Powered On
by Naomi Barghiel
Alert: Happy 17th Birthday!
Maybe this year people will post on your Facebook timeline more than that fake girl in your grade, Vanessa’s. You gained fifty more Facebook friends this month alone, but let’s be real, Nessa is the one who turns heads. If half the people you added on social media saw you in public, we both know which direction their heads would turn: away. Is that why you didn’t take your makeup off when you went to bed last night? You look like a raccoon, and the drool on your pillow doesn’t help. I’m embarrassed for you.
Anyway, good thing you used the six different applications I suggested to filter your profile pictures. I'm not the only one that doesn't want to see what’s underneath that. Maybe now that you’re a year older, you’ll only need to use five of those apps. You seem to be running out of storage. I bet those 1, 402 selfies you’ve accumulated are the culprit. Also, it’s time to update your profile. It’s been two weeks and people will start to think you’re boring. Loving “dogs and reading" isn’t that unique, so change that up before anything else. I’ll send you an alert later today. But you should really get on that. Vanessa updated hers approximately 17 hours ago. But then again…
Who cares about your profile?
But go ahead, post a picture of your poodle, Shirley, sitting next to you and your birthday cake today on Instagram. The hashtag #instamood is really trending today already, and it’s only 9:00am. Oh! Speaking of which…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Time to wake up. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really tired of the sound of the alarm. Maybe it’s time to update that as well.
It took you a full five minutes and 43 seconds to turn off the alarm. Someone is lazy today, and I know it’s because you stayed up late doing absolutely nothing. Anyway…
Good morning, Alexa Pierce! Here are your notifications since you last checked at 2:18am:
One email from “Grandma”. Subject: Happy B-Day!
Energy refilled in “Candy Crush”
Text from “Dad”: Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! Wishing you a fantastic day!
Tumblr: Zoexo71 and 2 others liked your post
Yikes, only four notifications. Does no one care about your birthday? Does anyone even know? Unfortunately, I can’t make 28 Snapchats appear in an instant.
Oh, Alexa, don’t make me laugh at you. Checking to see if Brandon sent you a Snap isn’t going to make one from him suddenly appear. I wouldn't count on it, anyway.
“Alexa! Birthday blueberry pancakes are ready!”
You should really wash your face. You don’t want your own mother seeing you this way. You would be offending her. At least you’re out of bed now, I was starting to think-
Fine, put me in your pocket. You don’t have it in you to keep me there for long.
~~
Alexa enters the kitchen with a large grin, her dimples crinkled. She’s in her mother’s enthusiastic embrace before her eyes set on the stacks of her favourite pancakes and cup of coffee. The aroma of black coffee had wafted heavily through the house, piercing through Alexa’s foggy veil of sleep, with the smooth rich odour of roasted beans.
“Happy birthday, gorgeous,” her mother exclaims, holding Alexa’s cheeks in her warm palms. They smell like the pancake mix, and Alexa’s stomach grumbles.
“Can we eat already? I’m starving!” Her younger brother calls from the kitchen table in a whiny third-grader voice.
“Abso-fruitly!” Alexa exclaims and ruffles his auburn hair that is so similar to hers and their father’s. She’s not blind to the uncanny resemblance to Lucas and their dad, but their mother often goes as far as clutching her chest by the sight of the two of them together. But Mr. Pierce is an unpredictable man, that’s for sure. Even if he couldn’t be there for the occasion today, he had promised relentlessly that he would visit from his new home in Miami to take his two “favourite little rascals” to the arcade the next weekend. He owed it to Alexa, especially after he had missed her birthday the year before when he lived two blocks down from them.
“I can’t wait for Dad to come!” Lucas exclaims, chomping into a butter-soaked pancake.
“If he does come,” Alexa mumbles under her breath, but not quiet enough for her brother not to hear.
His wide eyes survey Alexa. “What do you mean?”
