Thursday, April 28, 2016

Holy Mother of Debra (Chapter 5)

One day, Debra was alone in her room again, trying to meditate on her yoga mat. Her cassette player was playing a different tape but with the same voice and similar music. She was sitting down with her legs crossed, eyes closed and her hands in a pinching gesture as the backs of them were on her knees. She listened to the tape and began responding to it like she did days before.
"You are way up in the blue sky, sitting on a fluffy cloud," said Jimmy, the voice on the tape.
"I am way up in the blue sky, sitting on a fluffy cloud."
"Sitting on that cloud is like sitting on the insides of a pillow."
"Sitting on that cloud is like sitting on the insides of a pillow."
"The sun is shining on your face but not too bright."
"Ha, I don't think you'd let the sun blind me, Jimmy."
"The sun is giving you warmth and providing you light."
"Oh, I think it's just the magic of your voice."
"Up on your cloud, you are the ruler of the universe."
"I am the ruler of the universe. Jimmy, you flatter me. You so fine."
In the midst of her meditation, Debra heard a knock on her bedroom door.
"Don't come in. I have company."
Debra's mother opened the door and stuck her head inside the room.
Debra opened her eyes and looked at her mother. "I said don't come in."
"I'm halfway in," said her mom. She stepped into the bedroom. "Now I'm in. I don't see no company in here."
"Now you're getting slowly drenched by the light rain falling from the sky," said Jimmy.
"Oh, I guess you do have company here. I remember Jimmy."
"What are you doing here?" Debra asked nicely, getting up and facing her mom.
"I got you peanuts." Debra's mother reached down her tight sweater and pulled out a little, long bag of sliced nuts.
Debra lightly took the bag out of her hands. "Gee, your breasts kept them nice and warm."
"Why do you gotta sound sarcastic?"
"I can't help it sometimes. I get it from Skye."
"Listen, I may have told you about my cancer scare at the wrong time."
"I feel like any time would be the wrong time."
"That's why I didn't want to say anything."
"Listen, before you say you're sorry, I gotta say that I'm sorry. I kinda handled the news the wrong way. I don't want it to be cancer. But I was really mad at you."
"I understand. I'm not mad at you for being mad. You wanted the truth so I gave you the truth."
"That's the thing: the truth can hurt sometimes. It hurts me that when you were told that you might have cancer, you realized that you needed to spend more time with your kids."
"Yes, I made a realization. But isn't that good? I want to see my kids before I die."
"But what if you don't die? What if you didn't even have this scare? You wouldn't even be here."
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is. You only see me and Leroy once a week and if not that, once every two weeks. Even when you have more time than you usually do, you never come over or call us. Just admit it: you don't want to spend time with us."
"If I admit that, it would be a lie. Of course I want to spend time with you and Leroy. I don't know, I guess that after the divorce, I wanted to focus on me more. I wanted to give myself the love that your father didn't want to give me. Not that I'm blaming your dad; don't look at your dad a different way. I just got more self-absorbed and without realizing it, I've been spending more time with myself than with my kids. I'm sorry, Debra. I love you and your brother to death. I never want to hurt you on purpose. I'm really sorry."
"I forgive you. But if you're going to spend time with us, shouldn't we do something that we all want to do?"
"You told me once that you wanted a manicure."
"Yeah but I said that because my nails were looking bad at the time. I just needed them filed down, that's all."
Debra's mother giggled. "Fine, we'll all do something that we want to do every day."
"Every day? Mother, no offense but I don't want to be with you every day."
"You can't be that mad at me."
"No, I meant that we're polar opposites. The things you want to do, I don't want to do. And the things I want to do, you won't want to do."
"Well, shoot, what do you want to do?"
"I think we should take a yoga class."
"Ain't gonna happen."
"See? I like peace and quiet and you... don't. We should definitely spend time together, just not every day. You should get your nails and hair 'did' while I practice some meditation."
"You actually like meditating and sitting on the floor? With Jimmy?"
"'Yep-suru'. I have so much fun finding my inner galaxy."
"I never understood why you talk like that."
"It's just a language that parents don't understand."
"Whatever. So are we good?"
Debra responded by giving her mom a hug, which she reciprocated.
"Aw, mom," said Debra while letting go. "You're gonna be fine. I know it."
"Thanks, sweetie. Should I leave you the heck alone now?"
"Yes, leave me the heck alone."
The women laughed at the same time.
"Alright, I'll leave you alone with 'Jimmy'," said the mother.
"Thank you."
"Pretend that you're soaring through the air unclothed like a bird," uttered Jimmy.
"Hey, you better watch your mouth, Jimmy," Debra's mom said to the cassette player.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Holy Mother of Debra (Chapter 4)

