The Albino

My whole life from the age of five was pretty much based around very few things. My family, my future, and my best friend. I met my best friend at a neighborhood block party. While anyone older than thirteen partied in the street, all the little kids were placed in a neighbour's backyard and the pre-teens were stuck playing babysitter {at least at the time they were getting paid}. I was tossing a ball around by myself when I noticed a kid sitting alone under the swing set's slide. I, being a loner and believed in including everyone, walked over to the slide. That's when I saw him. A little kid, pale as a ghost, snow white hair, and ruby red eyes. He looked at me, if he were anticipating I would scream. But I didn't. I smiled at him and simply said "Hi! My name's Payton!" He looked at me. He said to me in a quiet voice "I'm Andy." From that moment on, our fates were intertwined. We were best friends from then on. Even now, I'm in my 80's, I can remember it all. This is the story of my albino friend.

"ANDY! PUT ME DOWN!!!" I screamed. Andy laughed as he wrapped his arm around my midsection and flipped me over his shoulder. My legs dangled down his back and my torso and head hung down his front. "Not a chance, Payton!" Andy yelled, cackling wildly. He ran down the street and screamed "I'm kidnapping you, Payton Julia Moore!" I screamed and laughed. "Let me go! The blood's rushing to my head!" I cried, kicking my legs wildly in the air. "Andy! Put Payton down!" I heard Andy's mom Serephina yelled from the front porch, where she and my mom sat. "Fine!" Andy said, flipping me right side up. I wobbled dizzily in one direction and completely fell over on our neighbour's lawn. Andy laughed and helped me up. "Payton! Andy! Dinner!" my mom Rayne called. "Coming!" I yelled. "Race you!" Andy yelled as he zoomed past me. "Hey! No fair!" I shouted, running past him at full speed up the sidewalk to the porch. "Ha-ha! I win again!!" I sang from the porch, my arms raised over my head in victory. "Hey, I want a re-match!" Andy yelled. "Re-match later, guys. Dinner now." Serephina said, leading us into the house.

Some people think that our moms are gay and we are brother and sister. It's really the opposite. Before we met, Andy and his mom lived with his father. Andy's dad had problems and often blamed his problems on Serephina and Andy. When he was five, his dad just walked out. A little more than a year after we met, they were evicted from their house. My mom and I, the saints we were, let them move into my room and my mom stayed on the couch while I stayed in her room. When Andy and I were 10 and 12, Serephina and Mom had the basement converted into two bedrooms for us. We just tell people, "We just live together as friends."

Serephina and Mom had once again made spaghetti. A family favorite. Andy and I went down to the basement rec room, which to left had three doors, one leading to my room, another leading to Andy's, and then the bathroom. Andy sat down on the couch and flicked on the TV. I sat down next to him. We normally just ate downstairs. Mom and Serephina didn't care. "Hey, Pay," Andy interrupted our silence. "Yeah," I answered, not even looking away from the TV. "Guess what's coming up?" "Prom." "How'd you guess?" he asked me. "You haven't stopped talking about since you started senior year!" I replied, turning away from the TV. "Well, I need some advice." Andy said, turning the TV off. "Spill it, who is she?" I said, smirking. "You're good. Her name is Lola Mayson. I want to ask her, but I don't think she'll go with me 'cause I'm... you know..." Andy sighed. I knew Lola Mayson. She was pretty, dark-haired and brown-eyed, Mexican-American. She was popular, but she seemed too nice to be. "Hmm, Lola, eh. Give her a flower when you ask her. How 'bout that?" I suggested, finishing my food. "That could work! Thanks Pay!" Andy's face lit up. I loved when that happened. "Re-match now?" I asked him. "Yep!" Andy said. And we took off upstairs.

Three days passed, and when we arrived at school on the Thursday, May 5th, Andy got excited. "I'm gonna do it, Payton! I'm gonna ask her!!" Andy was ecstatic; he plucked a pink tulip from the school's garden. As we walked into the school, we saw Lola at her locker. I gave Andy a hard shove, making him stubble into her. Even though he was 6'1" and weighed about 155 lbs, he still stumbled. "Oh, hi Lola!" Andy said, his voice quick and nervous. "Oh, hey there, Andy!" Lola said, turning to face him. She smiled. I pretended I wasn't listening to them. I kept my ears open. "So listen, Lola. I was kind of wondering if maybe... well... I don't know..." Andy's voice kept stumbling along. Lola nodded her head, trying to get where he was coming from. "Are you asking me to prom?" she asked him. "Um, yeah." Andy gulped, and held out the flower. She looked at it, she gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Andy. I'm already going with Darren Porte." She smiled sympathetically. "Maybe Sara Chang doesn't have a date?" Lola suggested, closing her locker. "Maybe," Andy said in a small voice. "Sorry." She said. She patted his shoulder and walked off. Andy stood there, he looked ready to burst into tears. "It's okay." I said, wrapping my arms around him. He shoved me off and walked away. That night, Andy barricaded himself in his room. Mom and Serephina told me to leave him alone.

Andy didn't go to school the next day. I brought him his homework. He only came out of his room to announce he was not going to prom. That made me so mad. "You're going to let one girl get in the way of your prom!" I screamed, storming into his room. He sat on his bed. He jumped up at the sight of me. "I'm not going. It's not worth it!" He yelled back. Upstairs, Mom and Serephina heard us. "Typical teens." They replied in unison, then continued their conversation. Back downstairs, I screamed back "It is too worth it!" "I have no date!" "Then get one!" "Who? You?" "Is that an offer?" I shrieked, slightly asking. "The hell it is!" Andy shouted back. "Then yeah! I'll be your date!" I yelled. "Fine!" he yelled. "Fine!" I yelled back, storming to my room. I slammed my door and thumped on my bed. Then, reality hit me like a rock wall. I ran back to Andy's room. "I need a dress!" I cried to him. "I need a tux!" Andy shouted. We ran upstairs, Andy scrambling for the car keys, and we ran out the door. "I thought that might happen." Serephina said, sipping her tea.

Andy and I drove out to the little shop where everyone buys their dresses and rents their tuxes. We parked the car and ran inside. There was a small selection of dresses left and there were five tux styles to rent. I grabbed every dress and tried them all on. The first one I tried was a pretty blue and sparkly, but it was too small. The next was black and pink, but it was so big. The next two I tried on were the same, purple and gold, but neither fit. I tried on a strapless, black dress, but it kept falling down. The last dress was perfect, red, a deep V-neck, short, and layered with thick chiffon layers. I picked out some sliver 5-inch heels and a pair of red fingerless gloves. Andy liked the dress. His tux was a black tux with a light shirt and black tie. I liked it. Andy and I left the store and went home. I flipped through several fashion magazines in my room. I found a style. Curly, up in a spiky ponytail, and with a white flower clip. I was set for prom.