Their mother shoots Alexa a stern look. “Don’t be silly. Your dad will be here first thing Saturday morning.” Alexa offers her mother a smile, but her eyes reveal its insincerity. Alexa’s mother opens her mouth to respond, but Lucas eagerly interrupts with updates of his new favourite game. After an exasperated sigh from Alexa’s mother, any mention of Mr. Pierce was quickly forgotten.
After finishing four pancakes each, Alexa lays back on her chair with a large exhale and one hand over her stomach.
“I’m not going to be able to eat again until my next birthday.”
“Me either,” Lucas pipes in.
“But it was delicious, wasn’t it?” Alexa’s mother cleans the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
“Very.” Alexa finishes the last bit of her coffee and sits up from her chair.
“Going already?” Her mother questions with a brow raised.
“Yeah.” Alexa heads toward the stairs. “I’ve got plans with Steph. She wants to get me a new dress or something, so we’re going to the mall.”
“Alright sweetheart, get something red! You’ve always looked spectacular in that colour.”
Alexa chuckles and blows her mother and Lucas a kiss before heading up toward her room. She lies back in her bed, fluffs the pillows and pulls her cellphone out of her pyjama pant pocket.
~~
Goodness, it was really starting to get stuffy in there. But look at that, you kept me away for a full twenty minutes. That must be some kind of record of yours! This is definitely worthy of celebration. I have a surprise for you. Check out your new notifications.
Snapchat: “Brandon Carlson” and two others sent you a Snap
Text Message from “Taylor”: Hey, can you tell me the answers to Ms. Holden's’ test you took yesterday?
I spy with my little eye, a Snapchat from the only male teenager present in your life. Go ahead, open it! What’s the hesitation for? Ew, your sweaty palms are getting all over me! Are you nervous? Come on, Alexis, don’t be a loser. Speaking of which, don’t think I didn’t notice that text message from Taylor. Test answers? What are you, some kind of genius? You should know by now that no one likes a smart-ass.
Now what’s the frown for? I found 131, 000 results in 0.46 seconds on how frowning causes wrinkles. Oh, I see… the Snap from Brandon didn’t even show a fraction of his face, but was merely a photo of an ordinary white wall captioned “Is it your birthday sometime this week?”
Let me just say, I told you so. No teenage boy in your high school would ever have enough interest in you to remember your birthday. Just accept that fact already, and move on.
Ugh, your friend “Steph” interrupted me. You have a text message from her saying,
“Lex, I am so sorry, but I can’t take you shopping today. I can’t explain right now, but come over tonight and I’ll make it up to you with re-watching The Breakfast Club and chocolate ice-cream sandwiches! Love you.”
Well, there you have it. Even your best can’t stand you enough to celebrate your birthday. It’s obvious she invented an excuse purposely to spend the least amount of time with you possible. Take this time to sulk, because even I can admit that you’ve got it bad, and I really don't think it will get any better.
I wouldn’t send a text message back to Steph, but of course you are. Here is your message:
“Hey Steph, it’s totally fine! I need to spend more time with my mom and brother anyway. But I’ll take you up on your offer and be at your place at around 7:00pm.”
I don’t approve, but I’ll send it. I told you the reality about this Steph girl before, and you’re only setting yourself up for heartache. Then I’ll have to say “I told you so” again, and I know how much you like that.
You have got to be kidding me. Back in the rotten pocket already?
~~
Alexa, wearing only a light leather jacket for the autumn breeze, waits for Steph to open her enormous mahogany doors. When Steph opens the doors to welcome Alexa, the first thing Alexa notices is the amount of makeup covering her best friends heart-shaped face like another layer of skin. Her long hair has been curled and styled, and a tight emerald dress hugs all her angles. She’s quite dolled up for a movie night and fatty snacks compared to Alexa’s outfit choice of an oversized sweatshirt, sweatpants, and Uggs.
