Mary Migley How to Decorate a Desk The sun has long since set this Friday evening, and my night is filled with stars. Not those oversized balls of burning gas that twinkle so wonderfully in the sky. No, these stars, spread out all over my desk top in uneven clusters, were plastic confetti. They rank above their real-life counterparts only in their range of colors - red, blue, silver, gold, and green - and their ability to be placed anywhere. It's Friday night, and I'm spending it gluing these confetti stars to my desk. The task is simple. I take one of the stars, swipe it across the top of my glue stick, and then press it along the edge of my desk. My desk could use some extra pizzazz with its very own border of multicolored stars. The bag of confetti I bought had an unusually large amount of blue stars compared with the other colors, and so I wanted to use as many blue ones as possible. That was a bit silly though, since I had plenty of each color, but it's only logical to use the one in most abundance. So a blue star is chosen first. I apply glue to its back and then press it against the light-colored wood. Next comes a red, then gold, green, and silver. The room is very quiet, and not even the stars make noise as I stick them on. My roommate is out right now with her friends, eating sushi. I pick up granola bar and bite a chunk off of it. Next comes a sip of water because the granola bar is too sweet and leaves a sticky feeling in my mouth. Another blue star is added to my desk. I dig my thumb against it, making sure it sticks. The star leaves an imprint in my skin. My desk isn't the first thing in our room to be baptized with stars. One day, while I was away in class, my roommate and her friends plastered glow-in-the-dark ones all over the walls and ceiling. I didn't mind. I had done the same thing at home, and so had a couple of my friends. It just surprised me how popular those glow-in-the-dark stars are. I wonder how popular it is to glue confetti stars to various pieces of furniture. A gold and then silver star are added to the line marching across my desk. If my mother saw my star-covered desk, she'd call it tacky. It's coming along perfectly. Turning furniture into pieces of art isn't a normal hobby of mine for Friday nights. I would be out with friends, like my roommate. But my best friend has other plans: she's out with this really nice guy on a double date. Two other friends of mine had recently started dating each other, and they make up the second couple. I hear the restaurant they're going to is really nice. I must have used more force when I glued the next star, a green one, because it makes a soft thump as I press it against the wood surface. The next three stars, blue, silver, red, also make noise: thump thump thump. It really is quiet in here. Music would help. The first song on my playlist is a sappy love song. As soon as the first, high notes begin playing, I immediately skip to the next song. This time, the chords are low. I let this one play. thump. thump. thump. thump. Now a blue, red, gold, and another blue star have a home on my desk. Normally, if I found myself at home with nothing to do, I would sign onto the Internet and chat with my best friend back in Oregon. I don't do that anymore. Last week my ex-boyfriend confessed that he had cheated on me with her the whole time we were going out. My best friend didn't deny anything when I confronted her. She didn't apologize either. Instead, she angrily threw back every wrong thing I've done, accusing me of not being perfect. She didn't need to tell me that. I just wanted an apology. She doesn't talk to me anymore. I'm not sure how well these stars will stick to the desk, so when I press on the next blue star, I pound the bottom of my fist against it. BANG. Ow. It hurts more than I thought it would. But extra force is always good, and the pain is worth it. I quickly add four more stars, each followed with my ramming fist.. thump BANG. thump BANG. thump BANG. thump BANG. As I continue with my work, a shadow falls over my back, and I turn around to see a guy standing in my doorway. "Hey," he says. It's one of my roommate's friends. I quickly run a hand through my hair, which had become limp, and let a smile spread across my face. After all, he is cute. All of my roommate's friends are cute. "Hello." "Is Jenni here?" His voice was already disappointed. He could see that she wasn't. I shake my head. "No, sorry. She's eating out with some friends." I flash him a soft, apologetic smile. "Oh, okay." And he was gone. I slowly turn back to my desk. thump-BANG-thump-BANG-thump-BANG. Some giggling and laughter float from down the hall. I recognize the voices of a girl who lives three doors down and her friends. Whenever they're having a good time, they let the whole world know by shrieking and shouting and laughing. Right now, the giggling turns into a shriek, followed by more laughter. It's all really noisy, and it doesn't go away. It didn't take me long to get up from my desk to close my door. BANG! The door makes a wonderfully loud sound as it swings shut. The song playing now has strong, angry beats, and I turn the volume up until the music becomes thunderous. I slam another star into the wood, and it is soon followed by its symmetrical, colored siblings. thump BANG, thump BANG, thump BANG. The stars are steadily progressing across my desk. thump BANG. One by one, thump BANG thump BANG, a new star is thrown into line as my growing border stretches out to reach for the end. thump BANG thump BANG thump BANG. I'm sure I'm the only one sitting in her room right now banging her fist against confetti stars. My fist pounds onto the desk, more forcefully each time. thump BANG thump BANG. Soon perfect outlines of stars decorate the flesh along the edge of my hand as the confetti digs into my skin with each pounding of my fist.. thump BANG thump BANG This isn't popular, like gluing glow-in-the-darks on your ceiling. It can't be. This procession of stars is my own creation. And it's going to be cool. And DAMN cute. This damned creation is mine, and mine alone. I'm doing this by myself. thump BANG! And I don't need any help. thump-BANG, thump-BANG! From anybody. thump-BANG-thump-BANG-thump-BANG!-- --Suddenly, there's no room left. The border has reached its limit. My hand pauses in the air, holding onto an already glued blue star. There are still more blue stars than any color. With a defeated sigh, I toss the sticky star into the trash can beside me where it lands with an unsatisfying crinkle. I slump down against the back of my chair. My roommate is still out eating sushi, my friends are still dating, I can still hear laughter from outside my room. I look at my finished creation, and the stars shine back at me. My night was filled with the stars. If only that were as romantic as it sounds.