So Much More Than Decoration

“Amberlyn, you’re brilliant!” Josh raved, grasping the petite girl in his arms and spinning her around. Her feet dangled off the ground, her flats threatening to slip off while her arms automatically pinned down her skirt to keep it from flashing her panties to everyone. The room began to spin slightly once Amberlyn was set back onto the floor, she swayed lightly as she shook off the dizziness with each step. Josh held her shoulders leading her in a straight line, following closely behind.

“But Josh, I didn’t really do anything.” Amberlyn smiled lightly, turning her head to face him, while continuing to walk.

“Rubish.” Josh stated with a cheeky grin on his cheeks. “You’re the best tutor anyone could ask for.”

“Really Josh, all I did was go over the work with you. You wrote the test.” Amberlyn smiled back. It was Friday, and the pair bounced out of their physic’s class early with their Wednesday’s test papers from in hand. Josh boasting about his tutor seeing as he was the proud owner of the fair score of 82%. Amberlyn with a 97%. The halls were empty while the classes buzzed with the last fifteen minutes of class coming to an end. Their lecture ended quickly since Mr. Flanger was as eager as everyone else to end class quickly. It was Friday after all. Josh accompanied Amberlyn to her locker, reminder her as he had been doing all week about his friend, Max’s party tonight.

“That’s true. But you’re still the best.” Josh smiled waiting beside Amberlyn’s locker while she spun the lock around until she unlocked the code and opened it. “So... umm do you think Chloe is going with anyone tonight?”

“Oh,” Amberlyn paused, her smile faltering for a quick moment. “Umm, I think she’s just going with her friends.”

“Just the girls, yeah?” Josh checked.

“I’m pretty sure.” Amberlyn confirmed, while pulling out her Latin text book, stuffing it in her messenger bag for her last class.

“Wicked.” Josh beamed as the bell sounded, letting the doors flood with students eager to get to their last class, before the weekend begins. Amberlyn stuffed her last few belongings into her bag, quickening her pace knowing Josh was waiting on her. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Amberlyn smiled, closing her locker before Josh walked her to her next class. Josh parted ways leaving Amberlyn to her Latin class prior to jetting off to his computers class. Throughout the rest of her class she followed intently, with the constant thought of this party, in the back of her mind. Her first real party, that was her main concern while she tried her best to focus on her Latin teacher droned on about the old alphabet vs, the English alphabet. Boring.

After school Amberlyn found herself catching the first bus she could home. For the next few hours Amberlyn locked herself in her room, trying to finish her weekend homework as quickly as she possibly could before the party. It was habitual that she finished all her work Friday and she was not willing to break her routines just because she actually had plans to go out. The work itself wouldn’t have taken as long as it did if it weren’t for the back thought of being in a social surrounding and meeting Josh’s friends for the first time nagging her. That, and once Chloe came home she started ransacking Amberlyn’s closet.

“How does this look?” Chloe bothered her twin, holding up the outfit Amberlyn’s set aside for herself tonight and checking herself out in the mirror.

“Oh, I was going to wear that.” Amberlyn stated in a meek voice peering up from her textbook.

“Good choice.” Chloe smirked. “It looks better on me though... can I wear it tonight?”

“Chloe!” Amberlyn whined with a frown.

“What? It does look better on me.” Chloe defended before pouting. “Please Amberlyn, I still haven’t finished unpacking. I don’t have anything to wear and its too late to go to the mall.”

Amberlyn tried not to cave to her sister’s plea. Chloe did this all the time, she’d always make Amberlyn feel guilty for even considering saying no to her. Not only did Chloe have practically a whole month to unpack. And about a week to pick something out at the mall since she spends all her free time there- Amberlyn just couldn’t say no to her sister. Taking in a deep breath she let her eye lids close as she contemplated her answer a second longer.

“Yeah. Go ahead, take it.” Amberlyn caved. “Just give it back this time, okay?”

“You’re the best!” Chloe squealed, hugging her sister tightly with the garments in hand. “I’ll see you there yeah? I’m going to get ready at my mate Ella’s house. All the girls are getting dressed there and bring their belongings to sleeping over after the party.”

