I opened my eyes as the
loud beeping of my alarm startled me awake from my deep slumber. I hit the
snooze button and threw off my heavy blanket.
Monday morning, the most
hated day of the week – that is for everyone but me. I loved Mondays. To me
Mondays were like the first day of the year, the first day of spring; there was
this expectation that with this new week something different would happen,
something exciting. I woke up every morning with a sense of anticipation and
hope.
I flipped on the radio and
hummed to the music as I perused the contents of my closet. I settled on a
stripped green sweater and dark blue jeans. I was showered, dressed and in the
middle of eating breakfast when the doorbell rang.
My mom went to answer the
door but I knew who it was before she opened it. I couldn’t help the bright
smile that came over my face when I heard the cheerful voice. Aaron had come to
take me to school and even thought I knew that it meant that he and Vanessa had
gotten into another fight, I couldn’t help but be elated that he was here.
My mom walked into the
kitchen, Aaron following closely behind and another figure walked into the room
after him. Jake Pendleton, Aaron’s best friend and my every now and then
confident. Whenever I needed to talk about Aaron, which I admit was often, he
always lent an ear.
I appreciated it,
especially knowing that he wasn’t overly fond of the female gender. According
to him, he had “no use for girls”. It wasn’t that he was into guys or anything,
he’d been on a few dates here and there, he just preferred the company of his
male friends … and me. He thought high school girls were silly and I could
understand that considering the way they acted around him.
Jake was what could be
termed good looking but he was totally unaware of it and took great pains to
ignore it if someone pointed it out to him. He always looked like he had just
rolled out of bed and I suppose girls found that dishevelled look hot, so they
chased after him and generally behaved liked idiots around him. The fact that
he ignored them made him even more irresistible. I didn’t really get it myself,
sure Jake was cute but his unruly hair and dark eyes couldn’t compare to
Aaron’s hazel eyes and classic good looks.
Most of the girls in school
had stopped chasing after him when they realized that he and Vanessa weren’t
going to call it quits anytime soon. I guess I was the only foolish one still
holding hope.
Aaron was playing with his
napkin and watching me, finally he smiled and greeted me. “Morning E.”
“Morning Aaron, Jake.”
Jake settled in his seat and
nodded his head to me in greeting.
“Jake would you like some
breakfast?” My mom asked already putting a plate of bacon and eggs together for
him.
“That would be great, Mrs.
Coppley. Smells great,” he answered unsurprisingly. Jake was always eating, how
he didn’t get fat was purely due to genetics.
“Anything for you Aaron?”
she asked as she put the plate down in front of Jake.
Aaron shook his head. “No
thanks, Mrs. Coppley.” He leaned across the table towards me and said in a low
voice, “So uh, did you talk to Vanessa today?” Straight to the point Aaron was.
“No, I didn’t. Did you guys
fight again?” I asked casually knowing perfectly well that they probably had.
He shrugged and looked
away.
I bit my lip wanting
desperately to ask what had happened but knowing that asking would not be
appreciated. I put my fork down and pushed the chair back. “Well, we can go
whenever you’re ready,” I said to him.
He nodded and looked over
at Jake who was in the process of scraping the rest of his eggs and bacon onto
a slice of bread. He looked up at us and raised a brow. “I’m good. Let’s go.”
I shook my head as I
watched him take a big bite of his sandwich. I doubted the boy thought about
anything besides his stomach. I grabbed my bag and my coat in the living room
and after a quick farewell to my mom we left the house.
“So what do you think of
maybe catching a movie tonight, E?” Aaron asked as we walked to his car.
I grinned and nodded.
“Sounds good.”
“Cool. Jake says there’s a
new horror flick out that sounds good.”
I looked over at Jake who was busy finishing the last bits of sandwich into his
mouth and frowned a little. “Oh, so it’s Jake, you and I?” I tried not to sound
disappointed that it wasn’t going to be just the two of us but I think I failed
because Jake glanced at me and lifted his hands in a conciliatory fashion.
I ignored him as we got
into the car, Aaron and I in the front and Jake in back.
“Yeah just the three of us.
Vanessa’s got a thing or something so she wouldn’t be able to make it
anyway.” There was an angry bend to his voice as he said thing and I instantly
figured out why he and Vanessa had gotten into a fight.
Vanessa was probably
attending one of her fancy parties and Aaron probably wasn’t invited. Vanessa
ran in circles far more elevated than ours and she was always telling us that
when she hung out with us she was slumming. She always said it jokingly but I
knew she meant it, at least partly.
I wondered as I buckled up
my seatbelt if Aaron was hanging out with me because he wanted to spend time
with me or because he didn’t want to be home if Vanessa was out; I wanted to
believe it was the former but I had a sick feeling that it was probably the
latter.
.
The week was going to suck
if the day was anything to go by. As soon as we walked into school Vanessa had
stopped Aaron claiming that they needed to talk and without even a goodbye,
they had walked off leaving Jake and I to make our way to our separate
homerooms.
When our second period
politics class came around, Aaron had been full of ill concealed elation.
Apparently, all was forgiven. Vanessa had gotten out of going to the party and
they were going to spend the evening together at Vanessa’s place. Movies?
Definitely cancelled. I wasn’t surprised by the sudden change in plans, Aaron
had pulled this on me more times than I could count but that didn’t stop my
feelings of hurt and frustration
I didn’t wait for anyone
after school; I was definitely not in the mood to socialize after the day’s
little disappointment. It was just on the early side of spring; it was chilly
but the air was crisp. It was a beautiful day. I passed the bus stop and
continued to walk down the sidewalk. Walking home would take less than half an
hour and I needed some solo time to think.
I was so tired of Aaron
dropping me every time Vanessa came running. I was tired of being good old
Eliza, always there when Vanessa wasn’t. Why did Aaron treat me the way he did?
Why didn’t he see me?
I knew I wasn’t ugly but
neither did I have Vanessa’s features. Her dark hair and eyes made her look
exotic and sultry, I had the boring blonde hair and blue eyes thing. I looked
down at myself, at my dark jeans, pea coat and mitten encased hands and I
realized my problem. I was too wholesome...boring, plain. I needed something
new, something different. I needed to become someone that Aaron would never
want to let go.
I looked at my watch, it
was almost four. Pauline might be able to fit me in for a hair cut and style,
I thought. If I hurried, I would be able to get to her salon before her usual
rush. With a heady feeling in my stomach and a new sense of hope lightening my
step, I crossed the street and headed in the direction of my hairdresser.