Shooting My Life's Script E-Book

Paula Pimenta

• Herausgeber: Gutenberg Editora
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 407

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Estefania's life is turned upside-down when she gets the chance to go abroad for a year on a student exchange program. The revealing instant messaging, phone calls and constant note passing during class now have a new subject: Fani's impending trip to the UK. Get to know the fascinating universe of a teenage girl full of hopes and hesitant about going on with her "normal" life, in the company of friends, family, and AN unexpected newfound love, or living the adventure of going to another country, a whole new world of possibilities. The best scenes of Fani's life are yet to come… You'll be sure to enjoy this fun and totally awesome book by best-selling brazilian author, Paula Pimenta.

Leseprobe

To see the movie scenes and listen the musics on this book, access the site www.fazendomeufilme.com.br.Enjoy!

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. And then, one not-so-very special day, I went to my typewriter, I sat down, and I wrote our story. A story about a time, a story about a place, a story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever.

(Moulin Rouge)

Somebody once asked me what my all-time favorite movie was. I spent ages thinking about it, but instead of answering, I just gave them a list of all my DVDs. I don't have a favorite movie; each one has a special scene, a moment that makes me wish I was the main character, that makes me hope my life will be as thrilling and colorful as the characters in it.

Fani Castelino Belluz's DVDs

1. Clueless

2. Cinderella

3. While You Were Sleeping

4. Groundhog Day

5. Alice in Wonderland

6. The Butterfly Effect

7. Amélie

8. Finding Neverland

9. Field of Dreams

10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

11. Bridget Jones's Diary

12. Dead Poets Society

13. Finding Nemo

14. The Fox and the Hound

15. Pretty Woman

16. That Thing You Do

17. The Incredibles

18. Martha – Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence

19. The Goonies

20. The Sound of Music

21. Someone Like You

22. The Wizard of Oz

23. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

24. The Polar Express

25. Love story

26. Some Kind of Wonderful

27. Moulin Rouge!

28. My Best Friend's Wedding

29. How to Make an American Quilt

30. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

31. Ever After: A Cinderella Story

32. Titanic

33. Dumbo

34. Peter Pan

35. Labyrinth

36. The Princess Diaries

37. She's All That

38. 13 Going on 30

39. Sleepless in Seattle

40. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

41. The Wedding Planner

42. The Truth About Cats and Dogs

43. 50 First Dates

44. Four Weddings and a Funeral

45. The Thing Called Love

46. Shakespeare in Love

47. You've Got Mail

48. 10 Things I Hate About You

49. Romeo & Juliet

50. When Harry Met Sally

51. Under the Tuscan Sun

52. Dirty Dancing

53. The Notebook

54. Wimbledon

55. Grease

Cher Horowitz : So okay, I don't want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don't get how guys dress today. I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair "eew" and cover it up with a backwards cap and like, we're expected to swoon? I don't think so.

(Clueless)

Thank God it started raining again. As long as the weather is bad, I don't have to go out. Who the hell passed the law saying that 16 year-old girls have to go out every weekend? If I feel like staying home with my DVDs, my books, or simply doing nothing, my family starts asking me if I'm sick. Worse still, five minutes go by and my friends start showing up or calling me, as if the fact that I want to stay home were some kind of joke.

I ask myself: what's the point of going out?? Just to see the same faces as always? To play monkey-see-monkey-do (in this case, monkey-see-monkey-dresses the same!), since every person dresses identically, like they're wearing a kind of social uniform? The funny thing is, the same people start a petition in school so we can go to school wearing normal street clothes... if I were the principal, I'd let them.. At least then people wouldn't tear up their uniform, cutting off the sleeves to bare their arms and "strut their stuff" (ha! my mother came up with that one, and I have to agree with her!), and the boys would stop being suspended for showing up to class in flip-flops.

Uh-oh. I have to pick up the phone. My mom is yelling out in that way that separates and stretches each syllable of my name: "Esteee-fâaaaaa-niaaaaa..."

Gosh. As if having a weird name wasn't bad enough, I also have to hear it being yelled at me! How many times do I have to say it? My name is Fani! F-A-N-I. And it's pronounced like "funny". When somebody calls me Estefânia I pretend it's not me they're talking to. I'll answer this time just so the part of the world who hasn't heard my mom yelling doesn't find out that there's such a weird name lurking behind Fani.

