Take a Sad Song and Make It Better

Bailey's POV

The entire concept of friendship is something to spend an entire day to think on; the whole thing really makes my head spin. The fact that someone can approach another person and say something that will either be accepted or rejected is the basis of a relationship. Somehow the mind thinks that the new person would be fun to get to know without even knowing the person’s name and the new person miraculously comes up with something good to say to make their potential new acquaintance like them.

It’s also funny to think that that’s how people are supposed to make friends; a compliment or a joke that will stem a conversation, maybe they were paired together for a project or picked up a dropped cell phone. Mine and my sister’s first day of school didn’t go like that. Some of our best friends that we had now were the people we hadn’t ever planned on being friends with.

I think about it all the time. The first thing Jack said to me was a question about my name; pretty normal, later he sang an insulting song about it and now that’s been my nickname ever since. That’s usually someone I wouldn’t want to associate myself with because I hadn’t liked them.

Jade met Alex the second day of school. She thought he was a pig, staring at her boobs. He thought she was way out of line and judgmental, assuming things about him before she knew him. But really, isn’t that how all relationships start? Someone has to judge the other, assume something about their personality before bonds are formed.

When I was running and Zack saw me, he probably assumed that I was weird, weak, whiney and pathetic; the only reason he stayed around is to make sure I was going survive my little attack. He didn’t plan on becoming so close with me.

The way that regular people are supposed to work is a concept that Jade and I just can’t get for some reason. We all thought the others were too different or quirky for us to get along with, but we stuck by them, just like they stuck by us. In some cases we were forced to, but the fact that sometimes first impressions don’t always mean everything made me breathe a sigh of relief, because without that forgiveness they gave and window of time to show the real me, I wouldn’t have had the great friends I had now. I like to think the reason we made bad assumptions about each other and gave weak smiles to one another was because we knew that that wasn’t it for us; that maybe we were meant to become the best of friends in two short months. Because we did.

“Hey, best friend!”

I chucked as I shut my locker and swung my bag on my shoulder. “Hi, Jack-o.” He used my shoulder as an arm rest as we walked to the front of the school to meet our other friends and to scrounge for a ride home. “I missed you in art today.”

“Yeah, I skipped with Alex and Jade today and won myself a good two dollars!”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I let it go; it was Jack. “You suck. I had to sit with Tom and listen to him tell “funny” stories about you and Alex and I had to listen to Claire and her stupid accent and her ridiculously boring stories all class long. I swear that accent is a joke; one minute it’s there and then ba-bam! It goes missing for a minute and then reappears in the next dang story she tells.”

“Wow, Baybay, I’ve never seen you get so worked up,” Jack joked. I smiled and rolled my eyes, trying to shrug his boney elbow off my shoulder.

“Alex! Baby!” Jack yelled, spotting him, my sister, Kaylie and Rian at the entrance of the school. He left me to walk like a normal person as he flew to Alex and slapped his ass. “Rian,” Jack nodded professionally but then swooped down and gave him a full-on kiss.

My jaw dropped and I’m sure everyone else’s in the foyer did too.

“What the fuck, you bastard?!” Rian yelled trying to hold back his laugh after his lips got molested. After a couple minutes of waiting and of Rian bitching, everyone showed up and was ready to leave, anxiety levels at their max on a late Friday afternoon.

“Let’s goo,” Melanie whined.

“Sleepover time!” Kaylie cheered.

Alex turned to Rian, “Like, oh my god, Rian! Let’s like, have a sleepover!”

“Oh my god, like, Alex! That’s such a great idea! Like, make sure to bring some movies and we can talk about boys like, all night!” Rian started giggling like a girl with Alex, trying to imitate us.

Silence fell over all of the girls and Kara raised her eyebrow at her boyfriend then turned to us. “Anyways, what time? I say six-ish?”

Melanie nodded and turned to Lisa. “Oh, hey were you invited?” She shook her head and we exchanged all the information to invite her over to our house. She couldn’t stay for the sleepover but she looked excited to come and hang out with us for a while. The entire time the girls talked to Lisa, I kept an eye on Jade. I had noticed Lisa’s presence sometimes made her jittery, especially when we were in a big group, like now.

“Aww,” Jack whined, flinging an arm around Kaylie’s neck bringing her in to a noogie position. “What are we supposed to do? Tonight’s going to be lame again, like when Bailey and Jade weren’t here.”