“Oh- okay.” Amberlyn forced a smile as Chloe gingerly bounced back to her room. Amberlyn was hoping that she could go with Chloe but clearly, Chloe had other plans leaving Amberlyn to find her own way to this party. Originally the plan was for Josh to accompany Amberlyn and possibly Chloe (if she was getting ready at home) to Max’s house, but those plans fell through since he was roped into helping set up and Chloe made her own arrangements.

Alone in her room, Amberlyn focused her attention on the last few physics problems as the clock was quickly approached 7pm. From her room, she heard the faint sounds of her family buzzing around the house and life going on while she merely observed quietly.

Chloe rushed herself out the door an hour ago, but not before causing a scene when she couldn’t find the heels she was looking for. Of course, Chloe first yelled at the girls’ mother for making them move to Weybridge in the first place, and second for moving her boxes to the storage room in the attic since they were just clogging up the hallway and her room. Following Chloe’s tantrum downstairs, came her complaining. As per usual, Chloe stormed upstairs and into Amberlyn’s room, dramatically throwing herself onto Amberlyn’s bed and cuddled beside her twin. Chloe followed her routine, dissing whomever ‘wronged’ her before confiding in Amberlyn, hoping she’d have a solution her problem. In this case, shoes. Chloe needed to borrow shoes. Since Chloe already ‘borrowed’ Amberlyn’s outfit for the night, Amberlyn just handed Chloe the shoes she planned on matching with the outfit. Might as well right?

“Amberlyn, darling! Supper is ready!” Amberlyn’s mother called from downstairs promptly ten minutes after 7pm.

Between finishing homework, Chloe’s outburst and dinner, somehow Amberlyn managed to get herself primarily ready for the party. She paused the current song playing on her itunes, as she adjusted her short cream coloured tiered dress just after putting on her rose stenciled black nylons. Checking the mirror quickly before running downstairs to join her mother, Amberlyn closed her laptop and proceeded downstairs pulling back her yet-to-be-styled hair into a quick bun.

“Need help serving mum?” Amberlyn asked making her way down the stairs only for her mother to decline the offer for she had everything prepared.

“Mmm, smells delicious mum!”

“Thank you sweetheart.” Amberlyn’s mother smiled warmly, before commenting on her daughters uncharacteristic appearance. “Sweetheart, that’s a fancy dress for our Friday night movies.”

“I’m going to a party, remember I told Tuesday when Josh invited me.”

“Right, right! That’s tonight.” Her mother nodded as she smiled lightly at her youngest daughter. “You look lovely dear.”

“Thanks mum.” Amberlyn smiled brightly at her mother seated across the table.

“Right, now finish your supper quickly darling, so you can be on your way.” Her mother smiled in return. “I’ll be at grandmum’s tonight, so don’t come home too late. And be careful!”

“Yes mum, I will.”

“Good girl.”

Once the two finished their supper, Mrs. Finch washed the dishes while Amberlyn rushed back upstairs to finish getting ready. Amberlyn curled her hair into loose waves adding a black flowered headband to top it off. She sat by her vanity applying more make-up than she is accustom to following the directions in her Teen Vogue magazine to achieve a ‘smokey eyed’ look. Once she was done, she stepped in front of her full length mirror to quickly check her appearance. Deeming herself ready, she grabbed her brown tweed coat and cream coloured scarf before descending down the stairs.

“I’m going now mum!” Amberlyn called from the front door, earning a call of recognition from the other room as well as a warning to be careful taking the bus alone.

Following the directions Josh gave her as well as the loud music, smell of alcohol and cigarettes as well as trashed teens all over the lawn, Amberlyn found the location easily. The music pounded though her body as she merely walked down the driveway towards the front door taking in the smell of cigarettes and other unknown grass-like aromas. Looking around she noted the kids from her classes drunkenly make-out with each other, and stumbling from point a to point b. Now, it wasn’t a matter of finding the place that left Amberlyn at the bottom of the front steps frozen in her spot preventing her from going into the house, but the question she found asking herself. What have I just gotten myself into?