Get Tangled Up In Me

In Hot Topic

“Come on Raven!” Dani called impatiently from outside the dressing room. “It’s not that hard, love. You just unlock the door and step out.” I rolled my eyes and eyed myself in the mirror again.

“Are you sure you want to see this? I mean I look horrible!” I whined not wanting to come out at all. We had let a random concession stand person give us make-overs and now we were in hot topic, where she was trying to give me a makeover. Even though most of the clothes she gave me to try on were clothes that I was going to try on anyway. I checked myself one more time and sighed.

“I’m sure you look fine, sweetie!” She gushed. I just sighed again and I heard her stamp her foot to the ground. “Raven Anne Farr if you don’t get your ass out here this instant I swear to God! I know where they keep the dressing room keys!” She threatened. I opened the door.

“Happy?” I accused modeling off the outfit she chose for me. She cocked her head to the side studying me carefully.

“I love it!” She yelled grinning widely and pushing me back in. “Now take it off!” I started to laugh.

“Somebody wants to get laid tonight,” I teased. She pretended to puke and stuck her finger down her throat jokingly.

“That is so wrong Raven! I don’t do my friends,” She replied and closed the door. “Now change your clothes!” I just laughed as I locked the door and pulled my clothes off.

“Ok, Your turn!” I called as I pushed her in the dressing room with a giggle. She growled in return.

“Not so pushy!” She whined as she locked the door. I rolled my eyes and entertained myself by looking at the jewelry rack while she was changing.

“Tada!” She called. I turned around to see her looking like a complete idiot and bursted out laughing. She had somehow found a boa and a hot pink crown on her head to add to her hot pink skinny jeans and her bright blue shirt. We purchased our outfits and decided that we needed a pretzel.

We walked around the mall carrying our many bags and hot pretzels in delight. It had been such a long time since we got to hang out like this.

“So how are you and Shawny boy, huh?” I teased pocking her in her side as we sat down on a bench. She paled a little and bent down, her hair covering her face.

“Oh we’re fine, you know. Same old same old.” She smiled, but I could tell it was fake. “So what about you and Billy?” She asked cheerfully taking another bite of her pretzel. I looked down sadly. Why did all of our conversations lead back to him?

“What about us?” I snapped. She got a shocked look on her face and immediately calmed down. “Sorry, I’m just- I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

“Raven, hunny, I love you. This is why I have to ask; Is he hurting you? I mean is he saying stuff to you or something? I never liked him. He’s got this- this fakeness about him. I really don’t think he’s right for you.” She sighed. I put my hand on her back and smiled, touched at how much she cared.

“We’re fine. He’s perfect. I- Dani I think I love him,” I bit my lip to contain my smile. “He’s perfect for me. I mean sometimes I get a certain way, or I make him angry but he tells me the truth. We are honest to each other. He- you have to get to know the real him to understand what he’s like. But he’s- I- we really like each other. I know we do.” She looked up and hugged me.

“I’ll give him a chance,” She vowed. “But I’m just so happy that you have somebody! I mean finally right?” She said excitedly. I mirrored her smile a bit and nodded. Finally

We got up and threw away our trash sighing as we walked around our pathetic excuse of a mall once more. I’m sure her bags were getting just as heavy as mine but neither of use complained, wanting this day to last as long as possible.

“Ok, so we got crappy makeovers. We tried on clothes from Hollister. We scared old ladies, we talked about our boyfriends, we tried on prom dresses. We ate pretzels, and stalked hot guys. What else is there to do?” Dani asked desperately. I laughed thinking of what we left out.

“Ice Cream!” I yelled. Her eyes lite up and she started to run screaming, “To The Dairy Queen!” I laughed trying my hardest to run after her and not fall over at the same time. We kept getting weird glances from people around us, but we didn’t stop until we got to Dairy Queen.

“What are we getting?” Dani asked. My eyes lit up.

“Vanilla! It’s the best,” I rolled my eyes in a duh sort of way. She snorted.

“No chocolate is the best, Everyone knows that!” She retorted. I frowned.

“Um, you mean Vanilla.”

“Chocolate!”

“Vanilla!”

“Chocolate!’

“I said fucking vanilla!”

“and I said chocolate bitch!”

“You can have separate cones God Dammit!” said a voice from behind. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck.

“Frankie!” I yelled in his ear. He shuddered and pushed me off of him. Dani was glaring at him rudely and I rolled my eyes. “Oh cheer up Danikins. Frankie didn’t mean it when he yelled at us, did you?” I pouted at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Of course not Danikins. Now I’m off in fifteen minutes and I’m tired of watching you two parade around the mall like idiots so hurry the fuck up and order already!” Frank complained.

“I should tell your manager,” Dani huffed. I smiled and pushed her towards the cash register. She had to pay since I paid for the pretzels. “Two small cones one chocolate one vanilla.” She ordered with a bored voice. Frank grumbled something about anorexic girls and got us two cones. I had no idea why he was calling us anorexic, those cones were fucking huge for being small.

“Dani lets go back to your place and get drunk and have hot anorexic girl sex,” I said sarcastically and we both looked at Frank.

“Why must you evil people torture me?!” He yelled after us. Dani flipped him off, and I turned to walk backwards and cupped my hands around my mouth.

“Frankly Frank, because it is absolutely positively the most fun a person could ever have,” I laughed back.

