Seriously, the alarm can not be going off at six AM on a Saturday morning. But it is. Sadly.
I jumped out of bed and race to my desk, where Tik Tok is blaring out of the tiny speakers on my cell phone. Stupid Daily alarms. Stupid alarms in general. It's the first day of summer, and I wanted to sleep in, Bam it!
Oh, yeah, Bam it. That would be what my friends and I say in stead of actually cursing. Very strict families, so that would be our way of getting around the no cursing rule. I grab the phone into my hands and press the "off" button on the screen, and when the alarm screen goes away, my phone goes back to it's original screensaver: a small icon with the words "It's not that we're smarter than you, except it totally is," written on it. Ravenclaw, my favorite house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So many of my friends, Hailey, Penny, Serena, Lizzy, all say that I'm perfect for the house: a smart-ass know it all. Perfect, eh? I don't see Luna going all smart ass on Harry in any of the books. She just goes on and on about the Blubbering Humdinger or whatever.
Ok, so I admit it, I'm a Harry Potter nerd. I can name at least ten other people at my school who are, too. Except, I don't go all weird like some freaks do, and wear my stinking robe to school. I keep it safely tucked away in the bottom of my drawer, where no one will see it. It also keeps my parents from knowing that I even own a robe. Lizzy got it for me two Christmas' ago. Mom and Dad don't really like me seeing or reading anything having to do with witchcraft or magic or even science fiction, which sometimes includes certain Doctor Who episodes (even though I've seen all of the revived series').
Sometimes, I honestly wish that Hogwarts was real. That there were wizards and witches casting spells over unsuspecting Muggles, and a Diagon Alley filled with all those amazing stores. But I know it couldn't be real. That's how I was raised. My parents, Renee and Aaron Major, both had hard Christian values pounded into them when they were kids, which would be why a majority of my friends have come from church. Either that, or my parents long time friends from England's kids. Both my parents grew up in England, and met in boarding school there. After reading the Potter series for the first time, I had begged them to send me to their alma modern, but noooo. They said I had to go to public school like normal kids. This would be why yesterday, at this time, I would be getting ready to go to Haltom High School in Kenner, Louisiana. Not London, England.
Ok, so I'm up. Now what do I do? There's no way I'm going back to sleep after-
"Can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read-"
I pick up my phone as fast as I can after racing back to my desk, and look at the caller ID before answering.
"Alarm wake you up too?" I ask one of my best friends, Lizzy, who is just a big of a Harry Potter nerd as me, only her real obsession lies in Twilight, the vampire series. She's a pretty Vietnamese girl, with dark eyes and a size two waist. Opposite of me. At age 15, I'm a size eight, blue eyed, dark haired, chesty white girl. See, told you, opposites.
"Elle, I'm so tired I look like a freaking zombie. I just looked in the mirror and about had a heart attack." I laugh, getting the mental picture.
"It's probably just post-exam relapse. That's what happens when you opt for all AP courses. Is it one of those emergency makeover days? You know I love doing that." I can practically hear her rolling her eyes. Lizzy, Hailey, Penny and I are all in AP classes. Every single course we take is advanced. The only difference is our electives. I'm the only one of us who opted out of Choir, taking Choral Composition instead. Choir, for me, is like being told what to do. In C.C. you get to write your own music and perform it the way you want. Serena, on the other hand, is in all normal classes, and is in C.C. with me.
"Nah, I think we need a salon day after this hellish week we've all had." I grin and stand back up.
"Call the girls and let them know. I'm gonna call Serena anyways, I need to make sure she's up, so I'll take car of her." We say goodbye and I scroll through my recents, touching the screen where it says Serena's name. "Morning starshine, the Earth says hello!" I respond to her raspy "Hello?"
"I'll show you where to shove that starshine in a second…" she mutters into the phone. I laugh. Serena is one of my more, shall we say, perverted friends. She can be a bit crude. As can I, of course, but I'm a little more reserved than she is. My mind is privately in the gutter. Her sister, on the other hand, only opens up to us. To everyone else, she's this shy little bookworm that never really makes jokes. She gets them, yeah. But she, like me, prefers a good book as supposed to a good party or make out session (which Serena prefers). But she's actually really outgoing outside of school. She'll chat with someone who starts a conversation with her, no matter what.
Serena and Penny, twin sisters who I've known for as long as I can remember, are probably my closest friends. Penny is short with dark hair, with wide doe eyes and pouty lips, while her sister is tall with long, dark blonde hair, a bigger frame. I'm a combination of both. Tall, but a bigger bust with long dark brown-almost black-curly hair. Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. Depends on whether it turns into an afro or not. My parents and their parents moved to the US at the same time, after our Dad's got jobs at the same law firm. Hailey and Lizzy we met when we started at Haltom Middle in 6th grade. It's w
weird to think I've known them for almost five years now. Starting my sophomore year at Haltom High next year.
"Ahhhh, the light, it burns!" I scream into the phone when I flip on the light in the bathroom. It actually does hurt, just not that much. I just want to make sure that Serena's actually awake. She doesn't scream, nor do I hear the loud thud of her falling out of her bed, so I assume it's good as I turn the light on in my bathroom and look in the mirror. "Ahhhh!" There's that thud.
"What the hell, Elle! I just fell out of my bed." I giggled at her rhyme.
"Sorry, I saw my hair. I look like I belong in the Thriller video."
"Oh god."
Eight hours later, Lizzy, Penny, Serena and I are all walking out of Shelton's Salon and Day Spa, arm in arm, careful not to screw up our blow dries, mani's, pedi's or facials. Lizzy is gushing about the sad fact that Hailey couldn't be with us, on account that she and her boyfriend had planned a day at the local Art Museum.
