Page 15 of Perfect Tragedy
He turns around and makes his way back to Hailey, puts his arm around her shoulders, and smiles at her.
He gives hermysmile.
He gave hermynecklace.
He gives hermyheart.
Watching it, feels unbearable, and my heart breaks into a million tiny pieces.
4
Sitting on Vanessa’s bed watching her curl her hair into waves down her back, I’m second guessing our plans this evening. I’m not sure why I let her talk me into things I’m not sure I want to do. Yes I do, because she’s more fun than I am.
“I don’t understand how you can even be questioning whether or not you should go,” she points the curling iron at me in irritation. “It’s not even a choice, really, because everyone’s going,” she tells me for the third time in less than an hour. “Everyone.”
And I tellherfor the third time in less than an hour, “Just because everyone is going, doesn’t mean I have to.”
She doesn’t even try to hide her annoyance with me. I decided long ago she could win an Olympic medal in eye-rolling if they had one. The thought makes me smirk in amusement. “What would you do instead?”
I shrug my shoulders.
“I know what you would do. You’d sit in your room, sulk, maybe read something, but most likely you’d write your sad feelings in your diary.”
“Yeah, so? Maybe I would. I don’t know.”
“I do. It would be something like… dear diary, it’s another day in the life of my unrequited love obsession with Blake. Oh diary, why for art thou doth he not love me?” She places the curling iron down so she can put the back of her hand to her forehead for dramatic effect.
“Stop it. That doesn’t even make sense,” I laugh at her theatrics.
“Seriously, Sienna, stop questioning whether or not you’re going. You’re going. Best friends don’t let best friends miss parties like this. It’s my duty to make sure you’re there.”
“Your duty?”
“Yep,” she says with a whole lot of sass. “Now get over here, it’s your turn.”
With a sigh I get up and walk over to her and she immediately starts brushing my hair while still lecturing me, “It’s a few months until the end of the school year, and we deserve to let go and let loose for once. We’ve been working hard all year long.”
I mean, she’s not wrong about that. I’ve thrown myself into my studies because it’s prevented me from thinking about…other things.
“Plus, you look hot. Like capital H-O-T, hot. I couldn’t have picked a better outfit for you myself. You can’t back out now, why are you trying to?”
I mean, I guess she’s not wrong. I look at myself closely in the mirror while she separates my hair into sections before curling them. I took great care doing my makeup, in part because it’s something I love to do. My allowance usually goes to the latest must-have makeup product I read about and I’m acquiring quite the collection. I chose my new white jeans that fit me like a glove which I miraculously convinced my mom to buy for me. To go with them, I’m wearing a cute floral top found at one of my favorite boutiques when we went shopping out of town. It shows just a hint of my boobs and I know I look good. But whether or not I look good isn’t the problem. My heart just isn’t in this tonight.
And I know why.
Blake and Hailey.
It’s been a few months since Valentine’s Day officially became the stupidest holiday ever. And the reason for that is still going strong. Unfortunately. And I do everything I can to avoid them. It makes me sad. I miss my friend. Blake’s noticed the distance too. Whenever he’s at the house hanging out with Jack and I’m around, he makes a comment about how he never sees me anymore. Usually I just shrug, smile like I’m sorry, and make an excuse to be somewhere else. My excuses range from ‘I’m meeting up with Vanessa’, to ‘I have so much homework to do’, or ‘I’ve got a horrible headache and need to lay down’. I rarely have dinner with the family when he joins. I’m positive my mom knows that I’m struggling. She tried to bring it up once and I completely shut her down. She hasn’t tried to broach the subject since, but she gives me these I-know-what-you’re-doing eyes which I ignore.
Plain and simple, I don’t have the energy to fake it within me, so I avoid, avoid, avoid. I just don’t get it - he betrayed me. How can he be with a person that made my life hell? He was my friend first - does he not have any loyalty? Apparently if you have a pair of double d’s and there’s rumors that you know how to use your big lips, that’s all that matters.
Gross.
Finally, I decide to just say what I’m thinking, “You know why I don’t want to go, but if you need me to say it, fine. I’m pretty sure Blake and Hailey will be there and I don’t really want a front and center seat to the Blake and Hailey show.”
“I get it, Sienna,” I give her a how could you possibly understand look, but she shakes her head. “Stop. I do understand, but enough is enough. You don’t just stop living your own life because he’s choosing to hang out with someone you don’t like. The best way to get over him, is to get with someone else.”
“You make that sound so bad.”
