My Living Nightmare

Why do you fight it?

It was still being repeated in my mind minutes later, and to be frank, I was this close to flying off my rocket. This close!

“I’m home!”

Now who could that be?

Let’s see, who did I know that’s always bouncy and perky, and almost always talks in exclamation marks before eight in the morning?

Ah, yes…

Tory.

“You guys missed me, didn’t you?” she said, bouncing through the kitchen door.

She breezed over to where we were sitting, wearing a black skinny jeans and a yellow Winnie the Pooh sweater.

She never fails to amaze me.

“Miss you? We didn’t even notice you were gone!” Matt taunted.

“Oh, quit your chatter and go help carry the groceries in. Jamie, get off your butt and go help. Sean, you too. Honestly, men… Why must they always be told everything?” Tory said, sighing dramatically.
She plopped herself down into Jamie’s now empty stool.

“Oh, hello, you must be Sapphire,” she said to Saph, surprising me.

“Yeah, but you can call me Saph,” Sapphire replied, smiling.

“Tory? Are you psychic?” I asked in disbelief.

“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’. “I just stole your phone on Thursday while you were sleeping and went through your photos.”

Wait, Thursday…

“So, you’re the minx who changed my theme to that disgusting one of an anime couple making out,” I said, astonished.

“It’s not disgusting, it’s cute!” she protested.

“We are going to be great friends,” Sapphire declared.

I repeat. She never fails to amaze me.

“Here you go, Alexandria.”

Christine handed me a huge pale green package.

“What is this?” I asked her, unwrapping it.

“Your new school uniform,” she answered. “Tory and I stopped by the uniform shop while we were out. They should be your size, but if you need a smaller or bigger size we could always go back; school only starts in a week’s time, more or less.”

“Oh,” I said.

I had to wear a uniform?

This just keeps getting better and better.

I tore the wrapping, revealing a folded navy skirt that looked to be just above the knee and a few white blouses. There was also a navy blue tie and several pairs of white socks, with navy and golden stripes around the top. In a box, just under the clothes, was a pair of shiny black school shoes. And then there was the pull-over, jersey and blazer.

Now I quote the wise words of Jake Long: The American Dragon, “Aah, man!”

“It’s not that bad,” Matt said walking through the door with several plastic bags filled to the max held under his arms.

“Yeah,” Jamie agreed, walking in behind him, also with an armful of bags. “Think of it this way, now you never have to worry about what to wear anymore.”

“He’s got a good point there,” Christine said, taking the bags from the boys and starting to unpack.
“He’s not the one who’s going to have to wear a skirt,” I protested.

Christine chuckled.

“True…I wonder what’s taking Sean,” she mused.

“I think his fallen in love,” Sapphire said. She and Tory were standing by the door, looking out into the driveway.

“What?” I was shocked to find myself exclaiming.

I hurried over to the door along with the rest of the guys, putting the package down on my deserted stool.

“Wow,” Matt whistled.

“Is that a hot car, or what?” Jamie breathed.

“How did you guys miss that when you came in, let alone when you went out to get the bags?” Tory asked, stunned at their lack of sense.

“Well, it is parked in a very obscure place,” Matt said, still in a daze.

Sean was admiring my car. My car. Sean was admiring my car.

That was not a good combination for someone who was awfully bipolar.

“Sean, back away from my car and you need not get hurt,” I said, pushing through the door.

“Wait, this is your car?” Sean said in disbelief. Did the guy not have ears? Did he not remember our argument over dinner when I first found out about this whole fiasco?

Men…

“I repeat: back away from my car and you need not get hurt,” I said, striding steadily towards him.

“You better do as she says, Sean; she’s been known to overreact over her car,” Sapphire said, walking up behind me.

“Fine, fine, don’t worry, Alex. Don’t you trust me?” he said, backing away but still looking at the DB9. Obviously his mind was elsewhere.

“Uhm, let me think… Me? Trust you? No, I don’t,” I said, almost laughing.

He looked at me then. I mean, really looked at me. Once again he had that unreadable expression in his eyes.

“How did you get your dad to buy you an Aston Martin?” Jamie asked, almost drooling.

That knocked all thoughts of Sean’s indecipherable eyes out of my head.

I stopped in front of the red vehicle and laid a protective arm over it.

“Careful deliberation and planning… Oh, who am I kidding? I guilt-tripped my dad into it. It’s not that I do it all the time, but I was really mad at him that week. I mean, it was my birthday and he and my mom couldn’t make it. Too much appointments and meetings… Who can’t make their own daughter’s birthday party? So I- I’m going to shut up now,” I said, chewing my bottom lip worriedly.

Sapphire and Matt were looking at me strangely. It wasn’t like me to babble out the truth.

“Can we drive it? You know, as a test drive. Pretty, please? I promise we won’t damage it in any way,” Jamie begged.

My first instinct was to burst out laughing and scream ‘no’ at the top of my lungs but one look at his puppy dog face and I was nearly a goner.

Nearly.

I opened my mouth to refuse, but then Matt chimed in.

“Oh, c’mon Alex, I’ll go with them and make sure they don’t wreck the car,” he said.

“It’s okay Alex, Matt is the slowest driver around. A little old lady with a walking stick could get to the front door before he could,” Tory said.

“That is true,” Sapphire nodded.

Even I couldn’t deny that.

“Fine, Parker, give them the keys,” I said, sighing.

Sapphire tossed the keys over to Sean. He caught it expertly.

“One scratch on the paintwork and I’ll break every bone in your body,” I warned.