Life seemed to slow down in the fall. The days got longer and the hands on the clock moved slower. I felt lazy. My body screamed for physical activity and I longed for the smell of fresh air.I was tiered of sitting at home doing school work. My load of home work doubled each passing week and my butt was getting cramps. I had practically begged my dad to let me rake the leaves in the front lawn. So there I was now. Lying on a fresh pile of newly raked leaves while my best friend Lana babbled on about who knows what.
"And so then she was all like you fat little pig you don't want to make me go Jerry Springer up in this mess!!!.." Came Lana's high pitched voice. I had tried as best as I could to zone her out but her words kept oozing back into my ears rattling my mind. Unlike Lana, I could care less about the schools Jurassic social standings. I on the other hand, cared more about the nonchalant things The things that people swept aside and overlooked. I believe that nothing should be ignored. Like for instance a leaf. I picked on out of the massive pile and observed it. I took time to look at the leaves many crevasses and cracks. I held it up to the now fading sun and watched as the sun squeezed its way through the insignificant gaps and made the leaf shine like a supper nova. That was beauty.
"Are you listening to me??" came Lana's voice breaking her way through the barricade she had created in my mind.
"Uh.. Yeah" I lied.
"Anyway…" Lana said continuing to eye me suspiciously "about Chloe Breakers Masked Ball tonight. Were going right?"
"Lana you know Chloe's not my favorite person in the world. After she threatened to kill my Barbie in second grade things haven't been too peachy between us."
" I know but the whole Barbie slaughter thing is the past! Us going to that party is the future!!" wow I thought, Lana would make a good Politian… if she wasn't so ditsy. " I heard there was gonna be a band and a psychic and!! A cheese sculpture!!"
" Wow!! No way a cheese sculpture!!!!!!!!!!!" I said mimicking Lana.
" Yea I know isn't it awesome!!!"
"Lana i'll only go if you strap me to a pack mule and have it drag me there."
"Hmm but I heard Ryan Clooney's gonna be there" giving me a mischievous smirk
Wow that was low even for devious Lana, but drastic moments call for drastic action. Ryan Clooney was the guy I'd been crushing on for the past year. I thought it was a secret only I would know, locked in the deepest depths of my soul… but I guess not. Not all things can be like ridiculously cheesy yet superb and touching eighties movies.
"Lana!! How did you know?!"
"Trust me I know these things, and you overflowing the Great Lakes with your saliva when he walks past is a big hint too."
"Ok… I'll go. But if any random acts of teenage drama occur because of me don't say I didn't warn you"
Lana sighed. " Brigitte we all know that you're a walking time bomb waiting to go off, so don't remind us."
" 'Us' as in you and your multiple personalities" I snickered
"Yea wait until 'we' kill you and hide the body in 'our' floorboards if you don't come to this party!"
"Is that a threat?" I said with one eyebrow raised.
"Only if you don't get your booty to that party with me."
"I will go, but only under one condition"
"And may I ask what that is?"
"That I have a stellar costume!!"
"I'll se if that can be arranged" Lana replied brushing her hand underneath chin, mafia style.
"It better be or you'll be swimin with the fishes." I laughed hooking my arm with Lana's.
-:-
That night, around 6:00 o'clock I stealthily snuck out my window and into the gait oak tree that divided mine and Lana's homes. When one us was scared of the bogyman under our beds, this had been our mean of transportation into another's comforting arms. We had used this method ever since. Our parents had been more concerned with more important things like aging and getting old, to worry about where their eight year old daughters were going. I slowly crept through the tree's many branches, being careful not to cut my self on any protruding branches. I finally made it through the tree maze and tapped on Lana's window.
"What took you so long??!" squealed Lana thrusting her window open.
"I apologiz for my lack of appreciation towards others obsessive disorders" I replied with a smirk.
"ha-ha cant eget enough of your famous sarcasm. Now get in here."
I shrugged and thrust myself from the tree through her window and onto her bed.
"Now put this on!" Lana said tossing a bag in my direction " and hurry were gona be late"
"Lana its only 6:05 and the party starts at nine"
"And your point is? Anyway all the cool people get there early"
"You mean people like Eleanor Stratton the oldest girl scout in our region?"
"OMG she's going totally grody" replied Lana, totally oblivious to my so called obvious sarcasm.
"Yea… let me go put this on" I said slipping out her room into her bathroom.
Once the door was firmly shut behind me I gave a long sigh and plopped on the toilet seat. Here I am once again being sucked into another one of her devious schemes where im the dumb stooge to go along with it every time. Everything always has to be about Lana. Lana has great grades, Lana always gets the leading role, Lana always gets the perfect guy. Lana Lana Lana Lana Lana!! I mean what's so great about her anyway? OMG did I just think that?? Lana is great she's my best friend!! She was there for me through thick and thin!! How dare I be talking about my BEST friend like that… even though I wish I had her perfect thighs instead of my lopsided ones. Stop Stop Stops STOP. Brigitte get a hold of your self!! This is soooooo not natural!! People don't just go around wishing their BEST friends to hell!! I wonder if its possible to curse a friend to hell with out the "cursing" part.
Hmm….
…
I GOT IT!! I have to outshine Lana. Its brilliant its intellectual and its so not spazmatic like all my other worthless schemes. Whoo Brige you are finally stepping up your game.
First thing first on my out shine Lana agenda is to put on this costume. I felt reached into the bag and pulled out what looked like a comforter and a mattress.
"LANA!!" I shouted from the bathroom
"WHAAAAT?"
"AM I SUPPOSE TO WEAR THIS OR SLEEP ON IT?!"
"HAHA WEAR IT SILLY"
"BUT IT WEIGHS LIKE FIFTTY POUNDS"
"STOP COMPLAINING AND PUT IT ON!!!"
"fine…."
…….
"LANA!!!"
WHAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!!!!"
"How do I put it on?"
After what seemed like ages of Lana pulling, stretching, fluffing, powdering, and curling I waddled over to a mirror. What I saw was completely shocking.
I looked stunning.
My gown had a corset bodice with lace that loped through each hole molding my body into perfect figure. The sleeves of the dress flared at the elbows and reached my wrists. The dresses skirt opend like a blue bell but was open in the ceter revealing white lace. The dress was made of a royal blue material that glittered with every step, it's trim was of white lace that shone like a full moon. A heavy string of pearls lay gently on my neck along with dangling pearl earrings. My dark ebony hair was curled perfectly, my jade eyes glimmered, and my red lips shimmered.
"Where did you get these dresses from?" I asked when I broke gaze from the mirror.
"My mom got them on loan from one of the costume departments. Aren't they fab?" Lana replied proudly. Her mother worked as the make-up and costume director at a movie studio and had access to well… anything.
"Since you can no longer move I'm gonna ask my mom to help me with my dress." Lana said over her back as she walked out the room.
I somehow managed to shuffle towards Lana's bed and sit down with out breaking into a sweat. Wow I wonder how renaissance ladies got around in those days. Carrying fifty pound dresses must do a lot on the body. Maybe that was like their Jenny Craig or something. Hey it beats starving your self.
So I waited in a daze until Lana reentered the room in a similar dress but red fabric with black lace. Her long blond hair was pinned up so only a few curls managed to escape.
"Ready?" she said handing me my matching mask, trying to contain her excitement
"Ready when you are." I replied covering my eyes with the mask.