                The day after, Debra's mother brought her kids to the hair salon in hopes to convince Debra to change up her hairstyle. She made Debra sit down in one of the chairs next to a stout stylist while she stood next to her daughter. Her son was sitting in the waiting section with the patient others, trying to make conversation with the older women.
                "Are you sure you don't want to go back to your natural hair color?" asked Debra's mother.
                "Yes, I'm sure," responded Debra.
                "But you look good as a brunette."
                "And I look good as a redhead."
                "But your carpet needs to match the drapes. And if you're gonna have red drapes, you need to dye your carpet red. Then you'll become a fire crotch."
                Debra scrunched her forehead. "Uh, no one is going to see my carpet, mother, so I don't think I have to dye it red."
                "Do you at least want it a different color? Like blonde? Like me?" Her mother pulled on her long, curly, honey-colored hair.
                "I'm good."
                "What do you want, sweetie?" asked the nice-haired stylist.
                "Whatever's good, I guess. Just don't wash it."
                As the stylist picked up a thin comb from the dresser in front of them and began to groom Debra's short, red hair, her mother stood by to keep pestering her with questions.
                "So how's your relationship with Kyle?"
                "It's good," answered Debra. "It's strong. I really like him."
                "So... what's up with that?"
                "What's up with what?"
                "I don't know. Have you always had an interest in Asian people?"
                Debra scrunched her eyebrows. "Uh, I've always had an interest in all people."
                "But why did you choose him?"
                "Not because he's Asian."
                "So you know?"
                "I'm not blind, mother. It's obvious but I don't care. He's sweet and creative and passionate. We have a lot in common."
                "Okay, okay. You like him now. Do you see yourself ever going back?"
                "Back to where?"
                "You know. You're gonna end up with a black man, right?"
                Debra turned around, perturbing the stylist who became indecisive on whether to keep combing her hair. "Mom, I can't believe you're even asking me that," Debra said, angrily yet quiet. "You're gonna resent Kyle because he's not black?"
                "No, I'm not gonna resent him. You can have an Asian boyfriend... but not for a long time."
                "Oh, my osh bekosh." Debra looked away for a second. "I am not going to end up with someone just because of his race. I'm going to end up with them because they're the one and I love them. I really like my Asian boyfriend. I mean my regular boyfriend. He's my boyfriend. Just my boyfriend. And I'm not going to dump him to please you."
                "I'm not saying you have to dump him. But if you stay with him, I'll--"
                "You'll what? Stop spending time with us? I honestly don't care if we spend time at all."
                "Who the frick is you to talk to me like that?!"
                "Hey, mom," said Leroy after approaching the ladies. "Can I borrow a few dollars? I'm not gonna spend it; I just need it to make me look rich."
                "What kind of reason is that?"
                "There's this... girl that I'm trying to impress and I need some extra swag."
                "When you say, 'girl', you mean 'grown woman'? Leroy, cut it out. If you're going to have a girlfriend, shouldn't she be your age?"
                "Mom, he does have a girlfriend," said Debra. "She just doesn't exist."
                "Why are you bullying your brother?"
                "Yeah, why you doggin' me?" asked Leroy.
                "I'm not trying to dog or bully anyone," defended Debra. "I'm just reacting to the dysfunction before my eyes. And I'm questioning myself why do you want to hang out with us?"
                "No, you should ask yourself why you don't want to hang out with me," said her mother.
                "Why don't you want to hang out with mom?" queried Leroy. "I love spending all this time with her. Everywhere we go, we're surrounded by the finest honeys."
                "She never hangs out with us," said Debra. "And all of a sudden, she pops up and starts spending time with us. But she's taking us to places that she wants to go to, not where we want to go to. I don't know about you but I'm not down with that. Like what is the deal, mom?"
                "The deal is I wanted to spend time with the family I love," responded her mother.
                "Th-This isn't going to be like that Tyler Perry movie, is it?"
                "No! I was just trying to be nice to you and give you the things you deserve."
                "But I don't want that. I swear, mother, what is up?"
                Her mother sighed, dropping her big chest down. "Alright. You want to know? Last week, I paid a visit to the doctor and he found a lump in my breast. He said it might be cancer. Like breast cancer."
                "You have breast cancer, mom?" Leroy inquired. His eyes became a puppy dog's and his lips almost dropped into a pout.
                "I'm not sure yet. I have another appointment with him in a few days. Later, I'll know for sure. Are you two alright?"
                Debra nodded her head. "Yeah, no, it's terrible. It's terrible that you might have breast cancer and that you're using it as an excuse to see us when you should have been seeing us after the divorce."

                Debra got up from the rotisserie chair and stormed out of the hair salon. Her mother and brother stared at the door before looking at each other.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Holy Mother of Debra (Chapter 3)

A few days later, Debra was at the shopping center with her mom and brother. They visited a store called, "Skintight" and Debra's mother urged her to try on some clothes that Debra aren't normally into. While Debra put on a short strapless dress in a stall in the dressing room, her mother went back into the store to find something for herself. During her alone time, Debra got ahold of her flip cell phone and deciphered who to call. Randomly, she picked Skye and briskly poked the buttons on the phone to dial her number. She held the phone to her ear and waited for her friend to answer.
"'Sup, Debs," greeted Skye's voice.
"Hey, Skye. Listen, do you got a minute?"
"No but I'll talk to you anyway."
"Okay. I know I told you that my mom was acting weird but she's acting weird. She is hanging out with me and Leroy more than she ever did."
"Why is it weird that your mom wants to hang out with you and Leroy?"
"Because she never wants to."
"Well, she wants to now. I don't comprehend what the problem is."
"Well, I kinda like not spending time with my mother."
"No, you didn't just say that, Debra."
"I mean, not in that way. I love my mom. You know I love my mom. But me and my mom are polar opposites. I'm quiet, she's loud. I'm a flower, she's a garden. I'm beige, she's the rainbow. The only thing we have in common is that we like peanuts. Who bonds over peanuts?"
"Me and Jeffrey like subs."
"Not a good example. I want to spend time with my mom. Of course I want that. It used to be all I asked for. But we're just not the perfect pair. Mothers and daughters are supposed to be like peanut butter and jelly. But my mom is strawberry jam and I'm... salad dressing. That is not a good mix."
"That sounds like something Madeline would only eat."
Debra giggled. "Don't make me laugh; I can hardly breathe."
"Why can't you breathe?"
"Because my mother put me in a tight froufrou dress and it's squeezing the good life out of me. I look like Snooki if she was a lemon."
"Ooh, that's bad. Why don't you tell your mom that you don't want to look like lemon Snooki?"
"I tried. It's like my words are going into one ear then off to Disney Land."
"Listen, Debra, you need to grab a pair of prairie oysters and put them on so you can tell your mom what you really want."
"I don't know, Skye."
"Then just tell your mom what's her deal. You know, why is she bothering you."
"She's not bothering me. I just rather meditate... and talk to Jimmy."
"Who's Jimmy?"
"Nobody. I got to go, okay?"
"Alright. Good luck with your mom. I know how scary she can be."
"My mom's not scary."
"Your mom practically beat up everyone at the Thanksgiving dinner party last year. She's worse than Andrea."
"I guess you're right about that. Have a nice day!"
"Yeah, I never do."
Debra hung up the phone and held it for a while, relaxing her arm.
"Debra, did you put it on?" yelled her mother who had just entered the room.
"Yeah," Debra replied, fixing the top of her bright yellow dress. She took a look at herself in the body mirror that was secured to the left wall of the stall.
"Does it look good?"
"Well, I look like a Lemonhead and I like Lemonheads so I guess I do look good."