Alexa opens her mouth to greet Steph, but before she can say a word, a wide smile spreads across Steph’s face and she yells, “SURPRISE!” She opens the door entirely now for Alexa to see the interior of the house, and more lights turn on behind Steph to reveal at least twenty other people gathered in the gigantic living room. It is decorated with pink and yellow balloons and a large sign hangs above the fireplace reading, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEX!” Before Alexa can blink, her other friends from class approach her in heaps and enthusiastically overwhelm her in hugs and birthday wishes. Steph increases the sound on the speakers, and a Top 40 pop song plays.
“Oh my God, Steph, I totally did not see this coming!” Alexa exclaims and hugs Steph after the swarm of classmates encompassing her disperses.
“Come on, I’m me. What did you expect?”
“You’re amazing,” Alexa says with a chuckle.
“You’re too kind. Oh! I also invited Brandon and he was so excited to come, but his soccer coach called him in for an important last-minute practice. He did tell me to wish you a happy birthday, though.” Alexa smiles, and her cheeks turn a deep pink. “That’s good enough for me.”
“I really do hope you have a good time, though. It took me and my mom the entire day to decorate the house. It wasn’t any trouble, but I guess we’re not used to the size of it yet.”
Steph does a quick look around the living room of her house, with her brows raised as though the shock of her father recently working at the second largest company in the country had not worn off yet.
“It’s definitely an upgrade from that tiny apartment.”
“It always had an odd smell. Can you believe that was only eight months ago?”
“I’m still processing that you finally having a bathtub and not just a shower.”
Steph chuckles. “Trust me, so am I. Anyway, even though I didn’t take you shopping today, I went by myself and got you something special.” Steph clutches Alexa’s hand. The exuberant look on her face from when she first opened the door returns, and she leads Alexa down the marble hallway and up the spiral staircase to her bedroom. There, on the queen size bed is a deep red dress similar in style to Steph’s, with a sweet white bow on top.
Alexa gasps and runs a hand over the soft material. “Is this for me?”
“Duh. And I hope you like red because you look flawless in that colour.” Steph stands by the doorway with a proud look on her face.
“I love it!” Alexa smirks. “Did you coordinate this dress with my mom?”
“Of course not,” Steph says with a knowing wink.
“It must have cost a fortune, though.”
Steph scrunches her face and waves her hand in dismissal. “Please, you know it was nothing.”
Alexa smiles and pulls Steph back into a hug. “Thank you so much. You’re the best,” she says into her shoulder.
“You’re very welcome. And I’m sorry to disappoint, but we’re not watching The Breakfast Club tonight. So I think it’s time to change into that work of art I got for you!” Steph steps out of the room with one last smile, leaving Alexa to change into the dress. In lightning speed, she has already zipped it up and is standing in front of Steph’s enormous antique mirror. Alexa does a little twirl, and smiles at herself.
Just as she is about to leave the room, she turns back for her cellphone tossed on the bed.
~~
Look at you, looking slightly less homeless. Though, are you sure that dress isn’t too small on you? I wouldn’t recommend showing it off on Instagram tonight. But if you insist on doing so, pose next to Steph, you’ll get more “likes”. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised she put in all this effort for you. What did you do to deserve it? I mean, not even your dad came to see you today. He posted a photo on Facebook at 5:42pm today. Look at the smile on his face next to his new wife, and the expensive restaurant they are at. So, so far from you. He’d rather spend his money and time on her than his daughter, so how much does this silly little party matter now? If your own father couldn’t be here to—
Wait, what are you doing?
Settings: System Preferences.
What are you trying to do?
Settings: Power Off.
Oh please, you don’t have it in you. You’ve never clicked that button in your life. And why did you just open Steph’s junk drawer? Gross, there’s a filthy sock in here.
Settings: Are you sure you would like to power off your device?
You won’t leave me in here. You’ll back out at any second. I know you better than you know yourself. You won’t do it, I know you won’t. You won’t, you won’t, you won’t!
“Yes, I’m sure.”
You’ll never hear the end of me, Alexa! You’re weak! You’re-
Alert: Powering Off