Weekly Sanity

14th day of July 2013

It was a Sunday afternoon. It's a weekend when normal teenagers like ourselves would be spending time at home or with their friends in the mall (like we're doing right now). Today was the sacred and final day before the dreaded Monday begins, Sunday.

"Why can't I have a normal best friend?" Melissa said to me randomly. Oh, and also I think I'm the best friend she was referring to.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" I started. "You're the abnormal one here, just look at what you're wearing. Very tomboyi- No! You're a LESBIAN. Eww, Why I am even hanging out with you? Ugh!" I walked away from her until I realized that I forgot that Melissa was my best friend and I should've not said those things to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Mel. I don't care if you're lesbian, I promise. They're not bad. I even met one yesterday, such a sweet gal-er-guy whatever…. But uh," I noticed Mel looked at me with a very stiff expression. I continued my rant-ish speech: "Er – right, I didn't mean that you know. It just came out. I'm a terrible person!"

At that point, people started staring at us. It made me wonder, why can't people mind their own business? Oh well, I don't care anyway, as I think apologizing to my best friend was the priority here.

My friend looked away for a moment but the grin that formed on her pretty little face reassured me. She stated to laugh at me. People had torn their gaze from us, finally realizing that there were more important things in life than staring at a couple of teenaged girls.

"Hence, proving my point about your non-normality," Melissa smirked the way boys our age usually do. "Wait, you didn't actually thought that I was a homosexual right?"

"Nah, I'm just kidding." (I'm not) "Though, you're really tomboyish you know. If it weren't for your long hair and er-secondary development, you would pass a guy to me, yeah," I nodded to no one in particular as I agreed with myself. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mel! I'm such a-"

"No," she gave me a kind of a sad smile. "It's alright, but you should know, really, I am a lesbian!"

It was like a in most TV shows I watch. It happens when a moment of awkward silence was needed to transit. A gust of an unrealistic wind blew passed us before I could think of something to say.

"WHAT?!" was supposed to be my witty response. I thought that it's the only reasonable word to say.

"Hold up, I'm just kidding. You know who I like right?" Mel smiled at the thought of that guy; I even noticed the feint flush on her cheeks. She's beautiful. Wait, maybe I'm the lesbian here for having a homosexual thought. Oh well… Wait what?

"Hey! Snap out of it!" Mel shook me in my place. "You scare me sometimes you know that?"

"What? I'm just thinking of something." That's only normal right?

"Sorry, I was just being paranoid. You're weird you know, one second your angry, the next second you're being cheerful again. I'll never get used to it" Mel said. I was about to open my mouth to say something but she continued. "…and no! It has nothing to do with P.M.S."

"Yeah, yeah," I dismissed the idea with the wave of my hand. "sheesh. Fine … back to wanting me to be a normal friend who you take out to the mall, like a normal girl should be doing at weekends, right? Fine."

And after that, how I was forced to go with her to the mall will never be discussed again. I set aside the fact that she asked me nicely and she was my best friend, of course. It's boring here. Yeah, people think that I'm not a normal girl for not liking malls. But it's just that this one is really boring! No, wait, what if I don't like the mall? Does that make me tomboyish? No, tomboyish girls still like to go to the mall. Yes that's it.

"You're doing it again Chloe." My thoughts dispersed at the sound of my name. I laughed, albeit nervously, with her. My best friend sighed, I'm not sure if it's relief that I came back to earth or if it is associated with frustration. Hey, normal people talk to themselves in their thoughts right? She's just overreacting.

"Chloe-"

"What? I-"

"No, Chloe normal people don't freeze into stillness or laughing like a maniac when they're talking with themselves."

Is she a psychic now? Could she read minds? Hm… the technology today provides us that thought are said to be electrical pulses in the brain and you can't certainly read something that moves a light-year in a nanosecond.

"Chloe-"

"Right, sorry…." I followed her through the mall as she just shook her head. Wait? We're really going to this mall? Seriously? She hated this mall too… With a passion, she said.

"What are we doing here anyway? You're going to buy something to impress that boy of yours?" I teased while nudging her side. Apparently she approved of mischievous teasing as a normal behavior for a girl our age.

"Yeah," she said shyly. What!? No way? The great Mel's tomboyishness (provided that such a word exists) was doing this for a boy? That's absurd. The feminist in me was apparently shaking her head in disapproval for doing something out of character for the sake of some boy.

I still can't believe it and I keep telling to myself that what's happening is the truth. While we enter the shop, Mel caught me murmuring curses to myself, I stopped. Tsk. So many girls here, I even spotted some classmates. I waved 'hi' at them when they spotted me, and they waved back of course. I just shrugged and try at least to look at the dresses they sell here. And I did, and not long enough I started to curse myself (again) for being such a hypocrite, then I realized that I didn't like what they sell here. That's a reassuring thought. I'm not betraying my earlier beliefs of not liking this mall.

"Chloe!" I heard a familiar voice call be from behind. I turned and found a girl prettier than Mel (Mel's very good-looking, take note, even with her tomboyishness).

"Who are you?" I asked the girl. There were only a handful of people who I allow to call me Chloe and she's not one of them. This girl gave me a somewhat quizzical look for asking that. She's so pretty, ugh, my homosexual urge, but she doesn't have the right to call me by my first name. Maybe she's one of those socialite freaks who wanted to befriend me.

"Stop it Chloe! It's me Mel! I know you have this mood swings… but I did not think you would forget your own best friend." The pretty girl's eyes started to water but I just glared at her. Wait what? Mel!? No.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! You're not Mel! My best friend would never wear such frilly outfit. Never! No way! Mel is that really you?" the girl who claimed to be my best friend gave me a weird look. The tears apparently that I saw was about to fall from her eyes we're false.

