That's the Beauty of a Secret

“Danielle, it’s time to wake up” my step-mother, Margot yelled into my room waking me up from a deep sleep. Feeling dried drool on my chin, I quickly wiped off only to realize that I had fallen asleep at my desk, yet again. Looking down at what I had fallen asleep to, only to groan once I realized that it was my Physics notebook which was now smeared with drool.
“Just great” I mumbled seeing that the problems that I had been working all night was now an illegible mess. “I really need to stop doing this late studying” I said to my small black kitten, Jinx seeing him watching me from his spot on my bed. “I think it hinders more than helps” I added as I stood up from my uncomfortable desk chair and stretched, feeling my back pop. Looking back at Jinx only to see him staring at me with his big yellow eyes before yawning, “Glad I’m so interesting to you.”
At this I just shook my head and walked into my joined bathroom, so that I could unfortunately get ready for the day. Grabbing one of my large fluffy light purple towels and sitting it on my sink as I quickly turned around to turn on my shower. Letting the steam from the shower fill the small room, I stared at myself in the mirror sighing once I noticed the pencil marks that were smudged on my face. Pulling off my pajamas and throwing in the small laundry basket that was sitting in the corner. Taking my blonde curls out of the high bun that I had put on the top of my head, before jumping under the hot water and letting the warm water loosen all my tense muscles that I had gotten from falling asleep in a weird position at my desk. After I was finished getting clean, I walked out of my bathroom wrapped in my towel and grabbed my outfit for the day.
Pulling the dark blue dress over my head, I sat down at my desk and started to do my hair and make-up. While in the middle of blow drying my hair, my phone started to play, “Wide Open Spaces” by Dixie Chicks signalling that my mother was calling.
“Hello, Mama” I said with a smile as I started to brush out my tangled curls flinching ever so slightly as the brush would hit a really tangled one.
“Hello, Honey” my mom’s loud accented voice said from the other line making me hold my phone a little farther away from my ear, “So I’m just calling to see how last night went?”
“Fine, feeling pretty good about this test” I said as I turned the speaker on my phone and then sitting it on my desk as I started to pull my hair into loose pigtails.
“Not about that, Danielle Jane” she said in the typical mom voice making me shrink away, hating when she used my full name something that she doesn’t really do, “Did you actually sleep?”
“Yeah…”
“Where at?”
“My desk” I mumbled as I played with the hem of my dark blue dress.
“What was that?”
“My desk” I said more clearer as I let out a sigh knowing exactly what I was going to come next.
“Honey, we’ve talked about this. You need in start take better care of yourself. Your health is more important than your grades” she said softly, making me feel guilty. If she only knew how important grades were to dad, though I would never tell her. I mean they already have a pretty strained relationship as it is and I would hate to make it worse.
“I know, Mama. Well I got to finish getting ready so I need to hang-up” I said as I started to switch out my earrings.
“Okay, Honey. Love you and talk to you later” she said making a kissy noise after, which I quickly returned before laughing.
“Love you too, Mama” I said quickly hanging up and sliding on my bracelets and then covering my cream colored leg warmers with my favorite brown boots. Quickly throwing my Physics notebook into my black backpack as I started to make the long journey down to the kitchen, grabbing a cream colored beanie along the way.
“Morning Danielle” I heard Margot say as soon as I walked into the kitchen, fixing my beanie along the way so it looked perfect on my head.
“Morning, Margot” I said as I popped a bagel into the toaster. “Daddy” I added as I quickly walked over to my father and gave him a light kiss on the cheek as he read the newspaper at our large kitchen table.
“Danielle” he said gruffly as I grabbed my perfectly toasted bagel which I quickly spread cream cheese over it and sitting down across from him, “So you ready for the test today?”
“Yes, I studied all last night” I said as I nibbled on my bagel.
“That’s my girl, that’s what Harvard likes to see.”
“Yes, Daddy” I mumbled not to happy about that little fact considering I didn’t exactly want to go to Harvard but I couldn’t exactly tell him that. The air quickly became heavy and awkward as I started to squirm under him and Margot’s stare. That was till the familiar honk of my best friend, Alyssa’s car rang from outside. “That’s Lys, I should be going” I said breaking the silence making Margot groan.
