Alison

Years had passed since I first moved. Sixth grade was only but a faded memory to me. Now, it was ninth grade, the final year of junior high. Even though I had already lived in the same place for three years, I knew no one; except Alison.

"Evannnnnnnn-" she stretched out.

Alison waved her hand over my face. I was sitting outside on a bench. It was lunchtime, and Alison sat beside me. She was talking about something, but I dozed off.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Wow, you weren't listening to me?"

"Sorry, I zoned out."

She continued her rant, which happened to be about the other girls. Alison and I had a steadily growing relationship. When I first arrived at school, she was the only kid to help me. I only thought of her as someone who'd be a temporary companion. Surprisingly, she stood by me these past three years. I couldn't be more grateful for a person like her. Of course, like all people, she had a bothersome side. She annoyed me about my lack of fashion and my lack of motivation. Though, it was an honest critique.

"You should be sorry, cuz they're coming over there," she responded.

I looked over to see the group of girls she always mentioned. The 'leader' was a tall girl with brunette hair and freckles. Most people would say that freckles weren't quite attractive, but this person had freckles that complemented her facial features. Beside her were four other girls, all charming by their right. Alison was envious of their status in the school.

Being the person I was, my cynical worldview allowed me to criticize the manner of life that would lead.

"Damn it, they ignored us," Alison whisper-shouted.

"Why do you care so much about them noticing us again?" I questioned.

"Because of the party, stupid!" she slowly began to shout.

I leaned back in my seat and glanced at the group of girls; they were looking at us. An idea popped into my head, one that would hopefully help Alison.

"Uh, they're looking at us," I sarcastically replied.

"Wait, what?" Alison swiveled her head back.

"What's going on over here?" the 'leader' girl laughed.

"Nunya beeswax," I snarked back.

Alison shoved her hand onto my face and covered my mouth. Tempted to bite her, I relaxed back and watched the encounter. Alison was sitting on me at this point, attempting to constrain me.

"Sorry about my friend, he's just, uh crabby, this afternoon," she apologized.

"Sure, is he your boyfriend or something?" the girl asked.

"So what if he is?" Alison grinned.

"He's pretty cute, hey, doofus," she said, poking me.

"What do you want, doofus?" I countered, muffled by Alison.

"Actually, the name is Sam," she sassily answered, "anyway, would you like to come to the party I'm hosting this Friday?"

Alison's eyes lit up like never before. She then proceeded to sit on my stomach as I gasped for air.

"He'll be coming, but his girlfriend, me, will have to attend as well," she spoke.

I rolled my eyes as she elbowed my leg. Sam scanned us and laughed.

"You two are a cute couple, see ya there, doofus," she cheekily teased.

It wasn't long before Sam left our sight. Alison got up from me and dusted herself off before pointing at me.

"You will have to be my boyfriend from now until the party, got that?"

"Yes, ma'am," I joked.

"This is serious, Evan."

"Whatever."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Alison and I packed up before heading to class. Friday was in four days.

After school, we went to the mall. Alison was keen on spending more quality time so that we could pretend to date 'more realistically.' I wasn't so sure whether that was going to help our situation, but it sounded fun. The only time I ever went to the mall was with my mom, but it wasn't as enjoyable.

We entered the mall complex and were immediately allured by the stalls containing treats. Fresh cakes, creampuffs, and cookies greeted our sight. Alison slobbered over the creampuffs as I pulled her along the stalls.

"Can we get a box?" Alison pleaded.

"You're asking me like I'm gonna pay for it," I sighed.

"You're supposed to be my boyfriend, remember?" she angrily rebuked.

"Ah, right, 'boyfriend," I bitterly remarked.

The shopkeeper smiled at us as I made an order. Alison pointed at different flavors until, eventually, there were five cream puffs inside the box. After handing the shopkeeper a couple of bills, I left with five bucks gone and five cream puffs, all presumably for Alison. To my delight, she presented me with a chocolate creampuff. Her face had a slightly apologetic expression. With a nod of acknowledgment, I bit into the baked good. It was rare to see Alison with a smile in a situation like this. People walked around the mall, all with their agendas. Alison wanted us to visit a bunch of clothing stores. I expressly told her I wasn't going to spend more than a hundred bucks on this 'date.'

The first store we entered was from a recognized brand. In the section that we stood, Alison searched for cute dresses. I glanced around, embarrassed by my position.

"Does this look good on me?" she inquired.

"Uh, yeah," I responded without looking.

Alison then poked me in the chest and frowned.

"I said yeah, it looks great on you," I reiterated.

She put the dress back, and we moved to the next store. Alison found a dark red dress that complemented her features. It was quite captivating. I bought it for her, intending that she use it for the party.

"To save your wallet from death, I'll grant mercy on your money," she quipped.

"Thank you, gracious ma'am," I returned.

Alison and I laughed as we made our way into an arcade. It was a small, quaint space. Lots of younger kids ran about, bumping into each other and spilling coins onto the floor. There was a photo booth, and Alison begged for us to go into it. I reluctantly agreed and slipped a couple of quarters into the machine. It whirred before a screen appeared, asking for input. Alison pressed various buttons before the screen prompted us to smile. It flashed several times before a line of photos slid out, and I pulled it from the machine and looked at it. Alison was making a kissy face while I frowned and looked away. Behind me, Alison started to giggle. She then exited the photo booth as I sighed.

Not far was a couple playing a dance game. Before I could look away, Alison had already spotted the machine and hauled me along. When the couple finished, sweating and panting, she put in her quarters and started up a round. At first, the foot patterns were simple until the chorus came up. The song sped up, and my feet were twisting, but Alison was just fine, dancing smoothly. Shock ensued, and I lost my footing and tripped myself, falling face-flat onto the dance floor. Alison continued without flinching and finished the song. She jumped in the air and shouted.

