Expect the Unexpected, chapter 1
My name is Elizabeth Marissa Gold, but most people just call me Liz. I'm 14 years old and I have long black hair and green eyes. I'm not really tall, but I'm not really short either; I guess you could say I'm average. I was born to a teenage mother, nobody knew who my father was; they assumed he left my mother after finding out she was pregnant. My mom died shortly after I was born, and since I had no other family, I was sent to an orphanage. I was only there for about five years, so I don't remember much about it.
I was adopted by the Gold's; they weren't really rich, but they did have enough money to buy me a lot of really nice things. When I started junior high, I dyed my black hair blonde and became a prep. I and my three best friends Jenny, Britney, and Becky were the most popular girls in school, all the way up to high school.
One afternoon during lunch, we were all sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria. Jenny was busy reading a magazine and Becky was telling Brittney about her date with her boyfriend the other night. I was just picking at my salad, for some reason I wasn't very hungry that day. Suddenly, Jenny threw down her magazine making us all jump.
"OH MY GOD!!" she nearly screamed, "Like, isn't Billie Joe Armstrong, like, the hottest thing, like, ever?"
Becky and Brittney both started screaming, and then all three started going on about Billie Joe Armstrong. I didn't know much about him, and the only songs by Green Day I'd heard at that point was Holiday and Jesus of Suburbia, but I thought both were really good. Whenever my friends started talking about how hot they thought Billie Joe was, I tried to avoid joining in, mostly because for some reason I couldn't find him good-looking in any way at all because it felt really weird. So instead I just drifted off into my own world. About a minute later, Jenny pulled me out of it, "Liz, Liz, like, hello, Earth to Liz, are you, like, there?"
"Huh?" I said. "Oh yeah I'm, like, here"
"Like good, because, like, I was just talking about my, like, slumber party tonight. You, like, didn't forget, did you?'
"Like, no, of course not. How could I?" I answered.
"Good, so, like, nobody forgets it starts at 8:00 tonight, and Liz remember, you're like bringing the popcorn."
"I, like, won't," I said.
We just talked for the rest of the period. I managed to keep the subject of Billie Joe Armstrong and just talked about clothes and make-up.
After lunch we headed off to Algebra, then English, and then finally, the school day was over. As we left the building, we past a group of kids who were punks. With them was Kathy. Kathy had been my best friend in elementary school, we were practically inseparable, we were like sisters. But then middle school came around, and I became a prep, and she became a punk, and we stopped being friends, and even though I would never tell Jenny, Brittany, or Becky, I really missed her.
As we passed them, I noticed Kathy was talking to a boy I had never seen before; he was tall with longish, black hair and brown eyes. I thought he was really cute. We gave them all nasty looks and walked on. Brittney, Becky, and Jenny were all riding home with their boyfriends who were all seniors and had driver's licenses. I was walking home; I only lived a few blocks away from the school anyway.
Before leaving, Jenny said to me, "Like, see you tonight Liz, and, like, don't forget to, like, bring the popcorn."
"Like, don't worry Jenny, I, like, won't, like, see ya," I said, waving.
My friends waved back, and then I started walking home.
**
Mom and Dad were gone when I got home. I found a note saying they had gone to the market and would be home soon, so I just went over to the couch and turned on the TV. After a few minutes of channel surfing, I stopped at a channel called Fuse. Green Day were playing, so I decided to watch it. They played Jesus of Suburbia which I already knew, then they played one I didn't know called Longview, then one called St. Jimmy, then they started a song called Wake Me Up When September Ends that almost made me cry. They played a few more songs, then wrapped up with one called Good Riddance (Time of Your Life); this one actually did make me cry.
When the show ended, I turned off the TV and looked up at the clock: it read 6:00, only two more hours before I had to go. So I started flipping through a magazine. Suddenly, I heard the phone start to ring. I got up, walked into the kitchen, and picked up the phone.
"Like, hello," I said.
"Is this Elizabeth Gold?" said an unfamiliar male voice on the other end.
"Like, yeah," I responded.
