Captivate

Soft snickers and giggles jostle me from my sleep. I turn toward the entrance of my room and wipe my eyes before opening them to find my brother, Andrew, and my best friend, Serena, standing in front of me. My forehead creases and my brows scrunch closer together in confusion. They look slightly panicked before turning around and hiding something from my sight. After a few moments, they turn around and I see a cupcake with a lit candle. They both begin singing Happy Birthday, bringing the cupcake forward while making sure the flame doesn’t get blown out. Is it really my birthday already?

“Waiting for the candle to blow itself out, kiddo?” Andrew questions with a smirk. My eyes nearly roll out of my head in response.

“Go ahead, Elise! You only turn eighteen once!” Serena’s voice is much louder and filled with excitement.

I thank them before closing my eyes and blowing out the candle. Before I can say anything, Serena begins asking what I wished for and Andrew asks what I want to do to celebrate. I look at both of them and sigh softly. Excitement should be welling up within me, but I just can’t seem to find it. Quietness settles in the room as I pause in thought. Right as I’m about to speak up, Serena informs us that she’s planned on a group outing to a new club that recently opened downtown.

“Se, I don’t really feel like going out and there’s no way we would be able to get in. Is there any way that we can simply get films and some snacks for a night in? I would rather just spend it with you guys,” I attempt to reason with her. She narrows her eyes at me in response.

“Absolutely not. All you’ve done these past few months is sit around, stay on your computer, and mope ever since you met that jerk Andy. We don’t have to go out and do anything else soon after this, but we’re going out tonight - I’ve already got us on the list,” she tells me. I can hear the determination in her voice and decide not to push it any further for the time being.

“I’m gonna get ready for school, okay?” I mumble. Andrew and Serena both nod, but Serena’s quick to add that the conversation isn’t over.

“We’ll work the details out later at lunch! I’ll be raiding your cabinets for food,” she says while wiggling her eyebrows and then walking away.

“Does she always have to eat our food?” Andrew sighs before calling out to her, “I have one banana nut muffin left and it better be in there when I get to the kitchen!” I laugh softly under my breath - you’d think they were siblings instead; they always bicker.

The water begins to soothe my body and mind immediately after I step into the shower, helping to alleviate some of the stress that has come with the idea of going out for the first time in months. I know I’m not ready to run into Andy. My stomach is in knots at the thought of it. The past three months have flown by; I’ve been hiding myself away and avoiding the outside world unless absolutely necessary. I try to avoid the thoughts plaguing my mind as I quickly shower. After finishing my morning routine, I make my way down to the kitchen and eat a bowl of cereal. As I scoop the last spoonful into my mouth, Serena announces it’s time to head out.

During the drive, Serena’s phone continuously rings with notifications and she glances over at me each time. What’s up with her? Instead of pondering over her looks, I focus my attention on the passing houses and views until we pull up to the parking lot. We arrive just as the first signal bell rings - each of us scrambling to gather our belongings that are strewn throughout the car. Once we reach the main hall, we give each other a quick hug then split off in opposite directions.

Both first and second block pass uneventfully. As soon as the dismissal bell rings for lunch, I pack my things and head to the outside seating area where Serena and I usually meet up. My pace is purposefully slow as I walk towards our table.

“Quit walking like a grandma and get over here, El. We have things to discuss!” Serena’s voice jumps higher and she claps her hands excitedly. I dramatically plop down onto the bench and sigh, looking over at her. “We need to leave at eight to get there around nine-thirty tonight. If you’ll come home with me, we’ll grab a few dresses from my closet and then head back to your place to get ready!”

“Do I really have a choice?” I ask and she narrows her eyes at me.

“No ma’am, you do not. Now stop acting like it’s such a bad thing! We’re gonna have fun tonight and you’ll be glad you got out!” She insists.

“Alright, alright - I surrender,” is the last bit I get in before the bell rings, signaling the transition to third block. I shake my head, grinning at how persistent she is. “See ya later, party girl.” With a victorious beam and finger guns, she backs away from the table.