Fairy Godmother: But like all dreams, well, I'm afraid this can't last forever. You'll have only 'til midnight, and then...Cinderella: Midnight? Oh, thank you.Fairy Godmother: Oh, now, now, now, now, now, just a minute. You must understand, my dear: On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before.

(Cinderella)

Thank you, daylight savings! I don't usually like it at the beginning, since we have to move our clocks forward and end up with a day with only twenty-three hours. But this time I thought it was short and sweet.

It was Natália on the phone earlier, same as usual! I like Natália a lot, we've been friends since we were kids and all, but honestly, lately, it feels like we're heading in opposite directions. Of course, as always, she was going completely berserk because she wanted to go out, especially because of the long weekend - our school had given us holiday until October 12.

I don't understand how she does it... Wednesday we went to Júlia's birthday, on Thursday we watched The Constant Gardener (I give it three stars), on Friday we went to Rodrigo's brother's band practice, and yesterday, everyone in Belo Horizonte who didn't travel (that is: Natália, Rodrigo, and Priscila) came over to watch a DVD. Darn! Doesn't she ever miss staying at home?

I am not antisocial and I don't have any of these behavior disorders Veja magazine keeps talking about, but at some point you just have enough of going out, right? It's a pain really, trying on all the clothes (being careful not to wear the same ones again for three weeks at least), makeup, asking my dad for money, listening to a lecture on the dangers of the modern world, meeting the same people I already see every day, having to put on a nice face to keep people from coming up to me every other minute and asking why I'm in such a bad mood ...Phew! I genuinely prefer staying in my room, my enchanted kingdom, close to my books, DVDs, and computer...

And that's exactly what I tried to explain to Natália for the hundredth time running when she tried to convince me to go out again tonight. Mr. Gil is one of those annoying parents; he calls my dad every time she goes out to ask if I'm going out too. Does he think we're Siamese twins? That wherever one of us goes the other has to tag along? Let me tell you something, Mr. Gil, that's not how it works, alright? Slavery is history. If you want to hire me to be your daughter's nanny, let me see you opening up that wallet. Fifteen bucks an hour. It's the only way to keep up with Natália's energy!

But I think if I depended on this to make money, I'd quit. For a start, Natália has way stronger arguments. First, that little thin voice of hers... when people first see her they think she is all delicate but after about 10 minutes, you just want to press "stop," since she's so screechy you feel like someone is drilling a hole in your head! As if that weren't enough, Natália is an only child. This means that she never had a brother or a sister who refused lending her anything and she never learned to accept a no.

As expected, she started with her usual blabbering: "Tomorrow is a holiday, we can sleep late...," she said, in her tiny voice, which gets thinner and thinner each second.

I reminded her that my brother was definitely coming over the next day with my three nephews, and their favorite game was "Let's Go Wake Up Aunt Fani!".

Then she said: "Yesterday you stayed in, we all stayed in with you watching DVDs. Staying home all day makes you older...."

I didn't even have a chance to answer before she was off again: "If you don't go, I'm going to have to lie to my father which means you're going to have to ask your father to lie too, and you don't really want to encourage all that lying, do you?"

As if my father would lie because of her. When I said no, and took down every single argument she had, she started blackmailing me: "Fine. I bet that if I asked Júlia she would come with me... but I don't want to go out with her, I'd rather go out with you..."

I told her that Júlia had gone to her grandparents' house in the countryside and that was the reason she would rather go out with me...

Then she went overboard: "Fani! I'm having a premonition! Your true love will be there and you're going to blow your chance of meeting him! Then you're going to spend the rest of your life single and lonely, just because you didn't want to go out with me this one night!"

I reminded her that her attempts to persuade me to come out on this "one night" were the same as the last 78 times, and that this was the 79th time she said this night was going to be unique, and if the love of my life was really hanging around in these bars, then he definitely wasn't the love of my life. My true love was at home reading, or maybe taking advantage of the night before a holiday to do some important research on the internet or in any encyclopedias that he might have.

When she realized that I was serious and was not in the mood to go out, she started bargaining. "I'll pay for the cab," she said in a desperate voice. "And I'll pay for your entrance fee and your drinks."

I told her I wasn't for sale, period. Then she made her last move. She started crying and begging, and I wondered how much time she spends rehearsing this routine in front of the mirror. "Pleeeeeaaaseeee... I wouldn't ask you if I reeeeaaallyyyy didn't want to go...... Mateus is going to be there and he is going to end up hooking up with that nasty girl Manuela if I'm not there to stop it.... booooooo......".