Melanie slapped him. “What the hell? We were here.”

“Yeah…” Jack said, letting go of Kaylie’s head and pretending to cry on Lisa’s shoulder. I don’t think I would ever get him.

==========

Dressed down in scrubs, Clara was gone and we had the house to ourselves. Pizza boxes were spread out and so were we as we lay scattered across the living room floor.

“I hate Mrs. Jensen,” Kaylie stated, talking about our English teacher. “She is such a bitch.”

“I agree!” Melanie joked, alluding to her detention slip.

“We should find out where she lives. Mua ha,” Jade said evilly but Melanie was the only one to laugh at her.

“Speaking of English,” Kara smirked and turned to Kaylie. “I was sitting in English today and looked out the door. Who was that guy I saw you with in the halls during the middle of class?” Kaylie turned red and Kara nudged her with her elbow to prod her. Luckily the doorbell rang and Kaylie was already up and at the door before my sister or I could get up.

A few moments later Lisa walked in and took a seat by us. “Hey, guys! What are we talking out?”

“Boys!”

“Oo, I like that subject.” I laughed and Lisa snatched a piece of pizza and jumped in to the conversation.

“Kaylie has a lover,” Melanie sang.

“Oh is this that Adam guy you were talking about?” Jade asked excitedly.

“Yes! That’s what his name is!” Kara said. “I couldn’t remember his name. Every one just calls him The Kid That Got Arrested at Homecoming.”

Everyone but Jade and I knew what that meant. We on the other hand, were clueless. “Okay, tell us the story,” I demanded.

“Why doesn’t Kaylie tell it,” Melanie sing-songed again.

“I will,” Kara stated and turned to me and Jade. “So, it was our freshmen year and we had our homecoming against Towson. And they’re like, big rivals for us so it was a big game that year. So during half time our dance team runs out and starts dancing and shit and soon enough you see Adam running across the field. But he was naked! Police were chasing him around and he was swerving all over and all of us in the fan section were just screaming and yelling, confusing everyone else. Finally they got enough teachers and refs and stuff to chase him that he was getting closed in so he ran for the fence, hopped it, and ran down the busy road. He got away!” Jade and I were bursting out laughing at the story.

“Wasn’t there another guy with him?” Melanie said through laughs.

“Yeah! Oh who was it…” Kara thought, leaning back towards the couch and grabbing a pillow to hold while she talked. “Oh! Tom! Tom Dunnel. But he got caught. Cause didn’t he get stuck on the fence when he tried to hop it?”

We all cringed at the thought and went back to laughing.

“Tom Dunnel. Isn’t he gay now?” Lisa asked, sipping a can of Mountain Dew.

“Yeah, I think he is!” Kaylie said. “I swear he is.”

Melanie turned to Jade and I. “Tom is gay. We all just know it. He’s friends with the guys and it’s sooo obvious he’s gay. But the boys are clueless and don’t see it.”

My eyes grew at the gossip. “That makes soo much more sense now! Tom’s in my painting class with me and Jack. And couple days ago was when I started noticing him to be…different. But today Jack was gone and the whole period he just talked and laughed to himself about all the funny stuff the guys do!”

“Yup. That’s Tom,” Kaylie said, almost pitying him. “He’s in love with them, and Rian, Alex and Jack just don’t see it.” We all chuckled.

“Tell us some more funny stories,” Jade persisted.

“Oh that’s right!” Lisa laughed. “You don’t know any of the good, juicy gossip! This’ll be fun.” She changed positions so she was lying on her stomach, making it easier to tell stories.

“Hold on, let me go get some water,” I said quickly, jumping up and going in to the kitchen. I was having so much fun with the girls. It was nice being able to spend time with them without the boys around. It seemed like they were so close; Melanie and Kaylie especially. They picked on each other like Jade and I pestered each other, but they didn’t seem to mind two new girls in their circle, so I was happy with that.

“…Doesn’t he have a thing for new girls or something?” I heard a sweet voice known as Lisa’s ring when I walked back in the room.

“Who?” I asked intrigued, sitting down in between Kaylie and my sister again. Jade gave me a hesitant look.

“Jack,” Lisa said excitedly.

I felt my face waiver slightly. “Really?” I asked trying to sound composed.

