But these bright lights turn you into a monster

Monday: Time to rest up from your long holidays. Today you can return any of those gifts that you didn't really like or you can go to the Barton Hollow mall to spend your money. For dinner, everyone's heading over to the food court while you gab about who got the better presents.
 
I sipped on the straw to my Burger King beverage. Alice was talking.
 
I wondered what Finn was doing right that moment.
 
"I mean, really. Some of the girls in this town have no idea what to do with their gift cards. I've seen so many girls carrying out the bags to all the tacky stores! I mean, Zoee, are you really going to wear that shirt you bought?" I didn't respond. Alice loved insulting me when she didn't think I was paying attention.
 
I wondered what Finn was doing right that moment.
 
"Zoee, are you even paying attention?" Alice asked.
"I hear you," I responded. She nodded.
"Well are you?"
"If I want to," I shot back. Alice shrugged.
"It's your life. Do what you want."
 
I really wanted to get out of the mall and go to the bar. I went on Christmas eve, and Finn was charming as usual. Talking to him was the best part of my day.
 
"Let's go," Alice said. "I have to get ready for the sleepover tomorrow. Can you believe I'm having all these freaks over?" I didn't respond. I knew she was talking about Claudia, and Casey. They were my friends, even if I didn't say it too often. Casey thought I was ashamed of her, but it wasn't that. There was just no use telling that to Alice. Whenever I stood up to her for them, she pretended she couldn't even hear me.
 
I wondered what Finn was doing right that moment.
 
I had drove us to the mall, and I guess that meant I had to drive her back. I buckled my seatbelt, and she started blasting my radio. "Don't you have any good CD's? Jeez, what do you listen to?" She started reading through my CD's. "Ingrid Michelson… Imogen Heap… Regina Skeptor… Kate Nash… who the hell are these people?" I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "Oh, here we go. Drake!" I loved Drake. Drake's lyrics spoke straight to my heart, so I didn't mind it too much when she put the Thank Me Later CD.
/money just changed everything, I wonder how life without it would go/
 
Money did change everything in my life. Alice didn't acknowledge my presence when I lived in Barton Hollow before. In her defense, I was only there for a year before I left. My mom and dad wanted a small town life, or so they said. So we moved from our already small town to an even smaller town. In that year, I made no friends. I kept my head under and minded my own business. That's why I was so relieved when they asked me to move to New York. That's why I was so willing to believe everything they told me there. I wanted things to be better. But that grew old. Being primped and prepped got exhausting. Partying got exhausting. Being bored all the time got exhausting.
 
I wondered what Finn was doing right that moment.
 
I didn't tell him where the Mercedes came from, though he asked every second. He was the only one who didn't look at me like a cash cow, and I wanted it to stay that way. He was the first good thing to happen to me in a long time, and I wasn't ready to give that up just yet.
{write 'fireworks' if you read the whole thing}
 
used:
@luxecouture