Beach Babes (Chapter 2)

Later that day, the girls made a short road trip to Laguna Beach. When they arrived, the entire beach was scattered with civilians of all ages. They wandered around together in the hot sand until they found some space to chill. Lizzie set the blanket she brought on the sand before the rest of the girls sat down on it. Madeline put her basket full of goods down. Debra brought an umbrella so she could stick it into the sand and create shade for her friends. Andrea brought a separate blanket to lay down on so she could rest in the bright sun.
"Andrea, don't you think it's a little dangerous to lay in the sun like that?" asked Skye. "You could get skin cancer."
"If I do, I'll look good with it," said Andrea, slipping her sunglasses on. She laid her head on her arms.
"That's not the right response, Andrea."
"Candy Andy is going to look like actual candy if she stays in this heat," said Madeline.
"Don't be jealous," Andrea said.
"I'm not jealous of burning into a crisp, Andrea."
"Leave her be," commanded Debra politely. "If she wants a tan, let her get a tan."
"Alright, Debs."
Debra smirked then set her eyes on the blue ocean. It was catching some pretty big waves. But what was interesting was a guy riding the waves on his surfboard. He was doing fine for a good minute until the wave crashed down on him. Some people who standing a bit close to the waters were cheering for him. He ran through the waters back onto the surface with his surfboard in his arm.
"Like what you see?" asked Madeline.
Debra glanced at her. "Oh, yeah," she said, nodding.
"I know how much you loved to surf when you were a kid."
"Yeah but sometimes people grow out of things."
"That's true," agreed Lizzie. "I grew out of my ears when I got to the eighth grade."
"She means hobbies, Lizzie," corrected Madeline.
"Oh. Well, I guess that's true, too."
"You can't just stop doing things just because you're older," said Skye. "I mean, I get growing out of coloring books and toys but surfing is different. If you miss surfing and you want to--"
"O.M.G., that girl has a jellyfish on her leg," Madeline interrupted.
"Where?"
Skye set her eyes on a young woman with a purple jellyfish stuck to her left leg screaming her lungs out. Some girls, probably her friends, followed the woman as she zipped past the quintet.
"This is what I came here," said Skye, digging into the pocket of her black hoodie. She grabbed her cell phone and got up. "Hey, wait!" she yelled at the woman. "I got to take a picture!" Skye ran after her.
"And there are some things that people don't grow out of," Madeline shared. "Skye is a prime example."
Debra chuckled.
"Can we get some snowballs?" asked Lizzie. "We walked by a shack for it."
"I think that shack is for shaved ice," corrected Madeline.
"Whatevs. Can we go?"
"Sure." Madeline picked up her tote bag. "Debra, you want to come with?"
"No thanks," answered Debra. "I'll just be here, enjoying the sunshine."
"Don't enjoy it too much or you'll look like Andrea."
"You're just mad 'cause I slay!" Andrea yelled in a muffled tone since she was face down on her blanket.
Debra chuckled again. "Can you get me some shaved ice?" she asked.
"What flavor?" asked Madeline, getting up.
"Surprise me."
"I'll get you blue raspberry."
"That's not a surprise."

Embarrassment Town (Chapter 2)

Two days later, the girls used their free time to do something fun. So they decided to go to a laser tag place a few blocks from Madeline's condo. They bought their own gear -- which involved goggles, bulletproof vests and laser guns -- and went against each other on the playing area. The walls and surface of the area were black and gray, riddled with various-sized obstacles. The whole area flickered with green light, which came from the guns. Every time someone would shoot at another, a green light would go off on their vest. Some of the girls would pretend to die every time they got "shot".
After a half an hour of battling, the girls decided to sit down by the little tables beside the playing area and take off their gear.
Madeline sighed, flipping her blonde locks. "That's enough sweating for today," she said.
"I hope it is," said Skye. "I can smell you all the way over here."
"No, you can't."
"Should we order some food?" asked Andrea.
"Oui, je suis un peu faim."
"Speak English, girl."
"Yes, I think we should order something. I'm a little hungry."
"I'll buy us some food if you give me some money." Andrea put her hand out.
"Fine." Madeline rolled her eyes before handing Andrea a few dollars.
"Sweet." Andrea grinned.
"Mind if I come with you?" asked Debra.
"Sure, girl."
Andrea and Debra got up and walked over to the snack bar.
Madeline combed her hair with her fingers. As she did that, Skye leaned in from across the table and took a good look at Madeline. She looked up and made a face of confusion.
"What?" Madeline asked.
"Did your zit get bigger?" Skye questioned.
"Shut up."
"No, it's true," said Lizzie. "Your zit does look a little big."
"What?" Madeline took a little mirror from her pocket and looked at herself. The pimple by her nose became more inflamed. "Aw, man. You said it wasn't that noticeable."
"Well, it's noticeable now," said Skye.
"I don't understand why I'm breaking out."
Lizzie gasped. "Maybe because you have bad luck."
"No way."
"Then why else would you break out?" asked Skye.
"Maybe some products are getting old."
"You use your products every day. You have to buy new facial washes every two months because you use all of them up. There's no way your products are getting old. Face it; you have bad luck."
"If I have bad luck, then the sky is falling."
"You know what's gonna be falling?" asked Skye. "A piano right on your head."
"And Elton John's going to be playing that piano," Lizzie added.
Skye chuckled.
"Stop," Madeline demanded. "Alright? Just stop. There's no such thing as bad luck." Madeline accidentally dropped her mirror. It bounced off the floor, cracking the glass.
"Ooh," Lizzie uttered. "Now your bad luck is going to be even badder."
"No way. So what if I broke my favorite handheld mirror? That's not gonna do anything."
Soon, Andrea and Debra came back. Andrea was carrying a tray of burgers, French fries and salads while Debra carried a tray of drinks.
"We're back," sang Debra, putting the tray down on the table.
"I can't believe you used my money to get hamburgers and fries," said Madeline.
Andrea put her tray down. "Don't you see the salads, you witch?" she asked.
"She's just cranky 'cause she has bad luck," said Skye.
"I don't have bad luck," Madeline asserted.
Debra passed the drinks around. "I can't believe we're still talking about this," she said. "Bad luck does not exist." While she said that, she unknowingly knocked over the glass for Madeline, spilling the drink all over her lap. When Debra realized what she did, she gasped.
"Whoopsie," said Andrea.
"Madeline, I'm so sorry," said Debra.
"Don't be sorry," said Skye. "It's not you, it's the bad luck."
Madeline gave a shivering sigh. "I don't have bad luck," she hissed, banging on the table. "That was an accident. Everything happening is an accident."
"So you admit good things don't always happen to you?"
"Well, let's not go that far." Madeline tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. When she pulled her hand away, her fingers were webbed with numerous blonde hairs. Madeline widened her eyes at the sight.
"Are you sure?" asked Skye. "Because I would go that far."
"I'm going to the bathroom." Madeline pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Why?" asked Andrea.
"So I can clean myself up."
"You think you can get cleaner than this?"
"Do you know who I am? I think I can get myself clean." Madeline began walking away from the girls, looking for the bathroom.
The girls watched her leave and caught a large brown stain on the back of her white pants where her bottom was.
"Apparently, she can't stop herself from having diarrhea," said Skye.
Debra looked at Madeline's chair and found a blue, torn wrapper in the middle of the big, brown mess. She picked it up and showed it to the girls. "I don't think it's diarrhea," she said.
"Oh, that's where I put my candy bar," said Lizzie.

