20Title: Just My Luck
Written by: Effay
Date: Saturday 5th January 2008, 7:48pm
Summary: I had a plan. It did not involve ridiculous deviations to go on a road trip with my two crazy best friends nor did it exclude the fact that the trip itself had no plan whatsoever and it definitely did not involve a partying-dropout-turned-musician-hitchhiker Chase.
Chapter One: With friends like these, who needs enemies?
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!"
"I already said it a thousand times and I'll say it again, no."
"Oh, come on already Al!"
"My name is Alexis, not Al, Latoya."
"And my name is Toy but you don't see me whining whenever you call me my real name. So quit being such a wuss and try it!"
"Exactly: your real name. And what part of 'no' do you not understand?"
"The world will not end if we shorten your name to an affectionate pet name and this slushie will not jump out of its plastic cup to mug you of your superior intelligence either." Cameron sighed heavily as Latoya thrust the plastic cup in my face again, the cherry red straw nearly poking my eye out.
"Well, it's doing a pretty good job of trying to rob me of my vision! Besides, what is this, 'Let's All Torture Alexis Kennedy Day' or something?" I waved my arms about, ducking to miraculously avoid what would have been my eyeball impaled on a Snow Freez Delight slushie straw.
"No, that's every day."
I let out a growl of frustration before letting my head drop onto one of the many tables in the Centreville food court, my forehead coming into contact with the cool plastic surface. It was only a split second later that I realized the possible consequence of my action due to the uncertainty I had felt before on whether or not the table had been cleaned properly. I immediately jerked up, grabbing the last of my stock of wet-wipes and rubbing it furiously across my forehead to get rid of any disgusting bacteria it may have accumulated during its short acquaintance with the table. I shuddered at the thought of all the bacteria that may be lying in wait for some poor innocent person like me to drop their foreheads onto the table and gain a virus. I need a shower.
"Relax already, will you?! Jesus Christ, you're jumpier than a grasshopper on a bright summer's day! And Alex, just a little tip for next time, tables don't carry brain-sucking viruses so cool it with the spastic rubbing." My best friend Latoya Jacobs advised me, a smirk on her blue-stained lips. I glared at her, imagining my brown eyes were killing her with their saber-like light beams of blue before my nose scrunched up and effectively destroyed my fantasy as a plastic cup filled with a purple substance was jiggled in my face yet again for what seemed like the thousandth time today.
"One tiny sip isn't going to kill you, dumbass." Cameron Johansson, my other best friend of six years, drawled as he started to shake the cup with urgency, the little straw jumping about violently. If my eyeball was not impaled sooner or later then I was almost afraid it would suddenly break free from the lower encasement of its body and plunge straight into one of my eyeballs.
"First of all, I don't like unnecessary victuals that serve no other purpose other than as a cause of cavities on a hot, thirsty day – my advice is get water. Second of all, putting artificial preservatives that is decorated with coloured glucose is not my idea of fun, nor will it be thirst-quenching for me. Third of all, have you any clue where the ice has been?! And fourth of all, take a look in the mirror and tell me that what you see isn't stupid." I finished off my speech-like rant with a flourish of my right hand towards their faces. I shot Latoya a disapproving a look as she slurped more of that disgusting substance into her mouth.
"You're utterly hopeless, you do realize that don't you Al?" Cameron tutted as he shook his head before proceeding to shake the cup to break down the chunks of shredded ice.
"Maybe I am but for your information, I would like to be hyper-free, cavity-free and –"
"- have a stick jammed up your ass. Yes, Allie, we get it." Latoya cut me off, rolling her bright blue eyes at me before sucking on her straw, the sound produced alerting her to the fact that there was no more liquid and she would have to wait for her ice chunks to melt to take another sip. Cameron just sniggered at me.
"Haha, very funny but that is not what I was going to say. I was going to say, I would like to be hyper-free, cavity-free and healthy." I shot at her.
"Oh yeah, like drinking a slushie will actually kill you." Latoya told me before slurping at her slushie very exaggeratedly, Cameron miming choking to death by clutching his throat, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. I glared at the two of them.
"Haha, you guys think you're all so funny." I growled, reaching a hand to push up my large circular glasses from where they'd slipped down my nose during our disagreement.
"Yes, we really do." Cameron smiled before getting up from his seat and surveying the food court, no doubt looking for his famous meal. He always eats the disgusting concoction every time we come here. A grin on his face, he immediately headed off towards the counter without a backwards glance at us. Such is the habit of Cameron who is forever forgetting about the little things once he's focused on something. And he won't rest until he gets whatever it is that he wants or has to do.
