Everyday Combat

Hearing the stuff in front of my bedroom door begin to move I looked round from my reading list to see mom poking her head around the door. Once she had managed to get in she looked over at me, her eyes widening as she began to flap her hands in my direction.

"Faith!" She screeched. "Why aren't you getting ready? All the guys are here already!"

"I'm not going," I mumbled turning back and replacing my glasses to my face. I wasn't really looking at my summer reading list, it was actually something I'd been Googling for in order to be able to finish Jimmy's remote control stink bomb he had specifically asked for.

The one that mom thought I'd given up on when we got busted and grounded.

"Oh why not?" Mom now cooed, sitting on the edge of my bed as I span round to look at her. "The boys are all so excited, and I know you have been!"

"Because I haven't got a date," I informed her, sure that I had already had this conversation with her.

"Oh but you look so pretty in your dress Faith!" Mom cooed once more, glancing over to the dress I had intended on wearing tonight. I guess it would have to wait for another occasion.

"Exactly, I look 'pretty'," I retorted. "Guys don't go for pretty they go for beautiful and they go for hot and sexy. I'm none of those things! I'm a fucking midget with hair I can barely control, retarded eyes and train tracks stuck to my teeth. I am, mom, by no means what so ever 'pretty'! I am at the other end of the spectrum to pretty!"

"But what about-"

"Brian visited the red light district of another school and got himself a whore like all the others," I spat, looking away from her so she wouldn't see the tears behind my glasses. "I'm just the girl he's friends with one minute and enemies with the next."

I heard mom sigh and out of my peripheral vision I saw her stand up and leave the room. Once I'd heard her cooing over something else downstairs, I folded my arms on my desk and let the tears fall down my face. I didn't like this loneliness. It was bad enough just my brother never giving me attention anymore but all of my friends?

Talk about isolated.

Feeling my stomach rumble I decided to go get some food. Since the guys were all eating at prom, mom hadn't cooked anything so I was pretty much starving right now. Quickly I grabbed a tissue and wiped my face, wishing my eyes didn't look so red but I didn't look like I was crying either so I'd own it.

When I got downstairs the guys were all stood round in their suits or tuxedos laughing and being guys. It was odd seeing them dressed up. I mean, I know I saw Zack dressed up quite a bit 'cause of family stuff but not all of my guys wearing suits at the same time.

Not wanting to talk to any of them, I hurried round the end of the stairs and down the hall to the kitchen where mom was dishing up dad's dinner. They instantly shut up when I entered - well no prizes for guessing who they were talking about - and both smiled at me.

"And how is la mia piccola principessa italiana?" He smiled, looping an arm around my waist and pulling me towards him.

I sighed pushing myself away from him and stalking over to the fridge to pull out some ingredients for a sub. I was feeling greedy and depressed. Food was my friend. "I know you were talking about me before I came in here," I mumbled, rooting for the bread knife.

"Oh bella ragazza, I just don't like seeing my baby girl upset," he replied as I began hacking at the baguette with the knife, creating more breadcrumbs than necessary.

"Don't call me 'bella ragazza'," I huffed as mom decided to cut the bread for me; I think she could foresee severed limbs on her mom radar. "Try brutta ragazza and you'd be correct."

"Faith that is the last thing you are! I don't want to hear you call yourself that again, do you understand?" Dad frowned pointing his sauce and pastry covered knife in my direction as I filled my sub with lettuce and salami and all manner of other things I liked in subs.

I decided to ignore him, quickly plating up my food and putting away what I didn't want. Once I had a bottle of water from the fridge and a cup of strong black espresso, I expertly grabbed it all up and made my way out of the kitchen. Walking down that hall, already hearing a million more peoples voices, felt like walking the green mile.

It wasn't just the Siren's voices either, I could hear adults talking too and camera flashes. Great, just fucking peachy. I was bound to get-

"Hey Faith! Do you like my dress?"

Briansgirlfriend ho. I stopped, pulled a face at the wall and turned to see everyone looking at me. She'd done that deliberately because she was smirking at me as Brian wrapped his arm around her waist. "You have two seconds to say what you have to say," I began in a blank voice. "One, two oops too slow."

With that I made my way up two steps before I was stopped once more. "Faith can I have a picture with your brother?" Mom asked.

"No," I grumbled. "My coffee is getting cold and I have stuff to do."

