Shift
By Isabel Crabtree
I've never been a fan of reality. It sucks here. Impossibly poppable pimples, bad hair days, alarm clocks that go off before 10 am, and the constant state of being invisible. I am at the bottom of the food chain at my high school. I'm the kid that gets the dodgeball to the head in p.e. and the kid that sits alone at lunch. Thank God for my best friend Eloise. She is the only person that I feel like truly sees me. She's someone who wants me to be seen. I'm not sure this is the reality where that can happen, but that doesn't mean there isn't one out there where that's possible.
It's another chilly Monday morning. I know it's Monday because my screeching alarm clock feels extra painful, and my muscles start to cramp up. I tried canceling the horrendous noise with my pillow, folding it into my own personal set of earmuffs. The smell of bacon is the only thing that drags me out of my warm bed.
My grey eyes are heavy from the weight of staying up until three in the morning to watch my favorite show, Shallows. It's one of those cheesy vampire love triangle series where every character is unbelievably attractive. It's my Achilles heel. I splashed my face with cool water to wake myself up some more. I try not to spend a lot of time in the bathroom. I don't like looking at myself in the mirror. Frankly, I don't like looking at myself at all. The thought of bacon snaps me out of my existential crisis.
"Good morning, Willa. I see that you got no sleep last night," my stepmom aggressively barks at me while giving a sharp side-eye.
All I could let out was a broody humpth.
"You're going to have to pour yourself some cereal. Brandon ate all the bacon. Try waking up at a reasonable time."
Ah yes, Brandon my annoying, spoiled half-brother. Even my stepmom treats me like I'm invisible. I'm not her "real daughter," so I guess I'm not real to her at all. I never see my dad because he owns his own company and has to travel for his work. So, that leaves my stepmom in charge. I look over at Brandon, and he gives me a giant cheeky smile with teeth full of bacon.
"Oh, Willa I forgot to tell you that you have to take the bus."
Just the cherry on top of this perfect Monday morning.
YOU ARE READING
Shift
Short StoryWilla is unhappy with the current state of her reality. Through the power of shifting, she discovers that there is more than one reality to live in. Little does she know that things aren't always what they are cut out to be.