BBF4E (Chapter 2)

Over the weekend, the girls invited their boyfriends to Madeline's condo. They didn't tell them what was going on so each of them came, thinking that they would be the only boyfriend there. By as the boyfriends came one by one on Saturday afternoon, they realized that what they thought wasn't true. They didn't even speak nor look at each other. They just sat on the furniture with their girlfriends. Jeffrey was the last boyfriend to come over and he was just as surprised as they were. The girls felt awkward about their silence but tried to make each of their boys stay.

"What's going on?" Kyle asked Debra. She was standing by the dining chair he was sitting in.

"Shh!" she shushed, putting her finger over her lips.

Madeline parted from her boyfriend and stood by the coffee table. "Welcome to my house," she announced. "Now it's twelve fifty-seven. The girls and I are going to the mall and we won't be back until four. This means you will stay here for three hours and three minutes until we get back."

Jeffrey stood up. "This is crazy," he said. "I can't stay here." He began to leave.

Skye jumped in front of him. "Stand in the place where you were!" she sang.

Obeying her command, Jeffrey backed up into his original spot, which was near a chair in the corner of the room.

"Anyway, you will use this time to hang out," Madeline continued. "You will share interests, tell jokes or whatever it is boys like to do. Since this is my condo, I will tell you when to use the bathroom. I will tell you when to have lunch. I'm gonna call Calvin to tell you guys when to do those things."

"I'm Calvin," he said, raising his hand.

"Are there any questions?"

Kyle raised his hand. "Yeah, does Hillary Clinton know that you raid her wardrobe?" he asked.

Debra lightly hit him on the shoulder.

"Very funny, Kyle," said Madeline. "Did you raid a hobo's closet? Oh, wait, hobos don't have closets because they're homeless. Silly me. Are there any real questions?"

Kyle raised his hand again. "Why do you got to hurt my feelings?"

"Listen, you guys better be in this living room when we come back. While you spend time together, maybe you can figure out who you really are. And don't turn on the TV. I know how you guys like to fight over what to watch and I will not have blood on my remote. It'll mess up the buttons. Let's head out, girls."

The girls picked up their purses and grouped together. Before the guys knew it, the girls left out the condo, speaking to one another. The living room was filled with absolute silence. Jeffrey sat back down on the comfy chair in the corner. The guys still didn't look at each other. Calvin and DeMarcus were at both ends of the couch and they didn't even pay each other any mind. Randall was sitting in a seat opposite Jeffrey while Kyle was sitting at the dining table, looking down at his boot-clad feet. After a little while, he put his head up and looked at the guys being stubborn mules. He was the first to break the silence.

"That Madeline has some attitude. She thinks she's the boss of everyone. She's not much of a boss."

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Calvin muttered.

Kyle looked at Calvin. "I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you."

Calvin looked at him, too, then looked away.

"Listen, if you're gonna talk to me, you gotta talk to me."

"I said that's my girlfriend you're talking about," Calvin said louder.

"I know she's your girlfriend. That doesn't mean she's not bossy."

"She isn't bossy."

"Oh, really? So she has never bossed you around?"

Calvin didn't answer. He just avoided eye contact with Kyle.

"Hello?"

"Leave him alone, man," DeMarcus demanded.

"Why? Am I bothering him?"

"Just cut it out."

"I was just asking him a question."

"Well, he doesn't want to answer it."

"Oh, my bad." Kyle put his hands up. "He probably doesn't like Madeline anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's obvious. He's gay."

"I'm not gay," Calvin defended.

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"No boy wears shirts that bright."

Calvin looked down at his bright green collared shirt. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Oh, come on. You even sound like a girl. Just admit it, man; you're gay."

"Even if Calvin's gay, why does that matter?" asked DeMarcus.

"Dude, I'm not gay," said Calvin.

"Do you have anything against gay people?"

"No but Calvin clearly does since he doesn't want to admit it," said Kyle.

"Ain't nothing wrong with being gay. Gay people got great style, great advice and great personalities. They're awesome! You're just jealous because you ain't gay."

"I'm not gay either," said Calvin.

"Hey, you support the LGBT community," Kyle said to DeMarcus. "Good for you. You know, I should've expected the football star to defend the yearbook kid."

"What's your name again?"

"What's yours?"

"DeMarcus."

"DeMarcus. Is that even a real name?"

"If it's my name, then yes."

"Goodie."

"You know, I'm so glad you didn't come to dinner that other day because I would've wasted you."

"Totally?"

"Totally."

"Oh, I'm in a room with a bunch of idiots," Randall mumbled.

"You think you're so cool with your purple hair and your leather jacket," said DeMarcus. "But you ain't nothing."

"And you are?" asked Kyle.

"What"

"You said I ain't nothing. So you're nothing?"

 "No, that's not-- You're playing Twister with my words."

"Nothing said what?"

"What?"

