Lucas And The Time-Traveling Fog Party Animals
Chapter 16 A Trip Down Memory Lane

By Monday morning, after hearing nothing from the girls about my dad or the date all weekend which was strange as they seem to want to know everything I do from the moment I leave them to go to class. It’s annoying, but I have gotten used to it. What was even stranger was that I had this gut feeling that when we were at our usual table in the cafeteria and when the timing was just right, one of them would ask me for a progress report on how the date went. I don’t know who, but one of them will. What do you know? My gut feeling was right because when Margaret decided to go to the bathroom, and Anna followed her. Jo asked me the question. Luckily I already made up my mind on what to tell them a day prior. So, I said something like, “It went great, we talked, and I will be meeting John this Friday, but I have this strange feeling that Margaret really likes him too, so can you promise to cross your heart to me that you won’t mention this to her yet? I don’t want her to hate me forever.”

Ok, maybe I have exaggerated that part a little bit, but it was so I know that the girls could be trusted, and to my astonishment, it totally worked.

The girls were totally cool with it and didn’t need to be convinced any more. I was so bewildered that I completely lost all thought of my own plan that I made for almost two whole days. It all started when Courtney and Kim volunteered to take Margaret places around the city while the rest of us girls went somewhere. But I couldn’t remember at that very moment where I wanted us to go. Just then, I don’t know who, but someone out of this group came up with this simple idea to go to the mall, and that idea spread like wildfire. Things had gotten way out of hand. The girls were talking and awwing about the fun we’ll have again, which to me sounds like another recipe for disaster.

To prevent this from happening, I interrupted their chatter to say, “W-w-w-woah, wait a second, let’s not get carried away here,” to which one of them responded, “Who says we’re the one that’s going to get carried away.”

“What?! What do you mean?” I asked, surprised.

Melissa in a serious tone said, “Liz, drop the act. We all know how distraught you were in your car the last time we went to the mall. Don’t lie to us. Me and Tiff both saw. And you even told us how our girl’s day was cut short. So, let’s make up for it by going now.” Did she just? I think she did. She used my own words against me for her own game...ohhhh, she’s good.

If she’s doing this, then it’s perfectly fine if I say this to her instead. I said, “Yes, I was bummed, and I did say that, but we cannot do it today. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, perhaps because I--”

Melissa growing more and more impatient with me blurted, “Because what? We’re waiting.”

“Because, because I...I”

Suddenly, I realized that my excuse is on her daily planner that I always bring with me almost everywhere, just in case you know for times like this, and opened it right up and quickly flipped through the dates to replace this one. What do you know? Liz actually has an excuse for tomorrow because she apparently was going to head into the mall to get her nails painted that she scheduled three weeks ago. This is perfect.

I said, “I just remembered that I have to get my nails painted that day. Look, it says so right here in my planner. You can go check, and it would be a good excuse for Margie. Don’t you think so?” One of Liz’s friends, Jo, got really excited because she was actually going to get her nails painted too on the same day so I guess that’s what was needed to get it approved by them. Once that was settled, they then began planning their whole day with me. They were determined to replace me an outfit for my date. I don’t know what’s more scary... this or the second date with my dad.

Things have gotten really bad for me now because one of them just now said that I’m not allowed to do anything under any circumstance other than to have fun and to….totally take a chill pill and relax with them. That means NO DRIVING by me whatsoever. I need to drive. I like driving; it’s what I’ve been doing to keep me from going insane around here. I thought they were only kidding at first until...they... unanimously agreed at the table. But relax, they say it will be so much fun they say.

Oh, I wish it could be that simple. These girls have no idea the trouble and stress that they have now just caused me. Anyway, we decided it would be best to go tomorrow. So, when Margaret came back from the bathroom, we told her about the mall trip, and she wasn’t even interested in going. In fact, she had other places to be too, which Kim and Courtney gladly volunteered to come with, which Margie was pleased with. She bought it. So far, so good, but I don’t want to jinx it. I want to wait till tomorrow morning and see how this is going to play out.

