Chapter One
“Mia!” Ally, my best friend, shouted as she gave a tug on my long, dirty blond hair. We were sitting on my bed, while she was braiding my hair. She loved trying out new hairstyles on my hair because it was straight and silky. Whereas her hair is dark brown and really curly but it is hard for her to do much with her hair, so she just wears it down and leaves it alone. She hates her hair but I like it. It suits her well.
“Huh?” I said as I turned around, probably ruining the hairstyle she was currently trying out on my hair.
“Were you even listening to me?” she said with a questioning look.
“Yeah.” I said as I looked at my feet. I'm terrible at lying and when I do I often look down at my feet. Only my mom has realized that so it is easy to lie to anyone else but when I lie to my mom she knows that I'm lying. Which really sucks.
“What was I talking about?” she asked as she continued on my hairstyle, fixing up the place she messed up.
“Um, boys?”
“Well, yes. You got lucky. Anyway I was talking to William Smine, the guy in my social studies class, and he said that we should walk one day.”
“That’s nice. You two you will have a lot of fun.”
“Well is that considered a date?”
“Ally, we are in ninth grade you can’t really go anywhere but walking without having our parents drive us, but I thought you liked that Mark Little in your science class.”
“I did, but I don’t have that good of a chance with him. I have a good chance with Will. And Will is cute and he’s funny.”
“Ok, if you say so. You can like whoever you like.”
“Who do you like?” Ally said as she gave a slight tug on my hair.
“I don’t like anyone.”
“What about Matt Smith?”
“We are just friends.”
“You know just because you dad was an idiot doesn’t mean all guys are. Look at your step-dad. He helped your mom when she had you at such a young age. And now they are married and have three kids themselves.”
“I know but my dad left me and my mom all alone. He didn’t leave any number and only left us a hundred dollars! One hundred dollar! I can’t forgive him! She was only eighteen!”
“Ok, ok.”
“And I don’t not like guys because of him it’s just I don’t find any guys in our school that good looking.” I said.
You’re on the phone with your girlfriend she's upset she’s going off about something that you said. Cause she doesn’t get your humor like I do. I'm in my room it a typical Tuesday night, I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like and she’ll never know your story like I do. But she wears short skirts I wear t-shirts she’s cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers dreaming bout the day, when you wake up and find that what you’re looking for has been here the whole time! If you could see that I'm the one who understands you. Been here all along so why can’t you see? You belong with me! You belong with me! Ally’s ringtone blared. She always let it go to the chorus until she answered. Since You Belong With Me is her favorite song. As well as mine!
“Hello?” Ally said answering her phone.
Silence.
“Yes!”
Silence.
“Good idea! You’re a genius. See you Friday.”
With that she hung up.
“Hey Will asked me out…and I said yes!” Ally exclaimed as she let go of my hair and gave me a huge hug. She was one of my many friends who loved to give hugs. To teacher, to boys, to friends, to anyone!
“Ally, I'm so happy for you. You two will make such a great couple!”
“I know, right! So he said that Friday is a date but him and Matt already had plans so he said I could invite you. Do you wanna go?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t remember Matt is coming as well.” She said smiling.
“Ok I would love to. Now get back to doing my hair!”
“Ok! Chill.” She said as she restarted braiding my hair.
“I was only joking!” I said as I blew a friendly kiss in her direction.
“I knew that, I'm not that stupid!”
“Hate to break it to you, girly, but you kind of are.” I said jokingly.
“Hey!” she said as she gave me a little tap, being careful not to let go of my hair.
“Kidding,” I said as she finished on my hair.
“I'm all done on your hair. Take a look!” she said as she handed me the mirror.
“I love it!” she braided a strand on each side and then tied them in the back. She is really good with hair and makeup. I think that when she grows up she will be a hair and makeup stylist.
“Thanks.”
On the other side of the door, with your face and the beautiful eyes, and the conversations with the little white lies, and the faded picture of a beautiful night, you carry me from your car up the stairs. And I broke down crying, was she worth this mess? After everything in that little black dress. After everything I must confess I need you. Ally’s text-message ringtone blared another Taylor Swift song, The Other Side of the Door.
“Let me get this.” Ally said as she looked down at her phone.
“Who is it from? Your boyfriend, Will!” I said in a romantic voice as I made googly eyes.
“No, it’s from my mom I have to head home.”
“Want me to walk you over?”
“I live two doors over. I think I will be fine.”
“Ok, but if you get murdered or taken on the way home it’s not my fault…”
“And you will laugh at my funeral. I know I got it.” She said cutting me off.
“No, I would cry at your funeral as much as I joke with you I love you like a sister.” I said giving her a hug.
“I know. I feel the same way about you!” she said hugging me.
“Go home now. I want your mom to continue loving me like her daughter.”
“But your mom is way cooler!” she whined.