"But it's the vacation, you don't have homework," Jimmy's slut pointed out with a laugh. "What are you gonna do, sit and pretend all night? You're nerdy enough!"

I span round to look at her with a vindictive grin. "I enjoy my nerdiness Carin, it means I'm not gonna get held back in the first grade again like you."

"Faith!" Mom snapped.

"What now?!" I growled.

"Can we have a photograph with you? Like a group one?" Brian asked and I just glared at him. "We haven't had one taken in ages."

"Sorry, I'm not dressed up to allow such stuff to happen," I simply said. I wanted to go to my bedroom and cry all night. I mean, why only now decide I'm a part of the group? Why suck up to me when it's his fault I have no date? She doesn't even go to our school so it's not like it matters! She won't miss anything. "I'm Cinderugly now if you don't mind."

"Faith!"

"For fucks sake what?!" I screamed feeling my eyes fill with tears as I span round to see Zack stood beside Sarah, his hand resting on the end of the banister, looking up at me. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying in front of everyone, more desperate than ever to hide in my room from the world. "What?" I replied, quieter.

"Just one photo, please," he asked, smiling weakly. "For me?"

I glanced at everyone in the room, then at Sarah who was wearing a cute pale blue, purple mottled strapless dress with a bow and looked overly beautiful tonight - actually out done herself just for my brother - then at Zack. Sighing, I put my stuff down on the stairs and came back down, pulling the sleeves of my hoody down over my hands and wiping my face.

"Without them though," I demanded glancing at the Sirens.

"Why not?" Mom frowned.

"Because they're not my friends," I retorted simply, as Zack grabbed me and put his arms around my neck whilst Matt B and Jason knelt either side of me with their thumbs up, Sarah stood to Zack's left behind Matt, and then Matt S and Jimmy either side of them, with Johnny laying on the floor in front of us all.

Oh yeah, did I mention how they were sneaking Johnny and his slut into prom?

Then on moms count I forced a smile, feeling Zack hug me tighter as the flash blinded us all and with that I was released and hurried over to the stairs ignoring the fact I was being spoken to, climbing them quickly and hiding myself in my room.

Once the door was closed I put my stuff down on the desk before slumping up the wall, and sliding down it as the tears cascaded down my face. Made worse by the fact I could hear excited squealing downstairs when I heard an engine roll up outside.

I didn't want to look out the window so I remained on the floor crying. The more I cried now, the more sour and convincing I would be as a crazy cat spinster lady. But then whose to say cats would even like me? That just set me off crying more until I heard footsteps on the staircase.

Heavy footsteps, suggesting more than one person.

I scrabbled up from my position on the floor and grabbed a tissue to wipe my face and eyes with. I was just sitting at my desk, moving bits of paper to reveal the workings of the stink bomb when my door opened to reveal everyone but the Sluts. I looked back at the mess of wires attached to metal components. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Jimmy dared to ask first. I had an image of them all picking straws downstairs to see who had to ask me; they'd done it before so what's to say they wouldn't now?

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked as if they were all stupid.

"Because we're going to prom and you're not?" Matt S added. I take it he got second shortest.

"I'm fine," I assured them, the lie tripping right off my tongue even though Zack was just looking at me as if his heart was breaking and he could see through the lie. "I've got a stink bomb to finish anyway."

"Yeah but-" Zack began.

"I. Am. Fine." I retorted climbing to my feet and trying to herd them all up to get them out of my room.

"Faith-"

"Just piss off!" I whimpered, shoving Zack out last as I closed the door to block re-entry. "Go have fun okay? You've all got girlfriends to keep you happy, and like I said Jimmy's stink bomb-"

"Well just know that we all love you, Faithy," Jason cut in, nodding with his familiar grin.

I nodded and forced a grin of my own. "Piss off losers."

With that I closed the door and went back to my desk. Once I heard the limo leave I hid the stink bomb and everything to do with it in my drawer, grabbed my jacket and headed downstairs. Mom and dad were now in the living room and looked round at me when I reached the bottom step.

"Where you going, principessa?" Dad asked.

"Imma go see grandma," I informed them, pocketing my key. "She said she was gonna go see Lucy and Theo today so I'll go with her."

"Okay well be safe and don't be late back," Mom now ordered me.

"I won't," I smiled as I opened the door. "See you later."