"And your parents are Ronald and Margaret Gold?" he asked.
"Like, yeah," I said again.
Then the man on the other end sighed and said, "Well Ms. Gold, I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but...your parents were in a car accident."
I almost dropped the phone when I heard that. I couldn't believe it, this sort of thing never happens to me, it had to be a joke, but somehow I knew it wasn't. When I found my voice, I asked "A-are they okay?"
"Well...I think you're going to have to come down here and see for yourself, Ms. Gold. Again, I'm very sorry," he said. Then he hung up.
I put down the phone and just stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up again and dialing Jenny's number. After three rings she picked up.
"Like, hello," she said.
"Jenny, it's me Liz, I have to talk to you," I said.
"Oh, Liz, good I, like, was just about to call you, I need you're opinion. Should I, like, get Doritos or Lays for sna-
"Jenny, look this is more important than your slumber party, okay. So could you just listen me for a minute?" I said, raising my voice a bit.
"Like, what could like be more important than my, like, slumber party?" she asked.
Holding back tears, I told her everything the man had told me about my parents, then I told her that I couldn't go to her slumber party because I had to go to the hospital to see them.
"Like, oh my God," Jenny said once I finished. "This is like horrible."
"I know," I said.
"Like, now where am I like going to, like, get the, like, popcorn?"
I was shocked when she said that. "What? What did you say?" I asked slowly.
"I, like, said, like, now where am I, like, going to like get the popcorn?" she repeated.
"Didn't you hear me? My parents might die tonight; I might lose them forever," I said shakily.
"Oh, like, don't bother me with, like, your problem Liz, I, like, have my own, like, now I have to get the, like, popcorn myself, like, thanks a lot."
Now I was really shocked, my best friend for three years cared more about herself and her slumber party than me. For a long time I didn't say anything; I could hear Jenny over the phone asking if I was still there; finally, I spoke, "You know what, fuck you Jenny."
She was silent. "What did you just say to me?" she asked.
"You know damn well what I just said, Jenny. Fuck you, fuck, fuck the popcorn, and FUCK YOUR STUPID SLUMBER PARTY, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!" I screamed at her. Then, without another word, I hung up the phone.
I slowly walked back into the living room. I collapsed onto the couch and started to cry.
I was adopted by the Gold's; they weren't really rich, but they did have enough money to buy me a lot of really nice things. When I started junior high, I dyed my black hair blonde and became a prep. I and my three best friends Jenny, Britney, and Becky were the most popular girls in school, all the way up to high school.
One afternoon during lunch, we were all sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria. Jenny was busy reading a magazine and Becky was telling Brittney about her date with her boyfriend the other night. I was just picking at my salad, for some reason I wasn't very hungry that day. Suddenly, Jenny threw down her magazine making us all jump.
"OH MY GOD!!" she nearly screamed, "Like, isn't Billie Joe Armstrong, like, the hottest thing, like, ever?"
Becky and Brittney both started screaming, and then all three started going on about Billie Joe Armstrong. I didn't know much about him, and the only songs by Green Day I'd heard at that point was Holiday and Jesus of Suburbia, but I thought both were really good. Whenever my friends started talking about how hot they thought Billie Joe was, I tried to avoid joining in, mostly because for some reason I couldn't find him good-looking in any way at all because it felt really weird. So instead I just drifted off into my own world. About a minute later, Jenny pulled me out of it, "Liz, Liz, like, hello, Earth to Liz, are you, like, there?"
"Huh?" I said. "Oh yeah I'm, like, here"
"Like good, because, like, I was just talking about my, like, slumber party tonight. You, like, didn't forget, did you?'
"Like, no, of course not. How could I?" I answered.
"Good, so, like, nobody forgets it starts at 8:00 tonight, and Liz remember, you're like bringing the popcorn."
"I, like, won't," I said.
We just talked for the rest of the period. I managed to keep the subject of Billie Joe Armstrong and just talked about clothes and make-up.
