10.0: The One With the Missing Shoes

  "How's this?" I laughed, holding up the video camera, filming Hadley spin around in her white and rose, lacy party dress.
   Hadley was, without a doubt, the social child out of me and my five siblings. She was the most girly, the one who insisted on owning a pair of shoes in at least two shades of every color, the one who spent an hour curling her hair, trying to maintain her position as seventh grade queen bee, which is weird, if you ask me, cause it's middle school.
   "No! No, ugh, you're not getting my good angle. I have to send this in to TEEN Fab Fashion mag, you're obviously not, like the right one to get it."
   "You're twelve." I pointed out. "Twelve doesn't end with teen."
   "So? If I send in my fashionable party look, I might get to go to NYC and do stuff."
   "What kind of stuff?"

   "Who cares? Only Jaynleigh Smithers has gone and she thinks she's so cool cause of it, this will take her down a notch." This is why I think it's so weird she's so competitive about her social status; my friends shift every school year, based off of who I have classes with, besides if you do something embarrassing, nobody remembers next week, why try so hard when you can focus on funner things?
   "Isn't Jaynleigh your friend?"
   "I have to be the most popular out of the group. Ashley gets it, so does Scarlet, Marie, and Olivianna. She doesn't."
   "Hadley." I heard mom say, before she entered our bedroom. "Are you ready to go?"
   "Almost." She twirled around once more, before gesturing to me to shut down the camera.

   "We have to get going, your father and I have an important business meeting at ten-thirty." She smiled, looking closer at my sister's face. "Are you wearing makeup?"
   "Yeah, just mascara, lip gloss, blush, and eyeliner, though."
   "Honey, you know I think your too young."
   "Mooom." She groaned, as I stifled a giggle; Hadley had this weird way of speaking that made her sound like she knew more than our parents, yet at the same time the way showed how she didn't. "You do."
   "Yes, well, I'm an adult. It's only because I want you to grow up and feel comfortable with your skin-"
   "Blah, yeah, blah, blah, if we don't we can talk to you or dad. Got it." Mom looked sad; she always talked about how she was there for us, about anything, so was daddy, and she seemed to have a reason for telling us that I didn't know the details about.
   "C'mon." She cheered up, taking her hand. "Dad's in the car, with the present. You have Janie-"
   "Jaynleigh!"
   "Jaynleigh's address, right? I'd hate for you to be late to her birthday party."
   "I do, God." She rolled her eyes, walking out of the room.
   "Ryelynn, Remy's volunteering at the hospital, CHester is practicing with the band at Cameron's, and Felix is out back working on a car. If you need anything, tell him, okay? Your dad and I should be back in no more than two hours."
   "Okay, mum, thanks." I smiled, as she walked over to me, kissing the top of my head. "Oh! And thanks for the music box."
   "What music box?" She asked, looking kinda confused- quizzical, my English teacher would say.
   "When I woke up it was on the table."
   "Hmm... It must be one of daddy's surprises for you, you know how he loves surprises."
   "Ooh..." I began pondering- another word my English teach liked- what it meant. Daddy had great surprises, maybe there was a new book in it, a comic, or something Star Wars or Trek related.
   "I have to go, I love you." Mummy called, as she sashayed into the hallway.

   I ran over to the music box, picked it up, and wound it up, excitedly. I loved mummy and daddy equally, but daddy was special. Mum didn't understand my fascination with Marvel or the Lord of the Rings or Issac Asimov or Neil deGrasse Tyson or Doctor Who, yet daddy inspired the fascination and fueled it. When the lid popped open, I gasped. A note was tapped to the top.

   "Ryie," I read- this note was from daddy, that was his nickname for me, "Prepare yourself, because the theater is having a Hobbit marathon! Get ready for eight hours of Tolkein, starting at one. Love, dad. Ohmygawsh!" I shrieked; I'd never seen the Hobbit movies, but I'd wanted to since the newest one came out.
   I needed to get ready, even though I had time, I wanted to now. I shut the music box, running into the hallway. I needed to find my shoes, where were they? I knew that I hadn't left them in the hall closet where we were suppose to and they weren't in my room.

   Eagerly, I perched myself on the spiral staircases' banister, ready to slid down. Dad said I shouldn't do it, since I could fall and hurt myself, so I didn't... When they were around. When they weren't, and none of my siblings could see and tattle on me, I did it anyways. So far I haven't gotten hurt, so I didn't think I would.

   Maybe my shoes would be in the kitchen? I had the terrible tendency of just dropping my possessions when I had an idea and rushing off, not remembering the location of the dropped things. Glancing inside the cabinets, in the sink, microwave, and garbage can, yet I didn't find them.

   "Dang it." I sighed, looking at the clock. At least I had two and a half hours to find them.

  I wandered into the dining room, not finding them here either. In fourth grade when we had to do a book report, my friend picked Ramona Quimby, Age 8, another kid picked The Cat In the Hat, another picked Nancy Drew, I picked The Hobbit. I guess saying that I liked things people consider geeky would be an understatement. I also didn't think geeky was an insult, it was like saying "Haha, you really like things." and I loved people recognizing that I really loved things.
   "Maybe they're in there." I said, speaking to no one in particular.

   The dress up chest, which was filled with Hadley's old princess costumes- she now considered dressing up like fantasy things babyish- and my astronaut and wizard costumes could easily be someplace I'd mindlessly drop my sandals.

  "Yay!" I exclaimed, finding them. beneath a pink veil. I'd found my shoes, now there was only a few other things to do before an entertaining movie marathon.

Side Note: Can you guess which TV show (that I'm currently binge watching on Netflix) is a reference to?