GEOMETRIC

Dear my faithful readers,

Hey. It’s Avril here. My next album, entitled Cinderella’s Nightmares, is coming out by next week (hopefully!) if I have time to get to the studio, and I have time to find a decent ending to the song I don’t drink (sneak peek link in the comments section). Apparently, there is some party being thrown in my honour tonight. My friends said something about the media being there to try and find out who I am, but I think that won’t be happening, because it’s a college party. And they will be too drunk to understand anything. Personally, I think this is voodoo, because surely, I’m not going to be the only student from this school not showing up tonight. It says in my bio, sandwiched right in between ‘who you’d least expect’ and ‘always with my besties’: I HATE PARTIES OF ANY SORT. Anyway, GEOMETRIC just wasn’t that good, so I don’t see what everyone is freaking out about. I- oop. My friend just showed up, and if I’m gonna keep this a secret, I’m gonna have to sing off. See what I did there? Sing-sign? No? Okay, well, I guess that’s why I’m a musician and not a stand up comedian. See you all soon!

• Avril ♡.

I slammed my computer shut and spun around to face the door in my office chair just as Anna walked in. She was wearing a tiny pair black shorts, and a skin tight neon pink cami tank top with her blond hair cascading down her back. A frown spread wider and wider across her face as she looked me up and down. Not like I’m gonna blame her, though. The party of the year is being thrown in an hour, and I’m in a pair of gray sweatpants, and a beige cropped sweater. So not party attire. Because, as I hated stating to her over text around a million times in the past five minutes over text, I AM NOT GOING. Anna put a hand on her hip and walked over to my closet. I made a move to stop her, but I was too late. And now, the dress I had worn on the cover of the album was in her arms, and she was staring at it wide-eyed. 

“OMG, Lees, this is insane! Wasn’t April or Avril or whatever her name is an album called GEOMETRIC?! This is like, the definition of that title. And if you wore a silver belt and your colorful circle/square/triangle earrings you could BE the cover!” I gave her a confused look. It already was the album cover. I figured it was just because she was giving me the chance to tell her, but I didn’t want to confess that I already was in the picture. So instead, I crossed my arms and settled for,

“Nope. I’m not going. Plus, you don’t even know the singers name!Do you follow her? PROBABLY NOT! So you should be with me on this one! Why are you going?” For once in my life, I was glad about our varying music tastes and the fact that Anna was a rap goddess and didn’t pay attention to good music. Because if she did, I would be screwed, and she would, if anything, be the first person to expose me. 

“Darling, I’m going for the social points.” She paused, and I could tell she was going to keep something out, but a deep blush crept across her face, and I therefore knew, so she was forced to finish. “And for Maria.” I laughed, and slapped her arm lightly. Maria was the hostess, Mikayla’s, sister, and Anna’s girlfriend. We were the two most-known ‘out’ girls at our school, but because me and Anna were such good friends, no one ever assumed that we would be together. 

I tried to talk myself out of it. I knew the party was a horrible idea, even if I decided to wear the dress. But I knew what no matter what, if I dressed up, I would be so screwed. It was custom made, and therefore it fit me exactly like the one in the photo. But eventually, because she was a terrible influence, Anna had me in the dress. She was pumping good pop music (my weakness!) through the speakers my parents had let my install the month before. Then, we were experimenting with bright makeup options until we settled with purple eyeshadow that I swear goes half way up to my eyebrow, heavy on the mascara and a simple glossy lip. After some prodding (and threats of hacking my playlist and changing everything to eminem songs), Anna had my hair in a loose fishtail braid. Then before you could say ‘staedtler hb2 pencil’ seven times fast, and even before I knew it, we were covered from head to toe in glitter ad on Mikayla’s porch. 

She answered the door before we knocked, and she was in pretty rough shape. Wearing solely a long plunge neck tank top with her brown hair messed up and a red solo cup in hand, I barely noticed her as the same Mikayla from school as she tried to explain that the party had been going for three days before we had got here. And considering I was basically letting loose that I was Avril, I let it go and decided that it was probably a good thing that everyone was so drunk. At least it would take a very dramatic gesture to convince everyone. Anna shot me a shocked look as she talked to Mikayla about something, me completely tuning everything out and smiling to pretend I was paying attention, and then we got cold so Mikayla led us inside and left us for a drunk fest with several guys. The second we entered, I smelt food. Fried food. McDonalds. Anna left me after waving and headed through the crowd to try and find Maria. So much for faithful friends. I tried to find an empty corner to hide in, but in this packed room, no such luck. People were talking and laughing, screaming and flirting, and signing off-key were in every nook and cranny. The lights were off, but because of the glow set off by the disko karaoke machine, I was still able to see several couples making out on a table. I shuddered and looked in a different direction, and tried to focus on the (non-Avril) music blaring through the sound system and tried to find a familiar face. Eventually I found one.

Jessica. AKA my girlfriend. Onstage. Now. Looking directly at me with a smile on her face, the only sober person besides me and Anna left in the room. I tried to beg her with my eyes to keep quiet, but no such luck. She picked up the microphone as the intro to her song of choice started playing. Jessi cannot sing. And she knows that I know this. But she also knows that when it comes to my friends, I follow the ‘if you go down, then I’ll go down with you’ principle very closely. Off-key but not at all embarrassed, Jessica began to sign along, and she earned many eyes. I heard someone vaguely mention how sexist, ‘you’re cute enough to (bleep) with me tonight’ is, but I was too busy trying to not join in. She had hit my weak spot. A new rap/pop song that most people don’t know. However, by the time the refrain came around, I had pushed myself on top of a table and was singing along. She sent me a grateful look, and everyone else in the room was a cross between confused, excited, and wanting an autograph. Jessica grinned as I stole the microphone from her, and I added my own original part. She flipped her brown-highlighted-blond hair over her shoulder with me and we started dancing along with the beat, most people in the audience joining in with us. She was wearing frayed tight jean shorts and a thin over-the-shoulder white tee shirt that revealed a black lace bra. After the song ended, she nudged my shoulder and I waited silently for the room to grow quiet before talking.

“My name is Lisa. I love chocolate ice cream, I am who you’d least expect, I HATE PARTIES, and I’m always with my besties. But you all know me more as Avril. I have been singing for three years now, but my music only went viral last year, with my starter album, GEOMETRIC. This week, Cinderella’s Nightmares should be coming out, with the first song being I don’t drink.” I paused, noticing that Jesse had left the stage and was standing beside Anna. Now, I had no idea what else to say, so I finished with, “If any of you hit on me or try to flirt or ask me out or anything, the answer is no. I already have my beautiful girlfriend Jessica over here.” With that, I dropped the mic and exited the stage, falling into Jessi and Anna’s waiting arms. Both were very excited, and Anna even apologized for bashing my music earlier and told me she would start listening. Jessica said she kinda guessed it was me all along, and Maria, who had showed up, said she thought she had recognized my dress. Mikayla passed out on the couch because she was too drunk. Then, a boy that I knew stumbled over to us, slurring his words as he asked, 

“You want a drink?” In response, I took the solo cup from his hand and dumped it on his face, handed the cup back, grabbed all my personal belongings and my friends before turning to the door.

“Avril is OUT.” I yelled before slamming the door behind me.