Welcome to my Life.

[Tori]

Saturday, August 17, 2024

1:36pm

Hey Journal,

So I guess since is when I introduce myself. My name is Brooklyn Parrish, I’m 15 years old, and I am currently in training of becoming the next American Idol! Haha, just kidding. I’m really gonna be on Dancing with the Stars. (Again, just kidding!) But seriously now, those are pretty much my hobbies that I live for. Singing, and dancing. I started when I was little. My daddy says that when I was 2, I used to entertain whatever guests came over. Apparently, my favorite songs were from the High School Musical movies....which I don’t blame myself! I still find them amazing!

Enough of that though, I’ll start with what went on yesterday. It was my daddy’s birthday. His 35th birthday to be exact. It was cool though, we had the party held at the park, and my daddy and uncle had even set up a stage for different people to perform on. Kind of like a karaoke night sort of thing. And I got to be the first to go up too! It was great, I had my uncle Hiroshi play his guitar while I sang the words. My dad was totally surprised of how far I’ve come with my singing.

My cousins were at the party too. Other than up on stage, I spent most of the time with my cousin, Arielle. She’s two years younger than me but probably the closet cousin I have. Other than Matt, anyway, Ari’s little brother. Probably because we used to actually live together here. My daddy and my uncle helped each other out back when they were both single parents. Now uncle Max has Aunt Naomi and daddy has my step mother. I like to think I have lots of mom’s though. First, there’s my biological mom...who my daddy doesn’t like to talk about much at all. So I don’t really know much about her to begin with, other than she left me and my daddy when I turned 2. There’s Aeryn. She’s in my daddy’s band. I like to call her my rocker momma. Then there’s Madison. I like to think of her as my badass momma. She doesn’t take crap from no one. And then of course, my step mom now. I don’t think she’s as cool as my other two mom’s, but I like her enough to be around and talk to her when needed. She’s nice I guess....I just don’t think she’s as cool as my other two mom’s I told you about.

The cake was awesome at the party too. Despite the fact that my cousin Kyle started a food fight, or rather, “cake fight”, it was still good. We had choices between double chocolate and red velvet. I had double chocolate of course. I even had Aeryn sneak me another slice when daddy wasn’t looking.

After the party was over, while daddy and uncle Max were busy cleaning up and saying goodbye to everyone, Arielle and I messed around on the stage, singing duets together. A couple of times Kyle would make fun of us and purposely try to mess us up. It didn’t work though. Even when he climbed up on the stage. Arielle just pushed him back off, literally! It was hilarious though, even when uncle Max got mad at Arielle for pushing him off purposely.

Oh! So, I guess I should introduce all my cousins next. Well, I’ve told you about Kyle. He’s pretty much the troublemaker of the group. His twin though, Connor, is probably the complete opposite of him. He’s so much more down to earth and sweet and shy. Then there’s their little brother, Riley. Or should I say, half-brother. He’s kind of the same as Connor, but it seems like Kyle’s been trying to get him to act more like him instead of his “Momma’s Boy” twin. Anyway, they’re the kids of my Aunt Katie and Uncle Nick. Kyle and Connor were sort of adopted by Uncle Nick, but Riley...well, I think you know where this is going... Then there’s Arielle and Matt. They’re my Uncle Max and Aunt Naomi’s kids. Possibly the closest cousins I have. Oh! And by the way, before I go on any further, I’m the oldest cousin of all of them. It’s pretty cool actually. I take advantage of it any way possible. Haha. Anyway, back to the list of cousins. Um...there’s my Aunt Jasmine and Uncle Lanh’s kids, Azucena and Cara. Azucena’s the older one by like, a year or something. They’re pretty cool. Next to Arielle, I probably hang out with them the most. Then there’s JaeSun. He’s my Aunt Autumn and Uncle Junsu’s kid. And boy, for two quiet and shy parents, JaeSun is really hyper. Sometimes I don’t know how they control or handle that boy. I feel sort of bad, but at the same time, its quite entertaining just to watch Aunt Autumn’s attempt to control him. I get a pretty good laugh out of it. Anyway though, my last two and youngest cousins are actually twins. Twin girls to be exact. They belong to my Aunt Anne and Uncle Kan. Yeah, I know I have a lot of Aunt’s and Uncles. But their names are Jayden and Mina. They’re kind of annoying actually. I know they’re only like, five now. But still! It’s like they purposely plan something to ruin any of my plans! No, they’re not as bad as Kyle and Connor together, but still...damn!

