Diary of an Anxious Teen

Chapter Nine: Entry Five, Part One 

October 31, 2017

I awake to my alarm going off next to me. I turn to my bedside table and click stop on my phone. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and sit up. 

Today's the day.  

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, let me fill you in. Today's the day that I'm going to ask Eli out. 

I told Raine yesterday that I'm going to ask him out after we play the games set up for tonight. 

I'm just hoping that he says yes. 

I pull my covers away from my body and jump out of my bed. As soon as my foot touches the ground, a knock sounds at the door. I let out a slight groan. 

Who'd knock on my door at this hour? 

The answer to my question comes when a voice rings out from the other side of my door. 

"Delaney?" 

I can tell exactly who it is. Why's she home? 

As soon as I open the door, I confirm my own suspicions. My mother stands on the other side, hand poised to knock again. 

"Mom? What are you doing home?" I ask. 

She drops her hand, looking directly into my eyes. Her gaze is so intense that I have to look away. 

"I just came to check on you," she starts. "I got the day off today." 

And so it begins. 

My mom hasn't had a day off for a while. If she did, she sure hasn't spent it with me. 

I knew that this was how they were going to treat me as soon as they found out. 

I sigh before responding, "I'm fine. I've got to get ready for school, though." 

She's hesitant to leave, but she eventually walks away, leaving only the whisper of 'ok' behind her.  

I close the door and proceed to get ready for school after texting Elijah 'good morning'. I go into my bathroom and brush my teeth and hair. I put a new wrap on my hand and got dressed. Today, we get to dress up, so I'm going with my bee costume from last year. 

What? I can't expose my real costume just yet. 

I slip on the bee dress, falling down to mid thigh. I put a pair of black stockings underneath it slipping on my black boots. Then, I move on to my hair. 

For my hair, I simply curl it slightly at the ends. I leave it down and place the matching headband onto my head. 

There. 

I grab my things and walk downstairs. All of my family is gathered in the dining room. They're talking in hushed whispers that I can barely make out. 

"I don't know if we can let her go out tonight," my mother confesses. 

My ears perk up at that. They're having second thoughts about letting me go out with my friends? 

Nonetheless, I continue my path to the fridge, taking out an apple. 

"Nonsense. I think that she'll be fine. She's not a weak little girl." 

Thanks, Dad. 

"Yeah. Besides, Elijah will be there with her. We've seen how much he cares about her." 

It goes silent after Carmen speaks. I can't believe that they're having a discussion about what I'm doing without me even being there. 

I'm thinking that they know I can hear them until my mother speaks again.