“I don’t understand why we let her be friends, with that girl” I heard Margot say from behind me as I grabbed my jacket and scarf and throwing them as I walked out to Alyssa’s beat up black car. Sliding into the passenger seat seeing my red headed best friend smiling at me from her spot in the driver’s seat.
“What are you so giddy about?” I asked as I buckling my seatbelt as she drove away from my house which she just shook her head at.
“Can’t tell you till, later but you’re totally going to love it” she said honking her horn in front of Nat’s house, making the tall brunette run outside, almost tripping over her own two feet as she was trying to slid into the backseat.
“You won’t believe it but I almost sleeped in” she said huffing, quickly buckling her seatbelt before she continued to tie her shoelaces.
“Don’t you always?” I asked turning around in my seat so I that I could see her face, “you okay back there?”
“Yeah just make sure I grabbed my calculator, you know how fucking pissed Mr, Reiner gets when we forget those things” she said with her face buried in her backpack, “Shit!”
“Forgot?”
“Yeah, I’m so fucked” she grumbled making me laugh only to get a light smack on my shoulder, “Not funny Dan!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you mine at lunch” I said with a laugh only to feel two arms wrap themselves around me from behind.
“This is why Iove you” she said making me and Alyssa laugh.
“I feel so used” I said with a smile till I heard the familiar beginning cords of, ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ by All Time Low, me and Alyssa’s favorite band began to play making me turn it up.
Almost instantly me and Alyssa started to sing making Nat laugh at how goofy we were. After singing the last note, a little off key we both just laughed.
“Well that was our hometown boys, All Time Low singing their hit song ‘Dear Maria, Count me In’. Now as everyone knows tonight is their huge Hometown Halloween Concert. So to all those going have a great time and for those who aren’t remember to stay tuned because we will be given away tickets periodically all day” the radio host said making me suddenly feel sad.
“What I would give to have those tickets” I sighed as Lys pulled into her parking spot, looking over only to see her smiling at me from her spot that I couldn’t deny had me pretty worried.
~❤~
“I’m so dead” I mumbled to myself as I quickly slid into the passenger seat of Alyssa’s car not even bothering to look up from my phone. The 80% I got on today’s Physics test seemed to make my heart drop, knowing that my dad would be pissed and more importantly disappointed in me. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice that we had pulled away from the school or that my two best friends had been trying to get my attention. “What?” I asked once I saw Alyssa’s hand wave in front of my face making me look over to her.
“We’re here” she said as she grabbed her backpack and quickly got out of the car.
“Why are we here..?” I asked as I followed her and Nat into the large Halloween store, “I mean I know it’s Halloween and all but aren’t we a little too old to go Trick or Treating?”
“Luckily we aren’t Trick or Treating” Lys said as her and Nat split up into two different aisles, quickly searching through the long racks.
“Oh we should totally group match” Nat said from her aisle as she looked over at Lys who just nodded.
“Yeah, but nothing to cliche. I’m not dressing up as fucking Ariel.”
“Can someone please tell me why we are dressing up?” I asked, quickly getting pissed that my questions weren’t really being answered.
“Well Dan, we are awesome best friends and got us all tickets to the hottest Halloween party in this small ass town.”
“Don’t tell me you got us invited to Mike’s party. Cause to tell you the truth I don’t exactly think it’s amazing to go to some stupid, hot, sweaty party where bunch of drunk guys think it's fun to hit on me and try to touch my butt.”
“Nope, not his… Do you really think that I would like that?” she said as she stopped and just looked at one of the costumes as Nat quickly walked up the aisles and stopped at one as well.
“Nat, what about you do you have anything to add?”
“Nope, I’m having fun watching you be all confused” she said as she finally pulled at the costume almost at the same time as Alyssa, both quickly getting a smile on their faces, “Now that’s what we are talking about.”
Seeing them hold out a Poison Ivy and Catwoman costume respectively, made me just shake my head, “Come on please just tell me what this all is for.”
“Fine,” Alyssa said before she shoved a costume at my chest making me lose my balance a little. “After you try this one,” she added as she pushed me towards the dressing rooms.
As soon as Alyssa slammed the door shut behind me, I quickly looked down at the costume and seeing it was Harley Quinn, which seemed to go along with the pattern of Batman’s villainesses. No matter it wasn’t something that I would exactly choose myself, I tried it on knowing that I would never get out of here if I didn’t.
