UNTITLED
You know you're turning into a teenager when you get grounded every other week for talking back, or having an attitude, or maybe just for saying something stupid. I know I am turning into a teenager, I haven't been on the computer for 3 weeks, and I am really not supposed to be on right now. But neither my mom nor my dad knows. What they don't know won't hurt them right? Wrong. I've learned that from experience. It is the first day of summer, my dad and mom left for work two hours ago, and I am so bored. As I sit in my room I look around to see if there would be anything fun to do. I glance at my iPod. I decide against it, I've probably listened to all of the songs on my iPod three thousand times. Next idea was my phone, I'm not grounded from that, so I pick it up and dial my best friend Dakota's number. She didn't answer, so I get her stupid answering machine. "Hey you've reached Dakota's phone! Sorry I didn't get to answer my phone right now it's probably for one of following reasons. Either choice A: I can't reach my phone or choice B: I really don't like you. You decide. Leave a message! Bye!" I wait for the beep at the end of her voice mail and say. "HEY! I know your there! Why won't you answer your phone? I'm starting to think choice B is why. Ha, ha just joking, well call me back when you get this message!" I shut my camera phone and continue to suspect my room. I see the computer. A part of me says, "NO! Cealey, you really don't need to be on the computer. If your mom or dad finds out…" The other part of me says, "Cealey come on, neither one of your parents are home, nor they won't be home till 3:00. Just come on!" I roll my eyes, wondering what I should do; I grabbed my wallet and fished out a penny from my loose change. 'Heads get on computer, tails don't.' I threw the penny in the air grabbed it, turned it over and plopped it down on my forearm. Heads. I shrugged, a head is a head. I pushed the on button as my computer warmed up and came to the homepage of my computer. I brought up Yahoo! messenger and I signed into my username. As soon as I logged on my other friend, Kelsey, well not really classified as a friend just a girl in my past year's class, instant messaged me.
Kelseycrazygrl: hey Cealey! Wassup?
Cealeygrounded4life: hey Kelsey! Nothing much here, just signed on for kicks. I'm really not supposed to be online tho, (grounded) look at my screen name, ha, ha
Kelseycrazygrl: cool! I love your screen name, cealeygrounded4life, it is soo cute. Why did you get grounded?
Cealeygrounded4life: why? Oh, long story really. But 2 shorten it up lemme just say what my parents would say, disrespecting. W/e. But I will be ungrounded like in a couple of days
Kelseycrazygrl: ok, well I guess Ill talk to you when you get ungrounded. I gtg, my mom needs the computer. Bye!
Cealeygrounded4life: bye!
Kelseycrazygrl has signed out.
I wished she could have stayed on longer, I know she really isn't a friend but it is better than talking to no one. I remembered a time in forth grade when Kelsey and me were best friends – before Dakota moved here. I remember going into her home thinking that her house was tiny, like my dad's shed. They were a little on the poor side, I mean not that we were rich or anything, but then again, we won't go into bankruptcy anytime soon. And now that I think about it, they only have one computer that explains why Kelsey had to share her online time. I glanced at my online list of friends. Only one person was online, and that was Ruby Tanner. The biggest snob in the 6th going into 7th grade. I don't even know why she is on my friends list; I only have 12 people on my messenger list, knowing that she was desperate having 279 people on hers. Like I said she is desperate. I decided to check my email.
No unread messages.
Man. Today is really not my day. I couldn't think of anything else to do on the computer, so I let it hibernate. As it slept I decided to go ahead and start on my summer reading list. On the last day of school each person was handed a list of 10 books we had to read over the 2 month summer break. And the first grade of the new school year would be if you got the books read. You only had to read 6 out of the 10, which I guess they put 4 extra so they choose their favorites. I glanced at the list; the first book was Turtle on a Fencepost by June Rae Wood. Turtle on a Fencepost was the sequel to The Man Who Loved Clowns that every child in the sixth grade had read to them by their teacher. It was so fantastic. At the end it was sad though. My friend, Dakota, and I both cried at the end, which was not good for ourselves because every one called us cry babies. But hey, we didn't care it was the last week of school, and they could call us what they wanted.
After an hour of reading and 47 pages read, I felt proud of myself, because it was the first day of summer, and we still had the WHOLE summer to finish it. My mom, as outrageous as ever is already planned a date for taking me school supplies shopping. Talk about crazy. All of a sudden the home phone rings. It's about time. Dakota better tell me why she didn't answer earlier. I thought in my mind. I look at the caller ID.
