Star Bryte

I woke up the next morning feeling the swelling in my eyes from being too dramatic the night before. I felt like all I was going to do today was listen to my iPod and maybe go on a walk in the neighborhood.
My phone rang so loud that it shocked me off of my bed. That’s right I fell off of my bed as I do every day when my alarm clock goes off. I quickly reassembled myself and answered the phone before it went to voicemail.
“Hello?” I asked groggily. Truthfully I probably sounded like an old man.
I heard sniffles and bouts of crying through the line. I quickly looked at the caller ID. It was Scarlett. I saw all of my missed calls she called 27 times and I never answered because I fell asleep!
“Hey Evelyn, can you please pick me up?” She sounded so much more nasal and defeated than when I last saw her.
“Sure!” I quickly answered, “Where are you?”
“I’m at the 7-11 still. I tried calling earlier but no one answered!” Scarlett said sadly.
“Jeez, I’m coming don’t freak out. Where did you sleep last night?” I said worriedly.
“Just with a friend, it doesn’t matter. But can you not tell mom about this because I told her I would just let myself in later last night and I never did. If you tell, I’m dead!” She said vulnerably.
I smiled to myself selfishly, “Okay I won’t tell, but you owe me. Next time I sneak out you are covering for me.” I felt bad for acting selfishly, but hey this is what sisterhood was for.
I could feel her roll her eyes through the phone, “Fine, just hurry because I hate this gas station.”
I hung up and put my cookie monster slippers on my feet. I probably wouldn’t be getting out of the car, so I didn’t care about changing into my clothes for the day or putting any makeup on.
I yelled when I got in the foyer, “Mom! I’m going out for Mcdonalds! You want anything?” I knew I had straight up lied to my mother but I just won myself a sneak-out- of- the- house- pass.
“Sure! Just some biscuits and gravy! Thank god I don’t have to cook!” I heard her yell from her bedroom.
I hated driving in the rain. Today was not a happy day for Evelyn. When I came outside the grass was insanely dewy and my car kept getting splashed from the muddy water by other cars. Scarlett is lucky she has a sister that cares so much.
As I arrived at the gas station I could smell the teen angst in the air. It felt like a battlefield being here. Like cliques were formed in every quadrant. Just like high school. I felt so out of place amongst the many 13 and 14 year olds that hung out here. Given, I’m only 15 I still felt so much older or something.
Everyone gave me the evil eye, and though I couldn’t hear them, I felt like everyone had gone silent. Vulnerably I pulled to where I had left my sister yesterday and hurriedly rushed her into the car. Maybe if I were lucky she would come home safe, and uninjured.
Scarlett jumped in the car clumsily and forced me to drive away. I disgustedly felt repulsed by the very presence of my sister.
“What?” She asked innocently, “Why are you staring at me?” I saw her mascara tear streaks and a couple of bruises on her arms. Let alone, she looked like a bag of skimpy bones.
I shook my head and whimpered, “It’s nothing but you just look a little, um, different.” I felt guilty for lying. She looked like a hot mess and no way was my mom going to see her 14 year old daughter like this.
She didn’t say anything as she continued to stare out her muggy window. I wasn’t sure why my sister looked like she did. I was actually a little afraid to ask. “Do we need to stop somewhere before we go home?” I asked more polite than I would normally talk to my mouthy sister.
She thought in silence for a moment, “Yeah I guess you could drop me off at a friend’s house.”
I looked at her angrily, “What? Another stop? I don’t think so! The last time I did that you came in the car looking like a zombie! What are you going to do now, get wasted by the creek and drown?” I had no idea I was as worried for her as I was after I finished speaking.
I saw the tears gleaming in her eyes. Since when had she become so emotional? “No.” She replied softly, “I just don’t want to go home. I look like a mess.” She turned away back to her fogged up window.
I looked down at the steering wheel in thought. What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t going to take her home like this, because I knew I would get the blame for her catastrophic looks. What had happened to my baby sister? Did she get beaten up? Or have wild sex at the gas station? These questions were left unanswered as I drove away to the nearest McDonalds for breakfast.

