Abscond [h.s]

Chapter 1

"Braydon." I felt someone lightly nudging me. My eyes were still closed but I could feel the dim bright light burning through my eyelids.

"Braydon." I heard the voice say again. I opened my eyes slowly, letting them flutter to adjust to the bright light. I looked up to find my dad smiling down at me and brushing a piece of my hair out of my eyes. I forced a lazy smile onto my face, trying to convince my dad that I was excited, or at least happy. Today was my first day of college. We had spent weeks packing up my stuff into as little boxes as possible, my room was almost completely empty. Except for my bed and furniture and other random stuff. A lot of my pictures and knick knacks were packed away and ready for my new dorm room.

"Ready for your first day of college?" my dad asked, sounding way more excited than me. I nodded my head as I felt my eyes flutter close. I barely got any sleep last night because I was so anxious. It's not like 'oh no I'm the new girl and I have no friends and everybody's going to hate me' kind of anxiety. I was a freshmen, there were going to be about one hundred more people like me who felt the exact same way, if not more. I was just anxious about my roommate and my teachers and a bunch or other stuff that comes with starting college.

"Come on Braydon. Out of bed, you need to get ready so we can get your boxes into the car and bring them to your new dorm room." He said, pulling harshly at my covers, exposing me to the cold air. I curled my body into a ball, trying to contain the heat on my body somehow. I waved my hand at my dad, motioning for him to leave and let me get ready.

"I'm up, I'm up." I whined. I heard him chuckle and leave my room, closing the door behind him. I let out a huff and sat up on my bed. Today was the day. I remember the day I got accepted into UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). It was probably the happiest day of my life. My dad was so proud of me he almost started to tear up. He kept telling me that my mom would be proud, he didn't have to tell me that though. I already knew she was. At least, I hoped she was.

I looked at my clock on my bedside dresser and it was 5 in the morning. I guess my dad really wanted me to be ready for when classes start at 9, well most of my classes. I was studying to be a writer, I loved writing and reading. It was my favorite past time.

I ran my hands through my brown hair and decided to take a quick shower to wash up before getting dressed. I made my way over to my bathroom that was connected to my room, and adjusted the water to the temperature that I liked, mildly scolding. Being an only child guaranteed me with the only room that had a bathroom connected to it because it was the smallest. My parents got the master bedroom because it was bigger obviously. But now seeing as it was just my dad and I, it looked like I needed the master bedroom to hold all my clothes and pictures. I stripped off my pajamas and stepped into the water, feeling it relax me for as long as I would be in here. Not too long, I reminded myself. No doubt my dad would come barging in here if I stayed in longer than 15 minutes.

I quickly washed my hair with my coconut shampoo and conditioner before rinsing off and drying myself. I turned on my hair dryer and quickly dried my hair, deciding that my dad wouldn't have it if I spent any 'unnecessary' time doing anything else then prepare for today, so I just left it in its natural short and messy-waves. My hand clung to the top of my towel to keep it from falling as I looked through my closet for something to wear. It was California, so it was definitely going to be hot seeing as it was only the end of August. I grabbed a pair of faded high waist skinny jeans and a white crop top. After cutting my hair so short that it falls just above my shoulders, I still haven't gotten used to not pulling it out of my shirt. I slipped on my black ankle boots that had a small heel to them.

"Makeup, makeup, makeup." I repeated to myself as I looked through my makeup bag. I wasn't the type to wear a ton of makeup. I wore mascara almost every time I went out, but I rarely bothered with anything else like foundation or blush or eye shadow. I didn't really think I needed it because I hate the way it feels on your skin and I don't really feel the need to cover up. I quickly swiped some mascara over my eyelashes and then I grabbed my dorm key off my dresser and walked out of my room, heading downstairs to the kitchen to find my dad making breakfast for the both of us.