This "ooooooo" is the final touch. I think she read a lot of comic books when she was little, but, to pretend she didn't, she won't cry "booooohoooooooo." Instead, she stops after "booooooo" and then keeps on going "hooooooooo" and mixes it all up when she cries.

After her pleading, I just got tired and decided to go out otherwise she'd just cry all night, and if Mateus really did hook up with Manuela, she was going to shove it in my face for the rest of my life!

I got dressed quickly, fixed my hair, and went down the street to her house.

When I arrived, she had her whole wardrobe laid out on her bed, and she couldn't decide what to wear.

I suggested three different blouses, and she had an issue with all of them. Then I told her that if she was not ready in 30 seconds, I was leaving and I wouldn't care if she cried until she bled out of her eyes. She put on a random dress, stayed a long time in the bathroom getting ready, and finally grabbed her purse. Her father walked by us in the hall and told us that she had to be home at precisely 1am, regardless of the fact that tomorrow was a holiday.

Finally, we managed to leave and walked to the taxi stand. My mother doesn't really like this taxi business. She prefers taking us and picking us up. But she takes us and picks us up while complaining the whole way! So, when she isn't home, I end up taking a cab. The stand is right by my house, all the drivers know me, and besides, I always write down the license plate and text it to my father's cell phone.

When we got to the bar, it was already 10:30. We went in, saw some familiar faces, grabbed some soda, and then Natália started looking for Mateus. She made me walk around the place 500 times with her until we finally found him. He was right in front of the speakers and the noise was just deafening. I started complaining, and Natália, after rehearsing for a while, went over to talk to him. I was surprised; Mateus was actually pretty nice, I mean, as much as you can be while having to scream in order to carry on a conversation. He talked about this or that, and suddenly, he remembered that daylight savings time started today.

"Oh, it's now," he said, adjusting his watch. "Midnight. It's time to change our watches!"

Natália looked at me with such a spooked face that I thought either she was having her period right there or an ant was crawling up her leg! Natália told Mateus we were going for a walk and just left him there, all alone on the dance floor, and he just kept staring at us without understanding why we were in such a hurry. Even I had no idea what was going on... until Natália, already at the door, reminded me that her father ordered us to be home by 1am! Because of daylight savings time, it was already 1am!

Thank you, daylight savings! I promise I will never complain about you again! Natália, however, is probably still crying... when we were leaving the bar, we saw Manuela arriving! Yep, I think instead of wasting her smooth-talking on me, she should come up with a strategy to calm down her father. Cinderella has been out of fashion for a while...

Lucy:Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, I betcha don't, you're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever, like, seen somebody? And you knew that, if only that person *really* knew you, they would, well, they would of course dump the perfect model that they were with, and realize that YOU were the one that they wanted to, just, grow old with. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you haven't even talked to?

(While you were sleeping)

I couldn't believe it was already time to get up when I woke up this morning. Actually, when my mom woke me up, since the alarm clock kept on buzzing and I didn't even notice. It felt like it was still 4am, I needed to sleep at least a couple more hours! I was already regretting all the positive things I had said about daylight savings the night before.

After our lightning exit on Sunday night, the next day I stayed at home nice and quiet the whole time. I watched some movies on TV, did my physics homework, talked on the phone with Gabi who spent hours telling me about her trip to Tiradentes, then I fiddled around on Facebook until about 8pm, when Natália and Júlia (who had just got back from her trip) came by, asking me if I wanted to go to the movies.

I didn't even have to think about it. My relationship with movies is pretty serious. I am crazy about movies. It was love at first sight, ever since my mother took me and my cousin to see Snow White when I was three years old. While my cousin was crying, scared of the Witch, I just laughed at him, fascinated with that unknown world of magic, lights, colors... and I've been hooked ever since. Now, I write down and rate every movie I watch with stars – one for awful, two for average, three for good, four for great, and five for perfect. I buy every movie that gets 5 stars and it becomes part of my favorite thing ever: my DVD collection.

They are lined up on my shelf, all the 55 movies I already have. I watched all of them so many times I almost have all the lines memorized. I also write down all my favorite lines, and – in my opinion – the best books are actually scripts. Gabi says I'm obsessed but my dad says it's a pretty healthy hobby and that at least I'm stimulating my imagination and creativity. I keep telling him it's not just a hobby... it's a calling. I swear, one day I'll be a filmmaker. Or director. Or scriptwriter. Not actress though, I'm too shy for that. But, for sure, my job will have something to do with movies.

