Alone

I got out of the shower, with a beige towel wrapped around my body and my hair up in a wet bun. The hardwood floor creaked beneath my feet as I walked to my room.

I almost lost my towel as soon as I saw Kristen applying lip gloss in front of my mirror.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" I gripped my towel.

"Oh your mom let me up. You hurry up and get dressed, we still have to do your hair and what not." She smiled.

"Kristen I already told you I'm comfortable with who I am and what I'm about." I said as I walked over to my closet, closed the doors and put on my clothes.

"You're kidding right?" She said as I stepped out in jeans and a graphic tee.

"No I'm not." I said as my mom walked in the door.

"Kristen your outfit is adorable." My mom squealed.

Of course, Kristen went for the second day of Patrick look, and decided to dazzle us all with a cream colored spring dress that complimented her subtle tan and her hair was loosely curled again.

"Hun, why don't you put something together like that for school?" My mom smiled.

"Uh no thank you." I smiled.

"At least put a nice top on and maybe a cute little side braid. Oh and maybe some mascara? Put your eyelashes to use!" She barely said in one breath.

"Mom, I don't want to." I said with a serious face.

"Kristen pick out a nice blouse would you and maybe fix her hair up a little. We'll save mascara for another day."

"Mom! No!" My eyes widened.

"It's late start Emma you have time and I'm not letting you leave with that outfit." She waved her fingers at my current outfit.

My mom left my room in one swift move.

I looked at Kristen with the biggest daggers of my life. It's like she completely ignored how much hate I had for her right now, since she was already digging through my closet.

She pulled out a spaghetti strap blouse, white colored, that hugged my upper body and then flowed after my waist. It had some lace detail and a small satin bow on it.

"This is so cute!" She sprung with excitement.

"Ew." I said. My mom had gotten me that shirt for Easter last year. She said it'd emphasize my waist.

I never wore it.

"See you have small boobs, so it'll give you a cute soft innocent look especially since you'll have your hair in nice messy, but cute, side braid." She smiled at the shirt again and then handed it over to me.

"I hate you right now, I really do."

"Make sure to wear a beige strapless bra." She sang.

I grabbed both and walked over to the closet again.

"What a difference!" She jumped up from the bed, examining the shirt.

She began to braid my hair into a fishtail. It felt weird since the last time I ever did anything besides a ponytail, was like the last year of junior high.

"Wear these." She picked my red and white striped TOMS.

I slipped my feet in and grabbed my bag, earphones, and iPhone.

My bag hit the side of my hip as I walked downstairs, weirded out that my arms were showing and my back was too.

"There's my junior high baby." My mom kissed my forehead.

"Yeah yeah. This is a one day thing so don't expect any of this unless its church." I grabbed a green apple from the counter and a vitamin water from the fridge.

"You guys ready?"

I nodded already taking a bite out of my apple.

---

My mom dropped us off at the main parking lot at around nine forty, leaving enough time to walk to our lockers without any hurry. We stopped by my locker first and then hers.

"Kristen!" Patrick called. He almost ran over to her.

"Hey Patrick." She smiled flipping her hair.

"Whats up Brooks." Austin stated rather than asking, looking a little confused as to why I would be going around looking like this.

"Wanna do lunch today?" Patrick smiled at Kristen folding the sleeves of his Hurley flannel.

"Yeah, you can take Brooks here with you." Austin added.

I almost fell on my ass from Austin's sudden kind gesture.

"No thanks." I began to walk away.

I heard Kristen's loud footsteps trail after me.

"You just shot down Austin." She said confused.

"I've known these guys all my life, I think I know when they're screwing with people...including me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't like them as anything more than neighbors." She pleaded.

"Yeah well now you know. I told you once and I'm not gonna tell you again, I'm fine with who I am." I snapped.

"Alright alright. I'm done okay. I'll let you know I told Patrick maybe another time that way we can hang out today."

A mean remark was dripping off the tip of my tongue but I'd already been a big enough bitch today and school hadn't even started.

"You can hang out with him it's cool. I have to make up some work for one of my classes anyways." I lied.

"Oh," she began, "Well then, I'll just go to lunch with Pat. I'll see you in class."

The only good thing about late start was class was only half an hour long to forty minutes.

I walked into class and took my seat in front of Sammi, who looked liked a walking make up counter.

I guess she was too preoccupied with her perfectly curled hair to give me my daily insult.

Patrick walked in first and moments later Austin walked smoothly into class with his RVCA tank top.

Austin ran his fingers through his hair before he took the empty seat next to Sammi.

"Mr. Riley, I believe your seat is over there." Ms. Payne said.

"Ms. Payne see, I would sit in my usual seat in the back, but I forgot to put my contacts on. Now how is one to learn if he can't see?" Austin dramatically said. The class snickered at his exaggeration.

"Very well then, I hope you came up here to only learn and not chat."

"Yes Ms. Payne." Austin smiled.

"Now, today we will be learning logarithms."

The whole class grunted in dismay and of course you could hear everyone click their tongues.