"I thought so."

"You people are idiots!" said Randall.

"Stop playing tricks on my mind, man," DeMarcus demanded.

"Uh, no, I think that's you doing that to yourself."

"Screw you!"

"Screw you."

"I'm surrounded by idiots and nothing else," Randall said to himself.

"Hey!" Kyle looked at Randall "What are you babbling about?"

"I didn't want to be here. I don't want to be here. I thought I was going to have some intellectual time with Andrea but that's not happening now, is it? Now you got me listening to the most idiotic conversation I ever listened to. You're confusing DeMarcus with his own language because he said 'ain't nothing', which is a double negative. Now you got him malfunctioning like a broken robot. And it's all because you said Madeline is bossy. Even though you're right, I got to second that. Andrea is the bossiest person you could ever know. But when you put those two together, I can't even explain what could happen."

"Randy--"

"My name's not Randy."

"Andrea could boss a potato into a French fry. Madeline could try. Argument solved."

"You guys don't still have to talk about my girlfriend," said Calvin.

"Hey, your girlfriend was the most popular kid at school. People like her are meant to be talked about. I know your girlfriend knows this."

"It still isn't right."

"Not like you should care. You're gay."

"I'm not gay!"

All of a sudden, Jeffrey sneezed... loudly. Everyone looked at him. He looked at everyone back and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

"I've seen you before, you know," said Kyle, pointing at him.

Jeffrey sniffled.

Ding-dong!

Calvin got up and so did Kyle. He stared him down until Calvin sat back down. Kyle walked over to the door and answered it. At the door was Sean, Skye's bandmate, who was in a pretty good mood.

"Hey," he greeted Kyle.

"Hey," Kyle said back. "Who are you?"

"That's Sean," replied Calvin. "He's in a band with Skye called A New Yesterday."

"You know, Jeffrey could've said that."

Calvin glanced at Jeffrey before looking into space.

"So whatcha want?" Kyle asked Sean.

"Oh, I'm here to spy on you," he answered.

"What?"

"Yeah, Madeline asked me to keep an eye on you guys and make sure that none of you leave."

"How could that be?" asked Calvin. "She said she was gonna call me to check up on us."

"I know. But she wanted me to stop by so none of you will lie for the other and stuff like that."

"Okay, then why don't you come in?" asked DeMarcus.

"Oh, Madeline forbade me to step foot in her home. So I'm just gonna watch you from the outside. I got binoculars."

"Oh, that's real rich," Randall muttered.

"Yep, so don't try to leave. And the girls said whoever tries to leave first is going to get broken up with. Hopefully, it'll be you, Calvin."

Calvin scrunched his eyebrows. "Aren't you dating Chrissy?" he questioned.

"Yeah but she's vacationing in Florida. I got some freedom before she comes back. So, yeah, try to leave." Sean disappeared into the hall.

Kyle closed the door and chuckled. "Looks like Sean is after your girlfriend, Calvin," he said.

"Madeline is not too fond of him," said Calvin, "so it's not like he's going to take her away from me."

"I mean, it is possible. He's straight."

"How many times do I got to say I'm not gay?!"

"Enough times that'll make you straight."

"I am straight!"

"Idiots," Randall whispered.

Everybody Loves a Waitress (Chapter 2)

A few days later, the girls were chilling at Madeline's condo. However, Lizzie was not present. She did tell the girls that she would stop by. She had a surprise for them. So an hour in, they heard the doorbell ring.
"I'll get that," said Andrea, walking towards the door.
"Thank you, Andrea," said Madeline from the couch. She was reading a fashion magazine.
"Yeah, whatever."
Andrea looked through the peephole and opened the door. Lizzie came twirling in with an interesting outfit on. She had on a silky, red minidress with a short, red and white striped apron. After Andrea closed the door, Lizzie began posing for her friends.
"Why do you look like slutty liquorice?" asked Skye.
"Maybe because I got a job," Lizzie responded.
Madeline dropped her magazine. "You did?"
"Uh-huh."
"Oh, good for you, Lizzie," said Debra with a smile.
"Thanks."
"Where do you work at now?" asked Andrea.
"Isn't it obvious?" Lizzie pointed at her apron, which had a logo on it.
"Tidbits," Andrea read. "I've never heard of that."
"Oh, it's an eatery in some area I've never been."
"Then how did you get the job?" asked Skye.
"Oh, after an interview at the Eulalie shop, which I totally bombed, I bumped into a guy who was looking for girls to work at his new restaurant."
"And you are sure that this restaurant is a restaurant, right?"
"Yeah, of course. I've seen it inside and out a dozen times."
"Are you a waitress?" questioned Andrea.
"Duh! Yeah, I have to wait tables and stuff. And I get to do it all in heels." She clicked her white heels together like Dorothy Gale.
"Wow, a restaurant that lets you wear heels," said Skye, nodding. "That sounds... innovative?"
"I know, right?"
"That uniform seems a bit high," commented Andrea. "I can see your granny's panties."
"Yeah, the skirt's a bit high, even for me. But it's my size so I don't know why it's this high. But it's my uniform!"
"I can't believe you actually got a job," shared Madeline. "I can't believe it. At all."
"Well, you better believe it. I start later at four so I can't be here all day."
"Well, it's good to know that you're finally going to be making money all by yourself," said Debra.
"Yeah, how much cheddar you're gonna be making?" asked Andrea, crossing her arms.
"Cheddar?" repeated Lizzie.
"You know, money."
"Oh, money. Wait, people call money 'cheddar'? Isn't money green?"
"Whatever, Lizzie. How much money you're gonna be making?"
"About twenty dollars an hour."
"Yipes!" uttered Skye. "That's good. I'm really proud of you, Lizzie. Sorry for calling you slutty liquorice earlier."
"That's okay. I don't know what slutty liquorice is."
"Oh, it's liquorice that's red in one place."
"Shut up, Skye," commanded Madeline, giggling.
"They're sorta rare but kinda easy to find."
"Stop."

