Leave What Was Found

3: Weed for Sleep

Avery knew that being back in school meant she would have to get up early. Long gone were the days where she and her father would stay up late watching television or spend the nights out looking at the stars. She knew it meant she would have to get up early and go to sleep on time. What she did not know was that her super-perky, slightly too happy roommate would try to wake her up at five in the morning.

"What the hell?" Avery said through her teeth.

Avery had barely slept well to begin with and now this girl was trying to wake her up before the sun had even risen. Avery groaned and rolled onto her side and faced the wall.

"Come on," Nikki urged Avery. "It is time to get up and seize the day," she cheered, grabbing Avery by the shoulders.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled.

"Come on, you can come for a run with me, we can get breakfast, you can meet some of my friends, just get up."

"I am going to murder you," Avery said angrily.

Nikki immediately dropped her hands and moved away. "Okay, sorry," she mumbled, perhaps a bit embarrassed.

Avery sighed. She didn't mean to upset her. "Look, I just have trouble sleeping. I need to sleep in a bit, okay?"

"Okay," Nikki said, slightly glum. "I'll go for my run and wake you up around seven," she offered.

Avery did not answer, she just put the pillow over her head and went back to sleep. Or at least tried to. Maybe if her social worker wasn't so worried about Avery's dyed hair (it was purple when the social worker first met her), or Avery's school record (Avery had been deliberately vague about that), she might have realized Avery was in desperate need of some therapy and perhaps even needed to be medicated after being orphaned. She was not okay, contrary to popular belief, just because her uncle had taken her in.

When Nikki came back into the room, Avery was still awake. She had just tossed and turned as the sun filled the room anyway. Now Avery had to get up for school and she would just be tired and cranky the whole day. She was not a morning person, and she learned quickly that Nikki was.

"Class starts in less than an hour, get ready soon and we can go get breakfast," she said cheerfully.

Avery only sighed. She did not want to get out of the warm bed. Even if she could not sleep, it was better than going to school.

"Please? None of my friends get up early enough for breakfast," Nikki whined.

Avery rolled her eyes. "For good reason," Avery muttered.

"Well, don't you want to get ready for school at least?"

"What's the worst that can happen if I don't go?"

"Detention," Nikki answered automatically. "Two hours in a classroom with Meriwether or Coach depending on whose turn it is."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Avery said from her bed still.

Nikki frowned. "Well, are you going to join any sports or clubs? Too many detentions will ban you from any extracurriculars."

"Do I look like the kind of girl who is going to join the cheer squad?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, there has to be something you like to do. Everyone has a passion," she said.

"Not really," Avery replied, her eyes still shut and in bed.

"Well, we just have to find you one then," she said brightly.

There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. Nikki sighed. She must have realized by now that her perky attitude was doing nothing to get Avery out of bed.