So yeah, I have a pretty big family. I have a bunch of other cousins too, but them I don’t get to see as often, so I don’t know them too much. Even though I do see some of them at school sometimes. I don’t even think I could name the rest of them if I tried. But, hey, that just proves how huge of a family I have.

Anyways, I should get going now. Dance class starts in a few minutes and I’m not even close to ready yet. See ya!!

♥Brooklyn♥[/blockquote]

[Tori]

Saturday, August 31, 2024

9:33pm

Hey Journal,

Omg, so I just got home from the most amazing shopping trip ever!!! I was out shopping with Arielle, pretty much just giving her hints at what I wanted for my birthday. Then, as we were walking past the arcade, we, well, I spotted two reallyyyy cute guys there. The closer we walked near them, the faster I figured out that they were from school! Ari practically squealed at the sight of them. And although they are younger than us by like, a year, that didn’t stop us from making our entrance towards them. Then, the great part that happened next was that one of the guys actually turned around. I bet you anything he was looking at Ari though, she hadn’t stopped squealing since she had her eyes on them. Turns out, that boy that turned around first was Tyler! Ari’s crush! I practically had to hold Ari back to keep her from running up to him, since she nearly jumped out of her skin once she found out who he was. I, on the other hand couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight of how my little cousin was acting right now. Even the look on Tyler’s face was filled with enjoyment. He even pulled his friend off one of the games they were playing and pointed us out. The other boy, the blonde one, seemed to have been looking at me first. ‘Course, I don’t blame him. I probably looked like crap from Ari struggling to be freed out of my grasp. Although, like a few seconds later, I could of swore that blonde boy smiled at me. I couldn’t tell if it was part of his laugh or it was an actual smile. But...it was cute. I feel like I’ve seen him around school before too, but.....I can’t remember his name. Starts with a “J” I think...Ah well. I’ll think of it sooner or later. Anyways.....after our little moment of staring at boys, Ari and I started our way back home. I still really want to remember what that kid’s name is though. It’s driving me crazy!

Oh, before I forget, I’m still trying to think of what to do for my sweet 16 next month. Normally, I have an idea by now, but I don’t know...this one is going to be tricky. Actually, I think I have an idea of what I want! Karaoke Night of course! But I want this to be real special. Invitation only. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll hire some guy to sit outside the door with a list of all the people I want at my party. If your name isn’t on the list, then no party for you. Perfect! I would invite the whole dance team, and most of the choir, and Ari of course. Oh! And those boys I told you about, Tyler and.....dammit! I still can’t remember that kid’s name! But anyway, you catch my drift. It’ll be huge. With help from my daddy of course. Oh, that’s it! I’ll have my daddy’s band play for us at the party! I just need to figure out where to have it set at. Maybe Mud ‘n Grinds...they always have great karaoke nights. But its not big enough... The only other place I can think of that would be big enough is the Music Venue. That’ll be it then. It’s perfect. The only thing missing would be a car for me to practice driving in. Since my daddy won’t let me drive his car.

Speaking of gifts....that was part of the reason Ari and I were at the mall. I wanted to show her all the things that I would want, or more likely, expect her or anyone else to get me. I mean other than a car that is. From clothes to shoes, to jewelry to accessories and to music. Small stuff like that for my friends. I’m leaving all the big gifts up to my daddy and aunts and uncles. Not likely I’ll be getting a car anytime soon, but hey, a girl can wish can’t she? Although, I could use a new guitar. Not that there’s anything wrong with my old guitar I have now, its just.....well, its time for a new one lets just say.

I should get going now though. My daddy keeps barging in telling me to go to sleep. Don’t know why though, its the weekend. It’s like, the law for teenagers to stay up and sleep in on the weekends. Apparently my daddy never read that law. I bet you Ari is still awake, too. Then again, she already stays up late even on school nights. It’s amazing how she never gets caught. Probably because Uncle Max and Aunt Naomi are always too busy taking care of Matt. That’s what sucks about being an only child. You get blamed for everything. There’s never anyone you can blame it on. I mean, even if I could blame it on, say, my step mom. There’s no way daddy would buy it. In fact, I’d probably get in even more trouble for blaming something on a parent. Dammit daddy! Why couldn’t you have had another baby?! I would of loved to have a little brother or sister to pick on! Ha! Of course, I’m sure I would have gotten along with them too. But noooo, daddy didn’t want to have another baby. Guess I was just too much to handle already. Ha! Ha!

