Some Days

Lakelyn stared at her shirtless body in the mirror and sighed. She traced the lines of her ribs with a finger. The curves of her figure that used to exist were slowly fading away and it embarassing.

While gathering clean clothes to wear, she paused to silence her alarm. It was pointless to set it every night like she did, considering she was always up before it, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself not to.

Skillfully avoiding the mirror, Lakelyn found comfort in the loose Ryan Adams t-shirt hanging from her shoulders and ripped jeans covering her legs, not caring whether it was fashionable or not. She only forced herself to look into the glass once when she brushed out her long black hair and lined her upper eyelids with black pencil. After a quick sweep of mascara on each eye, Lakelyn grabbed her phone and exited her room.

Rose was still sleeping on the couch so Lakelyn tied up her military boots extra quietly. The days she could manage to slip out of the house without an encounter were always a blessing.

Lakelyn grabbed her pea coat, beanie, and fingerless gloves before locking the front door and climbing in her car. Her dance bag sat on the back seat and she smiled half-heartedly at it in the mirror while starting the engine.

School and home weren't the greatest of places for Lakelyn. At school, kids would stare at her tattoos and her nose ring and her clothes, but that wouldn't have bothered Lakelyn so badly if it weren't for the pure feeling of isolation. She felt like she didn't belong, and if it weren't for her friends Jake and Lauren, she probably would have bailed on that hell hole a long time ago.

Speaking of Lauren, exactly on time, her phone buzzed.

"You get lost?"

She rolled her eyes at Lauren’s sarcastic text and stuffed the phone back in her pocket. Twenty minutes was more than enough time to pick Lauren up and arrive at school before the bell.

Lakelyn turned up the radio, tapping her fingers to the beat as she waited for the red-light to change. She loved music, which was why she danced. Since she couldn’t make her own, she settled with expressing herself through what had already been written. The best part was feeling completely in control of herself, no one influencing how she moved or felt, even if it only lasted a few minutes.

Pulling into Lauren’s driveway, Lakelyn laughed at her friend’s expression; she was freezing. Lauren ran to the car and flung the door open.

“Jesus, Lyn! Hell freezes over and you still can’t pick me up on time!” she yelled and Lakelyn chuckled.

“Maybe you should try wearing a jacket every now and then, winter in New York tends to be this way,” she said and Lauren stuck her tongue out.

They rode the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, just listening to the radio. That was what Lakelyn loved the most about their relationship; they could hang out without having to think of stupid ways to fill their time. They were completely at ease with doing nothing together.

As they pulled into the high school parking lot, Lauren looked over at her.

“Are you still rehearsing tonight for that wedding thing tomorrow?” she asked, knowing Lakelyn’s dance company was supposed to perform during the reception. Lakelyn nodded.

“Yep, Chris is freaking out over it. Apparently some band he likes is going to be there so we have to make sure it’s especially perfect.”

Lauren scoffed at that.

“You guys are always amazing! He’s full of shit.”

Lakelyn laughed at her exasperation.

“Maybe, but he’s the choreographer so I don’t have much of a choice,” she said, despite the fact that she was silently thanking God for the excuse not to go home.

Lakelyn had never told anyone, not even her best friends, that her mother was an alcoholic or abusive. Ever since she was a little kid, she always felt the same need to keep it a secret out of self-preservation. She didn’t want anyone’s pity.

“I guess. So am I invited tomorrow or is that not allowed?” Lauren looked at Lakelyn hopefully and Lakelyn nodded.

“Chris said the couple is letting everyone bring one person, so the spot is all yours!”

Lauren shook her head hesitantly.

“But what about your mom? Doesn’t she want to go?” Her question made Lakelyn’s stomach hurt.

“No, she has work or something so she said I could invite one of my friends,” she lied, finding the very idea of her mother owning a job miserably funny. Rose lived off her dead parents’ fortune and the paycheck her own daughter brought home. She wouldn’t come to one of Lakelyn’s performances if the world was ending.

