Chapter Text
December woke up with a sore throat. “Fuck, must be allergies” she thought. Not very convenient for today. It was spring, Holy Week had just started. 1st of April of 2012. Ha, April Fools. She had to think of some kind of prank to pull on her friends, at least.
“Sunday??” She always hated going to church. Not in a disrespectful way, she respected variety of religions, but she didn't want to believe in something that was constantly shoved up her ass. Having to go dressed “nice” and “dainty” wasn't her vibe, and even less the whole fact about shutting up and having to listen to loooong lectures about the Angel. “Father Alvin is a chill dude tho” she always thought to herself. It was just that she didn't like the fact that her mother always forced her to go and had her pretend to believe in something she didn't.
On Sundays she always felt like an alien. These clothes were horrendous… She would've liked to wear her usual outfits. Come on, in the big 2010’s?? She was already 15, and she didn't like that her mother chose those outfits. She knew Dess and her style of fashion. What was the matter with dressing a bit less feminine… Unlike Noelle, she didn't like wearing skirts and dresses as often as she did. Sure, she liked wearing them once in a while. But, is it really necessary to constantly prove the world that you're wearing “girls clothes”? Plus, she liked keeping her hair shorter than her sister.
Anyways, church wasn't the main event for today. This night, she would go to a party (of course without her mother knowing, but her dad was going to help her go) with his best friend Azzy and a bunch of good friends. Holy Week had just started? Yes. Did they really respect it that much in Hometown? Meh. But mom did.
She put her church clothes on, but beneath the bed she hid her outfit for the party. Mom called downstairs:
—December! Hurry up, we're late. Noelle's already done.
—Going, mom!—she answered, with a slightly annoyed tone added to her voice. She rolled her eyes as she rushed to go downstairs.
Her mother was standing in the hall, next to a 7 year old Noelle swinging back and forth waiting for her. She was so tiny right now but not as much as she used to be. She was sure Elly was going to be even taller than her when she growed up.
Dad was waiting in the car. Dess PRAYED for her father to not tell her mother that she was sneaking out tonight. So she put on the best show she could and tried acting as submissive as she could.
This hour felt like the most boring hour of her entire life. The thrill and anticipation for the party was eating her alive. Moreover, she was longing to spend time with her best friend these holidays, since they had plenty of exams last week.
—...all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.
—Amen—she acclaimed with the rest of the people.
Finally, it was over. Dad winked at her when Carol (her mother) wasn't looking. “YES!!” she celebrated to herself internally. All she had to do now was wait until it was dark.
She was repeatedly throwing her baseball against the wall when her phone vibrated. The small screen showed the name “Azzy”. She read the following message:
“BTW can u bring ur camera 2 the party it would be cool 2 film smth”
She threw herself in bed and replied: “OFC!! WYWH, I was so bored at church :P”
A minute passed, and another notification popped up in her flip cellphone. She unconsciously kicked her legs a bit and looked at the text message:
“Well, CU there, I will TTYL when I arrive :))”
“Ok CYA <3”
“<3”
She closed her phone suddenly, buried her face in her hands, and pulled her skin on utter confusion. What was happening to her these days?? This weird feeling on her face stuck around since last week every time she interacted with him. Maybe it was the stress from the exams…? Absolutely not since all she felt was relief when she talked about anything with her BFF. What was it then? She always felt warmer around friends, but lately, Azzy was putting her on her nerves and she couldn't tell if it was in a good or bad way. But deep down she knew she was blushing and sweating more often than normal.
She kept throwing the baseball against the wall.
—December, stop it with the damn baseball. Your father and I are trying to take a nap.
—Ooookay, mom.
She punched her fists onto the bed in frustration. What the fuck was she supposed to do while waiting??
Noelle peeked out the door.
—Hey Dess! Do you want to play Cat Petterz 2 with me for a bit? I want to hex a new pet I drew in class on Friday. Can you help me?
—Of course, Elly.
Her sister was always so kind and calm. She was proud of her, and low-key envied her for being a better sister than her. Ironic, since she was the oldest. Dess used to be nicer when she was little, but she was in her teen years and became more rebellious. She sometimes wondered if someday she would be the best sister for Elly.
The clock struck midnight. She heard her father waking up slowly. Couldn't tell if it was because of his age or the fact that her mother was asleep, but it didn't matter. She dressed up on the clothes she left beneath the bed and took her camera and cellphone with her.
While in the car, she received another text from Azzy:
“HIII I ALR ARRIVED WYA DEEEESSS”
“ALMOST THERE DAMMIT WAIT AZZY D:<”
She took her camera covered with stickers and smiled at it. It had already captured so many memories that she wanted to look at in the future. It was a gift from her dad on her First Communion, and she kept it since that day.
While they were a few blocks away from the destination, she saw a few streetlights turning off, dimming the path they left behind. Very interesting, she thought. Maybe it was just the lightbulbs that burned out.