Damsel In Distress

Chapter Three

We got ready for school in silence, neither of us having the energy to talk.  My mom had made breakfast and was getting ready to walk out the door when we finally came stumbling down the stairs.  She raised her phone and snapped a quick candid of us before saying, "your fathers waiting for me, breakfast is on the counter, enjoy your first day of school."

We both thanked my mom before walking off to the kitchen.  She made blueberry pancakes today and already had orange juice for me, and water for Vic, poured and waiting by our plates.  We both picked at our food and waited for Jared who promised us a ride to school this morning.  Vic usually drives the two of us but since she drove here with her parents last night she didn't have her car.  And my family is a one car household, my father usually drops my mother off at work and picks her up afterwards.  Luckily for me I have two best friends who live within a couple minutes of me who both have cars.

I do have my license though, I got that as soon as I was able to.  And my parents were planning to help me buy a used car for my sweet 16, but then it got pushed to my dancing years 17, and again it got pushed to my finally an adult 18.  Although I'm not bitter about that fact, I know money sometimes gets tight around my house, my father has been having trouble recruiting new clients.  Apparently nobody believes in therapy.  And my mother makes barely enough to cover the mortgage, let alone extra expenses.  But despite their financial trouble they never seem to let it become an issue, we always find a way.

Vic jumped up as soon as she heard Jared's truck rumbling down the street.  She ditched the rest of her breakfast in the trash and put her plate in the sink before running towards the front door.  I sighed and did the same but more slowly.  When I made my way outside I was shocked to find Vic already strapped in, in the middle seat of the cab.  I tried the best I could to control my face as I slid in the passenger seat and buckled.

"It's not too late to just ditch and go to Canada," Jared offered.

"Yeah?  Are you going to smuggle us over?"  Vic joked.

"If you asked me to, I would," he promised her.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Vic smile for the first time today and it made me that much more grateful that Jared had driven us.  Vic turned up the radio as we made our way to the school.  Jared sang along to every song and Vic bobbed her head to the beat.  I felt like the odd man out, not singing or bobbing, I felt slightly worried one of them was going to notice my grim mood but luckily neither of them had.

When we got to the school both Jared and Vic were comparing schedules as we walked to our new senior year wing.  Our highschool had two floors, and the school itself was shaped like a giant U.  On the bottom left wing was the freshman hallway, the top left wing was the sophomores, the bottom right juniors and finally the top right was reserved for the seniors.  We went to Jared's locker first and watched him try and fail a couple times opening it, he dropped all his belongings in there and then we were off towards Vic's.

She managed to open hers on the first try, and then we watched as she put in her locker organizer and promptly organized her belongings within it.  Finally we made our way to my locker, like Vic I was able to get my combination right the first try.  When my locker opened I hung my bag on the hook and took out only a notebook and a pen.  Unlike my friends I take the first day very seriously, I write down a list of everything I am going to need for the year and I take detailed notes about what the class will entail for me.

Once we were done at my locker, Jared and I dropped Vic off at her first period and then made our way to ours.  Unfortunately I only have one class with Vic this year, lunch.  But Jared and I have first, third and eighth period together.  And by some sick twist of fate we have gym first period.  We were able to make it to the gymnasium with seconds to spare before the first bell rang.  I had been so distracted by the teacher's introductions that when I finally looked around the bleachers we were sitting on to check out my fellow gym-mates my heart leapt into my throat.