At First Glance

Chapter 1: Amber

Hello! Thank you for choosing to read this. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know if there is anything you think I should work on.
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"Come on, Amber!" Mindy practically begs as I shove the rest of my sandwich into my mouth. "It's so cozy and the owner is really nice."

I sigh and shake my head for the millionth time. "Not happening, Mindy. I already told you, reading isn't my thing." Mindy had been trying to convince me to go to this new bookstore downtown since the beginning of the school day. She had tried multiple tactics to get me to comply. One of them involved threatening to kidnap my cat.

"You don't have to get a book. I just want you to take a look around. They have a small cafe right by it, maybe we could get cookies!"

I scoff and get up to throw my tray away. Mindy follows me to the trash can, waiting for me to answer her. "I don't see the point in going to a bookstore if you don't plan on buying a book."

She shakes her head as we sit back down. "People do it all the time, and besides, the owner seems really nice."

I nod my head with a mock look of seriousness on my face. "Yeah, you mentioned."

She rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Well, me, Chad, and Liv went the other day after we heard it opened—you know how much Liv likes her books—and the owner was walking around to see how everyone was doing. We got to talk to her, and she told us that she was looking for workers and—"

"You want me to work there?" I ask, dumbfounded at the thought.

"Obviously not," Mindy states blatantly. "What I was going to say before you cut me off, was that Liv was thinking of applying."

I narrow my eyes. "Isn't she working at the library?" Liv has been working at the town library for the past two years. They started hiring people at age fifteen, and she had jumped at the opportunity.

"Well, yeah." Mindy waved her hand around her head as she spoke, still poking at her mac and cheese with a fork in the other one. "But she said she liked the owner here way better, and she wants to do more than just work at the public library."

I nodded along with her words. That made sense. Liv had always liked switching things up. Trying out new hair colors, new styles, new nails, pretty much anything you could think of, Liv had done it. I had always been more of a scheduled person. I liked having activities I did throughout the day, things to look forward to. I try to switch it up every now and then, but fuck can it be hard.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

Mindy shoves her lunchbox back into her backpack and slings it over her shoulder. "So are you going to go with us after school?"

I thought for a second longer this time.

Try putting yourself out there more. You don't have to do anything insane, but I don't want you inside all day. It's not healthy, you need to do other things too.

Put yourself out there.

I finally nod. "Yeah. What time are we going to leave?"

Mindy stared at me for a second. Probably wondering whether I was being sarcastic or not. I could tell she made her decision when she squealed and pulled me into a tight hug. When she finally pulled away, she said, "We're meeting up in the courtyard straight after school. It's only about a mile or so of a walk, so we'll be able to make it there before three."

I smile and say goodbye. She pulls me into one more hug, thanking me again, before rushing off to her next class. I walk the opposite way, trying to make my way to math, when I bump into someone. I see their vibrant pink hair before I see their face.

"Sorry!" Liv squeaks. "Sorry, Amber."

I smile. "It's no big deal." My eyes catch something as I look up to see her. I meet her eyes and make an inquisitive look. "Where were you and Chad at lunch? You left Mindy all alone to convince me to go to that new bookstore with you guys."

She laughs and rubs her neck. "We were eating in Mr. Jameson's room," she says. "But are you going with us later?"

"Um, yeah." I look back down at the purple bruise on her neck. "Are you sure you guys were in Mr. Jameson's room?"

Liv reaches her hand back up to her neck with a confused expression before she widens her eyes. She hastily says she'll see me later before she walks straight towards the bathrooms.

I chuckle softly as I continue to make my way to class.

* * *

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

There's still fourteen minutes until the bell rings, but I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the clock. I still have to text my parents to let them know that I'm going out, and I'd do almost anything to be home right now.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

I finally pull my eyes away from the clock, looking down at my shoes. They're black combat boots, my favorite. I had even gotten a brown pair after having the black ones for a while. They're big and comfortable, but relatively quiet when walking around. Squeaky shoes have always been a no go for me.

I force myself to look at my computer, but my eyes automatically flick down to the digital clock in the corner of the screen, counting down the minutes. Only eleven left. I look back at the words on the page. I move my cursor to the other tab, looking at the questions about the article. Maybe if I read the questions first, I'll only have to read the article once. But I can't focus my eyes on the words long enough to truly comprehend them.

I look back at the clock on the wall.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

I close my eyes tightly, rubbing them as if to reset my mind. When I open them, I tell myself I can finish the work at home. It's just history. Dates and names. Dates and names.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

I didn't even realize my eyes drifted back to the clock until I heard the ticking again. Or maybe I heard the ticking first.

A shrill sound knocks me out of my thoughts roughly, causing me to flinch. I look back at the clock, but the ticking is obscured by the shuffles of feet and chatter of voices. I close my computer and slip it back into my bag, flinging it over my shoulder before walking out of the classroom.

The squeaks on the floor pierce my ears, and I can't tell if people do it on purpose anymore.
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Let me know if you like it, and if you'd like more. You can give me ideas or advice if you'd like to. This is my first fic, and I'm not entirely sure how it's going to go yet (I am writing this first chapter on a school night with no plan or layout). Feel free to let me know what I can improve on, and I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!