Firsts and Lasts

Chapter 1

"Lucia Akers!" My mother called, barging into my room with her briefcase in her fists.

"What?" I answered coldly, looking up from my Mac. 

Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she had a stern look on her face. 

"Get in the car now or you'll be late for school."

I shot her an angry look and put my Mac in my schoolbag sitting at the foot of my bed and trudged down the staircase. She was so suffocating and annoying, I wanted to be able to walk to school with my friends but she always refused. None of my friends parents were as uptight as she was about Lasts walking down the same streets as us!

I slammed the car door as I climbed in the passenger side just to show her how angry I was about last night's fight over my freedom and she pulled out of the garage. I was 17 and still had a curfew of 8! Lasts parents didn't care about them and let them out until all hours of the night it was so unfair. 

Why do those poor and tacky people get more freedom than ME? I continued to sulk all the way through the 5 minute drive to school. I lived literally 5 minutes away and she STILL wouldn't let me walk. Honestly, it was ridiculous. I couldn't wait until I was 18 so I'd finally have access to the trust fund that my father left for me before he left us.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I got out and shut the door.

She drove away speedily, probably because she had some sort of operation waiting for her at the hospital. I hurried past the Lasts waiting at the school fence to be let in and located my group of friends. Unlike us Firsts, Lasts weren't allowed to enter the school premises until 8:30 which was when class began.

I loved the way things worked in our society but I have to argue that the way they chose Firsts and Lasts were stupid. You were a first if your surname was A-K and a Last if yours was L-Z. Obviously Lasts could only change their surname to something within L-Z and Firsts to something in A-K. Lasts couldn't go to College and therefore were stuck with low paying jobs making them poor whereas we were rich because we HAD to attend college. I liked being a First because we got treated so much better than the Lasts.

"Lucia did you hear that Alex's dad died last night?" Megan almost whispered, flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder and leaning in slightly.

"Alex as in Alex Tsunanski?"

Alex was one of the Lasts in my english class and he was very quiet and didn't speak much.

"Yes! His dad went to the hospital last night with a severed limb because he was working on the construction building down town but he couldn't get any service because a First came in with a broken finger and demanded treatment. I mean, it's his fault, he should've been more careful."

Megan can be cold hearted at times and this was one of them. That's the way all our hospitals work. If a First wants treatment right away then the last gets put on a lower priority list than them no matter how severe it was.

"Megan!" Heather exclaimed holding back a tiny smirk and I forced a laugh but my attention was elsewhere. I had never talked to Alex as we were encouraged to talk to Last's as little as possible but it must be horrible to lose a parent.

"I'm going to go to class," I said to them and snuck away before they followed.