Broken Glass and Bleeding Hearts

“No way in hell. Nothing that you can say will make me go Star, nothing.” I stood in my bedroom facing Star, arms crossed and a look of determination on my face. New Years Eve was tomorrow night and the council was having some sort of party. Star had decided that Matt and I should go, today.

“Why not?” She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Matt was laying on my bed, looking through the book on my nightstand. He was obviously trying to avoid being dragged into our argument.

“Because my aunt and her fiancée are having a party that I have to go to for an hour, then I’m going with Matt to the party at Zack’s.” I watched as Star deepened the pout on her face and I matched her expression. Damn it, now I feel like a five year old.

“If you have to go to your aunt’s party for an hour why can’t you come to the council’s for an hour or even half an hour?” She glanced at Matt with a look of hope. We’d been going at it over this for about twenty minutes and she kept hoping Matt would help her out on it. So far she’d received no help.

“Because I don’t want to go to the council party Star. Why should I? So they can talk and Angelica can push herself on Matt?” I sighed as I thought about Zacky’s latest revelation about her plan. She had decided that she would do whatever she had to in order to catch Matt’s attention. Which meant she would constantly be walking by looking like royalty or something when school started again.

“So? Then you show up and show her up. Problem solved. Come on Ellie, just come. Please? Please? Please? Please? Unless of course you have other plans.” Star’s eyes turned from pleading to evil sparkle in seconds.

“I told you, my aunt’s party and then Zack’s. We have plans.” I tried to warn her with my eyes not to go there, but instead she just smiled.

“That isn’t the kind of plans that I was talking about Ellie.” Matt sat up on my bed and glanced between up before he stood up.

“Well I see no reason to stay here while you two discuss this so instead I’ll be downstairs.” He inched towards the door, Star begging him to stay by the look on her face. I grinned as I realized that this meant there was no hope of back up for her.

“How many times do I have to explain that-” Star quickly cut me off by holding her hand up and speaking.

“Yeah I know. I thought that it might trick you into agreeing to come. Think about it Ellie, you put me in charge of picking what you wear, let me help you get ready, and then you totally show her up.” She placed a hand on each of my shoulders and gently shook me as she spoke.

“But that is just it Star, I do not want to. If I go and she says anything I very well might beat the living shit out of here right then and there. End of story. So how about you just give up on it and stop wasting your breath?”

“Are you sure that you are a teenage female?”

“What is that supposed to mean? Do you mind explaining that one?”

“Anybody else would take this opportunity and make her look like a nothing. You just pass it up and act like nothing.”

“Its because I don’t care. She is just playing games and in case she hasn’t noticed, she is losing. Matt picked me months ago. So why should I waste my time facing her when I could be having a good time? Besides why don’t you come to Zacky’s party? He invited a week ago.”

“Kellan’s family wants him to stay at the council party since they are new and all.” She looked down at her feet as I exhaled slightly annoyed.

“Then let him! Hang out with us for a change! If he isn’t a big enough boy to stay at the party with his parents without you there holding his hands then you have a problem.” I smiled evilly as I got my revenge for her earlier comments.

“I’m staying there because I want to spend New Year’s Eve with him! You get to spend it with Matt! Sometimes you are a bitch.”

“Yeah that is the point. I needed revenge for your comments earlier.” I sat down on my bed and grinned up at her. She just let her arms fall to her side, shake her head, and sighed.

“Well either way, when I leave you need to look in your closet. But not until I leave.” I looked at Star wearily. I didn’t like her statement one bit, nor did I understand it. Why couldn’t I look in my own closet until she left?

“No, I’m going to look right now. You cannot stop me either so don’t even try.” I walked towards my closet just as she yelled for Matt. The sound of worry in her voice was enough to draw Matt into my room in under a two seconds.

“What is wrong?” He glanced between us anxiously.

“You cannot let her look her closet until I leave. It will be rewarding for you, I promise,” Star was already picking up her pace towards the door, leaving us both standing there dumbfounded. “Well I’ll see you two tomorrow. Bye!” She disappeared from out sight within seconds, before either of thought to react.

“What in the hell did she do?” I pulled open my closet door and scanned through my clothes. There was the bridesmaid dress from hell, my old and slightly tattered favorite Metallica hoodie, and there was her surprise. “Damn her to hell!”

“What? What is it?” Matt tried to look over my shoulder into my closet but before he was able to see anything I pushed him back and closed the door. He looked at me with a slight pout on his face as my eyes blazed in anger.

“I can’t believe that she would do something like this! After I specifically told her not to! What was she thinking? That I would change my mind?” Is walked away from the closet doing crazy hand gestures as I vented.

“Can’t I just see what you are so pissed off about?” I rolled my eyes and stormed over to my closet. I scanned through until I found it, grabbed it off the hanger and threw it at him. He caught it and held it out, examining it and looking at me. “I think you should wear it.”

I rolled my eyes as I realized that it was only similar to the last one she’d had me put on. “Give me that! Of course you think that I should.”

“I’m hurt Elliebear.” I looked at him with another eye roll as I tossed it onto my bed.

“No you aren’t.”

“Yeah, I guess you are right about that.”

***

“Ellie why would I bring it over here if I thought it was going to look like crap? Just go put it on already. Pretty please? Then I want you to help me get ready. After all you are a girl, no matter how much you hang out with the guys.” Star sat on my bed the next afternoon with that look. She was half way between pouting and being completely depressed by my simple statement of no.

“Damn you, damn you for making me feel bad, and damn this dress!” I felt like a five year old as I stomped my foot down on the ground.

“Is that a yes?” Her expression suddenly perked up and I thought of Matt’s face the day before. I groaned and took the dress from her hands.