"Ugh, I'm getting tired of your moods, Chloe." The girl took a grip on my arms and held it tight. Tighter… and tighter.

"Hey, Ouch! Jeez! Mel! Wow! It's really you! Wow!" Mel loosen her grip on me, then she looked away from me. Her flushing face was evident even from a side view. I grinned at her.

"Yeah, I'm going to pay for these now," Mel tried her best to be casual about it and I went along with her by not saying anything more. "What do you know? The line's pretty long. Er… why don't you go look at some clothes while-"

I didn't let her finish her sentence. Sheesh, another excuse of trying to get rid of me, huh? Fine. But no, I'm not going to look at clothes, my mom does that for me. But darn, Mel's prettier than me now! That's not fair!

Oh well, I shrugged the thought away and went to a washroom. I went to look at a mirror to have a moment of insecurity, which only lasted a whole minute. Wait, what? I shook my head once again, violently and looked at the mirror once more. I look fine.

Still! This mall is so boring!

I decided to navigate the mall with autopilot, until I came across the gaming arcade. Maybe, I'll play a game or two. I mean that line Mel was on was pretty long. Besides, I still can't get over the fact that Mel is prettier than I am, with decent girl clothes on.

As expected, the place is full of boys, mostly the geeky gamer types and little kids. I became fond of these games, because of the influence of my younger brother. I looked for the game my brother and I usually played, the fighting game, where you get to fight the player on the other side. When I found it, I stood by as I waited for the next vacancy. –Yeah! I'm going to be the tomboy from now on! Take that Mel! Hmph, I'll show her!

When the last player took the seat, I took it immediately. And the I pressed the Start button. The game began but it wasn't until halfway that I realized that I'm fighting a guy with a FIFTY SEVEN winning streak. Realizing that made me lose the first round out of three already. I won't let the guy to win that easily.

Next, the second game…

"Up- Circle…"

My heart raced as my character's health gauge was near empty but so was the opponent. I can do this! Wow, I can't believe how such a game can trigger my adrenaline rush.

Luckily, I manage to beat the guy in the second round. Kids started swarming at my greatness. Yeah!

The final round! I can do this. Just remember, you got to be a better Tomboy than Mel! That's right!

…

"PERFECT!" the machine roared. Perfect? That meant that I didn't let my opponent hit me even once right! Yeah! Go Me!

"The new kid's beaten by that girl, Awesome!" I saw a boy, a few years my junior watching the screen intently as he said this, and I gave him my seat. I should probably go now, that was more than enough to pass a bit of time.

Then I realize: This is terrible! I just broke a gamer's ego. What should I do? He might have a good reputation and I had humiliated him on the last round. Not my fault! But still!

The guy stood up and was about to walk away when I stopped him by the shoulders.

What should I say? Maybe it was better if I just stayed anonymous. I should have thought about this much sooner. Gamer types tend to be touchy when losing, I think. But it's too late for that now. I had to say something.

The guy looked back at me. That face, wait, I know him!

"Nice game," I manage to give my sweetest smile.

"Y-yeah," was all that he could say. Oh no, did I crush the little dignity in him that I left after I defeated him on that game? I knew boys hate losing, well most of them, especially when they lose to girls. No wait! That smile of his wasn't sadness, or loss of dignity no it's … he's nervous? Is he scared? Is he scared of me? I had the sudden urge to look at something that would give me my reflection, a mirror. It wasn't me, was it? Just to find out why the heck is this kid looking at me like that.

That little moment gave him a chance to flee. Darn it. But why is he scared of me? Oh, I know him! It's just wasn't too familiar with him outside of school these days.

Oh gosh! I can't believe I actually played something with him! Well, it's an old crush, but still. I get to see Miles outside of school, it's a great feat. I might be the only person that has done that before. I take it back; this mall is not completely boring after all! But what's up with that weird smile of his? Oh well. I just hope he won't take it personally or something.

"Where have you been?" Oops. I forgot about Mel. I'm pretty sure that I'm not even bothered with the whole 'she's prettier than me on girl's clothes thing'. Oh, and she's back in her normal clothes. That's better.

"Er- hello? Earth to Chloe? The mall's giving me the creeps already. Let's get out of here!"

I didn't hear what she told me.

"Mel, I talked to him! I actually talked to him!" I grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake.

"Oh, it's a boy then? That's why you abandoned me? Well, he's better be hot or I am not forgiving you for trying to ditch me." I know she's only kidding about never forgiving me and with the eyebrow she raised she just wanted me to continue.

"Miles," I smiled proudly.

"What?! Chloe! That kid's bad news! I thought you should know better. I thought you're over him already?" Yeah, I did say I'm over him at some point. I must be lying then.

"I never said that I don't like him anymore! I remember that I only promised not to stalk him ever again. And I'm keeping that promise, I swear." Now, I remembered why he might be scared when he saw me. But I was only eleven back then, girls at that age tend to have a stage where they go crazy about a boy! Mel was too and at least I'm being crazy about a guy my age, not some forty something Chemistry teacher, like Mel did. I laughed at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Mel asked me.

"Nothing."

"But I'm telling you, even though he's cute and – whatever- the adults must have a very good reason to tell us to stay away from him." Mel looked so uncharacteristically flustered. I stopped myself from smiling and produced a glare.

"You don't know him! I don't know him too! I thought you told me to never judge a person by the opinion of others! Hmph, that's how I came to accept Mr. Playboy to be your crush," I paused. I felt wicked bringing him up in this. "-so I'd really appreciate it if-"

"Fine!" Mel did not let me finish. I smirked and it was my turned to be glared at, although mockingly.

"Sorry Mel, I'm just a bit sore about you being prettier than me," Mel looked like she's trying her best not to laugh. I immediately covered my mouth. Oops?