Secret Society

Should I bring my phone? I ask myself. No, then my parents can track me. I close my pack containing some snacks, water, and cash ($67 dollars to be exact). I tiptoe out of my bedroom and glance at my parents' bedroom door. It's still and silent. That must mean that they're asleep. Perfect! I close my door as quiet as possible, and sneak into the kitchen. I grab a red Gatorade for energy and grab my keys. Then I go out the front door, only to find my parents on the front porch, sipping hot cocoa!

"Lucy, dear, why are you out here, dressed, I might add, at midnight?" my mother asks me.

"I might ask you the same thing," I respond.

"Your mother asked you a question, Luce," my father says, sternly.

"I was, uh, just coming outside for some air. Yeah. It was stuffy in my room," I say, uncertainly.

"Then open a window. And why do you need a backpack?" my mother asks.

"I'll go back to bed," I say, ignoring her question, and without further ado, I come back in the house, slamming the door behind me. How can I sneak out now? I ask myself.

"Open a window!" I yell, mocking my mother. "Wait," I get an idea. "Open a window! That's it!" I rush in my room, close the door, trip over a pile of dirty laundry, get back up determinedly, and throw my window open. I crawl out the window and onto the old oak tree. I shimmy down and when I reach the ground, I run behind the house and run as fast as I can toward the old gas station on 4th street. I sprint and feel the wind through my hair, I feel alive. When I arrive, I give the cashier named Louis $20 and he lets me through his secret passageway underneath the chip aisle. I run along the long, dark, cold tunnel until I reach the old train station on Marsh Street. This passageway is the only way in the abandoned station. When I emerge up the steps, I see my six friends waiting for me.

"What's up guys? Are you ready to-"

"Stop! That's my line!" said a boy named Cliff.

"Geez, Cliff, take a chill pill," my BFF, Eliza snaps at him. I smile, I'm home.

"How are you, Lucy?" my crush, Bennett asks me.

"Glad to be back," I respond.

"How'd you sneak out?" a girl named Myla asks me.

"Through my bedroom window." I explain.

"Wicked!" Jeremy, another member of our crew, exclaims.

"Jules, are you going to greet Lucy?" Myla asks a girl sitting on the train tracks.

"I'm thinking of the best way to greet her. And do not call me 'Jules'. My name is Juliana. Jules sounds like, 'Oh, Jules'," Juliana says, mimicking a girly girl. "'Do you wanna like, go get our nails done, Jules? Like, 'ily' and 'idk' and other words that make total nonsense!'" Juliana finishes dramatically.

"Done yet?" Bennett asks. "We need to practice for the football game halftime show. It's only two months away. We have to be perfect."

"Bennett's right," I say, blushing.

"Ooooooh," all five of our other friends say. Me and Bennett lock eyes for a second, then, blushing, we look away.

I grab my guitar and get ready. My friends grab their instruments and set up the stage. We practice with the first song that we learned, "Shake It Off". I sing/play guitar, Bennett does bass, Juliana does triangle, Jeremy does drums, Myla and Eliza are backup singers, and Cliff is our manager. We keep playing until our fingers are bleeding (literally). I look at Eliza's wristwatch, and see that it's 4am. I say goodbye to my friends and then I go back underneath the station and in the passage. I go to the gas station store and say bye to Louis. Then I sprint home and climb back up the oak tree. I shimmy into my window and unload my backpack. Then I change into my PJs and go to get a snack. All the lights are off. I sneak into the kitchen, but the refrigerator door is open. I see my father, who is supposedly on a diet, stuffing brownies into his mouth.

"I won't tell if you don't," my father says to me. I giggle. He gives me a hug, gives me a brownie, and sends me off to bed. I feel bad that I didn't tell him that I snuck out. But then I think of how proud he'll be when I blow the roof off of the stadium at the Chargers/49ers Football Halftime show.

