Halley's mother glared at her as they walked. It was the same look she wore whenever she was doing something her mother didn't like.
"What?" Halley frowned.
"Why do you look so dull? It's supposed to be a party."
"You told me to put a dress on, so I did."
"But that's not a party dress. In fact, I remember buying that one for you for Nana's funeral three years ago." She sighed. "I can't believe you still fit in it."
"This is the only dress I have," Halley said back. She crossed her arms. "You should have just chosen one for me then."
"How am I meant to know these things if you don't tell me? You're not a child anymore, you know."
There it was. That stupid line. Everyone she knew had recently been treating her like a fully-fledged adult just because she hit the age of eighteen. Absolutely nothing had changed about her, firstly; secondly, she was still classified as a teenager, meaning she was caught in a "not-a-child-but-not-an-adult" layer of hell. It was even worse than puberty.
"Then why did I have to go tonight?" said Halley, infuriated.
Her mother shot another look at her, blonde curls unmoving. "Don't be ridiculous. It's your Uncle's birthday. We haven't seen any of the family for ages."
"It's not my fault we live so far away," Halley muttered.
She sighed again. "Just be sensible, please."
Halley decided to drop it. The sound of her mother's pointy heels clicking on the concrete was the only thing cutting the silence as she walked with her parents through the carpark. Her mother was dressed extravagantly that night, like always -- although that wasn't Halley's opinion, it was what her mother seemed to believe. The only effort Halley had put in that evening was sticking a black silk headband through her straight, dark hair. Even then, she let her untamed fringe run through it.
To her, family gatherings had evolved into just one thing over the years: a giant attempt to outdo the rest of your relatives. Whether it was simple things like money, or how amazing your children were; or boring things like maintaining your garden; everyone was competing. Halley's mum was the prime example. She remembered one Christmas, when she was younger, her mother went around and borrowed silverware from each of the houses in their neighbourhood to set her table with just to try and show up Halley's Aunt Maria.
Halley was led through the lobby of the venue building and past the shabby art deco carpet and cream coloured walls, where they approached a set of double doors on the upper floor. Before they even got close, Halley could hear the thumping party music coming from inside. Her dread for the night to come only got worse.
Inside she could barely hear herself think. Around the room were placed a few round, high-seated tables, all with black tablecloths and mediocre vase centrepieces on each. Stage lights hung from steel bars on the ceiling that shone beams of purple colour onto every surface, and to her right at the furthest side was a long table set out with what looked like a wide selection of party food, glasses, and tall bottles of drink.
She was led by her parents through to the centre of the room, where the rest of her relatives were all clumped together like glue. On her way past she'd accidentally caught the eye of a tall, round man with a balding head: her Uncle Geoff. He exited his conversation to greet them.
"Michael! There you all are!" He met them loudly with a wide smile. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Halley's mother leaned in for a superficial hug and Geoff kissed her on the cheek. Her father followed with a hug until they were all finished with their drawn-out greeting. Halley always wondered why no adults ever just said 'hello'.
"Happy birthday," started Halley's Dad. "I know it's been a while but between living so far apart and having heaps going on, we've had almost no chances to visit."
He nodded solemnly. "Everyone in the family's so busy nowadays. I haven't even seen little Halley here in ages, though I guess she's not so little anymore. The last time was at Nana's funeral I believe -- what was that, a few years ago?"
"She hasn't changed much since then," her mother said regretfully. "I'm hoping she'll grow out of this rebellious stage she's in."
"Don't be too hard, I'm sure she's a good kid. She'll come to her senses eventually."
Halley despised being the topic of conversation when nobody bothered to at least acknowledge her. She felt her eyebrows sink lower. "So how old are you now, Halley? Seventeen?" Geoff asked.
"Eighteen," interjected Halley's mother before she had a chance to even take a breath.
"Wow. That makes me feel old," he chuckled. "Are you thinking about going to university now?"
University. Another thing Halley detested. It was a twisted concept - forcing kids through a whole childhood of school, only to sign up for more once you were finished so that you could eventually earn a sense of financial security. If the purpose was truly learning to do what you wanted as a career, then why not let you do it sooner? And none of it was as glamorous as everybody made out, she'd come to realise. It was a lot like high school, only more pretentious.
"I don't know," Halley simply responded, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, why don't you give it a try?" Geoff responded. "It'd be much better than sitting at home all day. And I can help you choose something."
Choose for her, he meant.
"I'm always telling her that," Halley's mother agreed exasperatedly. "She did so well on her final tests, but all she wants to do is sit around and draw pictures. I've been trying to get her out there, but..."
Geoff raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's a shame. I've always thought she was very academic. She could easily fit herself into something like law. She just needs to put her mind to it."
Halley gritted her teeth. Her patience had officially run out. She was considering making a dash for the exits when her mother spoke again.
"I've always thought that too," she nodded in agreement. "You know, she scored so well in her English and literature - not to mention mathematics. She's so much brighter in those areas than I am, that's for sure."
Geoff nodded. "Well, she'll figure out what she wants to do eventually, so don't be too hard on her."
Thank God, thought Halley. At least her Uncle Geoff could see both sides of the fence - a first in Halley Morgan history.
"One day she might hit a block with the whole arts thing, then she can pick up where she left off and get a fantastic degree. These things can always be hobbies - then you'll be great at it!" Geoff looked down at Halley and winked.
Nevermind. She'd spoken too soon after all. Halley pulled a disgusted frown at Geoff, and seriously considered making straight for the doors and walking herself back home. There wasn't a single chance she could stand the rest of the night if the first five minutes were as agonising as this.
"Anyways," Halley's mother sighed, "I think we'll go around and catch up with the rest of the family. Come on, Micheal." She beckoned her Dad with a wave of her bony hand through the air.
He smiled meekly. "It was nice seeing you, Geoff."
"Good to see you all." Geoff patted her dad's back as the pair of them drifted off. Halley splintered from her parents, groaned out loud, and made a straight escape towards the food platters.
