Chapter 4 - You're Just Being A Girl

“Sydney….Sydney…..SYDNEY!” A male voice shouts in my ear.

I pull the cover over my head, not ready to wake up. “Go away.”

“Sydney, get up.” Bradley. That’s who the voice belongs to.

“Bradley, go away,” I mock him.

“It’s 7:30.”

I spring up in the bed, glaring at him. “What?”

“It’s 7:30, so hurry up. We’re leaving at eight.”

“You would wake me up thirty minutes before we leave. You’re such a boy.” I murmur, going to my closet.

“Well, hello to you, sunshine,” He says, standing up from my bed.

“Are the other guys already here?”

Bradley nods, “Yeah, they’re down in the basement playing C.O.D”

“What is it with you boys and Call of Duty?”

“What is it with you and Super Mario?”

“Super Mario is the best game ever, don’t forget.” I remind him, rifling through my closet.

“Yeah, okay.” He says, obviously not agreeing. “Well I’m gonna go raid your refrigerator, you have twenty eight minutes.”

“Wait, you can’t leave!”

He groans, already knowing what’s coming. “Aww, no Syd. Please don’t make me do it.”

“If you didn’t want to do it, you should have sent someone else to come and wake me up,” I argue.

“I just told you that they’re playing C.O.D. And they’re doing multi-player.”

“Exactly, so I need you to help me with this.”

Bradley groans again, “You’re the worst.”

“Sure I am. Okay, sit, sit.”

“Alright, fine, but hurry up.” Bradley demands, plopping down on my bed.

I grab a handful of dresses - I own about seven, but that’s it - and lie them on my desk. I pull out the remaining two, adding them to the stack of silky fabric. I pick up the first one, a short lilac one and hold it up, showcasing it like a Price is Right Model.

“Okay this is the first one. Like it? Love it? Hate it?”

“It looks fine,”

“Bradley,” I pout. “I can’t do just ‘fine’, I have to look amazing if I want Reese to notice me.”

“If you really want Reese to notice you, I’d suggest going naked.”

“You’re not funny,” I tell him, scowling.

“Yes I am, I know you’re laughing in that little head of yours.”

"Alright,” I say, ignoring his comment. “I’m just gonna try them and then come ask.”

“Sure, sure.”

I grab the dresses and leave my room, heading towards the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and strip out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the titled white floor. I pull on the lilac dress, and smooth it out in the mirror. It’s been a few years since I last wore this. I got it in like freshman year, I think for homecoming. I walk back into my room and put my hands on my hips, looking down at Bradley. He’s texting someone.

“Bradley, I’m having a crisis here!”

“No you’re not, a crisis is an earthquake, wildfire, a tornado. You’re just being a girl.”

“Don’t you want me to be happy?”

“Of course I want you to be happy.” He tells me, looking up at me and putting his phone down.

"So you’ll help me?”

“I guess I have no choice, huh?” He says, smirking.

“Yay, I love you Bradley!”

“You better,” He says, jokingly.

“Okay, so what about this one? Does it look good?” I spin around, so he can get a full view of it.

“I don’t like it,” He says, bluntly.

“You’re right, the color just isn’t doing it for me. I’ll be right back,” I call, running out of my room and back the bathroom. I quickly tear the dress off and get dressed in the next one - a short and simple black one. I go back to my room, spinning around just as I did before, “This one?”

“It looks nice.”

“Okay, so this one goes in the maybe pile.” I run out of my room again, going back to the bathroom. I put the black dress on the floor near my clothes, deeming that the ‘maybe pile’. I get the next dress on, a strapless fire engine red one.

“What do you think?” I wonder, peering down at him, trying to catch my breath.

“It looks good. You look like a little devil though.”

“As opposed to?”

“An angel, duh.” Bradley tells me, rolling his eyes and smiling.

“So this is a maybe too, I think.” I tell him.

I hightail it out of my room and back to the bathroom. It’s 7:41, and I know that we’re gonna end up leaving just a tad bit later than planned, but who actually gets to a party just as it starts anyways? I put the red dress with the black one and pull on a hot pink. It’s very vibrant, and out there, which may or may not be a good thing. I go back into my room and show Bradley.

“Yes? No?”

“It’s too bright,” He says, bluntly.

“Okay,” I say, sighing heavily and speed-walking back to the bathroom.

