you a seat!” I turn around to see that Marissa is waving to me and smiling. “Oh my gosh. I can sit in the back of the classroom with a //friend//. Yay!” I thought. So I immediately gather my books up and went to go sit in the back with her. About halfway through the class I get this note thrown at me. It says “ 876-421-5869. Text me after school and come to my house! We NEED to hang J From, Marisa” The rest of the day flew by. It was if I was in “La La Land”. I couldn’t even begin to describe the last time I spent a Friday afternoon with a friend! The second I got home, I took out my phone and dialed the number. It was as if God himself gave me that number as a reward for all my hard work! “Hello” I said in the phone trying to act as cool as possible. “Hey girl! Come to my house!” “Umm… Where do you live?” “143 Marlston Avenue!” That’s only a couple of houses away! “Really?! I haven’t seen you around here, or on the bus?” Still trying to remain my coolness. “Well I have been too busy unpackin’ and I just get my bro to drive me to school. Well no more questions and move ya little booty over to my house! Bye” I instantly jumped up and ran out the door. Before I could even ring the door she opened it. “Hey Girl! Come on upstairs!” I walked in a smelt vanilla. Her house was much bigger than most in the neighborhood. Her room was bigger than my kitchen. The last people who lived here did a lot of work and made it B-E-A-utiful. Anyways, we walked up the large stairwell and headed to her room. I laid on her king sized bed making small talk like “whats up” and “hows life” when suddenly Marissa’s phone had a new text. She looked at it interestingly while I found a magazine to read. Before I could even open up the first page Marissa screamed, “O-M-G come here gal. This is from Casey!” Uh oh. CASEY! Casey was one of the most popular and toughest girls in our school. She knew how to throw the biggest parties and has a lot of alcohol. Nobody messes with her! “She said she is having a party next Friday and wants me to come. She said I can bring anyone I want too” “How do you even know her?” “I met her in my Bio class. But anyways, wanna come? Please! Please, please Shelly! I will do anything!” “I cant believe she thinks //I// am her best friend! I guess just going to this party is no big deal. If I say no, she wont be friends. And I will do ANYTHING to be friends with her, or to be friends with anybody” I thought. “Fine.” I said. “Lets go!” The week flew by as we and spent countless hours gossiping and laughing. We hung out just about everyday. I was no longer alone in the world. I had a friend. But day by day, I was no longer ME. Suddenly the latest fashion was the most important part of the day. School had no impact on me and I just waited to go home so I could I hang out with Marissa. It was almost as if I needed her. I mean I wanted her as a friend so badly that I would do just about //anything.// There was no reason to do anything but follow Marissa. She brought me happiness didn’t she? Isn’t she the one that made me popular? So, we laid on her bed having no idea what the party was going to be like. I mean the only thing we knew is that it was going to be the craziest party of the year. “Alright,” Marissa said, “Today is the day for the biggest party ever! You are NOT going to the party looking like //that.//” “Like Wha-” “Sit down!” She put a mirror in front of my face and said, “Look, we are not goin’ to go to this party and NOT looking cool! See them freckles… those look dumb. Here is cover up, cover them up!” I felt it. The pounds of powder covering every last freckle of my identity. I look back in the mirror and cant even recognize the reflection. I was no longer me. “Perfect.” Marissa said with a smile on her face. Was it perfect because it no longer looked like me? This girl looking back in the mirror was some doll that you could dress and change. Not Shelly. Is the only way I could have a friend? “Yeah, perfect.” I repeated after her. There was nothing about me that looked the same. My hair curled long and had a skimpy red dress on. I no longer looked like a child, I looked like an adult! Not only an adult, a //hot// adult. I guess if this is how I have to be, I will change. I don’t EVER want to go back to being alone… So I arrive at this blow-out party with my best friend by my side. People are dancing all around me and the music is blasting in my ear drums. But by the time I look back to Marissa, she was gone. I saw her laughing with Casey. So once again, I was alone. I sat in the corner of the room on a couch. Within twenty minutes of me sitting alone, I was about to leave. I mean I am alone on the couch at this party for the past twenty minutes with this drunk girl who won’t stop hitting me. “OMG Marissa?” I screeched. The drunk girl was her! Before she could answer she shoved her drink down my throat. Get off me! Why the heck are you drinking this?!” I screamed while spitting the disgusting taste out of my mouth. “Try it, I swear its really ga-ga-ga-goood! Just one sip, and it makes a party.” “Get away!” I didn’t even think. I went straight out the door! “Wow, someone thinks she is so tough when the truth is //nobody// likes her. I mean your hideous. You look like hill billy with those freckles. No wonder I was you first and last friend! I only became friends with you to be nice. The truth is I just think you’re annoying!” “Really. Well you know what, your just a fake skank!” I turn around and storm out of the house. “Loser!” I hear from behind as I storm out of the room. Tears covered my eyes as I walked home. It isn’t supposed to be like this! She is supposed to be my best friend! “Honey!” My mom said as I ran up the stairs, “What happened?” “Get out of my room!” “It was Marissa wasn’t it! I knew she was bad news. I just didn’t say anything cause she was your only friend! What did she do! Honey, I am here for you!” “MOM, she still is my friend! It was //one// mistake.” “Look in the mirror, is this you?” My mom didn’t even need to know the answer until she walked out. The next morning, I was determined to find Marissa and be friends with her. I put on the cover up to hide my freckles and a really cute shirt. “She’ll like me like this!” I happily thought to myself. I saw her sitting in the cafeteria and sat down right across from her. “Hey” I said with a smile. In my head all I could think was, “Please forget everything. Oh please god please!” “Hi. I don’t really know why you are sitting here next to the “fake skank”, just go away you loser!” Marissa snarled. “You know what, I am done with you and your horrible behavior. I no longer have to pretend to be something! I used to be scared to stand up, I am not no more! I am Shelly! The //real// Shelly, and you CANT change that about me!” I went strait to the bathroom and put water on my face. The cover up washed off me and flowed into the sink like a waterfall. “Yes,” I said to my reflection in the mirror, “I might just be some loser girl named Shelly, but I am ME! And I am fine with who I am!” I gave one last smile to myself in the mirror and left to go to class.