short story I'm writing about with those three teens

Here's the beginning of a short story I am working on! Hope you enjoy it :)

~

My name is Valerie. My parents couldn't decide whether or not to call me “Malorie” or “Victoria,” so they went with “Valorie.” My friends call me “Val.” 

My mom had me at 19 at the beginning of her freshman year of college. She ended up having to drop out her sophomore year because raising a kid was “too much to handle.” It ended up causing a strain in her relationship with her parents, and that's why they don't talk much. The few times I do see my grandparents they always tell me, “Your mom had so much going for her at Princeton. If only she could finish it out.” 

My dad finished his college education though. Now, he works in some big fancy building in Boston. To be honest, I'm not sure what he does, but I know it's something important. My mom works in Boston too. She’s always coming home late. We have a pretty good bond. It's sort of like a Loreli and Rory type of thing. 

I'm the oldest, obviously. I have two younger siblings. My brother, Jack, he’s fifteen, two years younger than me. And I have a younger sister, Molly, she’s fourteen and thinks she’s eighteen. Love them both. Jack’s in his awkward yet popular phase. And Molly's in her take a straightener to my hair middle school phase where she never stops talking about friend group drama alongside obsessing over the Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and Joshua Basset gossip. Oh, and if you were wondering what Taylor Swift’s song “All Too Well” is about, you can just ask me because Molly has told me probably fifteen hundred times.  

Honestly, I just feel like I'm just there. Maybe because I sometimes feel like a burden to my parents. The fact my mom had to leave school always haunts me even though my parents always say I am a “gift” to them. 

My parents really do support me so much. They support a lot of things. They're always going to marches, protests and stuff like that. They even put up that sign that reads, “Love is Love. Black Lives Matter. Science is Real.” on our front lawn. They always tell me that they're there if there's anything I want to talk about. 

Molly said that they always tell me this because they think I have a crush on my friend Katie. I don't like her like that though. I think I'm straight. I mean as of right now. But like if Maya Hawke showed up on my front door step I would let her in. 

Katie and I have been friends our whole lives. It’s us and our other best friend, Matt. Our parents all met at the local bar down the street like fifteen years ago, and that’s how it basically started. Us three I mean. It’s always been us three. We’ve had too many sleepovers to count and our favorite memory together was probably the time we all went to Disney together back in 2014. We went on almost all the rides except for the few Matt wasn’t tall enough for. We’d never leave him out. We’ve been through too much together to ever break our bond. 

~

Today’s date is October 30th 2021. I just wrote that on the top of my Math worksheet. Matt is sitting next to me and giving me a weird look. I know that look though. It’s his “I have an idea look.” 

“Val, we have to go to Morgan’s party tonight. Everybody will be there. Kevin, Bret, Tammy, and Ju. Please, pretty please. If you say ‘no.’ I’ll tell your mom you snuck out.”

“Dude. Stop. I would never sneak out. My mom knows that. She’ll laugh in your face if you even try saying that.”

“Fine. But think about it. Katie said she'd go with me. You don't want to be that boring annoying loser girl that sits at home the Friday before halloween.” 

“Oh f*ck you matt. Sometimes, I just want to be alone. That's something you'll never understand. My family says it's one of the many special things about me.”

“Boo! You stink. See you later at lunch.”

Sometimes Matt doesn't understand me. Like he never wants peace and quiet. He always wants to do something spontaneous. Well, not exactly. He's never had a girlfriend, and I'm not sure if he's ever taken a sip of alcohol or even snuck out. Maybe because he spends so much time with Katie and I. There was a rumor that he was gay, but 24 hours later and one look in his sock drawer I knew for sure that it wasn’t true.