Anyway, off to bed for real now. Daddy just came in again with a death glare. I’ll write to you later. Byee!!!

PS. I reaaaaallyyyy hope I remember this kids name by tomorrow at least. Its still driving me crazy!!!!

♥Brooklyn♥

[Tori]

Friday, September 6, 2024

3:05pm

Hey Journal,

It’s Julian! Julian! That guy’s name is Julian! Sorry, but its like, as soon as I saw him at school earlier today, it sort of just hit me. I’m just so thrilled that I finally remembered. Mostly because I got to hand him his invitation to my party without having the most awkward conversation with him. I mean, can you imagine me just going up to him saying, “Oh hey, here’s an invitation to my sweet 16. Hope you can make it. Oh and by the way, what’s your name?” God, that would be so embarrassing. I would literally lock myself in my room and refuse to come out if that ever happened.

So anyway, so far I think I came up with a good number of guests for my party. The dance team, some choir members, Ari, my bestie Molly, Tyler, and of course Julian. I’m sure I’ll come up with some more by next week. Oh! I talked to my daddy about having his band play at the party, and he’s totally cool with it! And as for the body guard at the front door with the list, I’ve asked Madison to do the honors of that. She’s probably the only one I actually trust enough to do that big of a task anyway. And of course, she was totally cool with that as well. Anyway, daddy talked to Aeryn and the rest of the band, and they’re all for it. I’m so excited!

I’ve talked to daddy about the gifts that I want too. And of course a car is at the top of my list. I don’t even remember daddy saying much of anything about it either. He just gestured with his hand telling me to go on with my list. Like he already knew that’s what I wanted most of all...or he just didn’t want to hear it. Either one sounds about right. So I told him about my guitar I want. And of course he started lecturing on about how the guitar I have is plenty good enough as it is. I tried reasoning with him on it, explaining why I needed a new one, but he didn’t seem to buy it. Then he said something about if I want a guitar that badly, then I should either save up enough cash for one, or ask someone else. Well, there’s no way I’d be able to save enough that quickly. So right after I finished talking to daddy, I called Uncle Max. He pretty much said the same thing to me...but more nicely. I just don’t understand why everyone’s telling me this. It’s my birthday...my guitar....Even if its not my money that’s buying it, they should all know that I would use it just as much as my old guitar, and make that money that was spent worthwhile. I’m thinking of calling Uncle Hiroshi next, though. Being a guitarist himself, he should understand. Then again, you never know. Daddy’s a guitarist too, and he didn’t seem to understand my needs. Whatever, there’s always Christmas I guess.

Um...well, I guess I’ll go try calling Uncle Hiroshi then. I just hope he’s a lot more understanding. He’s cool though, I actually have a pretty good feeling that even if he says no, that he’ll surprise me with a brand spankin’ new guitar waiting at my front door. God, I’m so excited. Hopefully I’ll get something even more special on my birthday too, from.......Julian. (wink wink, giggle giggle)

♥Brooklyn♥

[Tori]

Saturday, September 28, 2024

10:32am

Hey Journal,

Omg, I have sooo much to tell you! I know I’ve been MIA lately. But it was for a great cause! Okay, you know I had my sweet 16 this past Wednesday, right? Well, that went positively awesome!! First of all, everyone came. I don’t even think there was one person who didn’t have an epic time either. Even Julian admitted he had a blast! It was amazing though, we actually had like, an hour’s worth conversation. We pretty much talked about school stuff and such, but still! Oh! I mentioned that I was part of the dance team, and he said that he would DEFINITELY have to come see me sometime. Maybe even teach him some moves! Omg, I’m so hyper right now its not even funny. Oh, and not only did I have a great time, but Ari did too! It took a while, but I finally got her to talk to Tyler. It was so cute! Especially at the flirting moment. Ari must have caught some of the moves I started putting on Julian a little bit, cause she started flirting back at Tyler a couple times too.

