I Don't Care About Your Stupid Space Plants

One

One of two things were true: either the sun was too bright, or Maddie Evans' hangover was really bad, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the sun was behaving normally. Two days ago, she had graduated with the latest class of the year 2129, gotten her four-year degree in hologram advertising design and walked across a stage with thousands of people watching her. One day ago, she was out celebrating with her best friend Chloe, but they might've partied a little too hard, because now Maddie has to pack her things and fly from Los Angeles back home to Miami, and all she can think about is the throbbing pain in her head.

Forcing herself to get out of bed, she stumbled her way to the bathroom and plopped down in front of the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach into it, the automatic light feeling like it was burning its way directly into her brain. After what felt like forever, she stood up and cleaned herself off. She quickly glanced in the mirror and what she saw made her want to vomit again. Her wavy brown hair had been horribly braided into knots she was sure won't come out easily, her hoodie had some stain on it that she didn't dare smell to identify, and she had the most extreme bags underneath her eyes. Maddie's never been one to really care too much about her appearance, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

She figured her hair was going to take at least an hour to fix, but her clothes were easy enough, so she threw on her favorite gray beanie to cover up the rat's nest, put on some deodorant, and changed into a fresh hoodie. While she was trying to pack her suitcase, she heard her phone ringing, but didn't care to check it. She had an hour to get to the airport, and she wasn't about to risk it any more than she already had. Her flight was supposed to leave at 11:00 in the morning, and the small hologram being projected from the clock beside her bed said it was already 9:45. She had her big suitcase and her backpack, all of which were stuffed full with clothes and memories of the past four years. She was honestly a little sad to leave her tiny little dorm, but she didn't have time for any goodbyes, so she quickly snapped a picture of the empty room on her phone and made her way downstairs.

She opened the front door and went down the concrete steps, speed walking her way towards the bus stop. She could see the bus already at the stop down the road, but when she was about 20 feet away, the brakes hissed and the bus took off, leaving her behind. She cursed under her breath as panic rose in her chest. She was going to miss her flight, all because she wanted one last fun night with Chloe before they had to get back to reality. Of course, she wouldn't trade it for the world, but between the migraine and the bus leaving her, she was really starting to question her decision...until she heard the car horn behind her.

She turned around, half startled by the noise, and half in pain from it, but gave a breathy laugh of relief when she saw who it was. The car sped up to Maddie and slammed on the brakes, making the tires squeal a little. The passenger window was rolled down, and in the driver's seat was none other than Maddie's guardian angel, Chloe Maxwell herself. "Get in, bitch. You're late."

Maddie ran to the trunk of the car with a smile, threw in her bags beside Chloe's, and slammed it shut before hopping into the passenger seat. She turned to Chloe and said "you have no idea how perfect your timing was."

Chloe put the car in drive and slammed her foot on the accelerator, throwing them both back into their seats. "No, I have a pretty good idea. I knew I needed to swoop in and save the day when you didn't answer the phone."

Maddie rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You know me too well."

"I'm afraid so, babes." Maddie and Chloe had been best friends since middle school. They had both lived in Miami their whole lives, decided to go to the same college, and had graduated at the same time, despite Maddie getting a degree in HoloAdvert design and Chloe getting a degree in starship engineering. "Got your ticket and everything?"