“That is a damn you, damn Matt, and a damn effing Angelica.” Star turned her head to the side slightly, a sign that she was confused at my response.

“What does she have to do with anything?”

“Oh come on, you know that she’s heard about Zacky’s party. She is bound to show up to get to Matt. Then more that I thought about it the more I realized that you are right. It might feel pretty nice to show her up if she’d not expecting it.”

“Okay you go get dressed in that and I will put on the music.” She jumped up, squealed, clapped her hands, hugged and then pushed me.

“I have rules for this. None of that pop stuff, if I am going to be talked into playing Barbie doll you will play what I say. And you tell anyone how long you got to play with my appearance I will embarrass you in front of everyone. Got it?”

“Yes Miss ‘I don’t wanna accept that I’m a girl, ever’ I swear that I will follow your rules.” She pushed me towards the bathroom again before turning on the stereo.

30 minutes later we had finally argued it out enough that my hair would be left straight and alone, but that was all we’d accomplished. She pulled me back into my bathroom as I fought to get back out to the stereo. “But I wanna hear the last song again!”

“Grow up, shut up, put make up one. Now Ellie.”

“If you keep pushing me then I will change into my jeans.”

“Wait a minute!” My jaw dropped as she ran out of the room. Was she seriously going to make me change again? When she ran back into the room a few minutes later she placed a pair of jeans in my arms, a corset, and a hoodie.

“You are allowing me to change?”

“Just change Ellie.” She closed the door behind her and I grumbled before changing. I locked the door before I went ahead and put on eye shadow, liner, and mascara. Star was sitting on my bed when I came out, grinning up at me.

“What is that look for?” I put on two necklaces, bracelet on my left wrist, and a wristband on my right wrist. I quickly threw ear rings in to finish it off.

“I honestly don’t know,” She grabbed her small duffle back and looked over at me. “Would it be okay if I just got ready over here so I can avoid the million pictures for the photo album?”

“Its cool with me. You know where everything is.” I took a seat at my computer and hit the power button. By the time it turned on and was ready for use Star was still in my bathroom, which was good news for me. I logged into my email account and saw the email I’d been waiting for from Zack.

I think we might be safe for tonight. I watched her at the mall the other with some other chick, she didn’t know I was there either. I heard them talking about tonight and from what I gathered they were just planning on hitting the council party and then the other chick’s party. Thought I’d give you good news for once.

I grinned and closed the computer window. That had been the best news that Zacky had gotten for me since I’d asked for his help, it was the first heads up about a break from the usual. “Ellie what time is it?” I looked at the clock as soon as I heard Star’s question.

“It is 6:46. What time are you heading home so that Kellan can pick you up?” I grabbed my cell phone to make sure that my clock still had the right time. When I looked up I saw my bathroom door open, revealing Star. She was wearing a dress that was light purple, almost floor length, with spaghetti straps.

“Well you look all pretty tonight.” She laughed and rolled her eyes at me before she twirled around. I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of her before she could object to it.

“Well you aren’t looking too bad yourself. I still wish you would wear a dress though,” She hugged me and I hugged her back. “But this is you we are talking about. I guess I can’t really complain much.”

“Shut up Star! Now what time are you heading home so that you can be there when Kellan arrives to take you to the ball?” She slapped me on the arm which made me die laughing. I heard her mumble something under her breath before she answered.

“He is supposed to be there are 7:30, so I’ll leave around 7:05.” She took a seat and I knew that she was going to start asking me questions. “So what time is Matt picking you up to go to Zacky’s party?”

“Well he is going with me to my aunt’s party, then we are going to Zacky’s.” I spun around in my computer chair a few times after I answered, thinking about how happy it made me to know that she wouldn’t be there.

“I want to know every thing that happened in the morning.” She stopped be from spinning around again and I frowned. Fun sucker.

“Okay, okay.”

“Well I’m going to head home. See you tomorrow.”

***

The music vibrated the floor slightly under our feet later that night. Matt had went with me to my aunt’s party for an hour, and now we were at Zacky’s “Well there is only about five minutes left in the year,” Zacky walked over to where I was standing with Matt and the rest of the guys. “Here Ellie. Have a drink.”

“You are going to get me into trouble Zackary Baker.” I told him as I took the cup. Matt laughed and his arm wrapped around my shoulder, gently pulling me closer against his side. Zacky pouted and I laughed before taking a drink from the cup.

“Now why would I do that that?”

“One more minute!” Jimmy yelled as we all looked at the clock. Granted most of the other people at the party didn’t both looking, but we did. I still couldn’t believe that the year was actually over. So much had happened that sometimes I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

The clock hit midnight and I felt Matt’s lips against mine. “Happy new year,” He smiled before whispering the rest in my ear. “I am going to say it again. Ellie you look amazing tonight.”

“Happy new year! You don’t look too bad yourself.” After that I slipped away into the backyard so that I could call my mom and wish her happy new year, knowing that after I went back in the guys would no longer be standing on the sidelines.

When I arrived back inside I discovered that I was correct. It didn’t take me long to find Matt, who was talking to Zacky over the music. After that everything just started going in all different ways. It was exactly as I had expected it to be.

***

It was silent when I woke up the next morning. I didn’t expect to go home. We’d said that I was staying at Star’s place because the plan was for all of us to crash in Zacky’s living room. But at some point the plan was blown off.

I knew that I was in the spare room of Zacky’s house, with Matt’s arm around me. I saw my shirt lying on the floor but I knew that Matt’s was now on me. I could feel my jeans were still on but I squeezed my eyes closed.

What had happened? I hadn’t gotten that wasted had I? What had we done? “Are you awake Ellie?” I took a deep breath when I heard Matt’s voice, I had to ask him what happened.