Oh!! And after the party, after I started cleaning up and saying goodbye to everyone, Julian came up to me last minute to not only say how much fun he had, but that he would like to hang out with me AGAIN! That’s why I was gone yesterday too, we went to see a movie then hung out at the park for a little bit. I could totally tell that he was into me too, with the way he was acting. He seemed a bit shy, but I’ll be sure to fix that along the way. In fact, I had already started fixing it yesterday when I not only wrapped my arm around him, but gave him a peck on the cheek! Oh yeah, he totally blushed at that. It was so unexpected, it was perfect! After we took a walk around the park I said that I wanted a break to just sit on the hill with him. And cuddle! Oh yeah, I leaned up to him, and he wrapped his arm around me and just sat there. It wasn’t really that awkward of a silence either, weirdly enough. We pretty much just laid there on the grass and laughed at each other’s jokes and stories. I even rolled over closer to him to give him another kiss, but this time, on the lips! It seemed to have broken him out of his shell too, cause he kissed me back! After our date then (yes I count it as a date!), he walked me back home. (Not to mention we held hands!) But, wow...yesterday was possibly the best day ever. And to make it even better, right before I went off inside to gloat in my room, he pulled me back in his arms and..well, I guess I don’t need to tell you the rest, since I don’t KISS and tell. (wink wink)

So anyway, enough about my love life, haha, I guess I’ll tell you the presents I got. I’ll start off small. Ari got me these reeeeally cute earrings along with a best friend necklace charm for us to share. Sure, its simple, but I still love it. I’m wearing both jewelry right now as I write even. Let’s see, I got these really cute pair of wedges from my bestie, Molly. They’re so cute, I just had to try them on right after I opened them. Um..I got some cool new CD’s from my other bestie Ryder. He’s always got good taste in music, and I love him for that. Let’s see...a bunch of cute outfits to put together from lots of other people, more cute jewelry and accessories and purses. Oh! Since my Uncle Hiroshi couldn’t come out again, because he lives in Japan, he sent a birthday package to me instead, with a card saying how sorry he was for not being able to make it. I forgave him, a lot easier than I thought too, considering he got me A NEW GUITAR!!! Omg, I was soooooo excited, I screamed at first sight of it. It’s so beautiful, I started playing right away. I got up on the stage, and showed off my skills! I kind of had a feeling Uncle Hiroshi would get me that guitar though. Just the way he is, really, spoiling me, haha. Oh, from Uncle Max and Aunt Naomi I got a $500 gift card to Forever 21! $500! God, I can’t wait for that shopping spree. I’m so gonna take Ari and Molly on that one. They’d LOVE it. Okay, so for my daddy’s present....brace yourselves...he got me.....A CAR!!! Can you believe it? He got me a fucking car!!! And you have no idea how many hugs and kisses and fucking thank you’s I had to give him before it was enough to finally let go! Oh, so you’re probably wondering what kind of car it was he got me. Well, its not that popular, but it is my favorite and future car. A Mustang! One of the older Mustangs, I think its a 2012 or something like that, but still! I have a car! The only thing that would make my life complete now is a license!

But yeah, that was my amazing birthday. Jealous much? I bet you are, haha. Anyway, I better go now, I haven’t had breakfast yet, and I’m starving. Not to mention I told myself I would write up some new songs on my new guitar! Oh, and beg daddy to take me out driving in my new CAR! Anyway, I’ll talk to you later. Byee!!!

♥Brooklyn♥

[Tori]

Sunday, October 6, 2024

4:21pm

Hey Journal,

So I got some pretty big news to share with you today. First of all, I, Brooklyn Marie Parrish, officially have a boyfriend. Yes, sir, I do. And who is the lucky boy you ask? Why, its none other than Julian Renolds. Not that my daddy knows yet or anything, haha. He’ll find out this Friday though, when Julian picks me up(on foot) for our first “official” date. I’m sooooo excited. I bet you I’m probably gonna spend like, 4 extra hours in the mirror just for my make-up and hair. Then another 2 hours of picking out the right outfit. Maybe I’ll have Ari come over earlier to help me out a little. She already knows about the whole situation anyway. Actually, everyone knows, haha. It’s not that big of a secret, really. Well, except for my daddy.

