CHAPTER FIVE
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

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     IT WAS A BIT OF A DRIVE BUT EVENTUALLY, Alma's father arrived at Liz Allen's house but had to drop her and Nadia off a block away from the house because there were already a lot of cars there. The girls took off their seatbelts and got out of the car and Alma walked over to the driver seat while her father rolled down the window.

     "Remember to call me at least half an hour before ten o'clock so I can pick you up," he said with a stern look and Alma nodded.

     "No worries, Papa. We'll be fine," she smiled as her father sighed.

     "I'll see you soon."

     "Yeah."

     Alma watched as her father drove away and Nadia decided to completely throw her weight onto the smaller girl while wrapping her arms around her shoulders from behind. "I thought you two were never gonna stop talking," Nadia groaned and Alma laughed as they started walking down the block to Liz's house. "Now let's get in there, say hi to everyone and party like it's the last day of our lives."

     "I think you're way more excited about this than I am and that's saying something," Alma said and Nadia scoffed as she rolled her eyes and smiled at her.

     "Oh, I'm ready for this night and you should be too. We're gonna stuff our faces with food, drown ourselves in soda and dance to music so loud we feel the bass in our stomachs," she said and the blonde nodded with a toothy smile.

     "Yeah, party!" Alma shouted as she grabbed Nadia's hand and dragged her to the entrance to Liz's house.

     The door was already open so the girls could just walk in and Alma stopped in her tracks to take in the kind of house Liz Allan lived in. It was already very beautiful from the outside but once she was inside, she had to stop and admire it. She couldn't keep count of all the full length glass windows and she really liked the way the colourful lights illuminated the dimness of the house. She wondered what it would be like to live in a house as big as this one. It would probably be too big since it was just her father and her. If her mother was there as well, maybe it wouldn't seem too big for their little family. She would probably get lost everyday if this was actually her house. But she and Nadia could also do a lot of things with the extra space. But she already enjoyed her cozy apartment with her father. It had everything they needed and there was just enough space for the both of them. She also already enjoyed the activities she and Nadia would do whenever the curly haired girl would come by after school. She didn't really need a big house when she already had everything she needed in the apartment she already lived in. What would Nadia do if she lived in a house this big?

     "Hey, guys!"

     Alma snapped out of her little daydream and saw the host herself, Liz Allen, walking up to them with a red solo cup which Alma assumed already had some sort of beverage inside.

     "Great party, Liz. My only question is why Dickhead over there is the DJ," Nadia said as she pointed at Flash, who was working a turntable mixer, with her thumb.

     "Yeah, he's not really the best but he has a pretty good playlist," Liz said while shrugging her shoulders.

     "Dickhead," Alma mumbled under her breath and the senior girl smiled kindly at the two of them.

     "There's pizza, chips, soda, juice and lots of other things you guys can eat. Help yourselves," she said as she headed over to greet the new guests who had just arrived.

     "You heard the lady," Nadia said and Alma immediately followed her to the kitchen where the table was covered with food and drinks.

     Alma was eating a slice of cheese pizza when she saw Peter and Ned walk in and Liz greeted them and told them where the food and drinks were. Alma smiled with a mouthful of pizza as the boys walked over and they smiled right back.

     "Hi, Ned. Hi, Peter," she said once she swallowed the chewed up pizza.

     "Hey, guys," Ned replied and Alma immediately looked at the hat he was wearing.

     "Can I try it on?" she asked with curiosity in her eyes as she pointed at the accessory on his head.

     Ned chuckled as he took his hat up and put it on Alma's head. She smiled as she looked at Nadia who simply smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. "It adds a nice touch to your look but it's Ned's so give it back," she said.

     "Okay," Alma replied as she took it off and handed it back to Ned.

     "I like your shirt," Peter said and Alma smiled as she thanked him.

     "That was painful," the four of them turned around and saw MJ getting something from the snack table. "And you losers actually came to this lame party?"

     "But you're here too," Ned replied, clearly confused as MJ narrowed her eyes.