"And that's how you dance for real! Loser!" she bragged.

I laid on the floor, aching in pain. Alison yanked me up, and I peered at her with crazed eyes.

"You never told me you could dance," I breathed.

"You never asked," she answered.

"Fair enough," I continued.

"Will you two lovebirds get off; it's my turn," a voice began.

A tall guy stood, wearing a jersey of some sort.

"Uh, I was planning on another round," Alison shot back.

"Oh? Well why don't you challenge me?" he declared.

"Game on!" Alison roared.

I sat on the sidelines, taken by the fight. The boy put in quarters before selecting a strenuous song. As the music began, Alison stepped carefully and gracefully around the floor. The boy seemed to be equally good at the game.

"You're comfortable, aren't ya?" he taunted.

"I think I see sweat on your face," she countered.

The song sped up, and before I could process it, Alison slipped on her right foot and fell under the boy, causing a collision. I perked up and reached to help Alison. The boy got up and apologized as Alison sat upward. She had a bruise on her leg and arm.

"A lil' to fast for me," she bantered, "hey, what's your name anyway?"

"Me? Ari," he explained.

"I'm Alison, and this is Evan," she said, pointing to me.

"Cool, well uh sorry about that," he sorrily stated.

"It's alright, man," I affirmed.

Ari offered to play another game with us, but less violently. He suggested a couple of racing games, drumming games, and many others. After a long time of playing with him, Alison and I wished him goodbye. Luckily, I was able to grab his phone number just in case we could hang out again. Remarkably, he went to the same high school as us.

It was getting late, so I took Alison to the food court for dinner. There were hundreds of chairs scattered around the room, most of which filled with people. Each restaurant had a different set of food items. Eventually, Alison landed at a pizza restaurant. The menu boasted authentic Italian cuisine.

"Oooo, they have a four cheese pizza!" Alison excitedly pronounced.

"It says blue cheese there, though," I reacted in disgust.

"Grow up, doofus," she retorted.

I ordered a full-sized pizza for the two of us and sat at a table with couches. Alison asked to look at the dress I purchased her. I picked up the plastic bag and gave it to her. She rubbed her fingers over the fabric, feeling the fresh piece of clothing. The pizza finished, so I placed the plate onto the table and stared at the blue cheese bits. Alison gazed at me in disappointment and dug in. Being the picky eater I was, I picked out the blue cheese and placed it on a paper towel. At least, Alison seemed to enjoy the meal.

"So, do you think that'll do for the party?" I inquired, referring to the dress.

"Yep, it's perfect," she spoke, muffled by cheese.

"You think Sam will be impressed?" I brought up.

"She better be, cuz I'm coming for her!" she confidently announced.

As I finished my slice of pizza, Alison had already finished seven pieces of her own. Again, she shocked me. She let out an unsuppressed burp. We both stood silent for a second before chuckling.

I wasn't laughing Friday night.

The party was already a couple of hours away. Alison had planned for me to wear something fancy to fit in with the popular kids. She was lucky that my mother bought me a suit for special occasions. Although, it was rather wrinkly and filthy. It was black, so maybe no one would notice. Alison hadn't told me that it was a house party until a day before. I assumed it was a regular teen party, but no, Sam and her group of girls were going to throw a party in her parent's house. Sam had 'rich' parents that let her throw parties whenever she felt like it. The house was practically a mansion, so her parents allowed her to do almost anything in it. Of course, these were all rumors that circulated the school.

"Evan! Stop spacing out!" Alison shouted.

It was dark outside; only the sound of the slight breeze and the creaking of crickets flowed through my ears. Alison stood in front of me, eyes alined. We looked at each other before I spoke.

"Sorry. It's time for us to party," I asserted.

My mother dropped both of us off before wishing me luck. She was convinced this was a real date. Alison and I had other plans.

Inside the house was a large crowd of people. Everyone danced to the blaring music as Alison pulled me, searching for Sam. She wanted to get close to Sam. Alison wanted to be popular, and I supported her.

"Oh, look who fell from a tree branch," Sam mocked.

"Says the girl without a boyfriend," Alison challenged.

Sam giggled sarcastically before scanning her.

"I guess you win this time, nice dress you have there," she continued.

"Yeah, I bought it for her," I chipped in.

"You convinced this cutie to buy you something?" Sam scoffed.

"Hey, back off," Alison tensed up.

"Calm down. I'm just complimenting your date."

Sam's eyes were relaxed, but they held a firmness directed at Alison. Alison, on the other hand, had a visibly stern, maddened expression. The two squared off, nonverbally fighting. I broke the ice by speaking up.

"Hey girls, calm down," I piped.

"I'm sorry that your little date is insufferable," Sam sneered.

"And I'm sorry that this girl is such a pissy loser," Alison growled.

"Woah, here," I clutched Alison and drew her away from Sam, who smiled.

"You came here to become friends with her, not to fight her," I reprimanded.

"Well, what if I don't wanna be a popular girl anymore?" Alison began to tear up, "aren't I good enough?"

"Yes, you are good enough. No one told you otherwise," I reassured.

Alison bawled. I took her to a semi-empty room and sat her down on a couch. She gazed up at me.

"Thank you," she verbalized.

"No problem, doofus," I jested.

Alison's eyes glistened, reflecting a chandelier that hung nearby. She began to lean forward, and at first, I was confused. Her eyed closed as I began to realize what she was doing, and she pecked me in the cheek.

"Scared me for a second," I revealed, "thought you were going for the real deal."

"We're a fake couple, Evan," she responded.

"So this gives me the green light to kiss your cheek, too?"

"Well, duh."

I kissed her cheek, and she whimpered before blushing.

"Doofus."

"You're the one with a red-ass face."