“Ok! I’ll come then! Ohhh, that means I get to go dress shopping!” Lauren squealed, making Lakelyn laugh to herself as she climbed out of the car and threw her bag over one shoulder. She walked to the curb and waited for Lauren to slowly reach her.

“What band is it that Chris loves so much?” Lauren called as she slammed her door shut. Lakelyn thought for a moment, trying to remember their name but shook her head after a couple minutes.

“I don’t remember, I think it was like a place or something? I’ll ask him again tonight,” she told her and Lauren nodded, finally hopping up onto the sidewalk. As they made their way to the school entrance, Lakelyn noticed a group of girls standing in a circle who continuously kept glancing towards her and Lauren.

“Don’t look now but they're is whispering about us,” she muttered through Lauren’s shiny purple hair and into her ear. Lauren waved her off.

“C’mon Lyn, don't worry about it. We are the freaks to them, just because we don’t get manicures and vacuum seal our boobs into tops three sizes too small. Honestly, I don’t give a shit what they have to say,” she raised an eyebrow at Lakelyn. “Unless you do?”

Lakelyn pulled her lips into a tight smile and bumped Lauren with her hip.

“Nope, sounds painful.”

Lauren flashed her a wink before they both groaned simultaneously as Jake squeezed between them from behind and wrapped his arms around their shoulders.

“Hellooo, ladies,” he said, acting comically cocky. The two girls shook their heads in amusement before each putting one arm around him too.

“This day just keeps getting better,” Lakelyn commented sarcastically and Jake laughed.

“The year’s half over Lynny! You should be happy; it's friday, you’ve got a scholarship to one of the best dance schools in the country, and two incredibly attractive best friends," he said, kissing her cheek dramatically.

Lakelyn chuckled and shoved him away, causing him to let go of the girls and skip ahead of them into the school, hooting like a crazy person. Other kids stopped to stare at him and Lakelyn admired the way Jake did what he wanted without caring what others would think.

“SENIORS TWENTY TWELVE BITCHES!” he shouted.

Lakelyn and Lauren laughed as Jake got the legendary beckoning signal from their principal, who had been watching the whole thing. Jake stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered towards the office with his hood up and pants hanging low, grinning like an idiot.

**********************************************

“5, 6, 7, 8!... Yes! Sharp right there!… Now leannnn…. Farther Lyn, good!”

Chris was shouting over the music and Lakelyn rolled her eyes at Brit, another dancer, who winked. Chris must have really been anxious for the band to see their dance because she couldn’t remember him ever running a routine so many times the night before.

After three hours, when they were finally finished, Lakelyn walked over to him.

“Hey there, Skinny Minnie! What’s up?”

Lakelyn ignored the pet name and smiled at him.

“Well, I was wondering what band you said was going to be at the wedding tomorrow?”

Chris practically jumped up and down in anticipation and Lakelyn laughed.

“They’re so good, oh my god! They’re called The Maine,” he said. Lakelyn considered that for a moment.

“So, are they like from Maine or something?” she asked and Chris stopped smiling to glare at her.

“Why the hell does everyone say that? No, they are not from Maine. Their name is just The Maine because that is what it is!” he stated before stomping away to his office.

Lakelyn stared after him in confusion and Brit, who had heard the whole conversation, started to laugh.

“You’re about the fourth person to ask him that today. Apparently he is very passionate about not questioning the band’s name.”

He chuckled and Lakelyn giggled at the ridiculousness too before gathering up her things.

“Well, I’ll see you all tomorrow then! Night everybody!” she called as she headed for the door and heard an onslaught of responses.

Lakelyn was still smiling as she entered her house ten minutes later, happy that there were actually people in the world who enjoyed being around her.

It wasn't until she saw Rose’s figure stagger into the foyer that she felt her night going downhill.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

That's always how it began.