Chapter Three – Part 1
"Cheer up, girl." Macy grabbed Allison by the shoulder, causing her to raise her head. She had been staring at a Butterfinger Blizzard that was slowly turning into soup.
"You aren't still upset about the party?" Macy asked. "Are you?"
Allison shook her head and tired to put a good face on it by eating some of her Blizzard. After a few bites, a subliminal throbbing behind her temples told her that Dairy Queen hadn't been the best of ideas. "Sorry I'm such a lump. I've been in a rotten mood all week."
"Why'd you think I dragged you out to the Mall on a Tuesday?"
Allison set down the melting ice-cream and looked around the food court. On the weekend it'd be filled, but right now it was half-empty. Still, there were the obligatory groups staking out their territory. Here a collection of jocks after football practice, there a collection of black-clad Emo types looking about as troubled and angsty as a Twilight movie. . .
No one she knew from Heights High, which was something of a relief. If she had her way, she'd be moping all by herself, without Macy.
"Thanks for trying." Allison's spoke past Macy, staring off toward the entrance. The sky purpled beyond the glass doors to the food court and she could just make out the neon reflected in the parked cars outside.
I don't want to be here, she thought to herself— and "here" meant more than the mall. It meant Euclid Heights, Heights High, home, everything. . .
Macy said something.
"What?" Allison asked. Her gaze remained fixed on the shadows of the parking lot.
"Would it too much to ask for you to stay on this planet?"
"I was thinking," Allison said. "What?"
"I asked you, what's up with you and David?"
Allison looked down at her hands. "Nothing. . ." She stirred the blizzard with her spoon. It was two thirds full and almost completely melted now. "Why you think there's something up?"
"The fact that he spends more time with me and Ben than he does with you?"
"I haven't been feeling all that great, okay?" Allison made a face at her Blizzard and got up to walk over to the trash cans.
Macy followed her. When Allison chucked the melted mess into the garbage Macy frowned and folded her arms. "Well that's a news flash. The Allie I know wouldn't throw away two bucks worth of Dairy Queen if things were okay."
Allison sighed. "What's between me and David isn't your business."
Macy put an arm around her. "Get real, when'd we start keeping secrets from each other?"
Allison looked up into Macy's face with the intention of telling her to bug off, but the look of concern in her face was too genuine for Allie to do it.
A boy in a pair of shredded jeans pushed past Allison and Macy to reach the trash can behind her. There were half a dozen unoccupied trash receptacles, but for some reason— probably the proximity of two girls— made him decide to use this one to dump his tray of Taco Bell wrappings.
The tray followed the wrappings into the garbage and the guy turned around. He looked at the two of them, smiled, and said, "Hey."
Macy made a disgusted sound.
Allison couldn't bring herself to say anything. He was barely a year older than her, and he had his nose, left eyebrow, and his lower lip pierced. They were just small silver rings, but the thought if it made her shudder.
"You girls wanna party?" He asked.