Anyway, about the date. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going. He did say something about going to the park again, but that’s all he told me. Guess its going to be a big surprise. I really wish I knew what we were doing though, just cause it would be a lot easier on me to find something to wear. Something fancy? Something casual? Something....flirty? Well, duh...it has to have some flirty taste to it somehow. I wouldn’t be me without something flirty. Anyway, I told the rest of my friends about it, who told the rest of the school, and something seemed a little off about Ryder. I told him the great news I had and he didn’t seem as thrilled as I thought he would be. I mean, he congratulated me and all that, but it didn’t feel like he really was happy for me. I mean, after all, he’s the one who’s been reassuring me that everything will be fine and that I’ll find that guy someday. Now my gut keeps telling me that he was hoping that he would be the guy for me. But...he can’t like me. I mean, yeah, we danced at Uncle Max and Aunt Naomi’s wedding, and yeah, I gave him a small peck on the cheek when we were kids....but still! Maybe he thought that I liked him more than friends, and he was just waiting for me to admit it to him. Cause it sure seems like I hurt his feelings. And trust me, its not a good feeling at all knowing that I hurt one of my best friend’s feelings, not to mention got his hopes up for nothing. Now I went from feeling suuuuper excited to suuuper depressed. I feel so bad.

So anyway, I guess this means I should go call Ryder and see if he’s alright and such. I feel so bad now though....I really hope he’s alright. Or at least decent. I don’t think I could handle my best friend in such a depressed mood. I gotta get going now anyway. Daddy reserved a late birthday dinner for just us tonight. I’ll let you know how Ryder is later. Byee!

♥Brooklyn♥[/blockquote]

[Tori]

Monday, October 7, 2024

3:43pm

Hey Journal,

So after dinner last night, I called Ryder like I said I would, and asked him what was wrong, or if he was alright at least. He said he was, and from the sound of his voice, he sounded absolutely positive that he was perfectly okay and fine with the whole situation. But.....today at school, I met up with him during lunch, to really see how he was doing, and well....as much as he said he was doing fine, the look on his face and in his eyes showed that he wasn’t. I am so depressed now, I don’t know what to do. I really like Julian, like, a lot. But at the same time I don’t want to make Ryder feel any worse than he already is. And to make things worse...while I was hanging out with Ryder at lunch today, Julian stopped by to see me. I mean, of course I was ecstatic to see him again, but with Ryder right there....and Julian wrapping his arms around me....it just felt so awkward. And I felt so bad. So to make it up to him, I promised Ryder a fun-filled night just the two of us, this Saturday. I already have it all planned out too. Movies, followed by karaoke night. That outta loosen him up again.

I talked to Julian more about our date too, just to see if I could get him to tell me what we were gonna do exactly. Nothing worked. Not the puppy dog pout or anything. God, he’s so stubborn. Oh well, I did get him to tell me how I should dress though. He said casually. Now the only thing I need to worry about is which casual outfit I should wear out. Plain jeans and a t-shirt casual, or skinny jeans with a cute tunic casual. I think I’m definitely gonna go with the second idea. Casual or not, I still gotta look good for my first date. Which is why I’m bringing Ari and Molly over to help me get ready. Ari’s gonna be helping me with my outfit, and Molly’s gonna be doing my hair and make-up. Oh, god I’m so nervous. And its only Monday! Can you imagine how nervous I’ll be when it gets to Thursday?! Or worse...Friday morning! Yeah, I think I need to just relax right now though. Just take a few breaths, blast on some music, and relax. Maybe I’ll go for a walk a little later too, just to catch some air. That always works.

Anyway, enough of that boy drama, let me tell you about dance. First of all, I got a competition coming up in two weeks. And of course, I’m super pumped about it. We’re going against our rival school, which just fires me up even more! (Yes, I’m always this competitive) They’ve beat us three out of four times last year already. Doesn’t mean they’ll do it again this year though. We’ve got some pretty kick-ass freshmen this year, not to mention us sophomores who are more than ready to kick some asses this year. Oh, and by the way, both Julian and Ryder agreed to come to the competition to root me on. I know I said enough of the boy drama, but I just figured that I mention in that small bit. And of course Ari, Molly, and the rest of my friends and family are showing up to cheer us on too. That just proves how awesome my family and friends really are.