I'm Moving Out! (Chapter 2)

"And Madeline has a living room the size of Jupiter," Lizzie told her mother. "I don't know how big Jupiter is but it has to be the size of that living room."
"It must be really big," said Lizzie's mother, pouring a smoothie she made with the blender into a glass.
"Oh, it is. And her refrigerator is full of gluten-free foods and water. I don't know exactly what gluten is; I just know it's bad for you."
"Yeah, people who want to live a healthy life cut gluten out their daily bread."
"You can cut gluten out of bread? What does it look like? Is it the crust?"
"No, daily bread is another term for food."
"So all food is made from bread?"
"No, it's-- It's whatever you think, Lizzie."
"Okay. It's so cool that one of my friends is on her own. When am I going to move out?"
"Well, you should move out when you want. But you got to get a job so you can support yourself."
"But you said I shouldn't get a job."
Lizzie's mother poured the smoothie into another glass. "That's right."
"Well, when should I get one?"
"When you stop running over the neighbor's mailbox."
"He doesn't have a mailbox anymore."
"That's because you keep running over the new ones."
"Well, it's always in the way."
"No, the mailbox always gets put in the same spot."
"It always looked like it was in a different spot."
"Well, it wasn't."
"Can you just give me the money to move out?"
"Lizzie, no. Homes are expensive."
"All you have to do is buy me a condo and I'll try to pay for the food. Or I can come here every day and borrow your food."
"Again, no. I'm not going to buy you a condo, Lizzie. You can stay here."
"Okay. Since I'm staying here, and I'm an adult as well, I think I should change my wardrobe."
Lizzie's mother laughed, setting the blender down on the kitchen island.
"What's so funny?"
"What do you need to change your wardrobe for?"
"I mean, I'm an adult so I should wear what I want."
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Why no?"
"I can't let you throw away your clothes."
"I'm not going to throw them away. I can just sell them. And use the money to buy a condo or something condo-like."
"You can't sell your clothes."
"Why not? They're my clothes."
"Which I bought."
"Well, I didn't tell you to buy them for me."
"If I didn't buy you clothes, you would've went to school naked every day."
"I could've told people that I was a nudist. Ever think of that?"
"No, Lizzie, because that's stupid."
"No, what's stupid is that I'm eighteen years old and you won't let me wear new clothes."
"My house, my rules."
"Well, I don't want to live in your house anymore."
"I'm sorry but you don't have a choice, do you?"
"But I'm an adult. Don't you find me responsible?"
"Eh, most of the time."
"Then why won't you let me be an adult?"
"Lizzie, there's a difference between 'most of the time' and 'every time'."
"Well, isn't 'most of the time' enough? Who can be responsible every time?"
"You'd be surprised."
"It's not fair that I have to live with your rules."
"Are you really getting mad right now? It's just clothes! You're lucky I let you wear skirts that are an inch above your ankles."
"Skirts that are an inch above my ankles are not enough."
"You're so dramatic."
Lizzie turned her head. "Where's dad?"
"He's at work."
She glared at her mom. "You're at work."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"You know what makes sense? I'm moving out!" Lizzie hops off the stool to the island.
"Yeah, right."
"I'm serious.I'm moving out."
"Where are you gonna go?"
"To Madeline's. She'll let me stay at her sweet condo. She's a good friend."
"I'm sure you will." Lizzie's mom took a sip of her drink.
"I'm serious as cereal right now. I'm moving out."
"Serious as cereal? How do I respond to that?"
"You don't have to." Lizzie marched out of the kitchen and headed for the stairs. "I'm packing my bags."
"I certainly believe that, Lizzie."
"You think I'm bluffing but I'm not." She walked up the steps. "I'm going upstairs!"
"Aren't you going to drink your smoothie?"
"I don't want your smoothie!"
"You asked for it!"
"Well, I don't want it anymore!"
"Then I'll put it away for later!"
"Okay!" Lizzie shouted from the top of the stairs.

Goodbye, School (Chapter 2)

The seniors were later directed from the lobby to the gymnasium. They sat on the bleachers alphabetically for half an hour until they were assembled into a line. That line was directed into a mega auditorium where they were surrounded by their loved ones in the stands. Everyone was cheering, calling out their children's names and taking pictures. The seniors sat down in the chairs in the center and watched the stage where the principal and star students were standing. Madeline happened to be one of the star students.
The principal stood in front of the podium and spoke in the microphone. "Welcome to the 2016 Graduation Ceremony of Laguna Beach High School!"
Everybody cheered like they were at a concert.
"I just want to say that I am proud of my students and the direction that they've decided to take. And I will honestly miss most of them as they go. These students deserve to move on from their lives at Laguna Beach and pursue successful careers that will take them to the greatest heights. Before I let some of my favorite students speak, I want us to loosen up a bit. I feel that it is important for a graduation ceremony to not only be serious but to be fun. So let's get jiggy with it as I'd like to welcome a student band, A New Yesterday!"
The audiences clapped as the spotlight shined beside the stage. There was Skye behind a microphone. Sean and David was on each side of her with their guitars and their own microphones. And Kent was right behind her on the drums. They still had on their caps and gowns but they didn't mind. They were very much prepared.

Paper bags and plastic hearts
All are belongings in shopping carts
It's goodbye...
But we got one more night
Let's have fun and ride around
And make peace with an empty town
We can make it right

The musicians stopped for a second before playing louder. Skye even sang louder when she began the chorus.

Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We'll make the great escape
But we won't hear a word they say
They won't know us anyway
Watch it burn, let it die
'Cause we are finally free tonight
All of the wasted time
The hours that were left behind
The answers that we'll never find
They don't mean a thing tonight

David started playing an epic guitar solo. Then Skye and David took turns singing.

Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We'll make the great escape
We won't hear a word they say
They don't know us anyway

Skye held a note in the first line of the chorus. Sean and David helped sing the chorus as they strummed their guitars.

Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We'll make the great escape
But we won't hear a word they say
They won't know us anyway
Watch it burn, let it die
'Cause we are finally free tonight

The musicians played quieter for the ending. Kent rapped on the cymbals before Sean stopped playing his bass and David plucked some strings for the outro. When they were done, the seniors gave the band a standing ovation. Skye jumped up and gave David a hug while he spun her around. He then let her down so the band could take a bow before the audiences.