***

“What do you want to do, Ravey?” Dani asked climbing down her basement stairs. The thing I loved best about staying at Dani’s house was that her parents were always out, we slept in the huge basement, and we were allowed in the liquor cabinet. Well, just as long as her mom didn’t find out about it anyway. Her mom’s boyfriend is pretty awesome.

“I want to get shit-faced, stay up all night talking about useless shit, and wake up in the morning with the worst hangover I’ve ever had.” I told her honestly. She snorted and walked over to our favorite cabinet.

“Dammit!” She snapped slapping the door. I looked over curiously. “The bitch put a lock on it!” I started to laugh at how smart her mom could be sometimes.

So instead, we blasted her mom’s expensive stereo and had some good, clean fun. We simply got hyper as shit. Almost same effect, but less set backs. Unfortunately, less fun as well. After we danced around for a few hours, and pigged out on anything sugary we could get our hands on, we were bored trying to find something, anything to do.

“Why don’t we have a Johnny Depp Movie marathon?” I suggested. Dani’s eyes lit up and she nodded over and over. I smiled and crawled over to my bag, pulling out my many movies.

“So we have Edward Scissorhands, all the pirates movies, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the chocolate factory, Sleepy hallow, Ed Wood, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Is that it?” Dani asked.

“Yeah, that’s all I have. But wait! If Keira Knightly is in three movies with Johnny Depp she has to be worthy to be in our marathon, right?” I begged. I had to be able to watch my favorite movie. Dani rolled her eyes.

“Yes we can watch Pride and Prejudice. Now stop being an idiot and put a movie in!” Dani complained. I squealed with glee and jumped up to put my movie in.

After two hours and nine minutes of annoying Dani by repeating almost all the lines aloud, the movie was over and we started on our Johnny Depp movies.

“Oh my god, he is a freaking sexy beast,” I sighed in content. Dani laughed at me and I threw a pillow at her.

“I’m gonna tell Billy,” She teased. I stiffened but tried to laugh as well.

So after about four movies later, we were on Finding Neverland and planning on starting the pirate movies after, I started to doze off. I couldn’t really help it. I mean I love Johnny Depp but Finding Neverland has to be just about one of the most boring movies I’ve ever had to sit through. But Dani loves it so we watch it anyway.

I felt my eyes droop more and more until the sound of Mr. Depp’s lovely voice was gone from my ears and I was in a deep sleep.

***

Suddenly everything was dark. I didn’t know how but one second I went from Dani being a purple elephant, to a piercing silence.

I stretched out my legs, sore from being folded gently under me so long, and yawned. I didn’t see him standing there, not until I looked around and saw his reflection in the window.

As sick as it was he almost look beautiful his dark hair gleaming in the moonlight, the cold look unmistakable. He wanted one thing. And I was meant to give it to him.

“Why are you here?” I croaked in a whisper. I didn’t want to risk the chance of waking Dani, heavy sleeper or not.

“I missed you, Raven. Didn’t you miss me?” he mocked. My blood grew cold as he walked closer and closer to me, his mouth reeking of booze.

“Billy please go away!” I begged crawling further into my chair. His eyes flashed. “Just- just let me get home first ok? We don’t have to do this here. Please!”

His mouth grew into that smirk, that smirk I’ve grown to hate. Nothing good ever comes after that smirk. He sat down dangerously close to Dani.

“I’ll kill her,” He threatened. I felt my eyes water. I couldn’t let him do this.

“No, no, no!” I sobbed. “Anything I’ll do anything!” He seemed to cool down. He stood up from his crouched position and looked at me almost disgustedly.

“Take off your clothes,” He said lazily. I looked up at him shocked. He had yet to be so forward about it. I took a deep breath and looked up at him steadily.

“No.” I answered. He looked at me surpised.

“No?” He repeated. Then he started to laugh. His laugh chilled me to the bone. I knew that that laugh would haunt me to my dying day. And I knew I hated him even more for that.

He crawled on top of me and started to pull at my shirt. “Come on Raven, you know you want it!” He laughed. I hated the way he said my name. It made every part of me mad. I just, I don’t even know how to describe what he does to me. It’s just that bad.

“Come on Raven!” He said again as he threw my shirt behind him and pulled off my pants. “Raven! Raven!” His voice was getting louder and louder, yelling at me as his kissed my bruised body, and hit me over and over. “RAVEN!” Suddenly his voice was no longer his and I sat up with a cold sweat surrounding me and the light’s on.

It took me a second to get used to the brightness, but the second I did I looked around widly. Every corner of the room I searched, only to come up with nothing. Nada. Zilch. Only a concerned Dani her face right in front of mine begging for me to calm down.

There was this odd noice in the background. It was low, sort of gasping, but it sounded more like an animal was in torture or something. I looked through my tears into Dani’s eyes and realized. Oh, it was me.

“Raven, shhh baby! It’s ok! I’ve got you it’s ok,” She soothed, pulling me in her lap and rocking me. I rested my head in the crook of her neck and sobbed until my eyes were dry. “Raven what was in your nightmare? What was he doing to you?” She begged while rubbing my back. I just shook my head and buried it further into her chest.

I wanted to get away. Away from the dreams, away from the pain, away from him. Dani pulled me away from her a little and looked sadly in my eyes. I knew that second that she knew. He next words we cold and emotionless. I could feel the hatred radiating from her. But not towards me, never towards me. It was all him.

“Raven, What did he do to you?”