Monday, April 25, 2016

Holy Mother of Debra (Chapter 2)

                Later that day, Debra's mother decides to spend time with her children by taking them to the nail salon. Debra and her mother were at the tables, getting their nails done, while Leroy unsuccessfully hit on grown women in the waiting section of the shop. The women chatted as the manicurists glued acrylic nails on their fingers.
                "Why don't you want to get a car?" asked the mother. "Every teenage girl has a car."
                "Cars pollute the air," responded Debra.
                "So? Everyone in Laguna drives a car and guess what?" Debra's mother took a big whiff of the air. "I breathe in this air every single day."
                "Well, if I get a car, it has to run on vegetable oil."
                "Vegetable oil? Ain't nobody got money to buy a bunch of vegetable oil."
                "Then I don't want a car."
                "Well, if it's all it takes..."
                "Hey, Chantal!" a large African-American woman with wild brown hair said before approaching the two.
                Debra's mother turned her head without moving her arm. "Hey, Sher-ond!"
                "Is that your daughter?!"
                "Yeah! This is Debra."
                "How you doin', Debra?"
                "I'm doing 'spectacu-some'," Debra smiled.
                "What does that mean?"
                "I don't know, girl," responded Debra's mom. "She's been talking like that all day."
                "I never seen Debra at the nail salon with you."
                "Well, she just decided to come with me today."
                "Actually, you dragged me here," corrected Debra.
                "Aren't you having fun?"
                "Well, getting my nails crafted is kinda relaxing."
                "Yeah, it is poppin'," said the big woman. "I get my nails done every week."
                "What's your name again?"
                "'Sher-ond'."
                "Oh, that's pretty. How do you spell it?"
                "S-H-A-R-O-N."
                Debra took some time to think, but not that much time. "Doesn't that spell 'Sharon'?"
                "What you call me?!"
                "Easy, Sher-ond," commanded Debra's mother. "Her name is 'Sher-ond'."
                "I'm sorry," Debra awkwardly giggled.
                "Well, I gotta go get my legs waxed," said Sharon. "I'm having a man come over."
                "Ooh, go get your legs waxed, girl," purred Debra's mom.
                Sharon entered the open door by the tables which led to a room full of customers getting waxed.
                "All done," said the manicurist, who was doing Debra's nails, with a grin.
                Debra looked down at her hands since her eyes were away from them for a while. Attached to her bare short nails were one-and-a-half inch long, rectangular nails colored mauve. She goggled at the long nails while holding her hands in the air.
                "That's cute," commented her mother.

                Debra tried to make fists with her hands but she failed to do so. "I can't close my hands," she noticed. 

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Holy Mother of Debra (Chapter 1)

Debra had some alone time to herself, closing her bedroom door to block out any noises from the outside. She took her red yoga mat from the wall and unrolled it. She laid it out in the biggest space of her room. She walked over to the CD player on her nightstand, surrounded by lit, tiny, apple-scented candles. She pressed "Play" then walked over to her mat. Soothing flute music played from the machine as she sat down, her legs in a crisscross. She placed the back of her hands on each knee and connected the tips of her index finger and thumb. She closed her eyes and listen to the male person's voice that came along with the music.
"Hello, my name is Jimmy."
"Well, hello, Jimmy," Debra responded.
"Let's begin this relaxation technique, shall we?"
"Okay, Jimmy."
"Imagine you're in the middle of a rainforest."
"I am in the middle of a rainforest."
"The air is mild and the ground is dry."
"The air is mild and the ground is dry."
"And all you hear is the rustling of the tree leaves and the whoosh of a distant waterfall."
"All I hear is the rustling of the tree leaves and the whoosh of a distant waterfall... and the sound of your sweet voice, Jimmy."
"At this moment, your bones should be relaxed. Are you relaxed?"
"Yes, Jimmy. I'm relaxed because of you. You sound so fine by the way."
"You are surrounded by crisp air with the aroma of a thousand wild flowers."
"I am surrounded by crisp air with the aroma of a thousand... wild flowers."
"Breathe into this air."
"Whatever you say, Jimmy."
"Breathe in..."
Debra slowly inhaled through her nose, moving her head back.
"And breathe out."
She released her breath, slowly lowering her head back into its normal position.
Suddenly, the bedroom door got kicked open by an extravagant woman.
"Hey!" she uttered.
Debra wasn't very startled but she opened her eyes when she heard someone destroying her privacy. She turned around and saw her mother standing by the door. She approached Debra, her excessive golden jewelry jingling at every step. She curved her glossy pink lips into a smile and put her hands on her big hips.
"Whatcha doin' in here?" her mother asked.
"I was meditating," answered Debra.
"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget you do that. Well, don't you sit there. Give me a hug. I haven't seen you in so long."
Debra bounced up and squeezed her curvaceous mother. When she let go, she stuck her fingers in her mouth and pulled out a strand of blond hair which came from her mother's head.
"What are you doing here?" Debra asked.
"I came to spend time with my only daughter."
"Why?"
"Because I'm your mother."
"I know that. I meant do you actually have time?"
"Yeah! I got some time off from the modeling agency. No taking phone calls for a while."
"Okay. Don't you want to spend time with Leroy, too?"
"Oh, of course!"
Debra's mother turned around and stepped closer to the door. She leaned forward and yelled:
"Leroy! Get your butt in here!"
She walked closer to Debra and waited for her youngest child to arrive.
"Hey, mom," Leroy said, entering the bedroom. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to spend time with y'all."
"Why?"
"Because I'm your mom."
"I know that."
"Can't you guys be happy? Your mother is here."
"We are happy, mother," said Debra.
"Good!" Debra's mother wrapped her right arm around Debra then her left arm around Leroy. "We are gonna have such a good time today."
"A bluebird has landed on your shoulder and begins to tweet a song into your ear," said the man's voice from Debra's CD player.
"What was that?" asked her mother.
"That's Jimmy," responded Debra. "He helps me relax."
"Hmm. I hope that's all he's doing."