DAD CELL
Ugh. I answered even though I really didn't feel like talking to him at the moment. "Hello?" I say slowly. "Hey, this is dad." he says. Well duh, I thought, we got caller ID three years ago. I didn't dare say that to him though. I was already grounded; I didn't want to make it another week. "Hey dad, what's up?" "I'm about to get lunch. What cha want?" "Depends," I say, "Where you going?" "Mickey D's" He says faster than you can spy a turtle. That was Dad and I's nickname for McDonalds. I mean, it wasn't just us that said it, but that is what Dad and me have called it ever since I was a toddler. "You might want to write this down, it's sort of long-" But I get interrupted by Dad. "Oh no need of wasting good ole' trees. I'm right here at the drive-thru, I'm just gonna put the phone up to the intercom. Not only saving paper, but saving time. 5 points to Dad. GO ME!" My eyes bulge out of my head as I murmur under my breath, roll my eyes, and count to 10 to keep my anger down. Why did I have to have such a dorky dad? I asked myself. So after my dad sticks out his phone to the intercom, and I order to the lady on the other end, my dad finally comes home with my meal. I gulp down a Sprite with my double cheeseburger, hold the lettuce, with everything else on it, extra fry, and ketchup, and I am feeling good. My dad asks me, "So, what have you been doing all morning?" I fidget in my seat, and say "Oh nothing, read a little of my summer book list, umm tried to call Dakota, but she didn't answer, but other than that nothing." "Man, I thought at least I would at least get a 'helping out around the house'" I raise my eyebrows and say sarcastically, "That's cute." "Is that sarcasm?" He asked broadly. "No, no sarcasm at all." I say my voice lowering down into a whisper. Dad rolls over his wrist with the watch and says, "OH! I gotta run, lunch break ends in five minutes. Don't want to be late." He says as he gathers his food on the table, throws it away, kisses me on the forehead, grabs his jacket out of the coat closet and slams the front door behind himself. I breathe a deep sigh and throw away my leftovers. Being an only child is hard. But being a teenager is harder.
I woke up the next morning fairly early, 9:37, compared to how long I slept yesterday. I rolled off the bed looking for my nightstand, noticing I wasn't in my bed. I yawned, stretched, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, finally realizing where I was. I was lying on the couch in the living room. I felt a breeze and looked at the front door. It was wide open. I ran into my mom and dad's room. But only saw a neatly made bed. I ran to the kitchen, and noticed a note neatly written in cursive on the kitchen counter, it was from Mom. It read:
Cealey,
Could you please run the store today and pick up milk, paper towels, plastic spoons and forks for me. I left money on the counter. I had to leave in a rush today; Mr. Matthew needed me at work at once for an emergency. Don't forget to look on your calendar for a free day to go school supply shopping; we don't want to get the leftover supplies. That would look tacky. Well, I will be off of work around 5 tonight. Make sure you and your father have supper ready for me. Love,
Mom
I rolled my eyes at the school supply shopping part. Sure, I thought, school supplies will almost be gone on the second day of summer. I paced to my room and grabbed a dark lime green t-shirt and some blue Bermuda shorts on. I brushed a brush gently through my thick long strawberry blonde hair. Picked up a black and white zebra stripped headband, and pushed it on. I slipped on my pink Nikes, and walked to the bathroom brushed my teeth, used the restroom, and washed my hands. I made sure everything was off in the house, walked back into my room, grabbed my spare key, my cell phone, and a twenty dollar bill and walked out of the house, locking the door behind me. I walked slowly down the street to the closest grocery store, heck I wasn't in any hurry.
I reached the closest grocery store, Wall-mart, just in time. I was starting to sweat, no, girls don't sweat, they glisten, boy's sweat. A classic quote from my grandmother. I walk inside of the grocery store, feeling the sudden rush of air conditioning. "Ahh." I let out a satisfying murmur to myself. Well at least I thought it was to myself, but it must not have been because a little girl that was leaving the store with her mom looked at me like I was some alien from Pluto. "WHAT? A girl can't murmur to herself?!" I said as the little girl was walking out the door. She whispered to her mom, and pointed to me. The mom looked back at me, turned her head real fast, and walked away quickly. I rolled my eyes. That was weird, I thought. I quickly rushed over to the dairy section before anything ELSE weird happens to me. I picked up a carton of milk, two percent, and held it in one hand as I jogged over to the table ware section. This section was new. I thought it was a tad bit weird to have a WHOLE section of Wall-mart dedicated to table ware…but I don't own it. If I did, it would be gone, but I don't expect to buy the whole Wall-mart store any time soon. So I pick up plastic spoons and forks, and paper towels and head to the front of the store to the self checkout. I swipe the items over the bar code checker and the 'finish and pay' button is glowing bright. I look over to the right seeing the magazine section. I already had a issue of M laying unread on my bed but I had left over money and decided to take a chance and buy it.
I leave the store in suspension to see what this magazine had for the main article. As you can probably see, I'm not patient. And my parents continually remind me…so I pick out that magazine and start reading.
I flip through the gossip, but stop and see what kind of rumors are going around in the US. Is Miley Cyrus pregnant?? Lord that one somebody just sent in to get noticed. Did Aly and AJ move to Alaska?? Nope, just for attention too. Is Mitchell Musso dating Emily Osment? Doubt it. Does Pete Wentz have a sweating problem?? Hahaha...this one is actually quite funny. To the left of the picture had a picture of Pete raising his arms and large round sweat marks are left…gross!!
I turned the page to a poster of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. "They are so cute together," I thought.
I turned the page once more to a article with a HUGE title that said, "Win a Chance to Go Visit the HANNAH MONTANA cast at their studio in HOLLYWOOODD!!" My eyes opened wide. A weird thought went through my head as I walked in the door of my house. For some reason…I had a feeling I would win this contest.