After arriving at my third class, I dig through my notes. A whiny, high-pitched voice reaches my ears, making me cringe in repulsion. Casey Michaels - the school’s head cheerleader and number one cause of my headaches - enters the room and talks loudly with her mindless pack of followers.

“You guys will never guess who’s taking me out tonight!” She chirps. What have I done to deserve this? “Andy said he wants to go out to that new club after the game, and I’m pretty sure things are going to get serious. This is the third Friday we’ve spent together in a row and he’s obviously crazy about me.” Her minions respond with a chorus of cheers and one comments on how he’d be ‘crazy’ not to be head over heels for her. My eyes roll so fast I think they might fall out.

Trying not to cause a scene, I quietly slip my phone out of my back pocket and hide it under my desk before composing a text to Serena. Andy’s taking Casey to the club tonight. Count me out.

My phone vibrates in my palms within thirty seconds maximum. Screw him. Count yourself in; show him that you can have a better time with us than you can with him. It’s your birthday and you should have a good time. If anything happens, I’ll deck him and that will be the end of it. The teacher begins talking, so I put my phone away before it’s taken up. I know she won’t let me skip out regardless of what I say.

After school, we drive to Serena’s house and she drags me into her bedroom. The contents of her closet are scattered around as she inspects them - tossing unwanted items on the floor and throwing items she deems acceptable on the bed for me to view. Mounds surround us and I wonder how one person can have so many outfits. I look through dress after dress - Serena’s style is amazing, but most of them aren’t me.

About ten dresses in, a short, red dress with lace detailing strikes my eye and I look at it hesitantly. I don’t want to go out, but it is a lovely dress nonetheless. Serena notices and directs me to try it on. After putting the dress on, I turn to the large mirror against the wall. The dress fits every curve and space on my body just right - I have to admit that I like it very well. I turn around for Serena to give her opinion. She whistles before giving me a thumbs up of approval.

“Giiiiiiirl,” she drawls out, “you seriously need to wear that! You feel confident in that, I can already tell. Just wait until we’ve got your hair and makeup done - you’re already a knockout as it is! That’s a huge part of making your night go well already taken care of. If seeing you in that dress and all dolled up doesn’t make Andy regret being a moron, nothing will.”

“You’re right, so thank you. IF we go out, I’ll definitely wear this. Do you have any shoes to go with it?” I ask. Thankfully we wear the same size in everything - it’s like we were destined to be best friends. She rummages in the bottom of her closet before pulling out a pair of black suede pumps and my eyes light up at the sight. They’re gorgeous, but my feet are going to hate me. Oh well. I sigh, feeling myself caving entirely. “What are you wearing?”

“I’m feeling this purple dress with some silver heels. Let me put it on and get your opinion,” she says before dressing. The deep violet dress hugs her hips and flares out as it goes down before stopping at the middle her thighs, making it perfect for twirling and dancing around in. Silver glitter covers the heels - they’re bound to sparkle under the lights.

“Are you trying to show me up or something?” I tease and she sticks her tongue out at me.

“On the move, grandma. We need to get ready at your house,” she instructs. I sigh and slump my shoulders as I drag my feet across her floor dramatically on my way to the car. I fiddle with my thumbs the entire ride, which is thankfully short enough that I can’t begin to panic and overthink.

With both of our outfits laid on my bed, Serena begins sorting her makeup into stages. My small cosmetic bag lays to the side, drowned in her beauty products. She plugs in a straightener along with a curling iron before zoning her eyes in on me and my outfit. She decides what to do before directing me to sit down in front of her with the chair facing away from the mirror. She takes the curling iron to my hair before grabbing the makeup she needs to begin her work.

Whenever she’s done, I turn around to find that she has curled my brown hair into beach waves and it sits just below my shoulders. My eyes are coated with a metallic gold color, elegant winged liner on the top of my lids, and a coat of mascara on both my top and bottom lashes. My lips are a vibrant red color. I feel like a model. She grins as I check myself out in the mirror.