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Static Cling (Chapter 5)

Madeline sprinted towards the lunch table and skimmed on the bench, seating herself. Her girlfriends eyed her as she stared at the entrance.
"Look," she told her girls.
They switched their eyes to the door and perceived Chad walking by, hand in hand with a green-eyed, blonde-haired, white-skinned girl.
"You sent Chad to Samantha?" asked Andrea.
"Nope," responded Madeline. "I sent Samantha to Chad. I want nothing to do with him but at the same time, I want him to move on."
"You actually want the best for Chad?" questioned Skye.
"Yeah, I mean I can tell that he really changed. At least a little bit. And I need to make sure that he's out of my business."
"Tell us the truth, Madeline," started Debra. "If you weren't with Homer, how would you have really responded to Chad?"
"Honestly, the same way I did. I could've had a real relationship with him and he proved to me what kind of guy he was. But I hardly thought about him ever since my birthday bash so seeing him again made everything seem like a bigger deal than it was."
"What kind of man loves like this?" sang Lizzie.
Madeline laughed. "Better than Chad."
"I wish I was there," admitted Skye.
"No, you don't."
"So any plans with your dulce, Homer?" asked Andrea.
"I'm going to see him play lacrosse later this week. I'm making him a brownie."
"Brownie?" inquired Debra. "Singular?"
"Yeah, I told him I was going to make him one. Only one."
Skye scoffed. "You're petty."
"Hey, I might be petty but Homer doesn't mind. Besides, who needs a bunch of brownies when it goes down in the D.M.?"
The girls whooped and hooted while shooting glances at each other.
"I don't know what that means," Lizzie admitted.

Static Cling (Chapter 4)

The next day, after school, Madeline didn't go straight home with her car. She decided to hang out with her boyfriend, Homer, for a little while before he went to lacrosse practice. They walked through the halls, hand in hand, shooting the breeze.
"When's your next game?" Madeline asked.
"Next Monday," answered Homer.
"You want me to come?"
"Of course I want you to come."
"Then buy me a ticket."
"I thought you had money."
"I don't spend it on everything."
"If I'm buying the ticket, you have to get me something."
"Why do I have to get you something? Tickets cost, like, ten dollars."
"I feel that we should reciprocate. Can we reciprocate?"
"Fine, sure. Do you like brownies?"
"I love brownies."
"Do you want me to make you one?"
"Just one?"
"Hey, one ticket, one brownie."
"Yeah, I guess that's fair. That's reciprocal."
Madeline and Homer were so distracted that they didn't see Chad coming towards them. He almost bumped into them but caught their attention by saying, "Hey, Madeline!"
"Oh, dear," Madeline sighed.
"Oh, is this your boyfriend?"
"Yes, Chad. Yes, it is."
"Are you the guy making passes at my girl?" questioned Homer.
"Yes, bro," responded Chad. "Yes, I am."
"You need to back off."
"You should back off. Madeline, what about us?"
"There is no us," said Madeline almost high-pitched. "Dodo brain."
"Do you want me to handle him, Madeline?" asked Homer, stepping closer to Chad.
"No, let me speak to him myself."
"C-Can I at least handle him this time?"
"No, let me do it. Just give us some privacy."
"Why do I always got to give you privacy every time you talk to your ex?"
"Homer."
Homer groaned. "Alright."
He distanced himself to the end of the hall so Madeline can have a word with Chad.
"So his name is Homer like Homer Simpson?" asked Chad.
"Don't make fun of his name," commanded Madeline.
"What do you see in him?"
"The things I don't see in you. Chad, what is going on? Okay, because it is completely annoying me. You're smothering me with phone calls and messages. Let me tell you: it does not go down in the D.M. Why do you keep chasing me? I know I'm awesome sauce and all but what's your deal?"
"I don't know. I mean... I still like you. And I feel bad for hurting you. And I know I should have apologized to you right after but I knew you were going to ignore me. Since some time passed, I thought, 'Hey, maybe she forgot about it'."
"Well, I didn't. I will never forgot the night I stifled you with cake in your pretty little face."
"So you still think I'm pretty?"
"Chad, listen! I'm with Homer and I'm gonna be with him for a long time. I don't like you anymore so I'm not gonna be your little rebound."
"I don't want you to be my rebound."
"Hey, you had your chance and you blew it. I will tell you that again and again until you get it. If you wanted me then, you should have never done me wrong."
"I'm sorry, Madeline."
"I'll forgive you if you leave me alone."
"Alright, I will. I guess I haven't been so happy lately and I remember you making me happy so I wanted that happiness again."
"Hey, another awesome and amazing girl will make you happy again. I guarantee it."
"Thanks, Madeline. Can I have a hug?"
"So you can touch my butt? I don't think so."
"Right. Okay, later."
Chad walked backwards for a while then turned around to walk regularly.
"Gosh, I'm so irresistible," Madeline said to herself. "It's like a curse."
Madeline turned around and walked away to find her boyfriend.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Static Cling (Chapter 3)

