I arrived at home, seeing a note on our dinky little dining table from my mom, saying that she would be working late again that night and would be home around ten. She had made me some sandwiches – which the note indicated were residing in our mini-fridge – and that she had left something in my room for me. With all her love, she had signed the little note in a hurry, her name a barely legible squiggle.
Deciding to leave the sandwich until later, I went to my room to discover what my surprise was. I was thrilled to see three medium-sized piles of clothing on my bed when I entered the room; a pile of various t-shirts and tank tops; some plain colors and some with my favorite anime characters/logos on them (mostly from Fullmetal Alchemist and Dragon Ball Z; ranking a very loud "YEESSS!" on my happiness meter), a pile of jeans and shorts – ranging from black to navy blue to grey to white (earning a 'Cool') – and a pile of hoodies; one was red with the Fullmetal Alchemist Flamel Cross on the back (scoring 'Squeal of Joy' on my happiness meter) and the other a black zip-up with Inu-Yasha on the back and the logo on the front (another 'Squeal of Joy'). On top of each pile was an various accessory; on the hoodie pile was a red beanie cap with a black Flamel Cross on the front of it, on the jeans pile was a yellow Pikachu hat with floppy Pikachu ears, and on the t-shirt pile was a watch; the face ringed with aqua with matching arms and numbers emboldening a basic black background.
I scoured every pile, thankful for the glorious alternative to the marshmallow I had been trapped in all stinking day. I quickly changed into a pair of navy blue jean capris, a black FMA tank with the logo on it, the red FMA hoodie and I also slipped into some cozy black flats (which were hiding at the end of the bed with some Pikachu slippers and World Industries shoes from home) before strapping on my new watch.
After admiring my snazzy new outfit in my wall mirror beside my closet (where everything else had been put away semi-neatly while my uniform had been bunched up and chucked into a corner) I quickly went into the kitchen and decided to eat one of the yummy bologna and cheese sandwiches at the table; I would leave the rest for later. Once I finished, I decided to crack open a can of Pepsi and filled a glass a quarter of the way full with crushed ice. I carefully poured the soda on top until the fizz reached the rim of the glass. I sat at the table, sipping from the fizz every so often and continuing to do so until the entire can had been emptied into the glass, and I threw the can away before reaching a problem.
Seeing as I had nowhere else to be today - my workplace's main loading center had been unexpectedly flooded, giving me a week off of work - I could either slack off and watch some television (with my luck, there was probably some re-run of Fullmetal Alchemist on) or head off into my room and finish what little homework I had left from school. Whatever I decided, it was most assuredly going to turn out with me being bored soon after resolving to do either. Why is it always my house that ends up being the most boring? I thought to myself, picking up my beverage and heading for my school bag. Homework was more important, and I knew if my grades ended up horribly, my mom would kill me and I'd probably be expelled from Ouran, and that would definitely suck.
I slung my bag over my shoulder, ambling back to my bedroom and sinking onto the bed. Once comfortable, I fished through my bag and pulled out my homework after setting my drink on the floor; the beds here were unbelievably close to the floor, and I could reach down easily without fear of knocking it over. I also set up my mini speaker system - which I couldn't leave home without - and put in my iPod, selecting some calming songs from Yiruma to help me concentrate. I quickly got down to business, taking my time on my homework and still completing it way too fast. English, Chemistry, and Algebra 2 posed no problem for me; I had a slight set-back during my Drafting homework, seeing as I blanked on how to measure properly. Physical Education didn't require homework, and neither did my Culinary class. Choir was simple; I had found a version of the song we were singing online and had downloaded it onto my iPod, listening to it and singing along.
As I put away my completed homework, I stumbled across my drawing folder, and an idea appeared out of nowhere. Oh yeah! I remembered, pulling it out. I still have to finish that drawing for Susana! Susana Rose is my little sister, and her eighth birthday was coming up soon: on the 23rd of September, which was a . . . Saturday? Friday? I didn't remember, but I decided didn't matter. So long as I finished the drawing and sent it to her before the 23rd, I'd be set.