“’Cause my mom is like ten years younger!”
“I know I know. I'm leaving now.”
“Bye!”
I walked her down the stairs and out the front door. My mom heard her leaving and yelled out the door, “You are coming on Saturday, right?”
“Yes! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Ally said running out the door. Her mom was one of those moms who wanted you home on time not a minute later.
Saturday was the day that I was born and the day my mom married my step-dad, I was four at the time. They said they thought that it could be my birthday present to finally get a real dad. Or at least that’s what my mom told Ben and it was the only open day for a wedding. It was my birthday or four months from my birthday.
“Saturday, who’s first, you and Ben or me?” I said, I knew last year we celebrated my birthday before their anniversary but I was hoping she forgot.
“It was your birthday first last year, silly!” she said as she picked up Morgan, my little sister who’s eleven months old now. Just by looking at my mom you wouldn’t know what she went through in her life. She had me when she was eighteen, once I was one my dad left us with only a hundred dollars. My mom’s best friend, Ben, helped her raise me because my grandparents, her parents, were so mad at her for getting pregnant they kicked her out and wouldn’t help my mom care for me. Ben and her got married when I was four. I grew up thinking he was my dad. Now I call him Ben, in fact he told me to because he said he didn’t want to make me feel like he was trying to fake the position of my dad. Then they had my brother, Josh, who is now five. Then along came my little sisters Morgan, almost one, and Ashley, three and a half. I help out as much as I can because I know my mom has had it rough in her life. Her and her parents still don’t speak.
“I know, I was hoping you forgot.” I said, “Is Ashley sleeping?”
“No, is in the play room with Josh.” she replied barely making eye-contact, she was too focused on getting the formula just right for Morgan. Most kids would mind not getting their parents one-hundred percent attention but I don’t care. I know that my Morgan, Ashley, and Josh need more attention than me.
“I will go and check on them.” I said as I gave Morgan a kiss on the cheek.
Our house is slightly larger than some houses in sizing but it is very complex to find your way around. Just to get to the play room I had to make eight lefts and three rights. Whoever thought to make our house surely didn’t think to make it easy to maneuver in.
On the third left I ran into our two dogs, Anya and Bella, wrestling. They are not related but we got them both around the same time from the pound so they are very close. Anya is an Australian Sheppard and Bella is a Golden Retriever.
When I entered the room Ashley was pouting so I ran up behind her and picked her up, twirling her in circles while giving her kisses.
“Now why was my little sister pouting?” I asked her kissing her.
“Joshy was mean.”
“What did you do Josh?”
“I told her to get off of me and she had a freak out.”
“Now, Ashley, can you do a big girl job?”
“Uh huh.”
“You should stop pouting and be a big girl and listen to Joshy.” I said as I sat her down on the floor.
“Ok.”
“Now you two play nice I'm going to go help mom with Morgan.”
“No! Stay!” Ash screamed as she threw herself onto my legs.
“Do you want me to play with Josh and you?” I asked as I pried her off of my legs.
“Yes!” she said as she ran to get her doll.
“What do you want to play?”
“Dolls!” she screamed.
“Shh, Morgan is sleeping.” I told her.
“I'm out of here.” Josh said, “I don’t want to play dolls.”
“Ok go see if mom needs help with Morgan.”
“Fine!” he said as he stopped out of the room.
“What are we going to do with him, Ash?”
“Get rid of him.” She said as she combed her dolls hair. She is a very mature three and a half year old little girl. I think that growing up with an older sister as old as me helped her mature which is both good and bad.
“I think you would miss him.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Who would annoy you if he wasn’t here?”
“No one.” She said, “Can we just play dolls?”
“Sure.”
We played dolls for the next hour. I was the ugly, poor girl and Ash was the pretty, spoiled girl. I'm always the ugly, poor girl who never finds love and is a complete snob. I also always lose my ‘dream’ guy because he falls in love with Ash's doll. Although I don’t complain because I know if I did she would start screaming and wake up Morgan. Finally, I told her I had to go do homework, which I did but I was also going up to go call Ally.
“Hey!” Ally said as she answered her phone, once I was upstairs, of course.
“Hey so I was thinking you could just come to my house after we walk Friday so we could help my mom get ready for Saturday.”
“You know you are like the perfect daughter. I hate you for that. My mom is always like ‘I bet Mia would help her mom with the dishes’ I'm like ‘mom shut up’ then I get a HUGE lecture on manners.”
“I'm sorry. Well I have to go Morgan is crying. Poor kid she never gets any sleep because she wakes herself up.”
“Ok talk to you tomorrow.”
“See you later.” I said as I hung up and headed into Morgan’s room, the nursery.
Top Five Things I Love About Ally
5. She is a great friend
4. She has a great laugh
3. She is very lovable
2. She is a great listener
1. She is a great problem solve