The next day, a school day, the teenagers were making a transition in the halls from their second class to their third class. Madeline found Lizzie in the hallway and decided to walk with her until they found their next classes.
"Have you listened to Adele's new album?" asked Madeline, opening her almost-filled water bottle.
"Oh, yeah," answered Lizzie.
"I literally cried."
"I was drowning in tears."
Madeline took a sip. "My tears would have literally filled this water bottle."
Lizzie laughed. "She's so good."
"So good."
"Do you know who's also a good singer? Hilary Clinton."
"Wrong person."
"Hilary Duff?"
"There you go. She's not that good of a singer but there you go."
Not for long, the girls stopped when they heard a guy's voice declare, "Can I have everyone's attention please?" They turned around at the same time and saw Chad standing on a chair in the middle of the hallway. Almost everyone walking in the hall stopped and turned their attention to the blond-haired hunk. Chad was holding a guitar which was strapped to his shoulder.
"Oh, my God," muttered Madeline.
"He can play guitar?" asked Lizzie.
"Yeah, he takes a guitar class."
"This is for the most beautiful girl in the school," avowed Chad, "and her name is Madeline."
"Don't embarrass me," she murmured.
Chad took out a guitar pick and started strumming the guitar with it. He constantly switched his fingers on the neck as he played. It sounded pretty good; it was pleasing to the students' ears.
"He's going to sing to you!" smiled Lizzie, hopping. "This is so romantic."
Everyone was staring hard at Chad, hypnotized by his music. Madeline was staring, letting the sweet sound calm her down. Everyone was hooked... until Chad decided to sing. When Chad opened his mouth, his voice wasn't as sweet as his music.

My life is brilliant
My love is pure
I saw an angel
Of that I'm sure
She smiled at me on the subway
She was with another man
And I won't get no sleep on that
'Cause I've got a plan
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You're beautiful, it's true

Half of the crowd was booing Chad; the other half were making strange faces and covering their ears. Madeline and Lizzie just stared at him with blank expressions.
"You know, it's much more romantic when the person can sing," shared Lizzie.
"This is unbelievable," Madeline commented.
"I know. He's terrible!"
"How did he know I love this song?"
Lizzie looked at her friend. "Madeline, you got a boyfriend."
"I got a boyfriend." Madeline looked back at her friend.
"You wanna jet?"
"Yeah, I got to fly like a G6."
Madeline and Lizzie began to walk away together. Noticing that his dream girl was leaving, Chad stopped playing and singing.
"Wait, Madeline!" he hollered, reaching his hand out. "I can do other songs."
Chad held and strummed his guitar, playing a different song. He then sang immediately, as horrible as the last time.

I should've bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should've gave you all my hours
If I had the chance

Everybody was fed up with Chad's terrible singing so they did what the duo did and started walking away.
"How is everybody going to leave?" he yelled, stopping everything.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Static Cling (Chapter 2)

                Madeline was the last person to sit down at her friends' table in the cafeteria in time for lunch. She had various cards in both hands when she came in and smacked them down on the table before she sat down.
                "Read these," she ordered.
                "All of them?" asked Lizzie.
                "Just pick one."
                Each of the girls picked up a card from the pile and looked them over. Most of the cards were of a pastel color, decorated with ribbons or glitter.
                "These are Valentine's Day cards," noticed Skye.
                "I know," said Madeline.
                "'But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun.'," Debra read from her card. "Aw! They got one that quoted Shakespeare."
                "Oh, I know that one!" said Lizzie. "Is that from 'High School Musical'?"
                "Oh, Lizzie, no."
                "Are these from Chad?" asked Andrea.
                "Yeah," answered Madeline.
                "Why is he so hung up on you all of a sudden?" questioned Skye.
                "I don't know. I mean I am super fine. Who wouldn't want me?"
                "All the guys who broke up with you."
                "Shut up. Anyway, he's being really annoying."
                "Why don't you tell him you're uninterested?" suggested Debra.
                "I have. Several times!"
                "Maybe you're not being stern enough."
                "Oh, I know how to be stern."
                In a little while, Lizzie's boyfriend, DeMarcus, sat down next to her with a tray of school lunch. He set the tray on the table before kissing her on the cheek. He then asked, "What's happening?"
                "Madeline has two boyfriends," responded Lizzie.
                "No, I don't," said Madeline. "There's this guy who has decided to bother me."
                "Oh," DeMarcus nodded. "Is that him right there?"
                Madeline turned her head and yelped, startled at the sight of her old friend, Chad, just standing right behind her. The girls almost jumped when they heard her scream.
                "Hey, Madeline," he said, trying to be bashful and nice.
                "What are you doing here?" Madeline asked.
                "I came to see you."
                "But I don't want to see you."
                "You haven't made that clear."
                "I've made it crystal clear!"
                "Just talk to him," suggested Debra.
                "Fine. You wanna talk? Let's go."
                Madeline got out of her seat and hurried out of the cafeteria with Chad following her. Once they were a couple of feet from the entrance, Madeline stopped and turned around to face him. She crossed her arms and cocked her head.
                "Okay, so spill the deets," she asserted. "What do you want to say to me?"
                "Everything I've practically said before," replied Chad.
                "Alright. So if you're gonna tell me something that you've said before, why do you think it's going to change my mind now?"
                "Because I'm serious."
                "You weren't serious then?"
                "No, I was. I just want to get my point across."
                "You did get your point across and I killed it. It trespassed so I killed it like a drone. So how are you going to convince me with a dead point?"
                "You're being really stubborn."
                "If I'm really stubborn, then leave me alone."
                "No, it's okay."
                "Chad, why are you so fixated on me now? Of course, I'm more banging than I ever was but that still doesn't mean anything."
                "I just miss you, okay? We used to have so much fun together and I want what we had again. I never stopped liking you, Madeline."
                "Your girlfriend broke up with you, didn't she?"
                "Yeah."
                Madeline tried to step around Chad to walk away from him but he blocked her.
                "But! But I realized that she never made me as happy as you made me."
                "We were together for a few months. And we weren't even together; it was more of a flirtationship."
                "Hey, it was the best flirtationship I ever had."
                "Whatever, Chad."
                "Please hear me out."
                "No. And if you don't stop stalking me, I'm gonna press charges against you."
                "I'm a minor; you can't do that."
                "I don't care! Just leave me alone or I'm gonna get my friend, Andrea, to come and kick you in the face. And you're gonna deserve it because you're gonna watch the foot come directly to your face."
                Madeline walked past Chad, going straight into the cafeteria.
                "Will you just listen!" begged Chad.