Time to Shave Your Legs (Part 2) (Chapter 2)

"It's time to shave your legs, ladies!" shouted Madeline, busting through her bedroom door. "We're going to the prom."
  "I don't want to shave my legs," said Andrea.
"Why? To prove to Randall that you're the man in the relationship?"
"Hardy-har-har. Don't make me slap you."
"Well, I'm not shaving my legs," shared Skye. "I'm going to the prom with Jeffrey, who's my friend, who I don't love."
"But don't you want to look good?" asked Madeline. "I mean, if you don't want Jeffrey, you could still flirt with other guys."
"There's going to be single guys at the prom and the only guy you could get was Calvin?" questioned Andrea.
Madeline leered at her.
"That's right. I got comebacks."
"I'm not going to abandon Jeffrey for some lame jock," said Skye. "He's my date; I don't need another one unlike you."
Madeline dropped her shoulders. "Okay, one: I did not have two dates to the prom. I almost did but I dumped the other one. And two: I don't have two dates now so there's no need to talk about it again."
"Oh, but you would have two dates if you could, princess."
"When am I supposed to take this mask off?" asked Lizzie, whose face was covered in a thick, black substance.
"Oh," said Madeline, looking down at her silver watch, "after twenty minutes of putting it on, which happens to be up."
"So how I do take this off?"
"That's easy: you rip it off." Madeline walked over to Lizzie and grabbed onto the mask on her face. With great force, she pulled half of the mask off, exposing ruddy skin underneath.
Lizzie shrieked. "That hurts so bad!" she screamed.
"Then I'm sorry for doing this." Madeline ripped the other half off, making Lizzie scream again.
Lizzie picked up a hand mirror and looked at her red face. "Ah, I look like a tomato!"
"But a totally hot tomato."
Lizzie cocked her head. "That's true."
"Just face this fan so your face can cool off." Madeline turned on the big, electric fan that was sitting on the floor.
Lizzie leaned towards it and let the cool air hit her face. "Ahhh..." she sighed.
"What nail polish color should I use?" asked Debra, holding up two bottles of nail lacquer. "Yellow or orange?"
"Orange," answered Andrea, "because yellow nails make you look like a MOTHERFREAKIN' NUUUUUT!"
Madeline and Skye laughed. Debra just smiled and drooped her head at Andrea.
"Yeah, use orange," Madeline agreed. "I will be using white."
"I will be using black," Skye shared.
"You always use black."
"What's wrong with black, white supremacist?"
"You know that's not funny."
"Well, I hope it's not true. I like black and I don't like prom so I might as well feel good about myself."
        "And look good."
"How can you not like prom?" asked Debra. "You and Jeffrey established your relationship at prom."
"And we broke up a year later. So, technically, that's not a good thing."
"You're such a Negative Nelly."
"With jelly in her belly," added Madeline, smiling.
"Well, I don't want to be a Positive Polly," said Skye. "Oh, wait, it's the molly."
"You are a Negative Nelly."

Time to Shave Your Legs (Part 1) (Chapter 2)

"And that is why U2 is the best band ever," said Skye to her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey.
"You're only saying that because you want to marry Bono," said Jeffrey.
"Who wouldn't want to marry Bono? He's an Irish marvel full of truth and emotion."
Jeffrey chuckled. "Okay, whatever you say."
"I'm so glad we made up. I didn't think you'd forgive me since I was being a super cow."
"Hey, I'd do anything to be friends with you. You're important to my life."
"That's sappy but I'll take it."
"So you do know prom is coming up."
"Yeah. Ugh! I hate prom. The dress I wore last year gave me a mega rash. My body looked like a field of strawberries."
"So you're not gonna go?"
"No, I'm going. I just got to find a dress that won't make me break out or itch all day."
"Were you thinking about taking someone?"
"No, I can hardly stand men. Except for you. You're cool."
"So you wouldn't mind going with me?"
Skye stared at Jeffrey. "Uh, Jeffrey, I thought we were broken up."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't go as friends."
"Exactly."
"So it's a yes?"
"Uh, I'll have to think about it."
"Okay, that's fair."
"But if it will make you feel any better, I might tell you yes later."
"Awesome."
"Not yet."
"Okay."
"I got to get to going. See you later?"
"Sure."
"Okay. Bye, Jeffrey." Skye parted from Jeffrey, going to the cafeteria in time for lunch. She sat in her spot of the table and gazed upon her present friends. "'Sup, my girlies?" she told them.
"I got us our prom tickets," Madeline said in singsong.
"Goodie!" Skye said in a fake excited voice.
Madeline took out the tickets and handed one to each of her friends.
"I can't wait to go to prom," shared Debra. "It will be at a hotel so there's more space."
"Plus, you can rent a room to get your freak on," added Andrea.
  "I don't think any of us will be doing that," said Madeline, shaking her head.
"I can't wait for DeMarcus to ask me," smiled Lizzie.
"You guys are a couple," reminded Skye. "Aren't you gonna go together anyway?"
"No way! He needs to ask me or else I can't go with him."
"That's ridiculous."
"There's nothing ridiculous about romance."
"Yes, there is. That's why nobody's life is like a sticky movie."
"I wish my life was like a movie," admitted Madeline, all mopey.
"Of course you wish that," said Andrea.
"I thought Brody and I had a thing but clearly, I thought wrong. He's going with some babe from Sweden who's possibly not Swedish."
"If she's from Sweden," started Skye, "then she has--"
"Don't correct me, Skye. Nobody corrects me."
"So you have nobody to ask?" asked Debra.
"That's right. I don't even have a back-up boy. I always have a back-up boy."
"That's true," said Skye, "knowing that you had two dates to the prom last year."
"I did not have two dates to the prom. I asked two guys who said yes then rejected one of them later, only to reject the other one and enjoy prom with the first guy I rejected."
"Well, isn't your life a fairytale?"

