Basking in the Shadows

Chapter 1

A/N: Rewrote it! It’s not edited though.

I dragged my unwilling feet across the cold wooden floor. The frigid winter air had taken over our home, and shivers racked my body. Nobody in my family had any tolerance for cold weather, hence the reason why we lived in warm, sunny San Diego. A cold wave had recently swept past us, and the temperature had considerably dropped, leaving us in below-freezing weather. I’d just stepped out of the shower, and I could practically feel the water droplets in my hair turning to ice. Our heating system didn’t seem to be helping in any way.

Running my hands through my knotted hair, I stepped into my kitchen. My steps were sluggish and I stifled a yawn.

"Morning, Gia", my mom smiled at me as I pulled out a carton of milk from the refrigerator. She was standing by the coffee maker, like she always is at this time. I nodded slightly in response and yawned again. I’m not a morning person, and the numbing cold added to my tiredness. The self-control it took me to roll out of this morning was an exuberant amount, and it took every ounce of my will power not to succumb to my desires and to just close my eyes for a few minutes.

I poured my milk into my bowl of cereal so quickly, that many drops splashed out and hit the kitchen counter. Deciding to worry about that later, I began shoveling spoon after spoon of my breakfast into my mouth. I couldn’t afford to be late today.

Who am I kidding? I was, of course, going to be late, just like every other day. Thank God, that I've been graced with a forgiving teacher this year. If I had Mrs. Arwel from last year as my first period, I’d be spending an hour in after school detention every day this year. Fortunately for me, my teacher of this year, Mr. Woods, is easy-going and lenient.

 As soon as I was done, I practically flung my used bowl into the sink and snatched my bag off the counter. I still needed to hurry. I would prefer if I wasn't late to the first day of my second semester of senior year.

Yelling a 'see ya later' to my mom over my shoulder, I jogged towards my drive way. My sleek, silver sports car was parked there. We had more than enough money to afford a nice car for me. Most people who lived in this area and attended my school did. We had a bus, but only the underclassmen without their driver’s license rode it, and I was thankful that I didn’t have to spend thirty minutes on a crowded bus with them.

Yanking my car door open, I swiftly climbed in, fumbling with my keys for a moment. I pulled out of the drive way hastily, not bothering to look around and waste time being careful.

After 20 minutes (my record by the way), I was entering the student parking lot. After quickly pulling into an empty spot, I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder, and scurried towards the main entrance. Discreetly checking my phone, I noticed that the time was 7:35. I had exactly five minutes to get to the other side of my commodious school and head up the back stairway to my class. 

I speed walked to the stairs and was almost to the top when the one minute warning bell rang. There were a few students lingering in the hall, most of them able to take their time since they were only heading down to the locker rooms. 

Screw it. I began sprinting, even though I'd been warned many times not to. A few students waved ‘hi’ to me, while others just watched me amusedly. I didn't respond or look over. I had about thirty seconds.

Just as I was reaching to open the door to my classroom, the bell rang. I rushed towards my desk and plopped down on my seat. Before beginning to pull my binder out of my backpack, I sent an apologetic glance at Mr. Wood. He returned a slight smile, and nodded understandably. A few people smiled at me and greeted me. Everyone had gotten used to my reoccurring tardiness.