     She didn't even notice that Alma walked over to her side and wrapped her arms around her waist and MJ raised her arms as if she was being hugged by a strange animal. "Hi, MJ," Alma said and the taller girl groaned as she looked at Nadia.

     "How do you deal with this every day? I feel like I just adopted an energetic puppy for one day and now it thinks I'm its mama," she said and Nadia laughed as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "We've been friends since the third grade so I learned some tricks to manage. Hey, Alma, I think I saw some marshmallow bananas over there," Nadia said and Alma turned her head so fast she could've given herself whiplash.

     "Where?" she questioned as she detached herself from MJ.

     The three of them looked at Nadia while Alma found the soft and chewy banana flavoured snacks she loved so much. She soon returned with her cheeks puffed out with a mouthful of marshmallow bananas and even more in her cupped palms. She offered some to Nadia, MJ and the boys but MJ declined and walked away while Peter, Ned and Nadia accepted some.

     "I've never heard of marshmallow bananas before," Peter said.

     "I lived in Canada until I was about seven and there was this place where you can get all kinds of candies and even spices and baking supplies like cake pans. My mom used to take me there to get marshmallow bananas, marshmallow strawberries and sour keys," Alma said once she no longer had a mouthful of candy.

     "You're Canadian?" Ned asked and the little blonde nodded.

     "I was born there and then my parents moved us here when I was seven," she said. "Some people can tell I have a Canadian accent sometimes, usually when I say 'sorry' or when I drop the 't' in some words and things like that."

     "Who pays that close attention?" Nadia questioned but Alma just shrugged her shoulders.

     "Apparently a lot of people. You should've heard the kids in my second grade class, asking me why I 'talk funny' and all that," she replied.

     Peter smiled as she continued to eat the squishy yellow candy in her hands while the music turned down. Flash grabbed the microphone and smirked when he saw Peter and Ned standing right next to each other.

     "What's up, Penis Parker? Where's your pal, Spider-Man? In Canada with your imaginary girlfriend? That's not Spider-Man, that's just Ned in a red shirt," Flash said and everyone laughed as they looked at Peter who was just annoyed and then Flash looked at Alma who stood there with her cheeks filled with candy. "Hey, Alma, I'm pretty sure the Chubby Bunny Challenge has been dead for years now. I mean, it's not surprising you didn't know that since I'm pretty sure all that hair dye has gotten through your scalp and into your brain."

     Alma stood there with her fists clenched beside her thighs while her fingernails left little indents in her palms. She didn't like to be mean to anyone but Flash was always such a jerk to her and she put up with it for too long. She was tired of letting him walk all over her thinking that she would just sit there and take it. And this jerk had the audacity to insult her and practically call her dumb in front of the entire school. That was pretty rich coming from the guy who was failing physics class.

     "Alma, are you okay?" Ned asked. "Your hands are shaking."

     Alma sighed through her nose as she relaxed her hands and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm fine," she answered.

     "That dickwad was really out of line for putting you guys on the spot like that," Nadia said with her arms crossed as she shook her head.

     "I'll be right back," Alma said as she left the group.

     She searched around the house until she found a bathroom and locked herself inside. She leaned over the sink with her hands gripping the edge of the counter and breathed steadily through her nose. Maybe it was ridiculous that she was letting Flash get to her. After all, he always had some snarky remark about her but on the other hand, he never had an audience. Until now. She wondered how Peter felt since Flash insulted him in front of the whole school as well. Was he annoyed? Angry? Was he used to it? How did he put up with this every day?

     She figured she spent enough time in the bathroom and left to find Nadia, Ned and Peter. But when she got there, Nadia and Ned were still there but Peter was gone. "Where did Peter go?" Alma asked as she looked around.

     "He said he had to go to the bathroom," Ned answered.

     "I just left the bathroom and I didn't see him anywhere," Alma said and Ned just shrugged his shoulders.

     "He probably found another one. With a house this big, there is probably more than one bathroom," he said.

     Alma thought about it for a moment and simply nodded. "That makes sense," she replied.

