Authors Note: I know the formating is weird. Its the website not me sorry. Also, I have edited this story so many time I can't count. When you edit please quote the WHOLE story and give me specific examples that helps me a lot. Thanks. Jenn
Mandi Smith
“Mandi, do you want bacon?” Mom asked, pushing her brownish-blond hair over her shoulder.
“Yes, please,” I replied from my seat at the kitchen table. My eyes moved over her what used to be slender frame before she got pregnant, eight months ago. She is in excellent shape, and I can only hope to have a figure like that when I reach her age and have had three kids and expecting one.
Her brown eyes met mine, “You better hurry up if we’re going to head out to go shopping.”
“Mom, I have plans with Sam and Rachel. And later tonight I'm going out with Nick.”
“Ok! Tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you. Oh and Mandi remember you have to do the dishes tonight and vacuum the house.” She said reminding me of my usual chores.
“I won’t forget about my chores and I’m going to the mall with everyone no need for you to go,” Then, seeing the sad, upset look on her face, I quickly added, “but we could have a girls night out one night, just the two of us.”
Then her face got all happy. I was happy to see that look on her face. Since my dad left I hadn’t seen it very often.
“Mom! I need money!” Briana said in her normal, rudely manner.
“Ok sweetie.”
“Don’t call me sweetie!” she said as she looked up just to get the money then quickly averted her blue eyes away from my mom.
I watched my older sister storm out from the room and rolled my eyes. I don't know how my mother ever puts up with her. Bri and I aren't the best of friends. I love her and all, but there are days I can't put up with her rudeness and impatience. She's got sandy, blond hair just like me, but that's where the resemblance ends.
I could hear Bri’s voice coming from the living room and I instantly thought of my dad. Not that they sound alike at all, in fact they're complete opposites, but that she was the one that would help my parents patch up their relationship when my parents were fighting, which was about half of their marriage.
“Mom? I'm going out with Jake tonight.” Heather said as she appeared from the basement, where she had been working out. She is always complaining that she needed more time to work out. Even though she works out for like two hours every day, which is why she’s really thin.
It wasn’t unusual for Heather to go out with Jake, her boyfriend. She was twenty-two now and has given me advice about boys, since we are really close. She is hoping he proposes one of these days. Not that she tells me, I just know it.
“Ok. Have fun!” mom said pushed the plate of bacon towards me. I took three pieces.
“Oh, guys I'm gonna have to work tonight. I might not be home until later.”
I nodded as I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.
My mom, Sherri, is the owner of Laugh’s, a big indoor facility just for kids to be kids. It does very well. This is the job
she uses to provide for the family with ever since my dad left. She misses my dad a ton even though she tries to hide it. I am not easily fooled. She is the one who I would talk to about my dad after he left, when I was in denial. She is mad at my dad for leaving us, although she is mad mostly just to try and hide the sadness.
Suddenly my phone buzzed. I looked down and saw a text from Nick.
‘We still on 4 2nite rite?’
Nick is my boyfriend. He is like a best friend to me he helps me through the good and bad times. We first met at a party. We were all playing spin the bottle and it landed on both of us. At that time we were mortal enemies and hated each other. When we kissed, it was love at first kiss. Then he asked me out and I said yes. When we came out of the room we decided not to tell anyone except our best friends. Now everyone knows since our friends can't keep secrets. He has brown hair and has blue eyes. He is very sweet and I could never let him go. I like him very much. If we broke up I would probably miss his laugh the most. It is the one thing I haven’t heard in a while since we went into eleventh grade. It’s all ‘our team is going to lose, our defense sucks,’ blah, blah, blah.
‘Yes.’ I texted him as I walked up to my room and heard the TV blaring from the walls its hung on beside all my posters and pictures of my friends. I sat down on my fuzzy blue comforter and turned on my computer.
Our house is awesome! It is a huge, old, stone house and has lots of land in the back and front. There’s one passage from my room into another, secret room, when I found out about it, it smelled like dead animals, and now after I redecorated it and sprayed it with ten bottles of vanilla spray, the air smells nice and it looks great. I use it as my lounge.
As I logged onto Facebook, Selena and Amber, my two dogs, came into my room and jumped onto my bed. We also have Nemo, a rabbit and Taylor my orange tabby cat, who acted more as a dog than a cat. We also have two Yorkshire terriers, Milo and Sandy, two Maltese, Vanessa and Abby, a brown tabby, Eliza, and another orange tabby, Carra.
“Mandi, dear. You father sent you a check do you want me to cash it?” my mom said as she walked by my room carrying the laundry basket, doing Bri’s chore for her. Ever since the divorce she has been afraid to yell at us, in fear of losing us so she does our chores if we forget to do them
“Yes, please, and mom? You should really contact dad before the baby’s born,” I said as I pet Amber’s golden fur.
“Amanda, we will not have this conversation again,” she said as she walked away.
My dad is in Brazil studying a new plant that may be able to cure cancer. About seven or eight months ago he just packed up and left. I missed him for the first month or two, and then I realized that it was his decision to leave, I had nothing to do with it; no one did. Sometimes when I'm home alone I watch his TV show reruns and talk to him like he is actually there and listening to me. I know it sounds stupid but it helps me. He didn’t know that my mom was pregnant when he left because and she hasn’t told him because, as my mom thinks, it would make her seem like she was begging him to come back. I personally think it’s stupid not to tell him, especially since it’s not fair for my unborn sibling not to have a father figure. Whether or not he comes back to my mom I just want my sibling to have a father.