Some people come into my room and think I run a video store they actually ask me if they can borrow some movies. I always say no without blinking. It's not selfishness, it's just that I have a history with each one of my DVDs, and if I see an empty space on my shelf, I want to call whoever has it every minute to make sure my movie is ok. So, I'd rather just say no right away... in fact, there is a sign on my shelf that says:

Still, watching movies in the theater is different from watching movies at my house. First, the seats – even in the newest multiplexes – are super uncomfortable! The second I find a position that doesn't have my knee pushing against the seat in front, the person sitting behind has his knee sticking into the back of my seat. The air conditioning is so cold it makes me wish I'd brought a blanket in my purse so I could cover myself in the middle of the movie. And there's always someone with a big head in front of me blocking half the screen. Also, there are always the goof-offs who go to the movies to laugh out loud, jerk around with their friends, and throw candy wrappers on our hair! So, in all honesty, I'd rather wait three months for the DVD release and watch it laying down on my bed, eating brigadeiro (*), with a big smile on my face and happy there are no annoying interruptions. But I'm never able to resist. I have to go to the movie the week it comes out otherwise someone ends up telling me the ending and ruins all the fun!

So, yesterday I ended up accepting the girls' invitation (we watched The Brothers Grimm – three stars) as staying at home all day can get boring too. Then, by the time I got back, got my stuff ready for school, and got sleepy, it was already 2am. So, no surprise, I went to school looking like a zombie today.

My first period was religion. There I was, with my head across the desk, hoping no one would notice, when something hit my hair. I looked up and noticed Leo had thrown an eraser at me. He sent me a little note right after.

Hi, Sleeping Beauty! How was your weekend? Want to have a snack somewhere? Don't you think it looks like Sister Maria did something naughty this weekend? It looks like you didn't sleep very well... too much fun, eh? Every time I travel you guys go out and party! Did you get yourself a boyfriend who I can beat the crap out of?

Here is my answer:

Leo, just so you know, no, I didn't sleep well. I wish it was because I had fun. My girlfriend's name is insomnia, have you met her? But really, I so want to see you beating up someone... you can't beat up anything! I want to know how Rio was. Looks like you didn't get a lot of sun down there. Ok, let's go have a snack. P.S. I think the Sister is going to have to say a few Hail Mary's tonight.

The three periods before recess dragged on forever. Leo and I were the first ones to leave when the bell rang. Thanks to the new student council, we can leave school grounds during recess (oops, I mean break... Leo keeps reminding me that everyone stopped saying "recess" in fourth grade) and we don't have to put up with that greasy chicken fritter from the cafeteria anymore. Actually, the cafeteria has been deserted since the best fast-food joint in the city opened up across the street. The only problem is we spend half our break in line and it's impossible to find a table, since they are always crammed with third year students skipping class.

Today, luckily, Natália, Júlia, Rodrigo, and Priscila "who are also second year students, but in a different class" already had a table because one of their teachers didn't come to school, so they had third period free. Leo, as always, ordered chicken pie and a large coke. I don't understand how he doesn't get fat. I stuck with my usual pão de queijo(*) and diet Guaraná.

Natália made everyone laugh with our "taxi-daylight savings time-taxi" odyssey. Júlia promised she would never again let anyone convince her to go to the countryside, since there is nothing to do there and she ends up missing all the fun, like the stuff Natália and I did (someone must have slipped something weird in her soda, come on!). Rodrigo and Priscila "who have been dating since they were thirteen" didn't travel either and agreed that the best thing they had done during the holiday was watching a DVD at my house. Leo was the one who really had fun, even though it was raining in Rio de Janeiro. He told us about all the bars, all the movies that are not showing here yet, and he bragged about seeing the actress Luana Piovani at the mall. Sure, I was jealous, I so wanted to see Luana Piovani at the mall. NOT!

We had started talking about Gabi and wondering why she hadn't come to school today when the bell rang. I sprung up, because the next class was biology! Júlia, Rodrigo, and Priscila barely budged, but I noticed Leo and Natália looking at each other, not understanding why I was in such a rush.I walked into class and he was already there. As I was walking to my desk, which is in the next-to-last row, I glanced at him and he was looking at me. I giggled a bit and he said "Hi."