Anyway, I think I’m gonna head out now. I’m starting to get depressed again over the whole Ryder-Julian thing. I think I’m gonna go out for a quick walk around the block. I’ll talk to you guys later.

♥Brooklyn♥[/blockquote]

[Tori]

Sunday, October 13, 2024

7:20am

Hey Journal,

I know its super early and all, but I just couldn’t wait to tell you any longer. First of all, Friday’s date went amazing! Even dad was cool with it. Well, except for the “dad speech” that all dad’s give their daughter’s dates. That part was a bit embarrassing, but after that, everything went beautifully. We walked down to the park, holding hands and all, and when we got there, Oh my god, it was amazing. Julian had this picnic table all decked out for just us. It had all this food and dessert, and beautiful decoration surrounding it, and at the seat where I sat, there was a huuuge teddy bear! It was so cutee! After the whole picnic thing though, we decided to walk off our dinner’s before it was time for dessert. Which was great, of course. The amazing part was though, was not only was the dessert my absolute favorite(double chocolate cake), but it was right on cue of the beautiful sunset in the background. After all that, he walked me back home. His arm wrapped around me the whole time. Mostly because I was cold, but I think he wanted to get closer to me anyway, hehe. Right before I headed back in though....and of course I was stalling a bit because I was expecting that kiss all night. And not long after, he cupped his hand in my neck, and leaned in for that kiss. I STILL can’t believe all this happened in one night! Un-fucking-believable! I had to pinch myself once I got inside to make sure none of it was a dream. It was real! I had to rush back upstairs to my room to call Ari and Molly and tell them all about it! They couldn’t believe it either! I could tell that they were jealous too, especially Molly. She gets jealous pretty easily, hehe.

But, oh my god, last night....wow. Don’t get me wrong, Ryder and I had an awesome night. The movie was awesome, and karaoke night was amazing. He really did loosen up quite a bit. Maybe even forgot that I even had a boyfriend in the first place. I was wrong. While we were waiting our turn for the karaoke, Ryder did mention something about my date with Julian. I mean, all he was wondering was how the date went. But I could tell that unless I told him that it went horribly wrong, then he wouldn’t be at all happy. I did tell him that it went great. I didn’t go over the top like I did with Ari and Molly, let alone tell him that we kissed, but it seemed like he read my mind or something. Because the next thing that came out of his mouth was “Did..did you guys kiss, at all?” Of course I hesitated at that answer, not sure if I should tell him the truth or not...luckily though, the hostess of the night interrupted us by announcing that it was our turn to go up. I took that as a moment to pull up that big smile of mine and pull Ryder up onto the stage. I still haven’t answered his question though. And I’m not sure if I should. I really don’t want to hurt his feelings anymore than they already are. Oh! One more thing that happened. Which is the main reason why I woke up this early in the first place........at the end of the night, when we were just getting ready to head back to our homes.....Ryder kissed me. I guess that proves how much he likes me now...but it was like he read my mind again, and knew that Julian kissed me. I know Ryder’s jealous, more so than before. And it wasn’t that big of a kiss, like, there was no tongue involved or anything, but still....I don’t think there was one word I said to Ryder after that surprise kiss he gave me, except maybe, “Goodnight.”

I really don’t know what to do now. I still reeaaally like Julian. But Ryder....I don’t want to loose my best friend, let alone ruin our friendship over a silly kiss that he planted on me. I still haven’t told Molly or even Ari about the night with Julian. I don’t think I should anyway. Especially Molly, she’ll just blab to everyone at school. I don’t know if I should tell Ari though. She can keep secrets pretty well hidden away. But, I don’t know if this is too personal or not. Guess I’ll just wait till tomorrow at school, see how I feel then. Then again, I’m so not in the mood to be back at school. Not when both Ryder and Julian are gonna be there. Maybe I’ll ask daddy to call me in sick tomorrow. But, again, even if I don’t show up tomorrow, its very likely that I’m gonna receive who knows how many texts from my friends asking where I’m at and why I’m not at school. I don’t like keeping secrets to myself, so maybe I will tell Ari. Eventually. Through the text she’ll be sure to send me tomorrow, probably. Anyway, I’m gonna go make me some breakfast now. I’ll write more tomorrow, but for now, I’m just gonna stay home and try to relax and clear my head. Like that’s gonna be possible.

♥Brooklyn♥