Don't Forget to Hold My Hand

When the weekend arrived after her first week in Tempe, Gena only then found time to breathe. Between schoolwork and her new friends wanting to show her everything, she almost forgot the way she used to live: organization and quiet. That was never a part of her routine anymore.

Gena laid on her bed Saturday afternoon, thinking about the new people she had befriended. Rachael was easily becoming her new best friend, and was probably the only girl at school who would talk to her. This was potentially due to John, who treated her like a little sister and always made her things were okay, which she soon found out made many a girl quite jealous. Any girl that wasn’t upset with her affiliations with John was sure to be angered by the way she and Kennedy seemed to constantly be flirting, though there was nothing between them besides friendship. She also quickly learned that Garrett and Pat were the ultimate jokesters around Tempe, and everything they did kept a smile on her face.

Jared was a little more complicated, however. Gena wasn’t quite sure where she stood with him, because he didn’t speak to her much, but they got along nicely and on more than one occasion, she found herself smiling and her face heating up at the mere mention of his name. She wasn’t sure if it was the way he was nice, but stayed honest at the same time, or if it was how he seemed to have multiple personalities in the sense that he could be calm and thoughtful, or he could be just as hyperactive and random as the other four boys. Regardless, sometimes she was thankful she couldn’t speak, for she would certainly trip over her words around him.

As much as she loved time to herself to think and be insightful, she should have known something was going on by the way no one had tried to contact her. Just as she began thinking about getting up for lunch, her door burst open, and in ran Rachael and John in all their insane glory.

“Time to get out of bed and in real clothes, we’re going out!” John exclaimed, pulling the sheets off of her and pulling her up by her forearm. She tried to resist, but that was like trying to stop a bear from mauling someone, so she threw him a questioning glance instead.

“We want to take you shopping for your first real Tempe party. Your mom said as long as we take good care of you, only let you drink Pepsi, and are home by midnight then all is well.” Rachael answered, always being the one to quickly catch what Gena was trying to say.

“Yeah, so let’s get you changed so we can go to the mall!” John made his way to her closet, and she watched nervously as he browsed through her clothing. He came back out not too long after, clothes in his hands and looking quite frustrated.

“Problem, John?” Rachael teased.

“Yeah, let’s get this girl some chick clothes. All I see is flannel and jeans… and they’re not even skinny jeans.” he complained, pushing some clothes into Gena’s arms and steering her towards the bathroom. “Let’s go, missy! We’re burning daylight!”

[&]

After rushing out of the house and a quick drive, the three reached the mall and immediately began their search. Gena had no idea what to expect at the party, however, so she gave Rachael a light tap on the shoulder and hoped she’d explain.

“I bet you’re wondering about tonight, huh?” She asked. Gena nodded in return, which made Rachael laugh. “You really aren’t social. Alright, well, I guarantee there will be a lot of alcohol, girls in inappropriate attire… and I guess a lot of inappropriate stuff in general. But there will also be good music, and your bestest friends there to show you a good time!”

“Yeah, and the guys are just so gorgeous.” John added in a valley-girl tone of voice as he threw and arm over her shoulder. She gave him an extremely confused look, making him laugh lightly. “Sorry, just trying to fit into the conversation. I do know that Kenny will be there, though.” He added, giving her a little wink.

“She doesn’t like Kennedy, shut up.” Rachael sighed, smacking John over the head.

“Okay, excuse me miss sassy pants, I’m only trying to help,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “It doesn’t hurt to try.”

“She’s been here a week! Besides, Kenny is much too chivalrous. They would be the most sickeningly sweet couple ever, and I don’t want to have to look at that.” Rachael argued as she directed them toward Forever 21.

“I guess you have a point.” John agreed as they walked into the store. “I think we should find a cute, light blue dress for her.” He stopped for a moment, then sighed heavily before they kept walking. “Shit, I’m talking gay again.”

“You brought this upon yourself, you volunteered to come.” Rachael laughed as she stopped at a rack to look at a couple printed shirts. “I think we should steer away from dresses for now, and let her stay comfortable.”

“Yes ma’am!” He saluted her and then ran off, which alarmed Gena slightly. John O’Callaghan let loose in a woman’s clothing store could potentially be the last thing the world would want.

“He does this more often than you think. If you’re going to worry about him, worry about his sexuality.” Rachael joked, giving her a wide smile. She tried not to worry, but she was honestly concerned about how far out of her comfort zone she was be going. It only took John ten minutes to come back with a full ensemble and drag her to the dressing room to change into it, and when she did, she wasn’t sure what to think.

Tempe was definitely going to change her.