I found it quite peculiar for Austin to sit next to Sammi, but you could tell she was loving it. Even though Austin has history with Sammi he walks around as if he could care less, and would maybe walk and talk with her to class once or twice.

Lunch had rolled around and when it did, I was ecstatic. I'd been dying all day to go to the library and just listen to music and finally finish my book. It'd been the only thing keeping me from flipping out during class.

I walked into the library and was taken by surprise.

"Hi Ms. P," I began quietly, "Uh why are there so many people in here?"

"Emma they said it over the P.A system this morning. Intervention started today for English." She smiled making the lines around her mouth expand.

"I'm afraid your usual spot is taken, but there's a table over there." She pointed to the far left corner.

"Thanks Ms. P." I firmly smiled.

My disappointment was at an all time high. I walked over to the desk and brought out my book and earphones and continued on with my daily routine.

"Looks like I won't be a third wheel today." Austin popped up out of nowhere and sat across the table.

"Excuse me?" I looked at him.

"Oh sorry I have English intervention." He half smiled.

I looked back down at my book and continued to read ignoring him. I snuck a look up to see him writing vigorously and a couple glances here and there.

Austin probably sat down here because he doesn't know anyone here. Everyone here was mostly composed of freshmen and sophomores.

He looked up at me as I looked back down. My face felt a little flushed at his glance but I continued in reading the rest of the page.

He chuckled to himself as he continued writing.

"What are you laughing about?" I looked up from my book.

"You're going to sit here and act like we haven't lived across the street from each other since the day I could walk?" He continued on with a devilish smirk.

"No," I gathered my things, "I'm going to walk away and act like we haven't lived across the street from each other since the day you could walk."

I walked out of the library and straight into the convenient bathroom just two doors down. I walked into the stall all the way at the end and sat down on the toilet seat.

I brought out my book and earphones and continued my readings in the new boyfree environment, the bathroom.
It could be worse.

I could be eating.

---

After school was yet another painful walk home. At the corner of Mills and Lark, Austin, Patrick, and Kristen were all in their own cars with moderately loud music.

Austin in his own lavish car and Patrick and Kristen in his. It was the awkwardest thing ever since Kristen had made it clear that I was at the red light.

"You know it's a long walk home from here." Austin rolled down his window.

I just stood there and desperately waited for the light to change.

"Brooks just get in the car, it's a long walk." Austin said.

My feet were hurting from my TOMS but I didn't want to ride in a car with Austin. I hadn't done that since I was like ten.

Right when the walking symbol flashed, Austin drove on and stopped blocking the pedestrian crosswalk.

"Austin! What the hell!" I shouted at him.

People began to honk behind him, "Austin what are you doing?" Patrick shouted and then passed him up.

"Get in!" He put his car on park as the honking behind him grew.

"Dammit." I angrily opened the passenger door and sat inside. He sped off like normal and began to flip through music channels.

"See. That wasn't too bad." He said half smiling as we stopped at another red light.

"Yeah it was and don't ever do it again." I rolled my eyes.

I opted for the stare out the window move so maybe time would fly. The smell of his leather interior and fresh cologne bombarded my nose as I began to settle down in his car.

"How was school?" He asked, slightly looking at me with a smile.

"Just fine."

"You're not going to ask me how my day was?" He looked at me.

"No because then it creates small talk and small talk is awkward."

"Valid point." He shrugged in his seat as we pulled into our street.

He parked in front of my house.

"Thanks." I quietly said and got out of the car.

I didn't even bother to look back and see if maybe he said bye or nodded like he always did to me.

I just wanted to go upstairs to my room and take off these wretched clothes.

It was weird because I'd never been home this early.

I opened the door and headed upstairs. I dropped my bag in the corner of my room.

"Emma?" I heard my mom.

"Yeah."

"Was that Austin?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"You guys are friends again?" She continued eagerly.

"No. Just drop it." I closed my bedroom door.

I plopped down on my bed and kicked off my shoes.

My phone began to vibrate in my back pocket.

"Hello?" I answered the unknown number.

"Come outside." I recognized Kristen's chipper voice.

She hung up as I began to go downstairs.

I opened the door, "What are you doing here?"

"Patrick just asked me out!" She lowly squealed.

"Cool Kristen." I said under my breath.

"Why aren't you happy for me? Oh gosh don't tell me you like Patrick." She looked at me.

"What? No of course not." I said in a maybe too disgusted face.

"Oh that's right, you like Austin."

"Gosh not you too, he just gave me a ride him and you saw how he made me get in the car." I folded my arms.

"Whatever, do you come with us on Friday to eat?" She smiled again.

"No, I really don't and even if I did, which I don't, I'm going to my dads this weekend."

After another five minutes, Kristen finally left. The girl already had Patrick wrapped around her fingers.

It was a little weird but then again a bonehead like Patrick needs someone.

I went up to my room and sat at my desk and of course the lucky view of Austin's house was the only thing visible from my window.

And of course, he just so happened to be washing his car, shirtless, scrubbing away basking in his own beautiful glory.

I couldn't help but stare a little, even after all that was said today.