Hi! He said hi to me! Ok, he could have said "Hi, Fani," but just hi is good enough!

He waited until everyone sat down to start taking attendance. When he got to my name, he looked at me like he looks at me in every class "I'm sure he only looks at me like that" and I answered with a very quiet "here," since he had already seen me and there was really no need to yell. But Leo (who was sitting in front of me today) asked me if the pão de queijo I ate was making me sick or something, because it looked like I was going to pass out any second. Jerk! I wish he had not said it so loudly. Vanessa and her friends started muttering to each other and looking at me.

My hot teacher's class was over, the last period was English, and the only English I studied was whatever the lyrics were in my current favorite song, which I scribbled on the last page of my notebook about 20 times...

"Young teacher, the subject, of schoolgirl fantasy She wants him, so badly, knows what she wants to be Inside her, there's longing, this girl's an open page Book marking, she's so close now, this girl is half his age Don't stand so close to me..." (The Police–Don't stand so close to me)

When I got home, I called Gabi right away to find out why she had skipped class, especially today. Gabi is the only one who knows about my crush on Marquinho and I wanted her to help me figure out what that "hi" followed by a glance meant.

Sometimes I think Leo knows what is going on, and I even want to tell him, but for some reason, I always back out at the last moment. I know he wouldn't get in my way, or tell anyone. I mean, Leo has been my best friend since I changed schools!

Actually, my mom is the one who made me change schools. I was pretty happy at my old school, and then she started complaining, "No one in your school does well in the university entrance exam! I'm going to put you in Natália's school because her mother told me their approval rating is one of the best in town! The only explanation for you getting good grades without even touching a book is that your school is crap!"

Actually, I think Natália's head is full of crap because all she does is think about Mateus the whole class! Then, to make up for all the time she wastes, she has to spend a lot of time studying at home. And, for that reason, I'm now going to a Catholic school.

I don't understand why Natália likes Mateus! He's so lame and he thinks he's the bee's knees just because he spends five hours a day at the gym! Sure, people can't choose who they like, but I think Natália could... she is skinny, blonde, tiny, and has beautiful long hair... boys go crazy for her! I, on the other hand, go unnoticed thanks to my complete lack of charm and my undefined body type. I keep imagining people talking about me: You know Fani? She's sort of... sort of... she has a... that girl with the weird name, you know?"

Gabi – who didn't come to school because she was still exhausted from the weekend (and told her mother she was having cramps) - did not cheer me up at all when I told her what happened in class today.

"Wow, Fani," she said, "but don't you think he says the same 'hi' to everyone? And this look he gives you during attendance, I think he gives me the same look... just to check if we're actually the ones answering and not someone else, you know, to check if we're skipping class..."

I hate Gabi. It's true she was the one who decided to be my friend when unfortunately (or fortunately, I'm not sure) I didn't end up in Natália's class after I changed schools. If it was up to me and my shyness, I wouldn't have any friends at all. Gabi came to me, offering her notebooks so I could understand what was going on in class... then she told me all about the little cliques, and she even introduced me to Leo... but I still don't know why she had to be so realistic. Not realistic, pessimistic! She wasn't even there when he gave me the look!

I'm sure he looks at me two seconds longer than what's necessary to make sure I'm the one answering! And I'm sure he doesn't linger any longer because he doesn't want to make it too obvious.

Phil: Somebody asked me today, "Phil, if you could be anywhere in the world, where would you like to be?" And I said to him, "Prob'ly right here."

(Groundhog Day)

My mother was taking me to my English lesson yesterday when she told me the news: "Fani, yesterday I went to my friend Lourdinha's birthday and her husband asked me about you."

She started telling me about it and I wasn't even paying attention; older people have this habit of asking about other people's children. I turned up the volume on the radio and tried to find a better station than the one she constantly listens to in her car.

"She wanted to know how good your English is, what you want to study in college, and if you get good grades."

I decided to pay a little more attention, since I thought his interest in my life was a little strange.

"I told him that you are a great student, I didn't even mention your physics lessons because I know you just do them to help you adapt to the new school. (I don't quite understand this previous sentence) Then he told me that he is now responsible for the SWEP – Small World Exchange Program, a cultural exchange program, and asked if you've ever thought about studying abroad for a year. I told him that for now you are pretty focused on getting into law school* next year, but he said that studying abroad is a unique experience and would really help you in the future, since it will help you with your English, social skills, and teach you how to deal with all kinds of situations. So, I talked to your father and..."

