Disclaimer: I own nothing but the general plot of the story. I do not own the characters in the story, I do not own their identities, and nothing I say or put into the story is a direct reflection omy the true identities of my characters. I do not claim anything I say or put into the story to be true. I do not claim to own anything but the plot and the idea of the story.

Summers are short. Unnecessarily hot in Texas, too. So hot that it's perfectly acceptable for my five year old sister to parade around the house wearing absolutely nothing. Funny that way, how small children can walk around naked but when you're older you can't do that without being frowned upon. This summer has been a bit of a drag, to be honest. There's not much to do in my rural suburbs. Everything entertaining is a half hour away in Dallas. Selena and I made due with going to the dairy queen, swimming in the creek and going to the shittiest amusement park ever, Lighterland Valley, or as me and Selena call it, Litterland Valley. Ha ha.

So this summer was much like the rest of the summers here in Colleyville. It doesn't help that school's starting back up tomorrow, either. Oh joy.

I need to get out of the house, so I'm going across the street to Selena's – my second home.

I get out of bed finally and look at the clock. It reads "11:52". I wonder why my mom hasn't woken me up yet? Usually, she gets pretty pissed whenever I sleep past 11 on the weekends. I guess she figured that it's the last day of summer, so she'd let it slide.

I go over to my dresser and rummage through it. Most of my clothes are dirty…I've been slacking so bad on washing them. I settle for a drab purple halter top and a pair of tattered shorts. "works for me." I mumbled to myself.

I throw on my clothes and go downstairs.

"Morning, Dems." My dad greeted me. He was standing in front of the stove mixing a bowl of macaroni for lunch.

I say nothing as I grab the jug of milk from the fridge and chug it straight from the carton. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "I'm going to Selena's for a little."

I turn and leave the kitchen, my sister following close behind.

"I go!" Madison screams at me. She's butt naked.

"no, Maddie. Go play with Dallas."

Madison crossed her hands over her chest and poked her lip out.

I just shrugged and walked out the door.

Selena's house wasn't far away. It was right across the street. I like having Selena live so close, but it really sucks whenever I want to get away from my family, and they're right across the damn street.

I knock twice on Selena's front door and just walk in.

Selena's family is the polar opposite of mine. Selena's mom was very young still, and she worked endless shifts at a clothing store. Not much money, but it's a steady job. Selena's step dad was young too. He worked weekdays at a car garage, weekends as a lifeguard. Brian was hot. When he and Mandy, Selena's mom first got married, I always told Selena that her new dad was a DLIF. She never found it funny. Being that Selena's family was so much different from my picture-perfect, all American family with a stay at home mom and a dad with a really good job, we balanced each other out. I think Selena and I are so close, because we rely on our differences. She often comes over to get a good dinner, because her parents are always working to pay the bills and there's never any food in her house to eat for dinner, and I go over her house when I need some freedom. It just works with us.

"Hi Mandy." I say as I slide my flip flops off at the door. She must be off today.

"Hi, Demi. Selena's upstairs."

I say nothing else as I go right upstairs into Selena's room. I flop down on her bed beside her.

"What's up?" Selena asked as she handed me the rest of her pink popsicle.

"I just couldn't be in that house anymore." I grumbled, chewing a piece of popsicle.

"Your house is never that bad."

"You're never there whenever people get annoying." I swallowed.

"Dallas is the only one I wouldn't be able to live with."

"How about naked Madison?"

Selena laughed.

"You guys have popsicles?" I asked, skepticism ravaging my voice.

"That's all we have in this house, too."

"You hungry?"

"Not really. I ate the rest of those oodles and noodles for breakfast."

I sigh. I wish Selena didn't have to go hungry. It's not exactly my business, but it bugs me just a little whenever my friend tells me that she's starving, and her parents can't exactly do much about it.

"What are you wearing to school tomorrow?" I ask to lighten the mood.

"Shit on a stick." She chuckled.

"Me too." I laugh too.

"Why are you so annoyed that you had to leave?" she asked me.

"I don't even know. I just hate being in my house sometimes. I come downstairs and my dad's making lunch and my little sister is dancing around letting everything hang out. It's just annoying." I explain.

She sucks her teeth. Selena never likes it whenever I shit-talk my family. But I would trade my world class family for her carefree mother and clueless stepdad. So you have to go without anything to eat for a little while…that can't be too hard.

"You're soooo PMSing, Demi."

I just roll my eyes at her. She knows how I feel about the subject of menstrual cycles.

I'm fifteen and starting my first day of high school tomorrow, and I still haven't gotten my period yet. My mom and my doctor both seem to think that it'll happen when my body is ready, but it's soooooo annoying to have a best friend that got her period when she was twelve. I don't understand anything she talks about when she's referring to her period. Selena has boobs too. Ones that can actually fit into a B-cup bra. My boobs are so small, I'm barely in an A. I envy Selena for many reasons, though I'd never ever let her know that. She knows that I don't have my period yet. I mean, I couldn't exactly keep that from her. I bet she thinks I'm weird. I'm fifteen years old and haven't had my period yet.

