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1. Back to old habits.

I brushed my hair in front of the mirror trying not to look like a crazy lion. It was usually straight and soft, but on these rainy days it became a completely mess.

Today I didn't feel like going to school again, my dad left yesterday to attend some of his business in New York and I was going to be home alone for at least the whole week. Even though this happened quite often I was not used to it yet.

I picked up my backpack from the floor and locked the door before leaving. After walking no more than fifteen minutes I arrived to the high school a little bit earlier than usual. I wasn't the girl obsessed with books, or sports, I wasn't interested in being part of the drama club or any of them at all, I wasn't really sure of what I liked to do. So I just went to the cafeteria to let the time pass until I had to attend to class.

I sat on a table placed next to a big window which gave me a really nice lighting and took my sketchbook out of my backpack. It is not like I like to draw, but I have to admit that I spent most of the time doodling in my black notebook with my head in the clouds. I caught a glimpse of a big green leafy tree rising at the left side of the parking, it looked incredibly majestic and rugged that made me feel the need of capturing it on my paper.

I was focused on detailing the top leafs and when I checked the tree again to settle the trunk I saw a body leaning on it. It appeared to be a boy but his features were hard to recognize. I couldn't see the details but I ended up drawing his silhouette resting on the trunk, with his hands in the pockets of the dark jacket he was wearing.

The bell rang at the same time I was closing my sketchbook. I picked my backpack from the floor and headed out of the cafeteria bumping into someone.

- Great you're here cause I need a fucking sandwich. - She told me while grabbing my hand dragging me inside again.

- No, Venus, I'm sure you have already eaten and we're late. - I said pulling her arm.

- ¡But my stomach is screaming! - She complained.

- Well, tell your stomach to find its chill then.

We walked towards the classroom and sat in our places a second before the teacher started our literature class. It's not that I didn't like literature, but Mr. McCall was an expert at turning every literary work into boring chats with lacks of adjectives. He was as simple as a rock, and literature always needs a little bit of magic to be attended, like any other kind of art.

- Hey, do you have some juice or an apple or something? - Venus whispered into my ear.

- Girl there's not a moment you're not eating or complaining about having no food. - I replied while rolling my eyes.

Venus has been my best friend for as long as I remember, but we have always been pretty different, I think that's what kept us together. We met in elementary school when we both brought the same backpack to class and accidentally exchanged it. My mom was really mad when she opened it and saw my bib full of spots and stains of blue and green painting, I was the good girl who always kept her bib clean and smooth, but we ended up realizing it was Venus'. Then we met, she taught me to have more fun being a bit naughty without my mom knowing and I taught her to be more discreet, she was the yang of my ying and vice versa. We also met another girl, Harper, but she moved to Canada two years after we met and we didn't keep in touch, though. It always has been we against the world.

Mr. McCall's voice was so humdrum that my friend fell asleep after a few minutes of listening. He was babbling about The Odyssey and I couldn't help myself on bringing out my sketchbook and starting to draw a big Greek craft sailing the ocean. To be honest, I didn't exactly like to draw, it just came out of me, like when someone sneezes or frowns. There was no reason for me to be drawing or any shape I needed to represent, there was just a pencil in my hand and a paper on my front.

I waited till the end of the class and then shook Venus arm to wake her up.

- We've got a couple of minutes, so we can go get you a sandwich. - I told her nicely smiling.

- Hell yeah, you're my savior.

It was incredible how much Venus was able to eat and how she'd still hungry. She always had something in her mouth, but the truth is she was as skinny as a broomstick. Her metabolism was a mystery to every science. She was as taller as I was and her pointy little nose and her short and rowdy hair made her cutie face look like an elf, especially since she decided to dye it blood red. It seemed like she never combed although she actually did. The freckles on her cheeks and nose made her look sweet but her constant smirk gave her a naughty expression. Her skin was pretty pale to have Mexican roots, but that's how she was.

Venus paid for her food and walked to one of the tables at the back, I was right behind her, with my iced tea on my hand.

- Are you sure you don't need a croissant or a slice of pizza? I can share you my fries if you want.

- I'm alright with my drink, Ven, you're the one with a hole in your stomach. - I laughed.

- Okay, I won't insist so... - Venus shrugged and filled her mouth with French fries before kept on talking. - Well, I know you're home alone today, so what about having a party?

- What about no.

- Yeah, that's what I expected. - She was still eating. - But, how about you and I watching Netflix and eating a big cheesy pizza?

···

My laptop was plugged into the TV so we could watch Netflix on a bigger screen. The pizza guy had arrived a few minutes ago and the paperboard box was open in front of us. I almost had to cut Venus' hand before she picked a slice burning her skin. She was so much anxious it made me laugh a lot.

- Do you have another beer?

- Right inside the fridge, are you sleeping over? I'm not letting you drive if you keep drinking beers, girl.

Venus' house was not pretty far, maybe about twenty five minutes away from mine, but it was late and the car was the best option, though.

- I can call my brother to pick me up, but thinking twice about it, I prefer to stay. - She answered while opened her can.

- I thought Marcus was in Sydney.

Marcus was Venus' older brother, and I used to have a crush on him till he flew to Australia, moving away from my little broken heart. But that happened two years ago when I was a fifteen year old girl with a pair of hazel eyes on my mind. I never told Venus that I liked her brother because that would be awkward and inappropriate and she never suspected about it. As I said before, I knew how to be discreet.

- Yeah, he was. Anyways he decided to come back and brought some friends.

My stomach twisted a bit. Wow, so after all, Marcus was back in town.