Me: Don’t worry about it. I’ll think of something. I’ll call you tomorrow.
Raya: Oh ok. Duke?
Me: Yea?
Raya: Thank you for everything?
Me: Anytime. Raya.Anytime?
Yup, that did it. I have feelings for Duke and they’re strong. But I won’t come between him and Melanie, so instead, I’ll be a good friend to both of them. I hope we have fun tomorrow. God, I have no idea what Duke’s plan will be. Okay, now I’m getting nervous. What if my costume is hideous? I quickly pick out my clothes for work and take a shower to calm my nerves. After I brush my teeth and comb the knots out of my hair, I crawl into bed and snuggle under the covers, grabbing my iPad mini. Reading is my outlet and always will be. I’m a sucker for romance novels; I mean who isn’t? You can never have too many happily ever afters. Maybe one day, I will get mine.
Raya
Waking up to the blaring ringing of my cell phone, I glance at the alarm clock and groan. Eight AM—are you serious? Who’s calling me right now? Nobody has my number. Wait. Unless…I quickly grab my phone off the end table.
“Hello?”
“Raya!! Time to get up, girl! Enough beauty sleep! We have lots to do today!” Melanie’s voice is way too cheerful for me right now.
“Hi, Melanie. I’m assuming Duke gave you my number.” I am nowhere near as cheerful as she is. I can barely get out of the bed without stumbling.
“Yup, and he said you need a costume. So, I’m here to help. What time is your shift?”
“I start work at eleven and get off at seven.” I put the phone on speaker and quickly use the bathroom, hoping she doesn’t hear me. I take the quickest piss ever, flush, and wash up. I don’t even know what she’s been saying. All I hear is rambling about costumes, hairstyles, sizes, color…
I grab the phone and take if off speaker. “Melanie, what is the plan? I have to be at work in a few hours.”
“What’s your address? I’ll pick you up and we’ll go shopping.”
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’ve never gone shopping with anyone besides my mom. I hope Melanie is not one to take forever and has to try everything on. I don’t have time for that shit.
“Melanie, if we go, we have to be quick. I can’t be late to work.”
“Raya, I promise. One hour tops.”
“Okay, fine.”
I give her my address, get dressed, and head downstairs to grab a quick breakfast. My mother is sipping freshly brewed Columbian coffee while reading The New York Post. “Morning, Mom. I’m going to head out with Melanie and find a costume for tonight.” She glances up and smiles. “Okay, darling. Do you need any money?”
“No, I’m good. I’m going to work right after shopping and should be off by seven.” I hear a car honk outside. Geez, that was fast. She must have called while she was driving. “I guess that’s her. I’ll see you tonight.” I give her a peck on the cheek and see her bruising has improved; it’s still noticeable, but not too bad. I wave bye, grab my scarf and coat, and head outside to find Melanie in a new Ford Fusion, waiting in my driveway.
“Hey, girlie. Nice house!” She waves at me and gives me a friendly smile. I climb into the passenger side and sit on warm leather seats. Ooooh, this is nice. “Nice ride, Melanie. I love it.”
She puts the car into reverse and heads toward the mall. “Thanks, I got it for my Sweet Sixteen.” She touches the dashboard and pushes the Pandora logo and selects the One Direction Radio. “Is th
is okay?”
I bust out laughing. “Of course! I love One Direction. Yeah, so their pants are too tight and I’m sure their balls suffocate, but I love their music!”
She laughs so loud to the point that tears fill her eyes. She looks at me and smiles. “Who’s your favorite on 1…2….3.”
In unison, we scream, “Harry!” and burst into laughter as we give each other a high-five. We continue our journey to the mall singing along to Best Song Ever and laughing until our stomach muscles cramp. We pull into the mall parking lot and Melanie finds a parking spot right by the entrance to the Halloween shop.
“Do you think they’ll have any good costumes left?” I’m nervous we won’t be able to find anything decent.
“I’m sure of it. Don’t worry, we can improvise if we need to.” She turns off the car and we head to the store. “You know, you have a really good singing voice, Raya. Do you sing in choir or anything?”
“Nope. The only singing I do is at home. My mom used to try to get me to sing in public but I would get so anxious and sick. I just couldn’t do it.”