                "Ahh!" Madeline waved her arms around, not looking back at Chad.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Static Cling (Chapter 1)

    Over the weekend, the girls were individually at their homes, chilling in their own ways. Madeline was in her huge bedroom, sitting on the bed, painting her toenails a light blue. As she did so, she was talking to Lizzie on her cellphone, which was secured between her head and shoulder.
    "Is your grandmother still a bother to you?" Madeline asked.
    "No," Lizzie answered, "she's so chill now."
    "Oh, is she?"
    "Yep. We're, like, so close now. Sometimes she'll let me do her makeup."
    "Oh, that's nice."
    "Yeah. And I'll do her nails on her hands and feet but sometimes it's hard because she gets sore."
    "Well, you did back into her with your car and broke her arm and leg."
    "You don't got to remind me. Also, she has toe fungus so I get afraid of polishing her toes anyway."
    "Why are you afraid of toe fungus?"
    "Because it could turn into those talking things you see in commercials that advertise the ointment to get rid of them."
    Madeline heard a beep in her phone. "Oh, hold on a second, girl. I'm getting another call."
    "Okay-kay."
    Madeline stuck the brush in the bottle of nail polish and set it down on her nightstand. She then took her phone by the hand and accepted the call from the unknown number. She pressed the phone against her ear and said, "Hello?"
    "Hello, Madeline?" inquired a male voice.
    "This is she. Who's calling?"
    "It's me, Chad."
    Madeline scrunched her eyebrows. "Chad?"
    "Hey."
    "Hey? Why are you calling me, Chad? I haven't spoke to you in forever. And I don't even want to speak to you."   
    "Then just listen to me. Look, I miss you and I apologize for two-timing you on your birthday."
    "You're apologizing for something that happened one year ago?"
    "Yeah."
    "And you claim you miss me?"
    "Yes, a lot."
    "Chad, my number's always been the same and you hadn't call me once after my birthday extravaganza. So why are you calling me now?"
    "Because I missed you so much."
    "Uh-huh."
    "And I realized how good of a connection we had."
    "Uh-huh."
    "And I wasn't thinking when I cheated on you. No girl had a purpose in my life besides you."
    "Uh-huh."
    "And you're just saying, 'Uh-huh' without actually listening to me, are you?"
    "Uh-huh."
    "Look, just give me one more chance."
    "You had a chance and you blew it. You think because you're so good-looking and suave and blond that I can just fall back into your arms? I don't think so, honey."
    Madeline hung up on Chad and continued her call with Lizzie.
    "I'm sorry about that, girl. Were we talking about toe fungus or something?"

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Girls Like Skaters (Chapter 5)

                Eventually, Skye started to feel better. Her head was still aching but it wasn't so bad. Many people checked up on her to make sure she was okay. But she was fine; she wasn't loopy anymore. Her bandmates soon consoled her at the table she was sitting at.
                "I told her not to do it," mentioned Kent.
                "Sure, Kent," said David.
                "He really did," defended Skye. "But I did it anyway because I'm an idiot."
                "Yeah, you are."
                Skye pinched David on the arm, making him flinch. He held onto his arm and uttered, "Ow!"
                "Skye, what you did was stupid," shared Sean. "But I appreciate it." He formed his hand into a fist so the two could fist-bump. "You're hardcore, sister. You're hardcore."
                Skye shook her head and giggled. Soon she looked up and saw Jeffrey coming her way. The guys saw him, too, so they left to give them a little bit of privacy. Jeffrey sat on the bench next to Skye.
                "How's your head?" he asked.
                "How a head should feel," Skye responded.
                "You know, you could've really hurt yourself. Why did you do that?"
                "I don't know. I guess I was trying to get your attention."
                "You're my girlfriend. If you want my attention, you can have it."
                "I know. I'm just an attention whore."
                Jeffrey snickered.
                "Why is that funny?" Skye smiled.
                "I don't know."
                "You do know." Skye softly squeezed his cheek so it wouldn't hurt. "But you're right, I could've hurt myself. I mean I did but I know what you mean."
                "Yeah. Just never do anything like that again. You're the first girl I truly like and to lose such a girl would devastate me."
                "I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I promise I won't do that again. I'll probably do a lot of stupid things in the future but it won't be that."
                Jeffrey laughed, showing his cute smile. "You're too much."
                "Are you sure I'm not too little?"
                "I love you."
                Skye just stared at him. Suddenly, her headache came back. "I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered. "I didn't h-hear you. Can you say that again?"
                "I said I love you."
                Skye was silent again. "O-Of course you did," she slowly said. "Of course you said that. Okay." She smiled, trying to be cute. She pinched Jeffrey's cheek again, maintaining eye contact. "You know how I feel about you."
                She let go of his cheek and kept smiling. Jeffrey felt awkward, losing his smile and staring at Skye who wouldn't stop looking at him. He wanted to hear the words yet he didn't want to take it the wrong way.