I studied the picture, noticing how I had drawn the frame. The person was turned slightly away, as though trying to turn another direction. I began lightly sketching around it, and it ended up as a girl sitting on a playground swing, smiling. I drew the girl in a hoodie, and I also drew a puppy, standing on its hind legs so that its fore paws rested on the girl's knees as the girl looked down at it. It wasn't long before I finished the drawing that our telephone rang, and I left my room quickly to wait for the phone to send the call to the answering machine.
My mom's always been really strict about our safety, my siblings' and mine. We're never allowed to answer the door or the telephone while she and Dad are gone, so it's a habit that I've never tried to break. As the message relays, it turns out that it's Shina. I answer it, cautiously answering, "Shina?"
"Oh, hey there, Talia!" she answered sweetly, acting like this was totally normal. "How are you?"
"I'm . . . great," I respond, trying to match her cheeriness. "Um . . . how are you?"
"I'm doing well, thank you," Shina kept on, as though it wasn't strange at all that I didn't give her my phone number, yet she was still calling me. "I wanted to as you about . . ."
"Shina," I interrupted her, wincing. "I hate to interrupt you, but . . . how on earth did you get my phone number?"
"What?" Shina seemed confused that I had asked at first, but then she laughed. "Oh, that! Well, my mother works as a secretary at Ouran, and I asked her to look your number up for me. I had something to ask you."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, smiling slightly. "And what is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" I laughed. "Is there an all important 'New Student Meeting' I'm supposed to attend?"
"No, nothing like that," Shina giggled. "The Host Club is having a party this weekend, and I was wondering if Mori invited you yet."
"Why would Mori invite me to a party that has nothing to do with me?"
"Oh, Talia," Shina sighed; it sounded like she was truly disappointed. "Are you really that objected to dating Mori?"
"What? No!" I protested, but then realized what I'd said. "I mean . . . not really, no . . . what does that have to do with anything?" I stammered, flustered.
Shina laughed, and I ground my teeth together. "You're so cute, Talia! Are you sure that you don't like Mori like that?"
"About this party," I said quickly, not really wanting to go on about Mori, "when is it?"
"It's this weekend at the Hitachiin brothers' beach house. It's right on the shore of Hantsuki Bay, which is about an hour away from Ouran. There's going to be a bonfire and everything! Why wouldn't you want to come?"
"Isn't it a might cold for a bonfire?" I asked, looking outside at the half-red, half-green leaves of our tiny maple tree in our front lawn.
"It's the last warm burst of the summer, so the weather supposed to be perfect." Shina insisted. "If Mori doesn't invite you, then you could come with Aiko, Jinga and I, right? Please?"
I sighed, knowing that there was probably no way to wiggle my way out of this. "If my mom allows, then sure, I think I can make it." I instinctively yanked the phone away from my ear just as Shina squealed loudly. Good gracious, I thought, shaking my head and smiling. It's just a party! "What time do I have to be at the school?" I asked, cautiously returning the phone back to my ear.
"Oh, yay!" Shina cheered. "All you have to do is stay after school, and we all leave right after the Host Club is done for the day. They've also offered to drive anyone over there that doesn't have transportation of their own, so maybe you could ride over with them."
"I'll make sure to ask, but I'm not promising anything," I stressed, my head shaking again. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about while you've got my attention?"
"Oh, yeah! I had a couple questions on our Algebra homework . . ." Shina and I ended up talking for awhile, discussing homework for at least two hours. I glanced at the clock every once in awhile, eager to get back to work on Susana's drawing but not wanting to be rude to Shina at the same time. Shina, I soon learned, was really smart; she had brought up several points about the homework that I didn't even notice, and we talked about several things, ranging from Algebra to Chemistry.