Not Meant to Sit on Babies (Chapter 2)

    As the evening approached, Lizzie's parents prepared themselves for dinner. Lizzie's mother put on a flowy, black dress that went down to her ankles with black booties and golden earrings. Lizzie's father put on a black suit with a blue shirt and tie underneath with black dress shoes. After her mother got her black crossbody purse, Lizzie followed her parents as they made their way towards the door.
    "All of Dallas' things are in his room," reminded Lizzie's mother, "so make sure you check the closet."
    "Okay," said Lizzie.
    "But his diapers are in the bathroom so make sure you check there, too."
    "Okay, mom."
    "And make sure he's in his crib asleep by eight because after eight, he's a disaster."
    "I'll make sure, mom."
    "But make sure he eats dinner. Only feed him the baby food and milk in the fridge. You know his teeth are still coming out."
    "Okay, mom. I think it's time for you to go to dinner now."
    "Oh, we're just a little worried, that's all," said Lizzie's father.
    "There's nothing to be worried about, dad."
    "Are you sure because you got caught in a fan once."
    "I eventually got out. Okay, you and mom need to go. Like, right now. I'm going to take good care of your child."
    "Huh, that's what someone says when they're about to kill them."
    "Okay, out. You two, out." Lizzie opened the door for her parents.
    "Alright," said Lizzie's mother. "Just don't forget to kiss him good night."
    "I won't. Goodbye, mom and dad."
    "Goodbye. We'll be back by nine."
    "Bye, Lizzie," said her dad.
    Once her parents stepped out the door, Lizzie closed it and locked it. She turned around and started dancing like a fool. She ran upstairs and went inside Dallas' room, who was up and smiling in his crib.
    "Hello, my beautiful bug," said Lizzie, leaning over the bed. "Mom and dad are out of the house which means we're going to have so much fun. Are you ready to have fun with me?" She bent down and looked at Dallas through the wooden bars of the crib.
    Dallas babbled with a smile and hit the bars as if he was trying to get her face.
    "Sounds good enough to me!"
    For a while, Lizzie watched Dallas, trying to play and communicate with him. She would take many pictures with him with her cell phone. Other times, she would hug and kiss him like a precious teddy bear. She enjoyed making Dallas laugh and stay interested in her.
    Eventually, she started to get a little bored. So she decided to make a call with one of her girlfriends. She picked Debra and started dialing her number. Lizzie took off her tan sweater while listening to the phone ring. Soon, Debra picked up.
    "Hello," her calm voice projected from the phone.
    "Hey, girlfriend," Lizzie said to her phone.
    "Hey. How are you?"
    "I'm good. I'm having an awesome time with my brother, Dallas."
    "That's wonderful."
    "And guess what: my parents are letting me babysit him."
    "Oh, are they sick?"
    "No, they're not sick. They wanted to go to a romantic dinner together so I told them that I'd be more than glad to watch Dallas for them."
    "Oh, that's nice."
    "Well, I'm a nice person. The fact that I'm watching Dallas means that I'm growing up. I can't wait to do more grown-up things like vote. I am so excited."
    "That's good for you, Liz'. Um, are you sure that you can handle watching Dallas all by yourself?"
    "Uh, yeah. That's why I asked to do so."
    "Yeah, I don't know. Do you want me to come over?"
    "Ooh, so we can hang out?"
    Debra paused. "Yeah."
    "Oh, perfect! Now Dallas will have two girls to play with. The more, the merrier!"
    "Sure, Lizzie. I'll see you in twenty minutes, okay?"
    "Okay. Byesies."
    "Byesies."
    Lizzie hung up and looked at Dallas, who was chewing on the red rubber toy he was holding.
    "Dallas, hammers are not food," she said.

    More than twenty minutes later, Debra arrived to Lizzie's house. She rang the doorbell so Lizzie could come down and answer the door. She took Dallas with her before opening the door to Debra and her younger brother, Leroy.
    "Hey, Debs," Lizzie smiled. "Hey, Leroy."
    "What's up, honeycakes?" Leroy greeted her before walking in.
    "Ooh, I'm honeycakes now." Lizzie closed the door after Debra came into the house. "What is Leroy doing here?"
    "Oh, when my dad heard I was going out, he wanted me to take Leroy with me," answered Debra.
    "We rode here on a tandem bike," noted Leroy.
    "I've always wanted to use that bike."
    "It was tiring."
    "It was saving the environment."
    "Well, I guess it's good that Leroy is here," said Lizzie. "The more people to play with Dallas, the better!"
    "Hey, I don't play with no babies," said Leroy. "I'm a grown man."
    "You won't be a man in, like, seven years," reminded Debra.
    "A boy can start! So, honeycakes, got any food?"
    "Use your manners and Lizzie has a name."
    "Fine! Lizzie, can I please have some food?"
    "Sure," replied Lizzie, "the kitchen is through the door by the stairs. And don't eat the baby food in the fridge or the milk."
    "Uh, that won't be a problem." Leroy made his way to the kitchen.
    "Thanks, Debra, but I don't mind being called 'honeycakes'. It's such a fun name!"

The Skye is Falling (Part 2) (Chapter 2)