I stopped listening. I didn't tell her for the hundredth time that I am not going to law school like she wants me to; I'm going to study filmmaking. When she said those words, all my thoughts just came to a halt. Cultural exchange.

I know some people who went on an exchange program. They came back wearing weird clothes and with body piercings all over the place. They also keep saying we can't really know how big the world is just by looking out our window. All they want to do is finish school and go abroad again. And they talk about the snow, the falling leaves, how colors turn different shades we never get to see. But I remember that I was way more intrigued about those piercings than their stories. Is it mandatory for every exchange student to get a piercing? Needles freak me out!

I snapped out of my daydreaming in time to hear my mother say "... then he scheduled your interview for next Wednesday at, 5 o'clock. I know, you go to the gym at 5, but Estefânia, my dear, you have to think about your future!"

"I'll go, mom!" was my immediate response, and my mother was shocked we had finally for once in our lives agreed on something. She put on that self-satisfied expression, the one she always makes when she has the final word, and dropped me off at my English class.

To wipe that annoying grin off her face, before I got out of the car I told her: "I agreed to go to this interview, but if you think I'm interested in leaving my friends, my room, my whole life here, I'm sorry but you are completely mistaken." Then I closed the door and she drove away without even waiting until I was inside the school.

I spent the whole day thinking about it. What would living in another country be like? How would it be living in a house with people I don't know and whose language I don't speak? Would I be able to make new friends? Would my current friends forget about me? What if my mother forgets to feed Josefina, my pet turtle? Will the town have a movie theater? What if my English isn't good enough? And, more importantly, will Marquinho find another student to look at the way he looks at me?????

I was so deep in my thoughts that, when I looked at the clock, it was already time for dinner and I hadn't even started my computer science homework (making several Excel spreadsheets in different sizes). I did three in one sitting (I also did one with my schedule which will hopefully stop me from being late all the time) and since I was already messing around on the computer, I researched some Facebook (different cultural reference?) cultural exchange groups. I found a lot of interesting testimonies, and they made me a little anxious about next Wednesday's interview.

This morning, at school, I told my friends the news. Everyone reacted differently. Júlia told me her cousin went to a tiny town in the middle of Australia and hated it! Her host family ate kangaroo meat and sweet beans, and the only reason she didn't starve was because she had brought along a pack of chocolates and two bottles of Guaraná, which were actually supposed to be a gift for the family.

Rodrigo told me his brother went to Canada, loved everything, and came back with a bunch of new equipment for his band.

Priscila told me she had also thought about doing an exchange program, but since we were going to be just one year away from graduating from high school, her father didn't let her because of the university entrance exam. I told her what the SWEP director told me, about social skills and improving our English, but she said her father thinks her priority should be studying for the entrance exam, that she can travel whenever she wants for the rest of her life. Really? I think we can do the vestibular whenever we want. To be an exchange student, on the other hand...

I can't be certain, but I think Natália and Gabi were a bit jealous. They were sure I wouldn't like it because I'm all shy and that the world belongs to outgoing people.

I was about to answer back when Leo – who was really quiet, just listening – asked: "Do you know much it costs to call over there?"

I told him I didn't know where and if I was going.

"Well, tell me when you figure it out," he said seriously. "I'm going to start saving some money."

And then he went into the classroom without saying another word.

Leo is kind of crazy. I sincerely doubt he's going to call me when I'm abroad! He never calls me here... actually, I'm the one who calls him to ask about group projects, even though I don't even need to, since we see each other every day at school, and he sits right next to me in class, and on weekends we always go to the same places, and every day he sends me an e-mail with lame jokes, and he's almost as addicted to movies as I am. He always comes over without warning me to borrow a DVD (and ends up staying over and watching it, since I never let them out of my house), but I don't think he ever calls me. He says he doesn't like phones because he likes to see the facial expressions people make when they talk.

Class went by pretty quickly, probably because of all our talking about exchange programs. I was so focused on what people said (Canada, yes – Nowhereland in the middle of Australia, no!) that I barely noticed Marquinho walking into class. When I came to my senses, he was already calling my name, and this time I yelled "here!" – mostly because I was startled, not because I wanted to make sure he heard me.

