Ditch Week

6:09 AM

"Pajamas?"

"Check."

"Toiletries?"

"Yep."

"Tampons?"

"Mom!"

My mother shot me a disapproving look and shook her head. "You never know when you get the flow."

I raised an eyebrow at her pun. "Seriously?"

We, or rather, I was currently packing for Senior Ditch Week. To say that she was worried for me was a huge understatement; she was terrified. It's not like I hadn't been away from home for more than a week. I had been to summer camp and had been going for almost five years now. The time is not the problem. It's the kids in my grade.

Valley High has the typical Breakfast Club social groups: the brains, the basket cases, the athletes, the princesses, and the criminals. The athletes and the criminals are the guys who run the school; the princesses are the girls who run this school.

I could be classified as a brain, or, in simpler terms, a nerd; it's not what I am, it's just the most convenient definition. The seniors at my school weren't labeled by themselves or by others; they were labeled by fate.

My mother and I hauled my medium sized duffel bag down the flight of stairs that leaded to the entryway of my house. After a water break and a few encouraging words, we hauled it to her bright red Jeep and stuffed it in the trunk.

"Why did they make you wake up so early today, sweetie?" My mother asked when we had both settled in the car and were driving towards the school. It was barely a fifteen minute drive.

"That's beyond me, mom. The principal probably wanted to torture us by making us arrive to school at six thirty in the morning."

My mother chuckled before swatted my forearm. "Or he wants to give you guys the best experience possible, given your circumstances. Ever think of that, Bree?"

I just rolled my eyes and continued to stare out the window. The event wasn't mandatory, but my mother thought I could make more friends through this. I didn't matter what level of the high school hierarchy I was at, or how many friends I had. I was going to college soon and I knew for a fact that none of my current friends were going to Columbia.

•••

"Go to bed at a reasonable hour, okay, honey? Make some friends, while you're there! Absolutely no boys, sweetie-"

I cut my mom off by lightly patting her shoulder. "There, there, mom. I'll be fine."

I walked around the side of the car to the trunk and hauled my duffel bag out, then basically dragged it towards the meeting point in the center of the parking lot. My mom waved goodbye and I had to fight the urge to turn around and ignore her.

"Senior class of 2017, listen up!" The principal practically yelled through the microphone, which was highly unnecessary. "I have a few ground rules and a few requests from you. Ms. Hall will say the groups you will be staying with for the week and which classroom after I have finished all of my announcements.

"All of the equipment in the school is school property, therefore any damage towards school property comes out of your wallet. If I see that no one steps forward to claim what they have done, I will personally make everyone pay the amount that was broken.

"You will be able to take showers in the gym locker rooms. We have supplied shampoo, conditioner, and soap, but feel free to use your own. The locker rooms are separated by gender, so let's keep it that way.

"Absolutely no alcohol or drug use is permitted on school grounds. Also, if you happen to run out of food, please notify one of the designated drivers that have been picked out in your group based on your driver's education scores.

"There has been a request to use the gym to play sports and such, and, let me remind you, there is a sports tournament on Thursday. Before that, however, all of the food, water, and other necessities are kept in the gym. We're hoping that you guys will take your share of food and water so that the gym can be cleared out, which will lead to your eventual use of the gym before Thursday. That's all up to you, though.

"Ms. Hall, please proceed and name the groups and the classrooms assigned to them."

I had practically zoned out, much the like the rest of the student body, when principal Fisher made his announcements. Everyone turned their gaze towards Miss Hall when the principal was finished with his speech.

"Your grade has about 100 students, therefore you will be separated into groups of five in twenty classrooms," Miss Fisher started, giving everyone a warm smile. She was the high school college counselor so she knew most of us pretty well. "The first group, who is going to be staying in the Science Lab, which is room 403, consists of Bree Parker, Connor Adams, Aaron Williams, Eva Thorpe, and Dylan Kors. The designated driver is Connor Adams, who scored 98% on his drivers education test in tenth grade! The second group..."

This was the end. This was officially the end. I was paired with my ex boyfriend Connor, my best friend Aaron, my arch enemy Eva, and the school player Dylan.

Just as I thought all hope was lost for me, Aaron came over to me. "Do you need a hand? I heard we were staying in the same room. That's pretty great, right?"

I nodded at his question and shot him a grateful smile. "But, you do realize who else we're paired with, right?"

Aaron had come to Valley sophomore year, so I was pretty sure he had no idea what Connor had done to me or what had happened. He was aware, though, that Connor was my ex.

"Your ex, my ex, and a player. What could go wrong?" Aaron stated, shooting me a million watt smile.

Aaron had dated Eva Thorpe for about a week on a dare. He promised that he could last a month, but after encountering Eva's exceedingly annoying pestering and high pitched voice, he decided that putting up with her for another three weeks was way worse than three cherry pies to the face.

Absolutely everything, I thought to myself just as Connor walked up to us, struggling to carry my duffel into the school.

"Need an extra hand, guys?" Connor asked. He did a bromance hug with Aaron then shot me a weird look. "What was your name again? Brittany?"

I suddenly remembered why I hated him in the first place. There was his trait in his personality that made him forget to remember things that were once important to him but abandoned him later on. He said that it made him a stronger person, but truthfully I feel it's weak.

"It's Bree, Connor. Remember me?" I asked rhetorically. Of course he would remember me, we had dated almost all of freshman year. We had been best friends since sixth grade.

"Uh, Bree? Nope. Never heard of someone with that name. It's cute though," Connor feigned indifference, but I saw right through his façade. He looked like he wanted to get as far away as possible from me.

Nevertheless, as the idiotic, egotistical gentleman he was, Connor picked up my duffel with Aaron and hauled it through the school doors. I barely even helped; all I did was hold open the door.

After hauling it up about for flights of stairs and into the science room, we realized that Eva and Dylan were already seated on some of the lab desks way too close together.

"Did you get the stuff from the gym yet, Eva? Dylan?" I inquired after we had pushed all of our duffels to the corner of the room near the teacher's desk.

"That's not our job," Eva replied nonchalantly as she blew a bubble of her pink gum. It popped soon after and added to her air of uncaring.

"Yeah, Brittany, why don't you do it?" Asked Dylan, obviously staring at my chest. Typical jerk wad.

"Her name's Bree, Dylan,"
Connor snapped, shocking me and Aaron alike. He turned his crossed arm, slightly annoyed body towards me as he asked, "so, princess, are you going?"

"I was just about to, but I was wondering if someone could come along to carry some of the supplies?"

Connor immediately pushed past Aaron, who was about to say that he could come with me, and shrugged an arm around my shoulder. "Let's go then, Bree."