                Later, as the evening arrived, Skye was with her band who were at their usual positions. Sean and David were holding their guitars, Kent was sitting at his drums and Skye was standing in front of a microphone stand. Besides them were speakers which their instruments were plugged into. And in front of them were every skateboarder at the park.
                "How is everyone doing today?" Skye hollered into the microphone.
                The teenagers cheered as loud as they could.
                "Did anyone here see me cheat death?"
                The teens cheered again.
                "Yeah, I don't know how to skateboard very well. But I know I can do one thing and that's sing. Do you hear us rock?!"
                They cheered again.
                "Let's go!"
                The teenagers cheered and applauded the band as they began to play. Kent did a drum roll before Sean and David started to play a melodious riff on their guitars for the pop punky intro. Skye began to sing over the new rhythm that the band then produced.

He was a boy, she was a girl
Can I make it any more obvious?
He was a punk, she did ballet
What more can I say?
He wanted her, she'd never tell
And secretly, she wanted him as well
But all of her friends stuck up their nose
They had a problem with his baggy clothes

                The band played louder when Skye started to sing the chorus.

He was a skater boy
She said see you later, boy
He wasn't good enough for her
She had a pretty face
But her head was up in space
She needed to come back down to earth

                The band played the introduction again then started to play a little quieter for the bridge. Skye took off the microphone and walked around, singing into it with more emotion.

Sorry, girl, but you missed out
Well, tough luck, that boy's mine now
We are more than just good friends
This is how the story ends
Too bad that you couldn't see
See the man that boy could be
This is more than meets the eye
I see the soul that is inside

He's just a boy and I'm just a girl
Can I make it any more obvious?
We are in love, haven't you heard
How we rock each other's world

I'm with the skater boy
I said see you later, boy
I'll be backstage after the show
I'll be at the studio, singing the song we wrote
About a girl you used to know
I'm with the skater boy
I said see you later, boy
I'll be backstage after the show
I'll be at the studio, singing the song we wrote
About a girl you used to know


                Skye put the microphone back on the stand after the boys finished the song. David shook his guitar to let it ring for a while. The watching and listening skateboarders went wild, applauding the band. Skye smiled and waved at Jeffrey, the biggest supporter present who was clapping it up. 

Monday, April 11, 2016

Girls Like Skaters (Chapter 4)

"Skye, you can't do this," said Kent.
Skye caught a glimpse of the huge ramp under her feet. "I got to," she said, looking at Kent. "Jan rode this ramp."
"Because Jan is a skilled skateboarder."
"How hard can this be?"
"How hard can this be? You can't even ride a skateboard by yourself."
"Whatever. I just want Jeffrey to see me."
"Yeah, see you die."
"At least I'd be catching his attention instead of Jan."
"Skye, you're gonna die."
"I lived a good life."
"You can honestly say that?"
"No."
"Skye, you can't do this. You just can't. You're not physically equipped for this."
"What do you mean by 'physically equipped'?"
"Your arm is bleeding."
Skye looked at her skinned elbow which was oozing blood down her arm to her hand. "Of course I'm bleeding. I'm human."
"Arms don't normally bleed, Skye."
"Well, I bleed once a month normally. So how is bleeding from my arm any different?"
"Okay, that's gross. You didn't have to say that to me."
"Look, is there anything else you want to say before I do this? Because I'm gonna do it anyway."
"Just don't blame this on me when you survive."
"Alright. Besides, I prayed when I was climbing up here. I think I'll be alright."
Skye stepped on her board in the correct position. She looked down at the ramp and took deep breaths.
Kent looked up to the clear sky and whispered, "God, you're a fool."
Skye closed her eyes and took her last breath. She opened her eyes and looked down at the ramp again. Skye pushed her board off the edge of the flat surface and propelled down the ramp. Briskly, she cleared the whole ramp. However, she was too brisk that she flew highly over the other flat surface and began to descend behind it. The fellow skateboarders who were trying to use the ramp witnessed her catch air.
"Kent, if I die, I'm gonna kill you!" Skye yelled as she fell down.
Kent just stood there on the first flat surface of the ramp. Skye just disappeared from his view after she flew over the other end. Before hearing a thud, Kent hollered, "That would be impossible!"

