Page 7 of Withered

Mom says, “Good morning, honey.”

She’s near the stove, doing something I can’t see since her back is in the way.

“Morning, Mom.” I greet her.

“What? No excitement?” She chuckles.

“It’s only high school. It’ll pass just like any other year. The only difference I see is that I am now a senior. Nothing special.” I say.

High school sounds stupid, not to mention the intense workload.

She smiles while rolling her eyes at my response. “Whatever. Have a good time.”

I sit on the kitchen stool, rest my elbows on the island, and begin drinking my favorite litchi juice, which Mom must have kept for me. She is aware of how much I love it. Mom puts a plate of scrambled eggs in front of me halfway through the glass. They’re just the way I like them.

She joins me with her plate and a mug of strong black coffee. We eat our breakfast in comfortable silence as she wishes me luck for my first day.

I grab my car keys from the key slot near the fridge, kiss Mom goodbye, and rush out.

My parents gifted me a Mercedes-Benz when I turned sixteen. I couldn’t drive it then, but now at eighteen, I have a license and can finally use it.

I unlock the car, put my bag on the passenger seat, and admire its beauty. I start the engine and we’re off to high school.

I park at school and exit the car. A dozen pairs of eyes stare at me. I lock the car and they snap out of it. Today is the first time I drove my car to school. Only Kristy knows about my car. I walk into school confidently, but I don’t like being the center of attention or the subject of their talk.

I proceeded to the main office to pick up my schedule. The elderly lady at the reception desk grins at me. “Hello, Rose. Ready for the new year?”

I smile back, “Yeah. So ready.”

She hands me my schedule and locker code. “Here you go. Have a good day.”

“Thank you. You too.” I reply and turn to leave, but I collide with someone. I lose my balance, but my quick reflexes allow me to grip the reception desk and steady myself. I bumped into someone and was distracted by their stunning green eyes. They are likeforestgreens. Zoning out, I take notice of the person, and I fight back a groan.Jake.

“Watch where you’re going,” he says, rather rudely.

“Excuse me? You could have stood beside me rather than behind me.”

“Maybe you should keep your eyes open and look around when you walk.” He smirks.So goddamn infuriating.

“Whatever.” I scowl and leave the office.

The day hasn’t even started, and I’m already in a bad mood. I was happy when I was talking to the lady, but then Jake had to come out of nowhere and ruin it. I am having mood swings. Am I on my period? No, I’m not. It’s all because of Jake.Ugh.

The bell will not ring for another five minutes. I get to my locker, enter the code, and keep my belongings. I read my schedule and see I’ve got Math, World History, Lunch, English, and PE for the day.

“Rose,” I hear someone calling my name.

I turn my head toward the voice and see Kristy walking toward me. She waves, and I wave back, gesturing to her to hurry up.

“I see you’ve got your car.” She smiles.

“Yes. Finally.” I smile, my bad mood lightening a little.

“So, what do you have first?” I ask her, and she simply hands me her schedule. I compare both of our schedules and see that we only have PE together.

“We only have PE together,” I sigh.

“What?” She shouts, “How the fuck will I survive the day without you?”Same here, Kristy. Same here.

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