"It's not really that bad hon. Honestly Allie, you need to quit with this whole negative, pessimistic attitude on the world. Just relax will you? You don't have to be so high strung all the time." Latoya told me not unkindly, more like in the kind of tone that says, 'this attitude is getting really tiring' except without the censored parts.
"I have to be. I mean, if I'm not going to be the responsible one, who will?" I answered back smarmily. She smiled at that and dropped her head to gaze at the melting ice in her plastic cup.
"You know Allie, one day you're going to meet someone who you absolutely hate because they don't measure up to your standards. You will hate every single little thing about them and even when they do try and measure up, you'll hate them even more for it. They will change you and show you what it's really like to live in the world. And then you'll fall in love with them." She stated, the smile on her face becoming more secretive. She reached her bejewelled, tanned hand over to mine, clasping my fingers tightly in her usual tight grip. I stared at the multicoloured assortment of rings on her hand, watching as the ugly fluorescent light of the food court reflected off each colour. You have to give her credit for being originally colourful and not conforming to matching colours. Even if sometimes they are a little harsh on the eyes. "I know it sounds silly and incredibly unlikely but believe me Alexis, it will come to pass and when it does, you won't think it's so silly then." She wisely said and looked up at me; her purple outlined blue eyes boring into my plain brown ones. Did I mention how much of a hippie she is? I'm sure one can guess anyway – just look at her name for starters.
"Aw, having a lovey dovey moment now are we?" Cameron interrupted the moment with a huge smile on his goofy face, setting his tray down and revealing the brightly coloured goo sitting on it. I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose as the scent invaded my nostrils.
"Nope, we were just talking." Latoya looked at me, the familiar cheeky twinkle back in her eyes.
"Right..." He looked at the both of us suspiciously as he sat down before shrugging it off and attacking the fast food slop.
"Do you honestly have to eat that every time we come here?" I frowned at the cheese oozing out of the cardboard container, my stomach turning as Cameron grabbed a nearby bottle of ketchup that had...sauce crusted around the edge of the cap. I felt a little green as he popped the bottle open with a grunt, watching the lumps of fresh ketchup mix in with the crust decorated around the edge, before shaking it to send splashes of red goo and god knows what else onto his cheese fries.
"Yep, it's a tradition, remember Al?" Cameron looked up at me, winking before setting the bottle down and plunging his hand to grab a fry covered in yellow and red sauce. Keeley followed suit with a look directed towards me, popping her soggy chip into her mouth.
I held back a shudder. Processed cheese and lumpy ketchup crust blobs...I made a face. I tried to hold it back, I honestly did but I couldn't help it. All those germs...I could just imagine them swimming around in my stomach. I think I'm going to hurl.
"You know, I don't think we'll even bother." Cameron said to Latoya who nodded, her head tilted to one side as she looked at me. Immediately, I was suspicious.
"Bother with what...?" My eyes narrowed as they darted back and forth between the two of them – both of which were exchanging meaningful looks and looking as if they were having a telepathic conversation before Latoya transferred her gaze to me. Her eyes were studious in that patronizing way that makes you feel like every part of you, no matter how insignificant be it the state of your fingernails to the way you chew your food, is getting picked apart and being analyzed carefully. After a while of silence in which she squinted at me, I began to fidget under her gaze. She may be one of my best friends but that doesn't make her any less intimidating. "What?" I asked again. Something is definitely up. Now Cameron was looking at me too, a knowing smirk on his face. She slurped again at her slush, producing that irritating sucking sound that indicates there is no liquid left. I hate that sound; it makes me feel like snatching the damn thing and chucking it out the nearest window. Or into a bin preferably because you know, it wouldn't be very environmentally friendly if I did that. Just when I felt like I was about to snap at her, she stopped sucking and straightened up.
"With asking you if you want to come on a road trip after graduation." Thank god. I don't do road trips. In fact, I even hate mall trips, elementary school trips to pick up my younger sister – I'd much rather be at home now trying to finish one intriguing book about the constants in physics. It's pretty mind-blowing but no, my two best friends just had to drag me out instead. Besides that, I have too much to focus on such as maintaining my Harvard scholarship – I don't have time for sudden road trips. One thing about me: I never deviate from the plan. And the plan is Harvard. Has been my dream since I was about nine – I knew that for sure.
"We're telling you instead."
what do you think? let me know, please! :D
it gets better as it goes on though, at least i think so. hope so.
EDIT NOTE: title changed from 'screw you, murphy'.
xo, effay.