2

"I don't believe in sure things/There's pain in what the truth brings" -New Found Glory, "It's been a summer"

"Aarg!" I groaned as my phone continued to ring – loudly, shrilly, and in my ear on a Saturday morning. I grabbed the Homer Simpson receiver and muttered a noise I wasn't sure even I knew the meaning of.

"Hello! I guess I woke you up, huh?" a good friend, Cass, chirped. She should have known not to call me before 10 A.M., by penalty of death.

"Well, duh! I hope you have a damn good reason for this call," I said.

"Like…?"

"Like Green Day breaking up, or your mom died, or something like that," I replied. "Stupid question, Cass."

"Yeah, I know. But, my sole purpose in life is to annoy you by asking stupid questions."

"Don't I know it!" I exclaimed. "So what's up?"

"You wanna hit the mall today? Not that I have any money, but we could glass-drop." Glass-dropping was basically window-shopping with a different name. Cass and I invented it ages ago. Windows are made of glass, shop 'till ya drop. Get it?

"Yeah, I'm broke too. But sure, what time will you pick me up?" Even though I was 17, I didn't have a car. I had my license, but no wheels. Which totally and completely sucked because I LOVED to drive.

"I can be over in 10," Cass offered.

"How 'bout an hour? I was just cruelly woken up."

"'Kay. I'll be over at 10."

"Oh, hey, do you mind if we stop at Jo's?" I asked, mentioning a hairstylist's studio I went to. "I wanna re-dye my hair again." I explained.

"Sure. What colour this time?" she questioned.

"I was thinking orange, since All Hallow's Eve is tomorrow," I answered.

"Oh, I was going to ask you, are you going to Brad's party tomorrow night?"

"Well, it would be kind of hard, seeing as how I'm not invited..."

"Oh...well this is awkward."

"'S ok. We run with different people. " I said.

"Cool. Later, then," she said.

"Later."

I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. I stood, stretched, and yawned. Walking over to my dresser, I cracked my knuckles. I pulled open the top drawer, grabbed a tee shirt, and slammed it closed. I snatched my black jeans from my butterfly chair and slouched into my bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I was finally out of the shower and dressed. I took a few minutes to spike my hair and comb it.

Finally I stumbled downstairs, still not fully awake. I walked to the fridge and got out milk for cereal. Setting it on the counter, I grabbed the box of cheerios and a bowl from the cabinet, and spoon from the drawer. I flopped into a chair and poured my breakfast before realizing I had an audience. Niko, my mom, and Daine, my dad, sat with amused expressions on their faces.

"Good morning, sweetheart," said Niko.

"Morning," I told her.

"Morning, bee," Daine said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, I'm going to the mall with Cass today," I said.

"Gee, thanks for asking. Of course you can go," Niko said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up." This came, surprisingly, not from me, but Daine.

By now I was finished with my cereal, so I rinsed my bowl out and left the bright and cheery room. I went to sit on the couch in the somewhat darker living room, where Mads was conked out. I had barely sat down when I heard Cass honking her horn. I grabbed my Sergeant Pepper jean jacket, yelled "Goodbye" and walked out the door. I opened the car door and jumped in and said a quick hello to Cass.

"Hey," she said.

Five minutes later and one conversation about how great Gwen Stefani's voice is down the drain, we were at Jo's. An hour after that, we (Cass and me with my bright orange hair) were roaming the mall.

"So," I said. "How's Alan?"

"He's fine. Why do you ask?" she said.

"Well, I figured that since he's the guy that keeps you away from your friends so much, he's gotta be great."

"Oh God. Not this shit again," she sighed.

"I just don't think that you should give up you own identity and personality for just a GUY!"

"He's not just a guy, Del! He's THE guy!"

"How can you kn-"

"Really, Del? I'm sick of this shit. If you were really my best friend, you wouldn't care about him, you'd care that I'm happy. And I am happy. So just drop it, okay?"

I glared at her for a minute, and then backed off. I was still pissed at her, but decided that being stranded at the mall without a ride home wasn't really a good option.

We spent another hour wandering around, and I could tell that Cass's glad I had "forgotten" the fight. She dropped me off at home later, and I zoned out on the couch.

I still couldn't get past the fact that Cass was willing to give up her own personality to fit in with a guy…but I guessed she was right. It was her choice.