It was Saturday. I entered the kitchen after a warm shower. My mom was leaning against the kitchen counter. She had her phone pressed to her left ear.
“But it’s my holiday!” She said into the phone.
I heard faint sounds from the other side but couldn’t make out who it was and what they were saying.
“I last had a holiday two weeks ago.”
She paused, hearing the other person out.
“Fine. But if I’m in a similar situation like you, I expect you to help me too.”
There was a long pause before she sighed. “Okay.”
She hung up and looked up at me.
“What happened? Everything alright?” I asked as I grabbed an apple.
“I’ll have to go to work today,” She said, sighing.
“Why? It is your holiday today,” I frowned.
“I know. It’s just that one of my friend’s mother is in the hospital and she needs to be taken care of. So I’ll have to cover her shift today.”
“Don’t they have someone else to do that?”
“Notgeres no one… I’ll have to do it.”
“Okay.”
After breakfast my mom left saying that she’d be a little late today.
I had my homework completed so I studied a bit. Time surprisingly went by fast for once and before I knew, it was already evening. Never thought Saturdays could be so boring.
I thought about calling Claire. But I didn’t know if she would be available or not. She’d probably be with her manwhore. And even if we need to talk, she should be the first one to call me.
After dawdling for a good half an hour, i decided to swallow my pride and phone her. There was no harm in trying, right? So I picked up my phone and dialled her number.
It rang a couple of times and I was going to hang up, when finally she picked it up.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded so different. Was it because she didn’t talk to me very often now?
“Hey.”
“Brooke? What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you would come to my place today. If you’re free. I’m actually very bored, so I thought a movie marathon with you would be nice.”
I was so sure that she’d say no but the next thing she said surprised me.
“Sure! I’ll be there in five!” She replied and before I could say anything, she hung up.
Well that was something new. And different. But a good kind of different. I liked that.
I decided to make some popcorn while Claire was still on her way here.
After ten minutes or so, the doorbell rang and I jumped to my feet to get it.
As soon as I opened the door, Claire tackled me in a hug. Oh, How much I missed her anaconda hugs!
“I missed you so much!” She told me.
I laughed at her. “I missed you more.”
“I’m sorry if I didn’t talk to you much this week.”
“It’s okay. I was getting used to it. I was actually surprised when you said you were coming.”
“Oh well, Jesse had gone to visit his parents.”
“And I thought I was special. You just came here because your lover boy is not in town. Wow, I feel so loved,” I said sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes at me, “You know I love you.”
“Sure,” I said, sarcasm still lacing my words.
“Shut up, I really do,” She said, plopping herself down on the couch. “Where’s the popcorn and movie?”
“Be right back,” I said, shaking my head at her. “Choose a good movie from that DVD box,” I said, pointing to a black coloured box on the shelf.
“Okay, girl,” She said, jumping off of the couch and pouncing at the box like it was her prey. If I knew her well, she would choose Magic Mike. It was one of our favourites.
I came back with a big bowl of popcorn because I was sure more than half of it would go in Claire’s tummy and still it wouldn’t be enough.
“Which movie did you choose?” I asked as I saw her grab one.
“The Vow!” She said excitedly. My face fell is disappointment. I thought I knew her well. I was pretty sure that Magic Mike was her favourite. I mentally cursed myself.
“What? No! I don’t want to watch sappy romances!” I groaned.
“Why not?” Claire frowned. “I thought you liked it.”
“I mean I do. But I’m just not in the mood for any romance movie.”
She stared at me for a few seconds as if she was contemplating something.
“What?”
“Does your sudden disinterest in romance movies have anything to do with Gemma and Brian dating each other?”
Her question left my mouth hanging open. They were dating? Gemma and Brian were DATING?!
“They are dating each other?” I asked, ignoring the feeling of despair which suddenly clouded over me. I meant to sound nonchalant but I think it ended up sounding more like a pathetic girl desperate to know if her crush was single or not and was secretly dating the beauty queen of the school.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Gemma told me that she likes him. And also I heard Sam teasing Brian about her. He didn’t seem interested but they both spend a lot of time with each other, maybe he’s just trying to hide their relationship.”
My heart dropped in my stomach at that.
“No, it has nothing to do with romance movies.” I straightened up and faced the television screen.
“Are you sure? Because I think you like Brian. It’s not too late, you know. You can still get him.”
My head snapped at her and I gave her a glare. “I don’t like him. And if Gemma and Brian are together, it’s good for both of them.”
“Okay I was just asking. You don’t need to glare at me like that. You look like a ghost straight out of a horror movie!” She chuckled.
“Nice idea! We’ll watch a horror movie!” I said happily as I watched her eyes widen at the suggestion.
“No! I want to watch The Vow!” She pouted.
“How about Insidious? Or The Exorcism of Emily Rose?” I asked, ignoring her protests and skipping to the box to search for a good horror movie.
“No!” She shouted behind me.
“How about Poltergeist?”
“No!”
“Annabelle?”
“No!”
“The Grudge?”
