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Ten Days Before: Chapter One

I toss my rucksack onto my desk and rest my head down. I arrived to school just now, and I made it bang on time. Miss Collins (my tutor) walks in just after me switching her computer on. "So, class. It's the start of a new week, and I see that you're all in the correct uniform. Today in tutor time I have been instructed to help raise awareness for the Syrian refugee crisis." She continues talking, but I ignore her and speak to Chris, who is sitting next to me. "So, Chris, do you want to come over today after school?" He nods and says, "What are we going to do?" He's expecting me to ask him out sometime soon, but I've never been attracted to him, despite his charm. "Well, you know, just talk." I smile at him, and he smiles back softly. First period bell rings, so I stroll off to my first class, rolling up my skirt by a couple more inches so that it's just a few centimetres away from my bum.

At lunch, I arrive at my usual lunch table, holding a 9" pepperoni pizza. I squish in between Jamie-Leigh and Hayden, practically sitting on Hayden's lap. Jamie-Leigh is telling a story, "And then that ridiculous little chick gives me some story that Khalil started moving onto her, so she accepted but I said 'NO! My man would never cheat on me' and then she tried to start fighting me so I put her in her rightful place." She tells the whole story in an American accent but then it's already time for lessons and I see Mina at the far end of the cafeteria with her guitar on her back. Her uniform is intact and she goes straight to class. I go to class, hitching a ride on Chris's back.

Ding-dong. I completely forgot that Chris was coming, so I run down the stairs to open the door. I am wearing a pair of knee length cycling shorts and an oversized faded black tee-shirt that reads, 'I'm a lamacorn' and my straight hair is pulled back into a messy bun. I pull open the door, and Chris walks in, carrying a bottle of rosé. he walks in and puts it in the kitchen. "Hey, Chris, um, I don't drink so you might want to take that back."
"Oh, don't worry," he responds, awkwardly, "it's not for us, it's for your mum." I nod and lead him up to my cluttered bedroom. "It's cosy in here." he mutters, not knowing I can clearly see him looking at all my stuff. "So, Chris, what do you want to do?" He shrugs his shoulders and sits down next to me in the bed. "You see, Nina, I've liked you for a long time, and there's something I've always wanted to do..." As he's talking, he's stroking my hand. Slowly, Chris leans down to me, stroking his soft lips on my forehead, making his way down to my lips. I get a tingling feeling on my skin, and immediately I know I've got goosebumps. Our lips slowly part, and soon are interlocked with each other. it's a nice light kiss, but I hear my bedroom door open, and standing there is Mina. "Nina, what are you doing? You should be studying. Mum will be home soon." Chris scowls at her and gets up, his blue eyes filled with anger. "I'm leaving, but I'll see you tomorrow, Nina." And with that he leaves. A few minutes after he leaves, the front door opens again, indicating that Roisin and mum are home. Roisin is my little sister, and her life is quite complicated. She goes to boarding school, but she's taking some time off, as she's going into surgery to have her appendix taken out tomorrow. I go to sleep so I can avoid dinner, and mum.

My dream is messed up: A shadowy figure reaches his arm out to me, and all I see is blue glinting eyes. Immediately, I assume it's Chris, so I'm about to decline. But then something tells me that it's not him, so I accept his hand. He smiles at me, and I see that he's wearing a grey tee-shirt and dark blue jeans. Then suddenly the scene changes, and I'm at a ball, wearing an elegant, cream, puffy gown that is frilly. The boy I saw before is now wearing a tuxedo and a black mask, and I notice that I'm wearing a black mask, too. in the far corner of the ballroom, I notice that Mina is there, looking miserable. A man takes her hand, and leads her outside, with a knife behind his back, but just when he's about to stab Mina, a random boy jumps in front and dies instead.