The next day, everything was coming together. Margaret doesn’t know the real reason we are going, and the girls haven’t said a thing to her, and for the first time, I was the one getting really excited going to the mall. I even called Liz’s mom after my classes were over that day just to tell her all about this trip that the girls and I had planned, but I didn’t tell her why for obvious reasons.

As long as she was concerned, the girls were showing me what I missed out on when I left for Tom’s party. After I was done talking to her, I walked outside, and who did I see? Liz’s friends were waiting for me. If that doesn’t say how great her friends are, I don’t know what else you’ll call it. So, I greeted them, and one of them told me that Courtney would take my books and put them in my dorm so we won’t waste any more time.

Man, is it just me, or will these girls do anything for a “girl’s day at the mall?” Meanwhile, I just stuttered, “T--t-t-thanks girls. I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. But come on, the mall isn’t going to wait for us forever, let’s go!” I exclaimed. We then followed Jo to her car where I couldn’t….pass up the opportunity to, I don’t know, call “shotgun.” Man, it’s been in a long time since I’ve said that word or been in the passenger seat of a car before. I forgot how great it feels. One of the best parts of being in the passenger seat is that I get to have more legroom, no worries about who’s behind me or wants to pass me, and I even get to put my feet on the dash, which I need to start doing.

As I casually stretch and put my feet on the dash, I can see why these girls complain so much about who gets to be in the passenger seat first, and I don’t blame them. I can get used to this more often. But what I can’t get used to is all the chatter, and of course, with chatter comes its best friends, Singing and Dancing.

They all always seem to go hand and hand wherever I go. I can never get away from them. But the songs were too powerful and catchy not to sing and dance to. At the mall, I was determined to make this as quick as possible but didn’t mind having a little fun in the process. But I didn’t expect to get so distracted so soon.

I mean, the girls right away just had to show me a store they went to the moment I left them. We went to some record store called Sam Goody that was on the third floor, where the girls immediately thought of me when they first listened to The Cure’s newest album. Now it’s my turn to do the same with them. We listened and sang their entire album from start to finish. There were two separate pairs of headphones on the table. I listened on one ear while Jo listened on the other, while Tiff and Melissa listened on the other pair and we rotated listening to every other song.

Exiting Sam Goody, Jo really wanted to get her nails done right this instant, and when she didn’t take our no for an answer, she almost threw a temper tantrum. After all, as she put it, “Liz needed it just as badly as mine. I mean, have you looked at hers lately...she needs it more than me, and isn’t that why we came here in the first place.”

Could you believe this girl threw me under the bus like that and all because we told her no the first time?

Thanks to her, now all the girls want to see my nails. I quickly put my hands behind my back because I don’t want them to be disgusted if they see my manly hands somehow. Its silly I know but still, I was young and naive. Anyway, I had no choice so I slowly brought my hands around, facing them with my nails. All the girls gasped in horror.

“What do you see?” I asked.

Anna with a look of disgust told me, “Oh my gosh, Jo is so right, we need to go to the nail salon like now.”

I asked, “Is it really that bad?” I guess that was a yes because the girls didn’t say anything but linked arms with me and headed straight to the salon. Inside, I had to tell them who I was and who I had an appointment with, which was this woman named “Karen.” Then this lady went to get her, and this other woman came out of nowhere and said, “Hey Liz, how are you...oh no, you’re stressed again. I know what will help. I can take it from here, girls. Follow me, Liz.”

Now, as I’m following this woman, she told me to take my shoes and socks off and sit in this chair. As I’m doing this, I think to myself. If this is some trick or an attempt by the girls to make me relax, it’s clearly not wor---king. I was then given the best hand and foot massage ever.

After the massages, which I enjoyed every minute of, I was then told to pick out some color of nail polish. As she finished painting my nails, I looked at them, then at Liz in the mirror, and decided that I wanted to explore the rest of the mall even if I had to do it by myself.

We went up and down the escalators so many times and visited so many shops that I couldn’t name them all and had a blast trying on a lot of outfits, posing, laughing with the girls, even buying a couple outfits myself and had the time of my life. But the fun came to a screeching halt when I met....him. Oh, I don’t mean John, n-n-n-no, I mean his dorky little friend Robbie who, if you don’t recall, was with Margaret and I for the double date at Baker’s Square.