"You were right, Elle, that's exactly what I needed," Lizzy says as I pull my phone out of my purse and start dialing Ralph, our Driver's number. Ok, so it's not like my family is filthy rich, like most of the people at my school think. My dad is a lawyer for some of the wealthiest families in Louisiana, so yeah, we live comfortably.
The only reason I use Ralph most of the time is when I know my parents can't pick us up. Like tonight; they're having dinner with the McAllister's, Penny and Serena's parents. Ralph picks up after three rings.
"You girls ready to come home?" he asks. I can hear a crunching sound. He's eating in the car. Geez. I roll my eyes and look at the girls, all of whom are awing over each other's nails.
"I think we wanted to go see a movie over at the Rave. Right girls?" They all scream into the phone. There is a small thud and some cursing, in which I assume that Ralph has dropped his sandwich or whatever he's eating.
"Ok, I'll be there in ten." We all wait for the short time, talking about what plans we have for the summer. Lizzy's family is going back to Vietnam for a few weeks to visit family, while Serena and Penny are staying here. The only exciting news I have is that my cousin Neville and my Gran are coming to visit from England. Same old, same old. Ralph pulls up into the driveway in front of the salon, and the four of us pile in.
"To the Rave!" I call, sticking out my hand into the front seat like a valiant knight. The girls laugh, and Ralph just rolls his eyes as usual as we drive the whole two miles to the theatre. Piling out, we tell Ralph to pick us up at eight, and that we'll call his cell and tell us where to meet him. The theatre is as packed as it always is, with lines going all the way to the sidewalk, a good five hundred feet from the door. This is where friends on the inside come in handy. See, the theatre here at the Kenner Megaplex is attached to the storeroom in Macey's. And Lizzy's aunt just so happens to work there. I look at my friend and smile, and we head into the mall, where we meet Lizzy's Aunt Kelly. She smiles and wordlessly takes us to the back room, where there's a hidden ticket kiosk where you pay with a credit card.
"I got this one," I say, pulling out my AmEx with a smile. My life's savings on one little card. You gotta love it. I quickly buy the tickets, and hand one to each other girls, before Kelly lets us into the theatre. We wave goodbye, and then slowly wind through the back halls of the theatre, before making it to the front, where we buy our popcorn and drinks, and then get our tickets torn. We're five minutes late for Prom Night, which has been on a second run here for about a month. I quietly sneak into a row, followed by the girls, just as the opening credits start rolling. Sipping our Mr. Pibbs, we watch the first thirty minutes of the movie. I see Lizzy get up out of the corner of my eye, and about ten minutes later, I get a text on my phone. While watching the Psycho kill Claire, I read the text.
From: ~Lizzy~
Message: Killer cramps. Any way R can pick us up early? Sry.
I text back as quietly as possible, while avoiding the gazes of Serena and Penny.
From: Elle :D
Message: 4sure. Txting him now. B in the b-room in a few.
I motion for Serena and Penny to get up, and they Serena, giving me looks before filing out of the row and into the hall.
"What the heck?" Serena says, taking a long sip of her drink. My phone vibrates in my pocket again, and I hold up a finger as I text back a reply.
From:
Message: Out front. Is everything ok?
From: Elle :D
Message: L's sick. Home early, I think.
"Lizzy's got cramps, Serena. Ralph is picking us up early." She rolls her eyes, but says nothing as we go to meet Lizzy in the restrooms.
"Lizzy, you ok?" Penny calls out as we walk into the restroom.
"Noooo." The voice is shaky, and I follow the sound to one of the stalls in the back. We knock, and Lizzy peers out. Her short black hair is somewhat messy, and her DKNY tee shirt is tucked into her jeans in the front.
"Ohmigod, hun!" Penny reaches in and pulls her out, putting an arm around her. We lead her quietly outside the theatre, where it's just starting to get dark.
"So are we going back home?" Ralph asks. Lizzy shakes her head from the back seat, where she, Serena and Penny are sitting. I sat in the front to give them more room.
"I think you need to drop me off at my place. I can just get my stuff tomorrow." With that, Ralph speeds down the street, going a whole three blocks before pulling into Lizzy's long driveway. We all live pretty close to the mall. Lizzy's in walking distance.
We all pile tentatively out of the car and help Lizzy upstairs, while Penny stays in the foyer to explain things to an anxious Mrs. Vahn. We make sure she's comfortable, with her iPod blasting Lady Gaga over her in room speakers, before we say good night and come back downstairs, bid Mrs. Vahn goodbye, and go back into the car. Ralph knows just to go straight home, so when we pull up in the front of my house, we just get out and say good night to Ralph, who walks the other direction towards the small cottage where he and his wife live on the property. His wife, Maria, taught me how to cook when I was like, six. Since then, it's what I love to do. Cooking is my passion (other than music), even if my friends think it's insane.
"…but weather or not you yourself think it's important…"
We hear bits and pieces of a conversation as we walk into my house, and put our purses on the table by the door, hanging up our coats. Penny and Serena both give me a look that says "Who is that?" but my only answer is a shrug. I hear my parents, the soft voices of the McAllister's, Serena and Penny's parents, and then an unknown voice. He has an accent like my parents, but it sounds older and worn. Almost like my grandpa's did before he passed a few years back.
"…it is of the utmost importance that you consider the consequences of not coming back. You know what has been foreseen, as do so many-" The voice stops as we reach the doorway to the living room, and I spot a royal purple jacket with gold stars stitched to it, a matching cap donning a white-haired head. "I believe we just received some unexpected visitors." All five of the adults turn towards the doorway at the same time, and I can hear Serena and Penny sucking in deep breaths. I'm not sure if it was because they had just been caught sneaking around by their parents, or the fact that there was an Albus Dumbledore impersonator sitting in my living room.