     "You sure you wanna stick around with Trash Thompson here?" Nadia asked and Alma shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed a red solo cup filled with some sort of red liquid and looked at the others.

     "I can't just let that jerk ruin my night," she said before downing half of her drink.

     While Ned went to go find Peter, Alma and Nadia joined everyone else in the crowd and found themselves dancing along to the music, forgetting that it was Flash who was the DJ. Alma even went back for a second drink and smiled when Nadia wrapped her arms around her and the both of them kept dancing. It was fun until Flash turned down the music and decided to start a chant.

     "When I say 'penis', you say 'Parker!' Penis!" he said.

     "Parker!" the crowd yelled back.

     "What a dick," Nadia sighed as the chant kept going.

     "Wait here," Alma said as she handed her drink to Nadia and walked over to Flash. "Hey, Dickhead!"

     "Uh oh! Looks like someone is up way past her bedtime," Flash said and everyone laughed but Alma just glared at him.

     She stepped onto the platform and grabbed him by his ear and twisted, much like her grandmother did to her whenever she misbehaved as a small child. Flash yelped but she refused to let go until she was satisfied. "Shut your mouth and listen here. I got a new chant for you. How about when I say 'trash', the crowd says 'Thompson?' I think that sounds way better," she said and Flash grabbed her wrist but she dug her nails into his earlobe.

     "You're crazy!" he shouted.

     "Trust me, I'm not there yet. And if you don't ever wanna see me get to that point, you'll leave me and my friends alone. That includes Peter and Ned," Alma said as she let go of his ear and he stepped away from her as she grabbed the microphone. "When I say 'trash', you say 'Thompson!' Trash!"

     "Thompson!" Nadia shouted as she raised her cup.

     "Trash!"

     "Thompson!" Ned and MJ joined in as well.

     Pretty soon, the whole crowd joined in and Alma handed the microphone back to Flash, who lost the smugness he just had a moment ago. "Goodnight," she said as she got off the platform and Nadia squeezed her tightly as she spun her around.

     "That was amazing. You totally put him in his place," she said with a wide grin.

     "You got balls, tiny toes. I admire that," MJ said and Alma smiled as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "I think I'd like to go home now. I had more than my fair share of fun," she said as she grabbed her phone to call her dad.

     Once she told him she was ready to go home, he told her that he was on his way and to wait for him outside.

     "You think your dad can drop me off too?" Nadia asked.

     "Sure. But you'll have to get your stuff from my room first," Alma replied and Nadia nodded. "We'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

     MJ and Ned nodded as the girls left the house and waited outside for Alma's dad to arrive. The both of them found themselves talking about Alma confronting Flash. Not only did she stand up for Peter and Ned, but she also stood up for herself. She was tired of letting someone like Flash Thompson walk all over her and finally she decided enough was enough.

     "You know, I'm really proud of you tonight," Nadia said.

     Alma shrugged her shoulders as she put her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "I never thought I would actually stand up to Flash of all people," she sighed. "He's not the first or the only person to think I'm some dumb and naïve little girl."

     "That was his mistake and everyone who thinks that can step on a Lego," Nadia replied and Alma laughed.

     "I should probably stop spontaneously hugging MJ. I'm pretty sure she would've punched me if you weren't there," she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "Are you kidding me? After you gave Flash what he deserved in front of the whole school, I think you earned her respect for life," Nadia said and the blonde smiled as she looked at her best friend.

     "Maybe so, but I should probably just stick to hugging you," she replied and Nadia smiled as she put her arm around Alma's shoulders and pulled her closer.

     "You know I will accept your hugs anytime, anywhere," she said and Alma nodded.

     After a few more minutes, Alma's father arrived and both girls got in the backseat. First they stopped at Alma's apartment so Nadia could grab her stuff then they went back downstairs to the car so Alma's father could drive Nadia home. Once they dropped her off, they went back to their apartment and Alma sighed through her nose as she took her shoes off.

     "Did you have fun tonight?" her father asked and she smiled.

     "Let's just say it was a night I won't forget," she replied before going to her room so she could go to sleep.