But all I had to do was to look at him, and right away I forgot everything I was thinking... he was wearing an Indian-style shirt, tucked out. His hair, as always, was a little long at the back, and he had bangs that fell across his face every time he wrote something down... and his voice... what a voice! Why didn't I like biology before? It's such an interesting subject!

I think my mouth would love to go on an exchange program in Marquinho's mouth...

Alice: It would be so nice if something would make sense for a change.

(Alice in Wonderland)

I woke up today feeling a little strange. I knew something was different, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I thought I might be late for school, but I remembered it was Saturday. Suddenly, I felt something hairy on my feet and I jumped out of bed! Thank God I didn't yell, otherwise everyone in Gabi's house would have woken up, and I then I remembered that's where I was sleeping. The "something hairy" was Mignon, their cat, and he was probably starving and trying to get someone's attention.

Little by little, I started to remember everything that had happened the night before. Gabi's parents threw a 25th wedding anniversary party and she invited us (Leo and me) so she "wouldn't be alone in the middle of a bunch of senior citizens."

I hadn't been to such a fun party in a while! The waiters – who walked around serving fancy hors d'oeuvres – had to be careful to dodge the crowds without dropping anything.

The party was scheduled for nine o'clock, right after the mass in their honor. I wasn't able to get ready in time for the mass, since Gabi told me about it at the last minute and I still had to go to the mall to buy her parents a present. So I went straight to the party, feeling pretty embarrassed.

I decided to wear my longish black chiffon dress which has a slit on the right side up to the knees, and wore my hair tied in an untidy bun (since my buns don't last that long anyway), put on some eye shadow, mascara, and lip gloss and asked my dad for a ride.

My brother arrived in the middle of all this - he's going to med school in a small town nearby and comes home for the weekends – and asked where the party was.

"In a Far-far-away kingdom, and I am going to come back as an ogre!" I answered.

He said: "As long as your 'ogre-prince' is rich and has a job for his brother-in-law, you can transform yourself into whatever you want!"

Oh, Alberto... we used to play a lot when we were younger, but ever since he moved out to go to college, I've been missing him a lot. We were born four years apart, but I have always been closer to my other brother, Inácio, who is 12 years older than me. When Inácio got married, I was just ten years old and I remember thinking that marriage was a little weird, because it happened so quickly. After a little while, my niece was born and I understood the rush. I don't think my sister-in-law likes to waste time, as she gave birth to my twin nephews right after. Because of all these nephews I couldn't get a dog, so I had to make do with Josefina, who doesn't shed and cause allergic reactions.

Alberto offered to take me to the party, which I thought was a good idea. It's always better to show up with a cute guy instead of your dad. When we got there, Alberto told me to behave (yeah, right, Alberto telling me to behave...), and I walked into the building hoping to find Gabi as soon as possible.

I was just entering the ballroom, trying to find a friendly face in the middle of the crowd, when I felt a cold glass on my back (my dress was backless). I turned around and saw Leo, laughing like he always does, which brings out his dimples. I was so relieved I wasn't going to enter the party by myself I gave him the biggest hug! Then I noticed that he smelled really nice. I stepped back a bit to tell him and realized how elegant he looked!

"Wow, Leo! I've never seen in you in a suit! And hair gel! You look handsome!"

He looked at me and said: "Handsome? Nice, thanks! You mean I look handsome today?"

I always give the wrong impression! I was all: "No, Leo! It's just that you look different... You are always handsome, but today you look..." I couldn't find the right word, I just kept nodding my head, still shocked at how some nice clothes can really change how people look.

Then, taking advantage of my confusion, he said: "Oh, so in school I look like trash and now I look like recycled trash, is that it?" and he kept looking at me, kind of serious.

I changed the subject before things got any worse. I asked him if he wanted to look for Gabi's parents, since I wanted to congratulate them.

We found them near the cake table, with Gabi sitting next to them and looking relieved we had arrived. She muttered something to her mother and took us to a quieter spot.

"Thank God you guys arrived!" she sighed. "I couldn't stand greeting these people anymore; all of them have this frozen smile on their faces!"

I can imagine how painful this was for Gabi. She is kind of a rebel without a cause. She lives in a huge building, she has a country house, a beach house, she's been to Europe, the United States, Argentina... but nothing makes her happy. She cut her hair one side shorter than the other, got a nose piercing, and is always wearing raggedy clothes, as if she didn't have money to buy new ones. She also joins student strikes demanding lower tuition, as if she needed it. My mom says it's her mother's fault, that she is more concerned about her socialite life than her daughter's education. To be honest, in my opinion Gabi had a great education and she only dresses like this because she likes to be different. Besides, she has four older sisters and they are all super well-behaved. Anyway, I don't think it's polite to criticize how other people raise their kids...