“No freaking way. I don’t? want to wet my pants. I watched it once and damn, I was so near to pissing myself. That creature, oh my God, that thing in that movie gives me nightmares.”
“Then…” I trailed off as I rummaged through the box, “Ah! My favourite, The Conjuring?”
“No way!”
“Okay then. We’ll watch The Conjuring Part Two!” I said enthusiastically as I looked up at her. I loved horror movies.
“I said no! I’m not going to watch that killer movie. Do you even know that almost thirteen people died watching that?! Do you want to die?!”
“Claire, I won’t die. I love horror movies. And you should stop acting like a child. Even children love horror movies but you-” I said, shaking my head at her childishness.
“I’m not acting like a child. I seriously don’t like horror movies. I am not going to watch it!”
I clicked my tongue at her. “Why do you have to be so difficult? I wonder how Jesse handles you.”
“He handles me just fine. Now choose another movie!”
I shook my head. “We’re going to watch this.”
“No!”
“Suit yourself then.”
I pressed the play button and the movie started. Claire’s eyes widened at the screen and she hopped out of the sofa.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I set the popcorn bowl on my lap.
“Out of this room. Give me the popcorn!”
I shook my head. “If you want popcorn, you’ll have to stay here. I’m not going to give you the whole bowl.”
Claire groaned and and went to the kitchen. She came back with another bowl and half emptied the contents of my bowl into hers.
“I’ll be in your room,” She said and trudged up the steps to my room.
“Or you can just go home if you’re not going to watch the movie!” I suggested, watching her walk off towards my room.
“Or not. I’d be bored out of my mind,” she called back from over her shoulder.
“I’d like to know what you’ll find interesting in my bedroom.”
“I’d find something.” She said before i heard my bedroom door close.
I ended up watching the movie alone, still alive after the movie ended. Claire sometimes came down if she was hungry or needed something but mostly she was upstairs doing God knows what.
I didn’t mind being alone but it would have been nice to have a movie night with my best friend, especially because I saw so less of her these days. Maybe I should have listened to her and stuck to some stupid romantic comedies which I was in no mood to watch.
Claire descended down the stairs a little after the movie finished.
“Hey! I’ll have to go now. Mom wants me home,” Claire told me, not looking up. Her eyes were fixated to the screen of her phone, her fingers moving rapidly over the screen, typing a reply to her mom, I assumed.
“Okay,” I said simply.
She carried her eyes to me and then to the flat screen. “The movie ended?”
“Yeah.”
“We should have watched something else. I was so bored upstairs. All I did was go through your sketches and a few diary entries.”
My eyes widened and I threw a pillow at her face which she successfully dodged. “You did what?!”
“Yeah. Your diary entries. They are so funny. Honestly you write really stupid things. Some of them were? so? sappy and-”
Her words were cut off by the pillow that I smashed on her face. “Shut up! You can’t do that!”
She giggled as she threw the pillow back at me, hitting me in the chest.
“And who is Warren?”
“Claire! Get lost!” No way in hell was I going to tell who? Warren? was. He was my childhood crush. But I was rejected.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry and don’t worry, what I read will remain only with between you and me. I won’t tell a soul that you got rejected by Warren, whoever the hell he was. But you hurt me! You didn’t tell me anything about this! You trust your diary more than me?!” She clutched her chest, faking pain.
“Yes!”
“That really hurt me but as I love you so much, I’ll forgive you. And don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.”
“Oh gee I doubt that. Your mouth is so big that you can’t seem to keep certain things to yourself. And that was not right! You can’t read my diary or see my sketches!”
“Well what did you expect me to do? I’d rather do things that are wrong than watch a horror movie.”
“Remind me to never allow you in my room again.”
“I gotta go,” She said, glancing at her watch. “I’ll see you later. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said.
She collected her belongings and walked towards the door.
“You need my car?” I asked.
“No it’s fine. I’ve called a cab.”
I nodded though she didn’t see it.
“When will we do this again? And I promise we’ll not watch a horror next time.”
Claire grinned at me, “Soon.”
She hugged me goodbye and was soon gone. I walked into the living room again and leaned down on the couch. My face was pressed against the seat of the couch. I wondered what to do now. It was almost eleven and I was not hungry partly because I ate a lot of popcorn as it was a horror movie. I eat a lot of popcorn when I watch a horror because if a character screams anytime, I stuff my face with a lot of popcorn to stop myself from screaming along with them. Of course I don’t get scared at that time. It’s just, I don’t know, I like screaming when I watch others scream.
My mom was going to be a bit late tonight. I didn’t know when exactly she was going to return home, but not this early.
After a while of lying in the same position, I heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. I shot out of the couch, having always hated the sound of that stupid doorbell. It was way too loud.
The doorbell rang again, the sound echoing through the empty house. I made my way towards the door, around which the idiot at the other side of the door rang the bell three more times.
“Oh gee, be patient!” I mumbled as I unlocked the door and yanked it open without looking through the peephole because I wanted the blockhead to stop ringing the doorbell.
“You?!” I exclaimed, shocked at seeing him at this time. I was even more shocked at seeing the state he was in.