************************************************************************
When I got to the mall Rach, Sam and I went to the shoe store to pick out our graduation day shoes, since we already had
had our outfits picked out.
“We’re gonna be like twenty minutes,” I told the guys. We left them at the food court, which was right beside the shoe
store, figuring they would eat while we shopped. Everyone would be happy.
“I love these. They would look super good on you,” I said to Rach, as I held up a pair of clear-ish white high heels.
“How much longer?” Luke asked as he walked in to the store with a small soda and pretzel. He never stopped eating, but
remains thin. I joke around with him that the more he eats he just gets taller since he’s like six one six two. He can be
obnoxious or the sweetest person, it depends on the day.
“Give us ten minutes,” I told him.
“Ten?” He replied shocked.
“Just go eat!” I teased him.
“Fine! I am dying to try the Chinese places new chicken.” He said as he left the store and headed to Panda Express. At
this Rach rolled her eyes. Luke and her have been going out for two years now and they are past that awkward stage
where you pretend to be perfect in the relationship.
As I turned back to Rach I saw her trying on the shoes I had showed her. Every time I look at her it makes me want to look like her. She’s the average American blond hair and blue eyes. I have known her for seventeen years-my entire life- since, well, we are neighbors.
“Are you sure?” Rach asked me with a questioning look on her face.
“Yeah! Since your outfit and these blend but not exactly.” I said. Considering her dress was red these would look real nice with the dress.
“If you say so,” She said as she picked them up and walked toward the register and pulled out her Visa card.
“And Sam?” I called to her.
“Yeah?” Sam replied as her green eyes met mine I saw she was over at the sneaker section. She was more a tomboy, although I had convinced her to wear a dress to graduation, I did have to pay her and promise to buy her a new
skateboard but it was worth it. She wasn’t always this way though. I have known her since I was seven, when she moved here, and when she was little she loved dressing up. Now, not so much. Although on her and Ross’ first date she did wear a skirt, after arguing with me about it.
“These would look great on you.” I said as I pointed to a pair of white heels that laced up like sneakers.
“Okay! I’ll buy them.” She said happy that I picked a pair without a big heal and that had laces.
“Now let’s check-out and leave before the guys freak.” Rach suggested as she headed back from the register..
“Just let me buy these,” Sam said as she headed over to the register and swiped her card and showed I.D.
After we checked-out, we went out and met the guys.
“Hey,” we all greeted them. Luke and Ross took the bags from Rach and Sam, since they had their bags from the shoe
store. I had found a pair but I needed money and I had left a coupon I had at home. Although my mom does have money, I
don’t like people thinking I get by just by using my mom’s money so I clip coupons-to which my mom is very grateful.
“Hey.” Nick greeted me, and then kissed me on the cheek.
“What took so long?” Ross teased as he pushed his brown hair out of his blue eyes.
Since we all dated each other at one point in time we are all like best friends. We don’t judge each other and it's cool, we
can be ourselves around each other and not feel self-conscious or nervous. And it is nice to be friends with a guy and get
their point of view on things sometimes. Although when I ask them about a shirt or something they just tell me to ask
Nick so it’s kind of pointless, but they did help when I couldn’t decide between two things to get Nick for our anniversary.
“We’re girls in a store with credit cards! What do you expect?” I said.
“Good point.”
“I'm so glad it is almost summer. I couldn’t take being in school anymore,” Luke said as his brown eyes met mine as he shook his brown hair out of his eyes.
“Me too.” I said as Nick put his arm on my shoulders.
We all went to San Diego Prep. A private school near San Diego Zoo. All of our families except Nicks were wealthier, even his isn’t that poor they just aren’t as wealthy. Nick got into this school by scholarship, which I think is cool that he didn’t just get in by paying. Ever since his dad died when he was ten and his mom remarried to a guy named John, before we started dating, his family lost a lot of money. Since his dad was the big money maker. He doesn’t talk about his dad a lot but I know he missed him terribly.
“Now who wants to go get a pretzel and then go see a movie?” Ross asked as we walked toward the movie theater. Ross is a very soft-spoken guy at some times, but not at others. At five nine he can be the most annoying person or the quietest guy-which is why I broke up with him when we dated in seventh grade.
“Me,” I said.
“Me too,” Ross agreed.
“Majority wins then.” Rach said.
Then we started walking to the pretzel stand with Nick’s arm still around my neck.
After we went to see Friday the 13th for the third time since it's been released into movie theaters, my phone vibrated.
‘Mandi you need to come home immediately. I will explain later.
-Heather’
“Nick?” I asked jerking my neck so fast his arm flew off my shoulders.
“Yeah,” He replied moving his arm so it didn’t fling and hit Rach.
“I have to go home, Heather’s orders.”
“Oh, ok do you need a ride?” He said as he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“No, I have my car. Thanks though, see you later.”
“Okay I look forward to it.”
“I’ll text you if plans change.” I told him, “Bye everybody!”
“Bye Mandi,” They all called.
Then I left the mall and got in my Mercedes and headed home.