I pull the pink dress over my head, tossing it to the side with the lilac one. There’s three dress left, a royal blue one, a crème colored one and a sparkling silver one. The blue one is the next one in the stack so I hurriedly put it on, zipping the zipper that’s on the back. I don’t really like the zipper, but the dress looks okay. It kinda makes me wonder why I have all these dresses. They’re all relatively new, I guess. The oldest one is the lilac one. The rest have been purchased sometime between tenth grade and now.

I go back into my room, spinning around in the dress. “Yes? No?”

“Blue looks good on you.”

“Does the dress look good on me?” I ask.

“Yeah, it looks nice.”

“I don’t really like this one. The material is itchy.”

"Then don’t wear it.” He says, point blank.

“Smart, smart boy.”

“So I’ve been told,” Bradley boast.

“Hey, I thought you were grounded?”

“I was.”

“Was as in past tense?”

“No, I still am.”

“So how are you coming to the party?”

“My dad got called in to perform an open-heart surgery, so that’ll take a few hours and my mom is out with some friends or something.”

“You are so sneaky,” I tell  him as I leave my room, going back to the room.

I slide down out of the blue dress and put it with the others in the ‘no pile’. I personally like the crème colored one and the sparkling silver one a lot. The crème one is kinda sophisticated, and sophisticated is good. The silver one is just really cute, though. I look down at the maybe pile, seeing the black and the red dress as I pull on the crème one. I think it’s gonna be between this one and the silver one, honestly.

I go back to my room and say, “What about this one?”

Bradley looks me up and down a few times before saying, “It looks really nice.”

“There’s one more after this, and then we’ll decide which looks the best, okay?”

He nods, not fighting me on it. “Yes ma’am.”

I go back to the bathroom and pull on the last dress with a relieved sigh. The silver one - which I like the best of all is short, stopping mid-thigh. It’s strapless, and has little flecks of that sparkly stuff on it, making shimmer. I bought this dress this school year, for homecoming in October. It kinda went to waste though, because I didn’t go to homecoming. I got really sick a few days before - I literally though I was gonna die - and so I couldn’t go.

I go into my bedroom, hoping that Bradley likes this one. If he likes it, then I can safely assume that Reese will like it. “Alright, dress number seven,” I announce, doing a pirouette in the center of my room.

Bradley’s eyes bulge, “How come I’ve never seen this dress?”

“Because I bought it for homecoming but then I got sick, remember?”

“Oh right,” He says, his eyes sliding over me.

“Do you like the dress or not Bradley?” I ask, once I decide he’s been staring at my legs too long.

“It’s looks great,”

“You think Reese will like it?”

“He’d have to be blind not to.” He insists. “It’s a bit too short though, I think.”

“If you had a daughter my age would you let her wear it to a party?” I ask randomly.

“Hell no,” He says, firmly.

“Well what about if you had a girlfriend? Would you want her to wear it?”

“Hell yes.”

“Bradley, you are such a hypocrite.” I tell him, chuckling.

“You look good, Syd. And I’m sure Reese will love it, just don’t let him rip it off of you or anything. Now please, just hurry up. It’s 7:52.”

“Alright, I’ll hurry.” I tell him. “Thanks for helping me.”

“Yup,” He says, standing up and leaving my room, closing the door behind him.

I go into the bathroom and take a swift shower, then get out, hurrying back to my room and pulling on a bra and a pair of underwear. I pull the dress back on and then run back to the bathroom - man I’m doing too much running as of late, I don’t care if I am on the track team. When I get to the bathroom, I quickly brush my teeth and fast my face, before pulling my makeup bag from out large and spacious bathroom closet.

I don’t usually wear that much makeup, nor do I plan to tonight. I swipe on some mascara and foundation. I pull my lip gloss out of the bag and dab on a little, rubbing my lips together. I put the bag back into the closet, and then collect all of the dresses I brought in here and the clothes I was wearing earlier. I go back into my room, hanging the dresses up and putting them on their proper hangers. Then I pull out a pair of silver stilettoes that Arianna bought for me when I bought this dress. I’ve never worn them - I’m not much a heel wearing kinda girl - so hopefully this goes well.

I slide them on, and they make me at least two inches taller than I really am. I’m pretty short - well compared to the boys. When I got my physical for track the doctor told me that I was 5 foot 3 inches. I put on just a few articles of jewelry then grab my phone and my hairbrush then head for the door. I turn my light off, closing my bedroom door behind me and walking down the stairs.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hear clearly the guys all shouting - they must still be playing their stupid game in the basement. I roll my eyes, going en route for the basement. The door to it is open, that’s probably why I could hear them so well.