After lunch we headed off to Algebra, then English, and then finally, the school day was over. As we left the building, we past a group of kids who were punks. With them was Kathy. Kathy had been my best friend in elementary school, we were practically inseparable, we were like sisters. But then middle school came around, and I became a prep, and she became a punk, and we stopped being friends, and even though I would never tell Jenny, Brittany, or Becky, I really missed her.
As we passed them, I noticed Kathy was talking to a boy I had never seen before; he was tall with longish, black hair and brown eyes. I thought he was really cute. We gave them all nasty looks and walked on. Brittney, Becky, and Jenny were all riding home with their boyfriends who were all seniors and had driver's licenses. I was walking home; I only lived a few blocks away from the school anyway.
Before leaving, Jenny said to me, "Like, see you tonight Liz, and, like, don't forget to, like, bring the popcorn."
"Like, don't worry Jenny, I, like, won't, like, see ya," I said, waving.
My friends waved back, and then I started walking home.
**
Mom and Dad were gone when I got home. I found a note saying they had gone to the market and would be home soon, so I just went over to the couch and turned on the TV. After a few minutes of channel surfing, I stopped at a channel called Fuse. Green Day were playing, so I decided to watch it. They played Jesus of Suburbia which I already knew, then they played one I didn't know called Longview, then one called St. Jimmy, then they started a song called Wake Me Up When September Ends that almost made me cry. They played a few more songs, then wrapped up with one called Good Riddance (Time of Your Life); this one actually did make me cry.
When the show ended, I turned off the TV and looked up at the clock: it read 6:00, only two more hours before I had to go. So I started flipping through a magazine. Suddenly, I heard the phone start to ring. I got up, walked into the kitchen, and picked up the phone.
"Like, hello," I said.
"Is this Elizabeth Gold?" said an unfamiliar male voice on the other end.
"Like, yeah," I responded.
"And your parents are Ronald and Margaret Gold?" he asked.
"Like, yeah," I said again.
Then the man on the other end sighed and said, "Well Ms. Gold, I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but...your parents were in a car accident."
I almost dropped the phone when I heard that. I couldn't believe it, this sort of thing never happens to me, it had to be a joke, but somehow I knew it wasn't. When I found my voice, I asked "A-are they okay?"
"Well...I think you're going to have to come down here and see for yourself, Ms. Gold. Again, I'm very sorry," he said. Then he hung up.
I put down the phone and just stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up again and dialing Jenny's number. After three rings she picked up.
"Like, hello," she said.
"Jenny, it's me Liz, I have to talk to you," I said.
"Oh, Liz, good I, like, was just about to call you, I need you're opinion. Should I, like, get Doritos or Lays for sna-
"Jenny, look this is more important than your slumber party, okay. So could you just listen me for a minute?" I said, raising my voice a bit.
"Like, what could like be more important than my, like, slumber party?" she asked.
Holding back tears, I told her everything the man had told me about my parents, then I told her that I couldn't go to her slumber party because I had to go to the hospital to see them.
"Like, oh my God," Jenny said once I finished. "This is like horrible."
"I know," I said.
"Like, now where am I like going to, like, get the, like, popcorn?"
I was shocked when she said that. "What? What did you say?" I asked slowly.
"I, like, said, like, now where am I, like, going to like get the popcorn?" she repeated.
"Didn't you hear me? My parents might die tonight; I might lose them forever," I said shakily.
"Oh, like, don't bother me with, like, your problem Liz, I, like, have my own, like, now I have to get the, like, popcorn myself, like, thanks a lot."
Now I was really shocked, my best friend for three years cared more about herself and her slumber party than me. For a long time I didn't say anything; I could hear Jenny over the phone asking if I was still there; finally, I spoke, "You know what, fuck you Jenny."
She was silent. "What did you just say to me?" she asked.
"You know damn well what I just said, Jenny. Fuck you, fuck, fuck the popcorn, and FUCK YOUR STUPID SLUMBER PARTY, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!" I screamed at her. Then, without another word, I hung up the phone.
I slowly walked back into the living room. I collapsed onto the couch and started to cry.
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