“So what happened?” I asked my sister cautiously as we waited in line at McDonalds. This old man in front of us had to take extra time in placing his nonexistent order.
She quickly stole a glance at me and looked away, “I don’t want to talk about it.” She said stubbornly. Now I had for sure known something bad was going on.
“Well why not? I’m your older sister, you can tell me anything. You know that right?” I asked, feeling disappointed that my sister didn’t know this common fact.
She remained unresponsive, as we got called next to order. I looked at her the whole time I ordered. “One biscuits and gravy and one hash brown.”
The worker looked at me up and down with her unprofessional stare. “Is that it ma’am?” She looked about 20, and her beady eyes glared down at me impatiently. Probably, the out product of dealing with the elderly man.
I glanced at Scarlett dejectedly, and still got the cold shoulder. I sighed, “Yeah.”

As we drove away with my mother’s breakfast, Scarlett and I both didn’t talk. Instead we let the radio sing to us Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber.
I stopped at the house and watched Scarlett hurriedly jump out the car and enter through the back door, so she could fix herself up before our mom got the chance to view the mayhem. I sighed again, as I slowly turned off the radio and the car. I sat in the car quietly for a few minutes, just thinking about everything I could before my day got ruined by some sort of schedule.
Bang! Bang! I turned to the window unexpectedly. That same familiar face was outside my car window waiting for my response; to get out. It was the same face I had so harshly disappointed just yesterday. Also, it was the same face that had won my heart over one lunch period.
I opened my car door slowly, just as I had decided to open my heart to him. “Hey Eli.” I bit my lip awkwardly and glanced everywhere around me, except for him.
“Hi Evelyn. How’s your morning been?” He asked more cheerfully than I would have suspected after yesterday’s episode.
I looked confusedly up at his eyes. My mistake. I quickly glanced back over to my shoes as I felt my cheeks redden with humiliation. “Aren’t you mad at me? I mean… I don’t want you to be mad, but I figured…. Well, I mean just the whole band thing and me acting like a-…”
He interrupted me with a chuckle, “I’m not angry. It’s just a stupid high school garage band. It’s not like my life was on the line.” He continued to look straight at me, as I refused to look back. How could boys just smolder a girl like that? He continued, “All you girls just take everything a bit too seriously.” He sarcastically grinned at me, as I simultaneously giggled.
I wiggled my toes, “I guess you’re right. Wow, I feel so stupid.” I paused to look up at him, probably announcing all my emotions through my face, “I mean I really didn’t want to upset you. We just got along so well, and we both like green day.” I felt like I was babbling.
“I could never really be angry at you. We just met, and I’m sure all your insecurities are hiding behind your cute little face.” He said as he grasped my chin lightly.
I definitely sported a not so lovely shade of red at this point. “Well, thanks and everything, but I need to give this to my mom.” I said gesturing to the fast food bag.
“How about this? You give that to your mom and get ready, and I’ll come back in hour so we can hang out or something. Okay?” He smiled a convincing smile towards me.
I just realized I still had my out-of-bed look. I sighed. “Okay, that sounds,” I tried thinking of a word that didn’t show my anxiety, “That sounds great.” I tried sounding as nonchalant as I could, but it didn’t exactly work out.
“Okay.” He chuckled and sauntered away back down the street. He turned his head back toward me, “Bye Evelyn.” Then he kept walking until I saw Eli no more.
I sighed like a Justin Bieber fan would sigh after seeing him. I walked back inside, high with this extreme emotion. I’d never felt this way before. I don’t know if it was love or just a sudden urge to be around dangerous/ mysterious people. It sure was a mix up of my regular life.
“Who’s the guy?” My mother asked teasingly from the stairs in her pink robe.
I rolled my eyes, “He’s just… a special character in my life right now.” That sounded god-awfully cheesy, but I couldn’t help it. There was no way to explain what my relationship was with Eli. But maybe I was making too much of this. Let’s say he is… a friend for now.
She squinted at me questionably, “I don’t get it. Is that some teen lingo or something?” Of course she didn’t know, she was like 40.
I groaned, “It’s nothing. He’s just a friend. Just a friend.” I sounded like I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince her. Oh great. More Complications.