Mikey and Drew are the only ones playing now, and I’m not sure, but I think they’re playing Halo. I don’t play video games, except for Super Mario. That’s it. Or Grand Theft Auto, I play that with the guys sometimes, and really I only do that because I like throwing the people out of their cars and then leading the police on high speed chases. Tanner and Bradley are watching the game intently, shouting instructions at Mikey and Drew, and Walker is texting someone on his phone, smiling. Must be his girlfriend, Alison.

“Guys, come on let’s go.” I say loudly, getting their attention.

“Okay, just a minute,” Drew calls over his shoulder.

“Come on, just save it. It’s already eight fifteen.”

“Two seconds,” Mikey reasons before falling into a coughing fit.

Tanner slaps him on the back a few times and he gains his composure. I don’t know what happens, but something on the screen blows up and Drew throws the controller on the ground, “Dammit!”

“Oh yeah, I win!” Mikey brags, doing a fist pump. How Jersey Shore-ish.

“Yeah, yeah you win. Now let’s go.” Drew says, picking his controller up and putting in on the coffee table before hitting the off button on the x-box. 

Mikey stands up, putting his controller down and I start walking up the stairs, them all following behind. “So who’s driving?” I wonder as we get back to the first floor.

“Not me,” Bradley calls.

“Why not you?” Walker asks. “It’s your car.”

            “Exactly, and I don’t feel like making that long ass drive.”

         “Well I can’t, of course,” Tanner says. Tanner has failed his driver’s test five times, he got his permit - so yes, he can drive - he just fails the question taking part. But he’s going back to take the test for the sixth - and hopefully the final - time on Monday after school.

“I just don’t want to,” Mikey claims, coughing into his t-shirt.

“Well, I have to drive back since you will all probably get wasted.”

“Well, then I guess I’m driving,” Drew chirps up, walking towards the front door.

“You look good, Syd.” Tanner tells me as we walk out to Bradley’s maroon Jeep which is sitting in my driveway.

“Thanks, Tanner.” I say, smiling slightly.

“It’s a little short though, don’t you think?”

“Nope, not at all.”

We all pile into the car and Drew puts Bradley’s car in reverse, looking behind and out of the rear window as he backs up. Somehow I find myself squished in the middle. Like always. Well I’m not technically squished, but I’m not actually sitting on the seat. Like I said, Drew is driving. Bradley is in the passenger seat, I’m sitting on Walker’s lap. And Walker is in the middle of Tanner and Mikey.

I just hope we don’t get pulled over or something, because sitting in someone’s lap is definitely cause for a ticket. Bradley turns the radio on as Drew drives down the street, headed for the highway. There’s some rap song on that I don’t recognize but he turns it, hitting another station button.

“-and this is crazy, but here’s my num-“

Bradley quickly hits the next button changing the station, stopping to see what it is.

“-cause you and I, we were born to di-“

“Nope,” He says, turning it again.

“-I’ve just let these little th-“

He changes the station even faster than before and I groan, “Bradley!”

 “What?” He asks innocently, looking back at me.

“Stop being so picky. Whichever station you go to next, let it play.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Bradley agrees, pulling his hand back away from the radio.

A D.J.’s voice fills the car as he speaks, “Man, I love this song! It’s so catchy! That being said, here comes the new one from pop sensation, Taylor Swift, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

All of the boys groan and I reach up in between Drew and Bradley and turn the radio up as loud as it can go, despite the begs and pleas from the guys.

“I remember when we broke up the first time! Saying, ‘This is it, I’ve had enough!’ Cause like, we hadn’t seen each other in a month, when you said you needed ‘space’….what? Then you come around again and say, ‘Baby, I miss you and I swear I’m gonna change. Trust me!’ Remember how that lasted for a day? I say, ‘I hate you’ we break up, you call me, ‘I love you.’ Ooh, we called it off again last night, but ooh, this time I’m telling you, I’m telling you…we are never ever getting back together! We are never ever getting back together! You-“

“Sydney please,” Mikey whines.

“What? This is the best song ever!” I explain.

"It can be the best song ever, just at a moderate volume,” Drew calls from the front, turning the song down.

“Meanies,” I murmur, sitting back- well not really sitting back since I’m sitting on a lap- crossing my arms as the song plays at a way lower volume.