“You done in there?” Alyssa yelled as she banged a fist against the door making me jump as I was pulling on my pants almost falling yet again.
“Yeah!” I yelled walking out of the door and seeing her wear the Poison Ivy costume that seemed to show off all of her curves while Nat stood behind her in a catsuit.
“Damn girl, looking sexy” Lys said to me as she lead me to the large mirror. Feeling a little self conscious I quickly wrapped my arms around my exposed stomach, blushing a deep red once I saw my reflection. “Come on Dan, don’t get all shy on me now” she added as she stood beside me in the mirror, “Or you won’t get to see All Time Low, tonight.”
“Wait… What?” I asked quickly turning around to face my best friend who was giving a big smile.
“Me and Nat, have noticed how stressed you’ve been recently so we have talked with Ethan and got him to get us some tickets” she said as Nathaly walked over to us swaying her hips along the way making us laugh.
“I’m having way too fun in this… But, on topic have that big lovable guy, might as well use him. And I may or may not owe Nick big time since he may have helped a little bit” she said as she stood on my other side making me smile once I notice how badass we all looked.
“Thanks guys!” I said with a big smile as I saw Alyssa quickly pull out her phone and take a picture of our reflection.
“Danielle is that you?” the familiar shrill voice of Margot asked from behind me, making me quickly turn around and see her wearing a Cruella Deville costume which was mildly ironic if I could say so myself.
“Hey, Margot” I said quietly as I threw my arms over my stomach, trying to look a little more suitable. A look of fury quickly took over her as she looked at what I was wearing.
“Go change now, I’m taking you home” she said as she pointed to the dressing room which I quickly walked to without any words seeing Lys and Nat giving me a sad, sorry look out the corner of my eyes.
Walking out of the dressing room, I quickly followed Margot, not even bothering to look at Lys and Nat, as she bought her costume and walked out of the store to her car.
~❤~
“I can’t believe you were going to even considering wearing that” Margot said as she pulled into our driveway, having complained non-stop since we left the store, “What would have anyone thought if they saw you out wearing that?”
I didn’t even bother to answer as I walked in the house, quickly pulling off my jacket and scarf. “Michael, you won’t believe what I caught your daughter trying to buy” she screeched making me roll my eyes as I walked towards the kitchen, looking for something little to eat. As I Grabbed an orange to eat, it got suddenly quiet with just a few mumbled words coming from my father’s office.
“Danielle get in here!” I heard my father suddenly yell as I was throwing away my garbage and trying to get away by going up into my room. Letting out a sigh as I quickly walked into his room seeing him sitting in his large black leather chair, like some big mob boss with Margot perched beside him like his parrot or something, “Danielle, me and your mother….”
“Step-mother” I grumbled hating when he called Margot my mother, she didn’t have me.
“What was that?” he asked giving me the look that instantly wiped away all the attitude that I seemed to have.
“Nothing…”
“That’s what I thought… As I was saying your mother and I have been talking and we both believe those girls that you call friends are a bad influence. So we have made the decision to not allow you to see them anymore.
“What do you mean allow?” I asked trying to process what he was telling me.
“It’s for your best interest, Danielle” Margot said giving me one of her fake sweet smiles.
“It’s in my best interest to force me to stop seeing my best friends?” I asked giving them an outrageous look.
“They aren’t good for you. Those aren’t the type of friends that’ll help you get into Harvard” my father said making me roll my eyes as I started to leave to upset to really talk anymore. “And because of your stupid stunt today, know that you are not allowed to leave this house the whole weekend while me and your mother at the company’s Halloween party then go to Chicago for that business trip” he yelled up my stairs as I slammed my bedroom door shut.
Quickly throwing myself on my large bed I let out a loud yell into my pillow gaining the attention of Jinx who quickly got up and rubbed his head against my own. Laughing a little, I rubbed the small kittens head, hearing my phone jingle signaling I had a text. Finding my phone in my messy bag, I pulled it out noticing it was Alyssa texting me.
From: Lys ♥
Me and Nat bought you the costume. No need to thank us. So you still coming?
I stared at her message for a while till a not so good girl thought came to my mind. If my dad was going to be unfair… Fine, but then I guess it’s time to be the typical teen and rebel.
To: Lys ♥
Hell yeah! See you in a little bit