Changes

Chapter Seven

Luz

I hadn't slept much last night. I got home late from the party and stayed up to do schoolwork. Yet, even as I finished it I still laid awake thinking about my interaction with one irritating and, since last night, now very confusing Amity Blight.

Her words stuck in my mind. "So then what made us hate each other?" I couldn't get them to stop roaming throughout my head. Why did she have to say it? Why did she have to complicate and make me start to question things? She was getting in my head again and for some reason, I couldn't stop it this time.

Because deep down, a secret to her but not so much to me, I relied on her words to get me through tough times. When I was so tired I could barely function but then there she'd be with a remark to get my mind off of it. In some moments she'd say or do things that made me not hate her so much and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. With how we were with each other, maybe it was both, maybe it was just as flawed as the rest of the things that came with us. But I couldn't let myself fall into this moment or I'd end up going down with it like I always did in the past before.

So I gave myself one last look in the mirror and forced my face to fall neutral before turning and heading downstairs. "Good morning!" My mom called out to me as I entered the kitchen and set a plate down on the table while I pulled out the chair in front of it before sitting down.

"Morning mom," I mumbled out through a yawn and my mom shot me a knowing yet concerned look.

"I got a call from the school. They mentioned how you've been struggling with classwork." She moved to sit in front of me and I lost my appetite choosing just to stab at the food with my fork as I awaited her response. I knew I was in for a lecture about needing to apply myself better. She'd been asking me to take better care of myself for a while now as well. Mentioning how stressed I'd been with soccer, my job, and school work only piling up. But she took a step back trusting that I had it handled and I promised her I'd do better for myself.

"I'm not mad at you Luz. I heard about the IEP and the tutoring they planned to help you. I'm meeting with your academic advisor sometime today and we'll get this sorted out for you." Her encouragement wasn't what I had expected and I felt my shoulder lose their tension. "But next time, you have to promise me you'll come to me for things like this. You're my daughter and I love you okay? If you need me," she started taking my hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly, "I will be there for you." She finished and I smiled.

Tears pooled in the corner of my eyes and she stood up going around the table before pulling me into a tight hug. "Promise me, okay?" She whispered before pulling back and giving me a warm smile.

"Okay mom," I said returning her smile, "I promise." I finished and she chuckled before moving to grab her bag.

"Well, I have to head to work now." She turned to me raising a brow. "Do you need a ride to school?" She asked me softly and I immediately went to respond in disagreement though I found myself pausing, stopping myself. Then I gave her a long look as she watched on with care on her face.

"Yes," I whispered, "I'd love that actually," I told her and she motioned for me to follow her. Grabbing my bag I threw it over my shoulder before doing so. And after waving goodbye to her after she dropped me off I turned around and made my way into the school. I knew I'd run into Amity at some point, it was inevitable, but I wanted to avoid it for as long as possible if I could manage it. I didn't like how last night had made me feel because of her and I'm not too sure if I was ready to face her.

As I approached my locker I kept my eyes away from the direction she was most likely in and hoped it would remain so long enough to buy me the time I needed to come up with a plan of approach. While I planned out the actions I'd take upon the imminent moment I'd come across her I mindlessly took books from my locker. A familiar presence came up beside me and I turned, letting out a breath of relief when I saw it had been Viney.