"You wanna go to my house? I could get my dad to order a pizza or something." I asked her, mainly to escape the thoughts in my head.

"Sure. I could eat a whole pizza by myself. I'm starving."

We both got up off her bed and headed downstairs.

"Muh? I'm going over Demi's." Selena said as she pulled on her usual black converse shoes.

"Oh…I was gonna ask the two of you to come shopping with me. But have fun, I guess." Her mom said.

"Shopping? With what money?" Selena replied to her mom, sort of bitter.

"I got food stamps today, honey."

I never understood the concept of food stamps. I mean, I know some families have to turn to government assistance if they have limited money. But what are food stamps? It's a little card. Not stamps at all. Selena's mom has been in trouble a few times with the authorities for being on so much government assista – welfare. Screw calling it "government assistance." Selena's parents have so much…assistance that their rent is only $350 a month. Pretty cheap for the cost of living here in Texas. My mom and dad pay a hefty $1,500 a month, and that's our mortgage. We don't rent our house. And we still have enough money to keep food in our house and pay the essentials. By essentials, I mean cable, electricity, gas, sewage, etc. I can't remember the last time Selena's had cable in her house…

I end up in the aisles of Walmart with Selena and her mom. Selena and I basically just roam around until her mom finishes up with the groceries.

"This is so cute. I wish I could get this." Selena says, holding up a yellow shirt with a black lace heart on the front. It wasn't exactly my style, but she would like it.

"This is cuter…" I say to her. I had a black shirt with a bright purple headphone set on it in my hands.

"You're so weird, Demi. You should put some color in your wardrobe. All you ever wear is black. I would KILL to have your closet."

I bit my lip at her words. She dresses like a fucking boy most of the time. I didn't want any fashion advice from her.

"This would look so damn cute on you!" She forces a pink lace shirt in my hands.

I sigh.

"I don't like pink…and neither do you."

"Yeah, but this is cute! Oh my goodness, Demi. You'd look so cute in pink."

I roll my eyes.

"You want that yellow shirt?" I ask.

"Of course I want it." She spoke to me like I was stupid.

"Find your size…" I rummaged through my wallet to find a twenty and a five.

"Demi...NO. It's okay. Window shopping is fun anyway."

"If you don't grab it, I'll just buy it for you anyway."

She knew my threats weren't empty, so she grabbed the shirt in a medium and slung it over her arm.

I grabbed that black and purple shirt in a large.

It always unnerves me to shop with Selena. She's so petite. Her shoe size is a whopping 8 ½ , but her jeans size is a steady 3-4, and she wears either small or medium shirts. I wea shoe, 6-7 jeans, and large shirts. Always large shirts. To be so fat, you would think I'd have bigger boobs.

"These shirts are only $7." Selena is kind of amazed.

"Walmart clothes are always cheap."

"Sorry, miss American Eagle." She teases me.

"….You want another shirt?" I ask.

"No, Demi. I can't take any more money off you."

"I'll pick one out for you, then."

"….Can I pick one for you then? And you have to wear it tomorrow. For school."

I just shrug.

I look through the racks for something colorful, for Selena.

I find a sparkly bright blue shirt with "LOVE" printed across it in black letters. It looks like it runs big, so I get her a small. I go back to find her, and when I do…I want to kill her.

She has a light pink half shirt with her. The shirt has quarter length sleeves, and it is made of a see-through material. It has flower patterns in the material. It is a very pretty shirt. But I cannot wear that.

"This would look so nice on you, Dems." She says.

Now, she kind of pissed me off. She knows better than anyone that I hate my stomach. I am fat. There's no way around it. My stomach is jiggly, soft and pudgy. I have muffin tops, and little pink stretch-marks on my muffin tops. And that shirt is a belly shirt. Part of me wishes that there was a dress-code against these things, but girls wear belly-shirts to school all the time.

"….I like this for you." I avoid her statement.

She grabs the sparkly blue shirt and examines it.

"This actually is cute, Dem. I'll wear this tomorrow with a nice pair of capris. And it's a halfie, too. I love half shirts."

I put the pink see-through shirt back on the rack.

"DEMI. We had a deal!" She scolds me.

I flush bright red and grab the shirt again.

Maybe I'll just wear a cami under it.

"Selena, it's a medium…" I say.

"I know."

"…This isn't my size."

"Yes it is. Demi, you think you're bigger than what you are. The larges you wear fit you okay, but they're so baggy. Girls are supposed to wear tight clothes."

I glare at her.

I shrug again. At least if it doesn't fit, I have a reason not to wear it tomorrow.

"Girls, come on." Mandy calls from the edge of the clothes aisle.

She has a big buggy full of food and she's having trouble pushing it.

"It's our first day of high school tomorrow, Demi. We have to dress nicely." Selena started with me as we started walking towards her mom.

"I do dress nice."

"Ripped jeans and raggedy band t-shirts aren't nice, Dem."

I roll my eyes.

I fish a couple more ones out of my wallet to pay for the shirts.

I wish Selena would just thank me and shut up.