“Mmhmm. Kaylie, didn’t you and him have a thing last year?” Lisa asked again and Kaylie thought back to when she first moved here.

“Yeah we did,” she chuckled at the thought. “Oh! And that girl Tessa…she came in April didn’t she? Tessa…Van-something…”

“Oh yeah!” Melanie remembered. “Dark brown, short hair?” She used her hands to show what her hair looked like.

“Yeah, they actually dated I’m pretty sure. I guess he does have thing for new girls,” Kaylie chuckled. I hope my face didn’t give way to my thoughts, because they were freaking me out. Did that mean Jack had a thing for me? No. We are friends. Just really good friends. He doesn’t act like anything more and either do I. Yes, he was kind of clingy, but he’s like that with everyone.

“At first, he was super annoying and always pestered me and we started hanging out and stuff, but then after about…oh four months? We became good friends and we just joked around and the thing kind of died,” Kaylie thought out loud and took another piece of pizza to nibble on. “He’s a good kisser.”

Melanie and Kara laughed. And I forced a laugh out. Jack liked me? Me? I was Bailey; shy and impossible to talk to. Why would Jack, an obnoxious and loud, populare and immature boy, like me? It must just be a new girl thing.

Like Lisa could read my mind, she looked at me curiously. “Are you and Jack…?”

“Hello no,” I blurted out, almost too fast. “We’re just friends.”

Kaylie nodded strongly. “Definitely. They don’t have a thing. If he liked her he would shape up. He’s too…himself…around her. You know?”

All the girls “mmhmm’ed” and nodded and I suddenly felt self-conscious, like they were dissecting my every move I had made and interrogating Jack even though he wasn’t here.

“So, Bailey,” Kara moved on. “Any guys lookin’ fine?”

I chuckled, now relieved that they dismissed Jack. I thought about it but no one really popped up in my head.

“Oh come on.”

“Well…” I thought really hard. “There is a guy in our History class,” I said to Kara. “Oh what’s his name…Cody?”

“Oh Cody Mathers?” I nodded and Kara thought about him. “Yeah, he’s kinda cute.”

“What about Zack??” Melanie sang, again, and smiled across the floor at me.

“Zack, like…Zack, Zack?” I asked for clarification.

“Yes Zack, Zack! Zack Merrick. You guys hang out a lot don’t you?” Melanie wondered. I blushed at all the attention that was centered on me.

“I don’t know…” I thought about him and Jade got up to go and get another piece of pizza and a can of pop. As she walked back to her spot we caught each other’s gaze and I noticed a smirk on her face.

“Yeah, Jazz,” Jade said, trying to hold back a giant smile. “What about Zack?”

I looked at her weird, trying to figure out why she was acting so funny. “Zack? Yeah…we hang out.”

“He’s cute,” Lisa said supportively. “And damn girl, have you seen his abs?”

We all laughed and I nodded smiling and blushing.

“Anyways,” I tried to get off the subject of me that had been lingering in the air too long. “What about Melanie?” I sang, imitating her and how she sing-songed everything.

“Eh. I’ve dated enough boys here to know that’s it’s not worth it. My prince is out there somewhere. Not here.”

I thought about what she said. She must have dated a lot of guys at Dulaney, but then again, Melanie was the type of girl to travel the world and do her own thing and while she did that, she would probably meet the perfect guy.

So it went on, we criticized Kaylie more about Adam, getting her to admit that he was taking her out next Friday and Kara told us stories about Rian and Lisa talked about Alex. Kara and Lisa had been dating the longest so they got to telling us about problems they were having and asked questions and all of us put in our input. When it got around to Jade though, we didn’t press her. There was an unmentioned tension in the air when Lisa brought up Alex and when we knew it was Jade’s turn to spill about boys, it was almost as if I didn’t want her to talk at all.

We all knew she liked Alex. She hasn’t admitted it, but almost everyone sees it. I breathed a sigh of relief when Lisa broke the lingering, unasked question by asking where the bathroom.

I don’t know if it was because Jade wanted to be extra nice because she knew Lisa was thinking the same thing as all of us, or Jay just wanted to get out of the awkward room, but she jumped up and volunteered to show Lisa the way.

Kaylie took the liberty of speaking first. “Awkard!”

