Dreaming Away

Chapter 1- Late

"Lily! It's 6:30! You have to get up and get ready, the bus will be here in fifteen minutes!" I got up, my long, strawberry blonde hair in my eyes. I was a major bed head. In school, I wasn't the most popular, but I wanted to look at least somewhat presentable and not like I was some sort of monster that just jumped out of a kids fairytale book! So I went over to my wardrobe, got my uniform from the top drawer and quickly put it on. I held the cool, smooth makeup brush in my hand and applied a light blush to my pale cheeks. I tried to fight my hair into a neat bun, but the little hairs kept flying out everywhere, so I settled for a ponytail instead. I tried to catch my fly aways with bobby pins as best as I could. Then I walked over to the long, golden framed mirror hanging from the back of my door, and saw my bright purple eyes staring back at me in the reflection. I looked at myself for a few seconds until I was satisfied with my appearance. So I opened my bedroom door and stepped through it to the other side. Racing down the hallway, and to the stairs I saw my mother at the stove. She was mixing an oatmeal packet with water for me to eat for breakfast, as I sprinted down the stairwell, skipping every other step on the way down. That was her go to meal if I was late because she said that was, quote on quote, "the easiest". She knew I didn't like it, so I thought of it as a punishment. I sat down at our long, birchwood table just as she started pouring the chunky, bland, apparently "labeled" apple cinnamon flavoured breakfast into a glass bowl and in a few short moments, set it down on the black and white plaid placemat in front of me.

"Can I have sugar on it at least? ...Please?"

"No."

"But what about Stevia?"

"I said no!"

"Why, though? It's even the healthier kind!"

"What did I just say? I said it two times already, don't make me say it again or you'll be in big trouble missy and you'll regret it! My final answer is no! That stuff is bad for you and you know that, how many times must I tell you?"

She stormed off in fury and I was left alone to eat. I sighed. It was a typical thing of my mom to say, I'm honestly surprised I didn't see it coming. Word for word, I could have guessed it. She was always obsessing over what was good for me. Though, she wasn't always right. For example, moving here when I was 9, making me go to a private school, filled with jerks, and where I had no friends whatsoever. Mother loved to assume things too. Like how I was too much of a rebel, so she put me in a class at school to try and put me in my place, but, of course, this just made me more rebellious. But I still love her no matter what, and I would never run away or ever let anything happen to her, it would break her heart and I know, even if it is deep down, she loves me too. She is always telling me stories of my father, how I am like a mini look-alike version of her, but I act so much like my father and that I reminded her of him. I'm stubborn, opinionated, and emotionally aggravated, but sweet, kind, loving, generous, and always optimistic. She would always tell me how he tragically died in a car accident on his way home from work. When a drunk driver hit him head on and his car rolled over into the ditch, snapping his neck... that is, until it was too much for her to bear anymore. And ever since then, she's raised me as a single mom. Now I am a 5'6, (almost) 15 year old, teenage girl.

"The bus is here, dear"

My grandmother yelled from the corner of the living room. She sat in her rocking chair, knitting and peering out the window, like she always did in the morning. After her husband, my grandfather, had died she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she started living here with us. She moved in for good a couple of weeks ago. I quickly scarfed down the rest of my, in my opinion, "disgusting" oatmeal, and went to my coat to throw it on. When I had scooped up my backpack, I ran over to both my mother and grandmother to give them big hugs before I left.

"And grandma," she looked over to me, "don't forget, make sure to take your medications again!" She often forgot, and mother was no help in trying to remind her, so I took the duty to myself.

"Don't worry, dear." She often called me dear and not ever by my real name, but that was ok because even if it sounded like I was a baby, it was comforting to hear her call me that. I opened the front door and sprinted down the sidewalk, hoping the bus hadn't already left. When I saw its doors wide open, I jumped in. I wandered down the aisle looking for an open seat closer to the front, but, like always, I went to the back and plopped down on the only seat left. I was always the last person to get picked up since I was closest to school so it only took five minutes to get there. Even with the short distance, my mother won't allow me to get my licence next year, like she promised. She says that I'm not safe on the road being new to driving, and she doesn't want to take the risk of me getting hurt. She doesn't like me walking either considering somebody could kidnap me right from the sidewalk. Ever since my dad passed away she has been very protective of me, she tells me "She will never let anything happen to me" and "I'm all she has left". So I take the bus.

When we arrive, the bus parks right out front in the roundabout and everybody's in a rush to get off. After all the waiting, I am finally able to squeeze around the hoard of people and get off the bus myself. The start of High School was just around the corner. The bell rang just as soon as I had gone through the heavy front doors. I went to my locker at the end of the left hallway to the back of the building and collected my stuff, then I was off to 1st period. Math was often my strongest point. Mrs. Calper was a kind teacher, but she was awfully strict about homework, and it just so happened I forgot to do it. I walked into the class, and saw the little note on the board. It read, "Get out your papers from yesterday! :)" I looked down at my shoes. I never forget my homework, never ever, in my life! This was my first time, but maybe Mrs. Calper would go easy on me. After all, I was a pretty good student if I do say so myself. I sat down at the long desk right next to the window. I always sat there, so I could see the trees when the teacher droned on about variables in different problems, or when she explained how we had to balance equations, like on a scale. She walked in the room,

"Ok class, hold up your homework, please, so I can see that you've done it."

Everyone's arms rocketed up into the air, suddenly, as I pretended I was trying to find my unfinished homework. In my clearly empty bag. When she came over to me and saw I hadn't had my homework, she told me I had to eat lunch in her room, but nothing too serious. The rest of the day went on so slow, I felt as if it would last forever. And when the lunch bell rang, I was both relieved and nervous; relieved that we could take a break, but nervous that if the second half of the day went by as fast as the first half did, let's just say I would be up for a long afternoon. I got my lunch sack from my locker, and went into room 101. The math room... Mrs. Calper was sitting at her big brown desk in the corner.

"Hello Lily!" She said in a cheerful way."

"Aren't you mad?" I wanted to get the punishment over with.

"Oh, no. I know you have your homework done, but you are in High School now but still need to be punished. You are my favorite prized student anyway. You can sit where you want, then I can tell you when lunch is over." This was why she was my favorite teacher!

"I promise I won't forget it again!" I sat down in my usual spot in the sunshine and pulled open the zipper of my teal, sparkly lunchbox. I look in and find that my mother had packed me a tuna and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise, apple slices, some yogurt, and a protein ball. I ate half of my sandwich, a few apple slices, and my protein ball when I realized I was zoned out again staring out the window. I went in my lunchbox to grab out my yogurt when Mrs. Calper looked up from her desk at the clock hanging over the door.

"Oh, my!" I heard her and quickly looked up at the clock too.

"You better get going Lily, it's almost five past! You don't want to be late for your next class." I quickly stuff everything back into my lunchbox and dash out of the room to find a hoard of students crowding the door. I run to my locker to collect my backpack and I'm off again.

Next came 7th period Writing/Language Arts with Mr. Taullen, then 8th Science with Mrs. Alend, followed by 9th Reading with Mrs. Godwin, 10th Arts with Mr. Ditton, and finally 11th. My last class of the day was History/Social Studies. And I couldn't wait, but of course not for the class itself, but for the end of the day. As soon as I heard that three o'clock bell ring, I would be out of there like a flash. I sat down in the very back of class and waited, listening to Mr. Sheplands' long talks of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and the heroic stories of Gilgamesh, like always. Until, I was over it... I fell asleep with my head wrapped in my arms lying on my desk, thinking it would help the day come faster.