Skye gradually began to wake up. As she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. She almost could not comprehend what was going on. But she was on the bench of a table with gauze wrapped around her head. She could feel someone cooling her head with a Ziploc bag of ice.
"Am I dead?" she groaned.
"No but you're barely alive," said Jan.
Skye recognized Jan's voice and face even though it looked she had three heads. "If I didn't die, why am I in Hell?" she asked.
"Excuse me?"
Skye weakly lifted herself up from the bench. "You heard me. Stay away from my boyfriend." Her voice began to slur.
Jan awkwardly giggled. "Stay away?"
"Yeah, he doesn't want you. He wants me, his girlfriend. Did you know I was his girlfriend?"
"Yeah, he tells me everything."
"Why is he confiding in you? I'm the one who's his girlfriend."
"I'm sorry but I'm his friend."
"And that's the problem. Exes cannot be friends with exes. You just can't. All exes want to do is buh-bang! And you ain't gonna buh-bang my boyfriend."
"I'm not. We're just friends."
"That's what they all say. But once I turn around, buh-bang!" Skye fell flat on the bench with her back. "Ow."
"Skye, I am not trying to steal your boyfriend away from you."
"But you are! He thinks you're so cool. He thinks you skateboard good. And you do! And I can't. So you might as well take him. God knows I tried. I almost died for him but he wants you. And I don't know what else to do. I mean I can listen to the electronic sound but frankly, I just don't want to do that. You both can listen to it together."
"Skye, listen."
Skye lifted herself up again.
"Me and Jeffrey had a thing. We were a thing because we were such close friends and a lot of people pressured us into dating. So we did but then it made everything weird. So we agreed to not impress anyone and continue being friends. Now we're friends and we're fine. I like Jeffrey but I don't want to date him anymore. Besides, I'm more into girls."
Skye's eyes widened but her vision was still unclear. "You're a lesbian?"
"No, I'm bisexual. I'm just more into girls. In fact, I have a girlfriend."
"Oh, congrats! Keep dating girls, girl. As long as you're dating girls, you and me are cool."
"Good... I guess."
"You know what? I think I'm feeling better."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I never felt so free!" She threw her arms in the air, making her fall over and land on the ground. This time, she did not put her hands out. "Ow," she muttered.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Girls Like Skaters (Chapter 3)

Later, Skye left Jeffrey and his ex-girlfriend, Jan, by themselves so she could see what her bandmates were up to. From afar, she could see them helping each other remove all of their equipment from the back of the van. Kent carried a black speaker into the park and stopped when he saw Skye coming. She stopped also as he set the heavy speaker down.
"You finally came to help?" he asked.
"No, " answered Skye. "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, I could use a break." Kent sat on top of the speaker. "What's up?"
"I just met Jeffrey's ex-girlfriend."
"He still talks to his ex-girlfriend?"
"Yeah and I just met her. I didn't even know he had other girlfriends besides that evil rat, Marla."
"Well, you should've known. He's a cutie."
"Whatever. Anyway, he had the nerve to tell me what we should play. Jan doesn't like alternative rock, she likes the electronic sound. Like who cares what she likes? We should play what we want to play. Like who does she think she is? Some cool, skateboarding chick? 'Look at me, my hair is dyed electric pink and jet black and I wear black gel eyeliner and I shop at Hot Topic.' I bet her name is short for 'Janice' or something. Old lady's name if you ask me."
"Don't get me wrong but you have pink in your hair, you put on black eyeliner, some of your clothes are from Hot Topic and your name is short for 'Skylar'."
Skye crossed her arms. "I know who I am."
"Skye, if Jan is Jeffrey's ex-girlfriend, there's no need for you to be freakishly jealous."
"I am not jealous. I just don't like her."
"Of course, you don't, you girl."
"Don't insult me."
"You're a girl."
"And you said it like an insult. Sorry, I don't want to yell at you but look at them over there."
Skye and Kent turned their attention to the area in the park where there are tables for people to sit at. Jeffrey and Jan were sitting across from each other, talking and laughing.
"She is all over him."
"They're barely sitting next to each other," noted Kent.
"I don't care. She's probably telling him how hot he is and how ugly I am."
"Will you stop bugging?"
"Sorry. I just don't want to lose him."
"Why do you think you're gonna lose him?"
"You should've been there. Jeffrey was all like, 'Wow, Jan, I love the way you skate. Mmm-nagh!'"
"You think you're gonna lose him because she can skate?"
"Well, I don't do anything good."
"You can sing."
"So can everyone. Wait! I just got an idea."
"I knew it would come to this. You want me to fondle you a little bit to make Jeffrey jealous."
"No, you chunk of beef. Don't you skate?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You have to teach me. Like today. Right now."
"Uh, you're not gonna learn how to skate in a day. Have you ever skated in your life?"
"No but I've played 'Tony Hawk: American Wasteland' when I used to play video games."
"You can't learn how to skate that way."
"Lizzie learned how to drive by playing 'Grand Theft Auto'."

Within a hour, Skye convinced Kent to teach her how to skateboard. So they rented some boards, elbow pads, knee pads, and helmets and settled in a clear space inside the park.
"First of all, you should be able to know how to just ride it. Just hop on like this..." Kent stepped on the board, the length of his feet overcoming the width, as if he was standing on a regular surface. "...then push off like that." He planted his right foot on the ground then swept it to push his board forward.
Skye watched Kent as he rode his skateboard three yards away from her. She then tried to imitate him. She hopped on the board like Kent did then swept her right foot off the ground. After making a few feet, Skye fell forward and landed on the ground on her knees. She put her hands out so she wouldn't fall all the way down. Her feet halted the board by pushing down the top end. She let it go as she helped herself up. Kent skated towards her and stopped a few inches from her.
"Well, you didn't do that right," he said. "You're supposed to balance yourself."
"Well, I'm not a ballerina," Skye noted.
"Let's try again."
Skye hopped on her board. Kent held onto Skye's waist and helped her position herself correctly on the skateboard.
"I'm gonna push you," Kent said. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Kent lightly pushed Skye on the arm, moving the skateboard across the surface. Slowly, she traveled a few yards, trying to keep still.
"Now stop," ordered Kent.
Quickly, Skye pressed her right foot on the ground beside the board. Unfortunately, her left foot slipped and she fell down again. She put her hands out before her so she wouldn't slam. But she still hurt her knees and feet. Kent ran up to Skye as she slowly got up.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, massaging her left hand. "I hurt my wrist a bit."
"Maybe this is a sign." Kent held onto Skye's wrist. "Maybe you shouldn't be skateboarding."
"Maybe you shouldn't keep ordering pizza with anchovies. Because your breath hurts my nose."
"You don't got to be such a female dog about it."