Page 2 of We're At It Again

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw, but my attempt at looking threatening was in vain as he erupted into laughter once again. I scoffed as I thrust my car door open and slammed it with an equal amount of aggression. Hudson Wilder remained the perpetual bane of my existence.

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The hallways stretched out before me, bustling with the energy of echoes and laughter. As I walked past a group of girls, they lifted their heads and smiled in silent greeting. I responded kindly, offering them a friendly smile.

The fluorescent lights overhead cast a bright glow, illuminating the polished tiled floors. They echoed in my steady footsteps. Posters and bulletin boards lined the wall, but I ignored them. I needed to get these piles of books into my locker.

With a soft click, the locker door opened, and the familiar scent of lavender infiltrated my nostrils. I arranged the books on my shelf as I attempted to shake off the flutter of excitement in my stomach. It had been months since I’d seen Austin.

As I slid my English textbook into place, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around my waist. I gasped in surprise, my heart leaping with joy as his familiar cologne wafted around me.

“I’ve missed you.” Austin said, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

I turned around in his arms, my eyes lighting up as I gazed into his deep honey-brown orbs.

“I’ve missed you more.” I said, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace.

“If you lovebirds could pull apart for two seconds so I can hug my best friend, that would be appreciated.”

I pulled away and gazed into the fierce eyes of my best friend, Maya. We’d spend our summers together in our mundane town, but her parents decided she should spend some time with her family in South America before going to college. This was the longest we had been apart ever since kindergarten. I embraced her in a long, overdue hug.

There were subtle changes in her appearance. Her once chestnut brown hair had streaks of cherry highlights. She even had a new style to go with it, a trendy outfit that complimented her figure.

“You need to tell me everything that happened in South America.”

She nodded her head before turning to Austin.

“Nice to see you, Austin.”

I had never solved the mystery of Maya’s dislike for Austin, but I appreciated the effort she put in to be cordial.

“Maya.” He said with an equal amount of disdain. “I will see you later.”

He kissed my cheek tenderly before walking off, wanting to catch up with his friends before class started.

“So, are you ready to rule this place?”

A sly grin tugged at the corner of her lips, hinting at the mischief brewing within. I couldn’t help but soak up her enthusiasm.

“I have been ready for this day for years.”

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2

HUDSON

OH, HOW I LOVED LUNA DELGATO. We always engaged in heated exchanges during our mornings. I would upset her just by breathing. And she would retaliate with a verbal rebuttal. It’s what made me get out of bed every morning. However, I’d like to believe she wasn’t aware of my feelings. I’d always been gifted at masking them.

I’d been in love with her since the first grade. Our mothers had been best friends since college, which led to our inevitable friendship. I knew she was the one the moment she dug Katie Sanchez’s face in a puddle of mud because she made fun of my haircut. My mom thought a week of beauty school would be enough experience to cut my hair herself. She always dabbled in things, but hairstyling was not her forte.

That day, Luna went home and snipped her ponytail off with the first pair of scissors she could find. I could hear her mother’s screams from across the street. When we ran over to investigate, we found her mother enraged and red-faced, but Luna greeted us with the widest smile and an uneven haircut. It was then I knew that I’d found someone special. But I messed it up, and I may never have the chance to rectify my mistakes.

I was never one for rules. I’d always believed that rules were society’s diabolical way of restricting our individuality. This view has often found me on the side of trouble, but at least I made my own choices, and I would be damned if I let anyone take that away from me.

I clutched the stick of nicotine between my fingers and inhaled the gray stench. The intrusion in my lungs was a feeling I had become accustomed to. Many warned me of my potential deathbed if I continued with the charade, as if that would make me stop.

I glanced around the neighborhood. The silence calmed me. Some detested it and made it their sole mission to pack their bags and get out to live life in the big city. I always thought that to be cliché. Why move where there are more people to detest?

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