The next day, Skye told her friends that right after school, she was going to hang out with Dom at a cafe. So Madeline and Lizzie decided to stop by Skye's place while she was gone. The two girls went to Madeline's house first then the two got into Madeline's car, which she drove. They entered the apartment building in which Skye resided and knocked on the door labeled "A". Skye's mother, a young, dark-haired, frail woman, opened the door.
"Hi, Madeline and Lizzie," she said in her soft voice. "What are you two doing here? Skye didn't come home yet."
"Oh, yeah, we know," said Madeline, nodding. "She said that she was going to spend time with her boyfriend, Dom."
Skye's mother scoffed. "Figures. Well, come in."
The girls stepped in, entering the living room.
"I don't know when Skye is going to come back." Her mother closed the door and locked it. "She's been really a monster lately."
"Aw," uttered Lizzie, "what did she do?"
"She's just being a brat, which should be normal for a teenage girl, but not for Skye."
"Yeah, she's been a real... you know," said Madeline. "We're just here to pick up some notes so we won't be here long."
"Okay. Well, then, help yourself."
"Thank you, Mrs. Carter."
"It's 'Miss'."
"Sorry, Miss."
Madeline and Lizzie entered the short hallway then made their way into Skye's open bedroom. Madeline closed the door before rummaging through the stacks of CDs on Skye's dresser.
"What are you doing?" asked Lizzie.
"You know what I'm doing," said Madeline, knocking over CD cases. "I'm looking for clues."
"You should've let me bring my magnifying class."
"I don't think so, Lizzie." Madeline picked up a few CDs and showed them to her friend. "Look at these; these are not what Skye usually listens to."
"What does she listen to?"
"You know, punk music, alternative rock, stupid stuff like that. But these are different." Madeline went through the CDs in her hands while reading the names of the bands. "Goatwhore? Cannabis Corpse? Hate Eternal?"
"Stabbing Westward? Why-- Why are they stabbing in a westward direction?"
"I don't know. Because that's where all the cannabis is?"
"These bands look horrifying. Should we listen to them?"
"And bleed through our ears? I don't think so."
"Skye's taste of music is not the only thing that changed. Look at those posters."
Madeline looked at the wall across from her and took a glimpse of the posters taped on it. Some of them were horror film related.
"Who's that over there?" Lizzie pointed to the left.
Madeline looked at the WWE poster of an angry, sweaty man in a white wifebeater. "I don't know," she answered. "But he definitely looks intimidating."
"This whole room is intimidating. It's giving me chills. I'm so itchy." Lizzie began scratching her arms.
Madeline put the CDs back and held Lizzie's arms. "Calm down. We can fix this."
"You mean redecorate?"
"No! I mean we can try to solve this problem before things get out of hand."
The girls began to hear muffled talking outside of the door. It sounded like some people were approaching the door as their voices grew louder and clearer.
"I can't believe my mom's is taking a break today," said Skye's voice.
"That's alright," said Dom's voice. "We can lock the door in your room and just chill in private."
"You're such a tomcat."
The girls began panicking.
"She's coming! She's coming!" warned Madeline.
"We got to act natural," said Lizzie.
The girls looked everywhere in the room until their eyes stopped on the bed, which was covered in a blanket with a spiderweb designed on it. They both jumped on the bed and sat down at the edge. Lizzie did a stiff pose as if she was trying to be a mannequin. Madeline notices that and smacks Lizzie on the leg so she could relax. The girls sat still until Skye opened the door. She walked in with Dom, confusion drawn all over her face.
"Uh, what are you two doing here?" Skye questioned.
"Oh, we just came here to see if you had any science notes for Lizzie to use," Madeline answered.
"Why didn't you just lend her your notes?"
"She can't understand them."
"Madeline writes in a smart language," Lizzie grinned.
"Okay," Skye said. "Well, I don't think I have any 'science notes' lying around. I might have some in my bookbag." She took off her bag and opened it up.
Dom put his hand on his girl's shoulder. "How are you gonna get anything when you're right under me?" he asked. Instantly, he picked up Skye, making her drop her bag, and plopped her on the bed beside the girls. He crawled on top of her and started kissing her neck.
Skye giggled. "You're such a tomcat."
Dom went from her neck to her lips and the couple started making out fiercely. Madeline and Lizzie uncomfortably watched them. Unable to handle it, Lizzie got up.
"Yeah, I don't need the notes anymore," she said before leaving the room.
Madeline tried to look away from the couple but it was hard for her to not look. She cleared her throat loudly multiple times until the couple stopped and looked at her.
"Hi," Madeline said. "Um, you do know you have company, don't you?"
"Oh, right," Dom said. "We're being rude."
"Thank you."
"Let's have a threesome. Right now."
Madeline made a face of disgust. "I'm not into three-anything!" she said, getting up then leaving.
Dom looked at Skye and smiled at her like a Cheshire cat.
"You are so gross," Skye said with a giggle.
"Eh."
The two continued to make out like animals on the bed.

The Skye is Falling (Part 1) (Chapter 2)

"So did you hear about the--" Madeline started before getting interrupted by a loud pllbbt! sound.
The girls looked at Lizzie, who was nonstop giggling as her boyfriend, DeMarcus, blew a raspberry on her cheek multiple times for almost a minute.
Andrea banged both of her hands on the table. "Stop that!"
Lizzie and DeMarcus got startled and simmered down.
"Are you mad because you don't have a boyfriend, Andrea?" Lizzie asked sincerely.
Andrea stood up with a menacing look on her face.
"Don't," Madeline commanded.
Andrea immediately sat back down.
"Why are you so mad?" Lizzie asked.
"Because I don't have a boyfriend," Andrea responded, crossing her arms.
"You don't need one," said Skye. "Trust me."
"Oh, Skye, are you and Jeffrey having relationship problems?" asked Debra.
"No, he just keeps saying the 'L' word to me."
"Lesbian?" guessed Lizzie.
Skye scrunched her forehead. "No. Why does everybody-- Never mind. I meant 'love', Lizzie. He's always like, 'I love you' and I just can't say it. And I think he knows I can't say it but he doesn't talk about it and he keeps on saying it to me."
"Why don't you give him what he wants and just say, 'I love you'?" asked Andrea.
"Because I don't know if I love him. But if I knew that I didn't, I wouldn't want to lie to him."
"Do you know that you don't love him?" asked Debra.
"I don't know. I really like him. He's my boyfriend. I defy every guy that hits on me, like Dom."
"Dominic Westwood?" questioned Andrea.
"Guys, I was going to talk about something!" reminded Madeline.
"Well, now I'm talking," said Skye. "Yes, Dominic Westwood. He's in my English class and we have to write a stupid essay together. But instead of helping me with it, he constantly cracks dirty jokes and plays on his PSP."
"Ugh, he sounds just like Donald," said Debra, reminded of her boyfriend's best friend.
"But less druggy, right? I might as well write the essay by myself and let the teacher know that I did it all by myself."
"You shouldn't do all the work," said Madeline. "You and Dom are all in this together."
"You're all in this together," sang Lizzie.
"Yeah, I know but he's always distracted," said Skye. "He's just some immature boy who was practically born as a monkey."
"Weren't we all born monkeys?" asked Lizzie.
"No, babe, our ancestors were monkeys," DeMarcus clarified.
Lizzie nodded. "Oh, right!"
"Just whip him into shape," suggested Andrea.
"Can't you just come by and whip him?" asked Skye.
"Dominic's coming over your house?" asked Debra.
"Been over my house. But it's all been a waste of time because all he does is fart on the couch and send me winky faces in text messages."
"He has your number, too?" asked Madeline.
"Yeah, but I didn't want him to. I thought it was important to keep in contact. I get dumber by the minute."
"No, you don't," said Debra. "You just want to get an A on your paper. Just be patient and maybe he'll provide to the assignment."
"And if that doesn't work," started Andrea, "smack the crap out of him."

