We're Not Alone

Chapter 1

Scarletts POV

I toss my phone down on my bed, finally giving up on Delilah responding anytime soon. It's the night before my first day of junior year, and I'm already over it. I actually like the work portion of school, I've always been pretty smart so most of the work is straightforward, giving me an easy way to pass the time.

But this year is different, my best friend, Delilah won't be at school with me, her family is rich, and her parents decided to spend the whole school year in Spain. Apparently, you can do high school online? Like studying abroad? I don't know, most likely her family donated a little something to the school for them to agree to it. But that means my one and only friend won't be here this entire year, I'm alone.

I mean sure, I have my brother, Noah, who's in my grade, and we get along at home, but we're not really friends. We don't hang out besides family nights, or occasionally playing video games and he definitely doesn't offer the idea of me hanging out with his friends.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that people hate or bully me, most everyone likes me. They don't complain if they get paired up for projects, because I'm nice to everyone, I do my share of the work, I'm pretty quiet, but no one besides Delilah would pick me as their partner unless they didn't know or like anyone else in the class. I'm the one people ask to work with then they realize they don't have a friend in that class.

The only thing keeping me even somewhat sane is Delilah, and even though we've talked every day since she left last month, it won't be the same. I won't have anyone to eat lunch with, no one to get coffee with before school, no one to hang out in my room and talk about nonsense, oh god I might have to eat in the library, oh god this is going to be awf-

Thankfully my rambling thoughts are interrupted by my door swinging open, god does no one in this house knock? Noah stumbles in, leaping on my bed, landing on my leg, I hiss in pain and pull my leg up to my chest "Whoops my bad, anyway, dinners ready loser" he jumps off the bed and races down the stairs, I reluctantly stand up and make my way down the stairs into the dining room, finding my dad and Noah at the table chatting, my dad giving a small smile as I slip past them to the kitchen where I find my mom, grabbing a pan of the stove.

I grab 4 plates ,plopping them down at the table before returning to the kitchen for utensils, my mom noticing my presence for the first time "Oh hi sweetie, would you mind setting the table for me?" she smiles and turns to the sink, draining the pasta water "I know its Noah's turn but him and your father are talking about sports and you know how hard it is to get them to stop" We share a small laugh, and as she turns to me I hold up the utensils and napkins that are now in my hand "already on it, what do you want to drink?" she ruffles my hair which is currently in two messy dirty blond braids, baby hairs poking out, and curtains bangs framing my face "thank you" she smiles then her face tilts as she ponders her drink choice before answering "I think red wine tonight, whatever bottle your dad wants" She decides and turns back to mixing the pasta with pesto.

I grab 2 wine glasses and head to the table, setting it with the plates, napkins, and utensils, setting the wine glasses in my mom and dad's spot, waiting for a brief pause in the conversation. When my mom says it's impossible to get them to stop talking about sports once they've already started, she means it.

I find my opportunity as Noah asks my dad about some player and my dad takes a while to think "Dad mom wants red wine, she said to ask you which one you want" I turn to Noah before speaking again "And do you just want water or something else?" my dad jumps in before Noah responds "Grab the red wine from the rack, I think its on the bottom, I can't remember the name but it has a butterfly on label" I nod "got it" and turn back to Noah "water and lemonade, thanks"

I nod and turn to the kitchen, getting 4 water cups, filling them all with water and all but 1 with ice, my dads a psycho, he hates ice in his water and I don't understand it, I giggle remembering how he started rambling about ice being inconvenient which turned into me and Noah making fun of him and all 4 of us laughed so hard that night.