Chapter 8

  When we are done with our food, I go to the garbage and throw out the trash. I always hated throwing things out because I was never that good at placing them in the right bin. Maybe because I was just dumb, or maybe because I really didn’t care. I put the trash in the garbage and started heading back to the table where Aria was sitting and so we can leave this place. I see her talking to someone, someone who will never leave my mind, someone whose name was Jackson Reed. Damn it!

  “Um, hey.” I say very awkward because Jackson is talking to my best friend! Why the hell is he talking to Aria?

  “Oh, hey Mia, I was just getting ready to walk over to you until I saw Jackson coming by my way.” She smiles, which isn't making me feel better…

  “Hey Mia.” He says while giving me a bright white smile and a wink. I just want to kill him, but at the same time I want to kiss him hard... Very, very hard so he can feel the love I have for him.

  “Sup... So, Aria! Why don't we just head back to the school she we won’t be late for our class.

  “Yeah sure, got to go Jackson, this one is very cranky”. She says while smiling at him but also me, which is still not making me smile back.

  “Yeah sure, I gotta go too, my friends are waiting for me, just hoping they didn’t leave me alone because I gave them the keys to my car” He says, laughing which is really making it hard for me to be mad at him for talking to Aria. We say bye to Jackson and I walk away from that place as fast as I can, leaving Aria running to catch up with me.

  “Yo, you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Oh, nothing is wrong. I just saw you talking to my crush. I don’t even want him talking to you!!”

  “Dude, are you jealous because he was talking to me?” She says, concerned, looking like I had caught them kissing him or I saw them have sex in my room. Ugh.

  “No, ugh I’m fine, it's just…”

  “What? What’s wrong? Mia, you know you can tell me anything.” She says while putting her arm over my shoulder.

  “It’s just, you're my friend, not his. Also, I don’t want to see him talking to you, it’s weird. I mean isn’t it weird for you to see Michael talking to me?” I say while putting my hand in my hair and combing it down.

  “Aw, dude, no one's ever going to replace us, and yeah it’s weird”. She says while giving me a big smile that looks like it’s hurting her face.

  “Yeah I know, that’s why I reacted like that.” I say. She laughs.

  “I know right! Hey, let’s go, we are so going to be late for class” Aria and I make it back at school just in time before our class begins. We go down the halls and make a quick trip to our lockers.

  “So, what do you think?” She says grinning at me. I don’t even know what she’s talking about.

  “Think about what?” I say. She makes a sad puppy dog face that means that I so do not know what she is talking about at all. Damn it, I hate it when she makes that face, it makes me want to stab myself for not knowing what she wants me to say.

  “Really, Mia? You really don’t see anything new with me? Anything at all?”

  “Um, should I?” I say while grabbing my history book from my locker.

  “Mia!!! Are u serious? You really don’t see anything new about me?”

  “Um… your period came again?” I say, blushing while a couple of boys walk past us.

  “OMG, you’re not serious. Look at my ear”. She says. She turns to her right putting her hand on her ear and me staring at it until I notice it. She got a piercing? Aria got a piercing? She’s too scared to walk in the dark, and she got a piercing.

  “You got a piercing?” I say, very confused. It’s Aria! She’s the person who told me piercings and tattoos are bad and it they make you look stupid. I’m just praying she didn’t get a tattoo on her hip or something.

  “Duh, I didn’t show you in the morning because you looked tired, so I wanted to show you it at lunch but Jackson came by so I couldn’t show you it right away. So? What do you think?” She says in such a thrill. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care because I was going to get one too, it’s just I’m scared it will hurt, so I may get one when I finish high school. I couldn’t tell Aria that I didn’t care, I needed to be a good friend, so I have to tell her I love it or else she will tell herself that she was stupid or something for doing it.

  “Wow, it’s something. Um, did it hurt?”

  “Duh, what do you think? It almost killed me, I wanted to scream so badly but I wanted to look cool and there were a group of hot guys in the store so I kept it in”

  “Wow, it looks really beautiful Aria, I’m so happy for you”. I say while smiling at her, but really, it just looks like a normal piercing on the top of her ear.

  “Thanks! You should get one too, you know”

  “Hmm, I guess so” I say to her while I am walking to class.

  “Great! We will go after school”

  “Um what?” I do not want to do it after school. I have better things to do while punching holes into my ear for nothing.

  “Yeah, we will go after school. Please, Mia!! I want you to match me so we will look like twins!” She says, looking like she’s going to burst with happiness. For what, me punching a hole into my ear for nothing, just to look like a twin for Aria. We won’t even look like twins. Half of the girls in our school have piercings just like Aria’s. We won’t be the only one with this kind.

  I can’t say no, plus it will make me look like I chickened out, which I am not chicken. No way will I look like a chicken in front of my best friend.

  “Hell, yeah.” I say with excitement, hoping I won’t die and bawl like an idiot in the store.

  “Great! We will go after, ok? First, we have to go to our class, see you later alligator!” She says while walking away from me and waving goodbye almost hitting someone behind her. Aria is so damn clumsy.

  “In a while, crocodile”. I reply while walking away from her so I can go to History and not get yelled at Ms. Sherlot. Hoping this period will go by fast, so I can leave this stupid school and pierce my ears. Piercing my ears because Aria wants to. Piercing my ears just so I can look cool. Piercing my ears so I can feel pain for nothing, just for Aria. She is so lucky I love her, or I wouldn't be doing this at all. Wait scratch that, so I wouldn't be doing this ever in my lifetime.

 
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