We all sat in the roofless section of the ballroom, which was less crowded and cooler, and were talking about the movies that were coming out that week and which one of them deserved to be watched, when the waiter came over and offered us some champagne. I looked at Gabi, to ask if we should, but I think she was sure we should because she already had a glass in her hand. Leo got one too and thanked the waiter. I was a little unsure, but I said yes. After all, how bad can it be to drink one little glass, especially in a family party like this one?

Then Gabi – who is not at all discreet – asked Leo how he had managed to tame his hair (which is usually all messed up) and if his jeans would finally be washed, since it was the first time she had ever seen him in another pair of pants.

Leo got mad. He said that what we see in school is just one side of Leo, and that if we thought we knew him well, we were sadly mistaken because he is a complex man (Leo, a man?). He said all this and walked away, and we looked at each other wondering why he had got so defensive.

I was so distracted thinking about what might have made him feel so upset that I didn't even notice the waiter refilling my glass.

Later that night, everybody sang happy birthday, cut the cake, and after that my memory goes a bit blurry. All I remember is the waiter coming and going, filling up my glass, and after a while I started thinking everything was fun, and then Gabi took my phone and told my mother I was sleeping over at her house. I was probably not thinking straight, because I agreed and I didn't even have my toothbrush with me. I wonder if I slept without brushing my teeth...

I woke up Gabi because I wanted her to tell me exactly how I ended up there, on her pull-out bed.

I think people who are deep sleepers are kind of funny. If I hear a feather falling on the floor, I wake up. Gabi can probably sleep even if a building is being demolished next door. First, I called her very gently. She barely moved. Then I said her name a little louder. Zilch. I squeezed her hand. She rolled over. I held her by her shoulders and shook her a bit. She grumbled. Then I yelled her name so loudly even the cat got scared. Finally, she opened her eyes, looked at me without really seeing me, spotted Mignon next to me, grabbed him and squeezed him hard enough to break the poor cat's bones, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

I looked at her clock and it was already 11:45am! I got up, realized I was wearing one of Gabi's old shirts and saw my dress on a hanger by the door. I got dressed, opened the door, and looked around. No-one in sight. I went to the bathroom and almost fell backwards when I saw what had happened to the makeup on my face, which was so gorgeous yesterday. All I could think was: "What did I do?" while I washed my face so I could look a little more presentable.

I got out of the bathroom carefully, trying to be as quiet as I could, and looked around. The house was totally silent, everybody was probably still asleep. I went to the office and looked out the window. It was a rainy day. I was going to call my father and ask him to pick me up, but when I grabbed the phone, it started ringing. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to answer or not, but it kept ringing, and I started worrying it might wake up Gabi's family... so I answered it.

I said "hello" very quietly, and no one responded. I was about to say it again when I heard a quiet voice on the other end: "Fani?"

It was Leo!

"Leo?" I asked for no reason whatsoever, because Leo's voice is unmistakable.

"Are you up? I thought you were going to sleep until 6 in the evening."

I was getting worried. How come Leo knew I was sleeping over at Gabi's? And why should I sleep until 6? I was going to start my questioning routine when he said: "Are you ok, Fani?"

I said yes, except for the fact that I had apparently no recollection of a pretty important scene of my life... Then he laughed! And said that yes, I had missed a pretty funny part of the movie. Out of nowhere, he said he needed to hang up because he was going to his country house with his father, and he just wanted to make sure I was fine and that we would talk on Monday. Monday? Leo thinks I can wait until Monday to find out what happened?

I called my father, who was thankfully already leaving the house and told me to wait in the lobby. I wrote Gabi a little note and glued it to her bathroom mirror, desperately hoping she would wake up soon.

Gabi, I'm sorry about leaving without saying goodbye, but I didn't want to wake you up. My father is coming to pick me up now. Thanks for letting me sleep over, but can you call me and explain how this happened? I think I have a big gap in my memory. Call me as soon as you wake up, please!! xoxo. Fani.

Evan: I just thought that you should know.

Kayleigh Miller: Know what?

Evan: That you were happy once...

(The Butterfly Effect)