Girls Like Enemies (Chapter 2)

"Just taste it," DeMarcus, Lizzie's boyfriend, commanded.
"No," Lizzie responded.
"Come on, it's good."
"I don't want to taste it."
"So you're just gonna sit here and not eat?"
"It's fine."
"Babe, it's good. I'm not lying."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. One bite and I'll leave you alone."
"You're pushy."
"It's only because I don't want you to starve. You think I want to sit here and watch you die?"
"I'm not dying."
"You're dying if you're not eating."
"Well, if that's the case, give me a bite."
"Alright." DeMarcus picked up a lump of the ground beef on his lunch tray with his spork and started feeding it to Lizzie.
"Mmm!" she hummed, licking her lips. "That is good!"
"I told you."
"It's like hamburger soup."
"It kinda is hamburger soup."
"Well, you weren't lying."
"I told you. Okay, that's all I wanted."
"Wait! I want some more."
"You want some more?"
"Yeah."
"Then let me give you some more, girl." DeMarcus scooped up the beef again and fed it to his girlfriend.
"I'm dying," said Skye flatly.
"I can't believe you guys are grubbing on mock Hamburger Helper," said Madeline.
"But it's so good," Lizzie commented, muffled.
"You guys should pack a fresh lunch like I always do." She waved her hands at the packed lunch she took out of her bag.
"How do you know it's fresh?" asked Andrea. "How do you know your mom is not buying that stuff just to kill you?"
"She goes to the best grocery stores in town."
"The best or the 'meh, good' ones?"
"They're the best. Trust me."
"So can you guys help me with something?"
"Sure, Andy," responded Debra. "What's the situation?"
"You know how I... like Randall, right?"
"Of course," replied Skye. "Your knight in shining armor."
"Please, he would not be able to fit in that armor."
"Are you asking us to help you get him?" asked Madeline.
"I guess so."
"Yay!" Lizzie cheered, clapping. "Makeover!"
"Oh, no. The last time you gave someone a makeover, Debra had two boyfriends."
"You did, too," reminded Madeline, "so how would she make it worse?"
"You got me there. Look, every since I realized that I liked Randall, I just couldn't be myself around him. On a normal day, we're bickering and insulting each other. Now, I can't seem to make up a comeback for him. It's getting pathetic. He's gonna know I like him one day and when he does, he's gonna stop dealing with me."
"So you need him to like you before he knows you like him?" questioned Debra.
"Exactly."
"I feel like that's easy," said Skye. "Randall is all smart and everything, correct?"
"Yeah, he's pretty smart."
"No smarter than me," shared Madeline.
"Cool it, Palin," said Skye. "So for you to win him over, just be smart."
"I am smart," Andrea defended.
"I mean smarter than how you already are."
"Whoa, how do I do that?"
"I don't know. Study more? Pay more attention in class? Read a book?"
"Okay, I get it."
"Watch the Science Channel?"
"I said I get it, Skye. I'll do anything to win Randall's heart. Anything to be like DeMarcus and Lizzie."
"You wanna feed each other gross school Hamburger Helper?"
"It's good!" said Lizzie.
"So good," DeMarcus added.
"I'm sure it is," Skye said, laughing.

Jealousy is a Strong Word (Chapter 2)

A couple days later, Andrea's AP chemistry class was assigned to do another project using the countertops again. When everyone scrambled to get with their partners, Andrea stood by the counter she and her partner, Randall, was assigned to. She waited a while for Randall to arrive but he did not come as early as he used to. She could see him near the back of the room with his back turned. Andrea was confused so she called his name a few times before he turned around and had to walk up to her.
"What are you doing, man?" she asked.
Randall didn't answer. Well, he was about to but Andrea happened to notice the bandage on his left hand.
"So it was that bad?"
"What do you mean, 'it was that bad'?!" Randall snapped. "You've seen it! You know what? I'm not gonna argue with you."
"Good."
"Because I asked Mr. Emerson if I could swap partners with someone else and he agreed."
"Wait, what?"
"I am not your partner anymore, Andrea."
"Why? You couldn't handle it?"
"No, it's just that you're difficult to work with. I tried to push through it but, by God, how much do you push?"
"So who's my partner now, pushy?"
"Well, Mr. Emerson fixed me up with Leslie Holmes so you're gonna have to work with Kienne Abbott."
"Leslie Holmes? The super nerd? Good. You two belong together. Me and Kienne are gonna have a fun time. She's got a good style; I got a good style. We're the perfect pair."
"Fantastic. We obviously don't need each other anymore so now we have no distractions."
"Exactly 'cause I sure don't need you."
"The feeling is mutual." Randall began to walk away.
"Yeah, it is." Andrea started singing off-key, "Now I'm free! Free falling!"
When she was done singing, a girl walked up to her. She was African-American with long, relaxed, brown hair. And she had a bunch of various-sized butterfly-shaped rings on her fingers.
"Hi," she greeted. "I have to be partners with Andrea Gonzalez. This you?"
"Yeah, this me," Andrea answered.
"Great. I'm Kienne and I just love your style."
"Thank you." Andrea posed, super proud of her trendy, casual outfit. "And nice rings. I like butterflies."
"Cool. Are you a fan of In the Time of the Butterflies?"
"I don't know what that is but I'm down."
"What grade do you have in this class?"
"A 'B'."
"Great! Maybe you can help me raise my grade a bit."
"What grade do you have?"
"An 'E'."
"Oh. Does it represent a fifty percent?"
"No, more like a twenty percent."
"Oh. How are you failing if you were working with Leslie Holmes?"
"'Cause I don't like that girl. And if I don't like you, then you can't help me."
"Well, do you like me?"
"Of course! We're gonna be 'B' buddies."
"Heh, I'm more of a 'C'."
"What?"
"Nothing."