“This is going to be the best night ever!” She squeals excitedly. I give her a hug and thank her before she turns to get herself ready. She straightens her long blonde hair before applying a deep brown smoky eye and deep purple lipstick. She’s the type of girl that can pull off anything. “Go tell Andrew to start getting ready while we dress.”

After talking with Andrew, I come back to the room and Serena hands me a silver box with an aqua bow on top of it. I smile at her and undo the bow before opening the box. Inside is a silver necklace with a cursive ‘E’ charm at the very bottom and matching earrings. I immediately take them out of the packaging and put the necklace and earrings on.

“Se, you didn’t have to get me anything! Thank you so much though. You’re the absolute best friend a girl could ask for!” I thank her.

“I know you’ve been having a hard few months and I wanted to make your birthday the best I could - that’s what friends are for. You don’t need to thank me!” She responds. I wipe away a few small tears that are threatening to come out before giving her another hug. Just as we pull apart, Andrew lets us know that he’s ready and we all head out.

As we walk up towards the club, I see that the line of people waiting to enter appears to stretch for three or four rows. I internally groan at the thought of having to wait outside forever. Serena begins walking past people like they weren’t standing there first and I look at her like she’s insane as people begin to get annoyed and shove at us as we try to walk through. She doesn’t stop until she reaches the man granting access. She leans over close to him and says something lowly before he nods his head and calls for a lady from just inside of the door. Tessa, as her name tag reads, smiles brightly at all three of us before telling us to follow her.

The club is already packed with people socializing and dancing. Serena grabs my hand and drags me behind her as Tessa shows us to a private room. Several of our classmates and Andrew’s friends have been waiting - they all chorus ‘Happy Birthday’ upon my arrival. Several small tables with silver covers line the deep red walls. A large table is set up in the center of the room and decorated - filled with foods, fruits, and a large cake that matches the scene. Absolute surprise fills my body and I’m overwhelmed - glad that I came out tonight. Glad that I didn’t let Andy ruin this for me, too. Several people come up to talk to me, and I thank them for coming out to celebrate. As socializing commences, people snack and talk all around me - everyone is enjoying themselves. The cake is cut and eaten, and then everyone begins to trickle out to the main part of the club and dance floor. Just as I’m about to head out with them, Casey and Andy appear in front of me. Dread fills my body.

In the whiniest voice possible, Casey audibly pouts, “What, we couldn’t be part of the good time?”

Serena steps in front of me, telling Casey that she’s surprised she would care since she doesn’t care about being involved with anyone outside of her click every day. Casey mutters something about ‘jealous freaks’ under her breath and stomps away, frustrated that some people are immune to her spell. Andy turns to leave as well, but stops in his tracks.

“You look really nice tonight, Elise. I don’t see this side of you very often.”

My blood boils as I call out to him.

“You’ve got some nerve to say that to me, Andy. Maybe you’d get to see me like this if you weren’t so preoccupied with Casey and every other girl that you find more desirable than my regular self.” His eyes roll in response, as if to say ‘why are girls always so dramatic and emotional’.

“It just didn’t feel right, Elise.”

The words come out of his mouth in an instant, and he has no hesitancy about it - like he didn’t make me believe or think it mutually felt right.

“Well you definitely didn’t tell me that before,” I snap back.

“It doesn’t matter,” is all he says before walking away to find Casey.

Serena tugs on my hand and leads me away; if she wouldn’t have done that, I would have been left staring at him in my thoughts.

“I’m going to go get some air, Se. I need to cool down. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She looks at me sympathetically and nods.

“Don’t let him ruin this night for you, okay? Tonight is about you and all of the people that care enough to come out for you - not heartless people like him.” I nod and smile weakly before heading out the door.

The night air has turned cool and crisp, causing me to rub on my arms as I stand and look at the sky. I pluck a cigarette between my fingers and light it, sighing as I ponder over everything that took place in just a few minutes. Everything was going so well, and then it was all ruined within a matter of minutes. I finish up and go to put the pack back in the car, only to be interrupted by someone bumping into me from behind. Before I’m able to respond, I feel my face being covered by a hand. I attempt to scream, but I find myself fading out of consciousness before I can get anything out.