When I glanced at the clock again, the numbers had drastically changed; it was now 6:41, and my rumbling stomach signaled that I should probably eat the rest of those sandwiches. I decided to hold out for a little longer, and it wasn't until Shina gasped on the other end that my stomach let out a persistent bellow, and I held back an embarrassed laugh.
"It's already six?!" Shina asked, more to herself than to me. "Oh, I'm sorry Talia, but I have to go now. Dinner will start any moment now."
"That's totally fine, Shina," I smiled. "You go eat; I was planning to the same thing not too long ago. See you tomorrow."
"See you!" Shina said, and the line soon went dead. I placed the phone back in its cradle on the wall, and I invaded the fridge for the rest of my sandwiches and this time a glass milk. Once seated at the table, I flipped on the television, scanning between bites of sandwich and found a re-run of Pokémon. I watched the current Gym Battle with half-interest, finishing my meal quickly and running to my room to bring Susana's drawing back to the table, and I darkened the outline with my super-fancy manga markers; I loved my super-fancy manga markers. Once I had finished that, I ended up putting my drawing carefully away and curling up on our mini-loveseat, covering up with one of my mom's handmade afghans. I admired the soft, pastel colors before turning my attention back to the television, and it wasn't long after that I dozed off; the last thing I saw was Ash victoriously hold up another Gym Badge, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
"Talia? Talia, wake up," My body was shaking gently, and my eyes opened part of the way to see my mom standing over me. "You need to get to bed, honey. It's almost 10:30." She moved off to the kitchen as I stretched, swinging my legs over and unearthing myself from the afghan.
"Did you just get home?" I half-yawned, rising from the loveseat and sitting at the table.
"Yes, I did," she nodded, her face in the fridge. "How was your day?"
"Kind of boring," I admitted as she pulled out her own little dinner and came over to the table. "I made progress on Susana's birthday present. I just have to color it, and I'll be done."
"That's wonderful, dear," my mom smiled, quietly tucking into her tiny meal.
"How was your day?" I asked, watching her eat.
"It was fine," she shrugged, but I frowned. That wasn't a good answer. Mom usually smiled when she answered, but today her face remained emotionless. I decided not to press the matter.
"I actually had something to ask you," I absentmindedly began drawing circles on the table with my finger, and my mom looked up momentarily from her meal. "There's supposed to be a bonfire tomorrow at a friend's house about an hour from the school," I began, not wanting to look at my mom's expression, "and I was wondering if I could go to it? I'd be home by ten, I promise, and I also thought it'd be a good way to meet some new people; you know, mingle with my new classmates."
"Did a boy ask you to this party?" I laughed slightly at her question, and shook my head. "Are there going to be adults supervising the party?" At this I cringed; this could kill my whole chance of going.
"I do not know, to be honest," I glanced at her, and her face gave nothing away. Darn for moms having great poker faces, I thought, looking back to my finger, which had switched to drawing a repetitive squiggle back and forth. "I promise to behave, though. I know what to do and what not to do."
"I know you do," my mom sighed quietly. She stared at her dinner, and my heart tightened in worry. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. The thought repeated over and over; perhaps I could telepathically persuade her to let me go. My mom sighed again, this time smiling. "I suppose if you swear to be back by ten and don't get into any trouble, I don't mind if you go."
"YEEESSS!" My fist shot to my side, my heart bursting with joy. "I promise I'll be good, Mom! I won't let you down!"
"I know you won't," she laughed. "Now, get to bed, or I just might change my mind. I sprang up from my chair, and - with a quick kiss on the top of her head and an equally fast goodnight - I ran to my room, switched into my sleeping boxers and an old tank top, snuggling deep into the covers. My mind raced with anticipation; even if Mori didn't personally asked me to go to the party, I was going to have a fantastic time with Aiko, Shina, and Jinga. I fell asleep, dreaming of the possible scenarios that tomorrow would bring for me.