Kara and I nodded and Melanie stayed quiet as she texted.

“Yeah…Do you think Lisa notices?” I asked Kaylie.

“Who doesn’t?! It’s the most uncomfortable thing.”

“What is what?” Melanie asked curiously, shoving the phone in the pocket of her hoodie.

Kaylie rolled her eyes and turned to me so only I could hear. “I think she does know that Jade likes Alex.”

“You think Jay does though? She sometimes just gets really close to people.” I thought about my sister. Her and Alex had this connection and I thought they had this…understanding for each other, maybe not exactly a crush. Alex had a girlfriend and no matter how persistent and outspoken Jade was, she would never do anything to jeopardize someone else’s relationship.

“Bailey. Come on. It’s soo obvious.” Kaylie looked at me like I was dumb and I gave in.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I took a sip of water. “But I wouldn’t worry. She won’t break Lisa and Alex up. She too smart. She seems perfectly fine with where she is now.”

Our conversation was interrupted by the doorbell ringing again. Jade came back from around the corner and went to answer it. The four of us in the living room looked around oddly. We didn’t know who else would be coming over.

“If it’s the guys,” Kaylie joked. “I swear I will punch them in the balls.”

“I bet its Zack,” Kara joked and winked at me. “And he’s coming to rescue his princess.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled. “He does not like me.”

“Whatever you say!” Melanie sang and Kaylie threw a pillow at her head.

I poked my head around the corner and looked towards the door and saw two girls stepping in the door.

“Hey Jade!” they said, a little too enthusiastically. I saw Jade exchange the weight on each foot and shift uncomfortably.

“Hey.”

“Oooh, what happen to your lip?” the red head cringed and pointed at Jade’s healing lip.

Jade hesitated before she answered. “I…ran in to someone. Well actually, they ran in to me.”

“Wow,” the red head pouted. “Maybe you should be more careful. Maybe watch out,” she joked.

Jade scoffed but the blond spoke up, not giving Jay a chance to answer to the last comment. “Lisa here?” Jade nodded to her, but didn’t budge; she kept them standing awkwardly right inside the door.

“Hey girls,” Lisa said after coming out of the bathroom. She walked over and picked up her purse and walked around the living room and gave us all hugs goodbye before heading towards her other friends. “Thanks for having me over Jay, it was awesome. I’ll see you later?”

Jade nodded, keeping one eye on Lisa’s friends. It was weird for Jade to be acting like that. I had never met these girls, only seeing them with Lisa and Alex from afar. I hadn’t thought Jade ever met them either so it was unnecessary for her to be so cold to them. I made a mental note to mention it to her later.

“Bye!” all three of them called out and Jade shut the door behind them and then walked back to where we were sitting.

“Well. Let’s get this party started!” Jade yelled, going back to her usual self. I had missed the Jay that I knew; always blurting out funny jokes and adding useless comments on to conversations. Now that it was just us five again, if felt like she had loosened up. The other girls didn’t realize this of course, but I did and I was glad to see her back.

“Now what?” Kara asked, plopping down on the couch upside down.

Melanie smirked and Jade looked like she knew what she was thinking. “I’ll be back. Just one sec,” Melanie proclaimed as she slipped on her shoes and ran across our yard to her house.

“What the hell?” Kara said smiling. Jade and I shrugged.

“You know Melanie,” Kaylie joked.

After ten minutes, Melanie came running back over, a duffel bag in tow and a little out of breath from the running around. We were all gathered in the entry way waiting for her. “I got some shit,” she said, walking through the door. “Oh and…” she turned and yanked a sleeve in the door. “A shit head.”

Matt stepped up awkwardly and waved. “Hey.”

Jade laughed. “What’s in the bag, Mel?”

“Well!” she threw the bag down and pushed past her brother to show us. “Toilet paper, shaving cream, plastic wrap, forks, post-it notes, string and of course, flashlights!”

Kara caught on. “You driving or what?” she said to Matt. He nodded and we ran outside.

Dressed in dark hoodies and black pants and shorts, all squished in the backseat of Matt’s car, Jade spoke up, “Let’s get this show on the road, bitches!”

“Let’s get those boys!” Kaylie said excitedly.

With that, Matt started the engine and backed down our steep driveway, Melanie stuck her head out the window and yelled.

“TO GASKARTH’S!!”