The reason we don't practice during the day is because 2 years ago, when I started this band, my parents didn't approve. So, for the past year and a half, we've done it in the dead of night, when no one can hear us, or criticize us, or even cheer us on. I can't wait to prove to my parents that there is more on the inside then what meets the eye.

I quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I was woken by the sun. She was shining through my curtains, and I sat up in my four-poster bed, and stretched. School today. I told myself. Great. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen. My mother was making me pancakes.

"Morning sweetheart!" my mother greets me.

"Hi," I say groggily. I gulp some milk, then eat my pancakes. I walk to my room, then pick out a coral blue oversized t-shirt. I get some scissors from my desk and cut half of it off. I throw the no-good half into my wastebasket. I put the other half on. I put a black hoodie over it so my mother doesn't see. I put on jean shorts and grab my school backpack. I stuff last week's homework in and rush out of my room, just in time for the bus. I hop on and take off my hoodie. All the football players wolf-whistled. I blushed and sat down next to Eliza. She raised her eyebrows.

"Let me guess. Bennett?"

"No," I blush. "He doesn't even notice my clothes."

At that moment, Bennett got on the bus. He walked past my seat and looked at me like he's never done before. He sat in the row behind us.

"Wow, Lucy! I have no words for how amazing you look!" he said.

"Hm, beautiful, gorgeous, angel, hot, and girlfriend material?" I prompt him.

"All of those work," he blushed.

"Even the last one?!" Eliza demanded, mimicking puking.

"Especially the last one," Bennett blushed so much, he was scarlet.

I remained calm... on the outside. On the inside, I'm freaking out! I've wanted this since second grade! I realize that I'm blushing.

Bennett leans closer, and I lean in too. I close my eyes and get closer. He's an inch away, 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, and he's-

SCREECH!

The bus jerks to a stop and Bennett and I back away from each other.

"Lewis High!" The driver says. I blush and grab my bag. Me and Eliza run to the gate leaving Bennett behind us. Bennett gets off, confused. At this point, me and Eliza are in the girls' bathroom, I'm giggling and she's grossed out.

"I can't believe I was this close to kissing him!" I say.

"Yeah, neither can I. Blech. I would have puked on you guys," Eliza replies.

We left the bathroom and went to our classes.

At the end of the day, Bennett catches up with me.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something," he tells me.

"Okay," I reply.

"Will you be my girlfriend? I mean, uh, if you don't want to, that's cool to-"

"Are you for real?! Yes, I'd love to!" I hug him.

"Seriously?! Cool!" his face lights up.

That night, I get into bed and think about all the amazing things that had happened. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

Within the next month, our band was better than ever, and we were ready for the Halftime show.

In the next month, we did dress rehearsals and stuff like that at the stadium.

In the next couple weeks, it was go time. I was in a hot pink ripped dress with bright pink makeup, and Eliza, Myla, and Juliana were matching me. The boys had ripped jeans and a black hoodie with no sleeves. We looked fierce.

"Okay, look. People don't have to like us. I mean, they do but that's not my point-" Jeremy started.

"I got this," I tell Jeremy. "We just have to have fun! It doesn't matter what the crowd thinks, we just gotta have fun! Let's go kick butt!"

"Yeah!" my band repeats.

We march out on to our stage and stand at our instruments.

"5...6...7...8..." I say quietly. "Let's rock!"

We play our hearts out, and have so much fun. And the crowd loves us! We finished our show and the crowd is chanting our name, "HOT PINK, HOT PINK, HOT PINK, HOT PINK!" That's not even the best part. My parents came down from their seats and hugged me.

"We are so proud," my father says.

"So, so proud!" my mother says.

And that's not even the best part. Bennett came up to me after my parents left.

"Hey great job! You really nailed the-" But I didn't get to finish because he came right up to me and kissed me. It wasn't like a 'girlfriend' kiss, it was more of a 'your the best ever' kiss. And, since I'm a good girlfriend, I kissed him back.