What if We Were Real?

2

6:30 a.m.

August 29th.

I get dressed, make my coffee and get on my bus. I'm the first stop, so it's just me there. To avoid awkward conversation with the driver, I put my headphones in and started listening to music. I got so into it, that I didn't even realize we were at my best friend Lindsay's house. I was looking out the foggy window, ready to fall asleep, when all of a sudden I feel a tap on my shoulder.

I look up to see Lindsay Morris, in her usual black leather jacket, red tank top, and the brightest pink lipstick anyone has ever seen. Lindsay wasn't the type to really care what people thought of her, and you could tell in the way she dressed. While it always seemed a bit over the top or tacky to me, I admired her for her confidence.

"May I join you, ma'am?" Lindsay teased. I laughed and said "Sit down, you freak."

Lindsay plopped down in the seat next to me and set her bags beside her. She put her hand on my left leg and gave me a wide grin.

"What's got you all hyped up?" I asked her.

"Senior year officially starts today! Can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday we were freshman, roaming around the dusty halls, getting beat up by seniors." Lindsay laughed.

She continued to talk but I sort of zoned out. I love Lindsay to death, but sometimes she just doesn't know when to stop talking. She knows that I'm not a morning person, but continues to talk my ear off every morning on the bus.

Eventually, more students started packing in on the bus. It got louder and louder with each obnoxious child that got on. It got to the point where I couldn't get in my extra minutes of sleep. I turned to Lindsay and realized she had stopped talking. She either was finished talking and went about her business, or stopped talking because she realized I didn't care.

"Where'd Sienna go?" I asked Lindsay. Sienna was our other best friend, who normally got on the bus last because her neighborhood was the last stop.

"She missed the bus...again," Lindsay replied. "She texted me and said she got a ride from some lady who caught her running down the road."

"I told her she needs to stop getting rides from strangers," I said. "One of these days that stranger isn't going to have the best intentions in mind and she-"

"Don't even say it," Lindsay said, interrupting me.

Lindsay hated the topics of rape or kidnapping. She had this certain fear of strangers or coming across anyone she didn't know. I always told her she would need to get over that fear, because she's gonna come across strangers every day, but I respected that she didn't like to talk about it.

The bus pulled up at our school and me and Lindsay hurried off. We immediately started walking into school, when suddenly we heard a voice.

"Raina!" said this voice we heard.

"Who's that?" I said as I looked around.

Before I knew it, a girl jumped in front of me. It was Sienna, who was wearing her ginger hair in a ponytail, and a blue lace shirt with leggings.

Sienna gave me a tight hug and smiled.
"I can't believe we're finally seniors. Aren't you excited?" she said.

"Well, it's no summer but I'm trying to make the best of it." I replied.

"I'm just trying to get my diploma and get out of here," said Lindsay. Sienna nodded her head and agreed.

"I'm trying to wait a little bit," I said. "Y'know, cause it's either this place or medical school."

"Raina, by the time you turn 18, you will be able to choose whatever career you want. You don't have to be a doctor or anything medical for that matter." Sienna said.

"Sounds easy enough, but you don't know my parents." I said, shaking my head in shame.

Suddenly, I got a text. It was from Ethan.

"Good morning beautiful, meet me inside the school. We need to talk."

I looked up to see Sienna and Lindsay staring at me with curiousity. They knew something was up, they just didn't know what. And I wasn't planning on telling them either.

"Let's go inside," I said. "It's getting a little cold out here anyways."

We went inside the school, only to find Ethan standing a few feet from the front doors. I gave him a fake smile as I rushed to his side. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug and lifted me off the ground. As he began to put me down, he softly kissed me. One kiss led to one french kiss after another, and I got so distracted that I forgot Lindsay and Sienna were standing right there.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sienna shouted. "Can we not do this here?!".

I backed away from Ethan and bit my lower lip, looking at Sienna with guilt.

"Come on, Raina, I need to talk to you." Ethan said.

"Sure, go for it." I said.

"Not here, in front of them," Ethan replied, scowling at Lindsay and Sienna, who were now looking at us in disgust.

I rolled my eyes and pulled Ethan aside.

"What do you need to talk about?" I asked.

"The other night," Ethan said. "I want you to know that you don't have to let my opinion affect your decisions. I might not want you to cut your hair, but you are your own person and I'm not going to stand in the way of what you want."

"Really? Thank you, baby, that means so much." I said, hugging Ethan.

"Yeah, so what if I have to have a dyke for a girlfriend? If it makes you happy, I'm happy."

And that ladies and gentleman, is where Ethan almost got himself killed. Again.

I pushed Ethan away from me and looked at him, trying to see if he was serious. Given his oblivious look, I was sure he was. I was completely horrified to think that my boyfriend thought all girls with short hair are lesbians.

"Ethan, not every woman with short hair is a dyke, you understand that, don't you?" I asked.

"Of course I do," Ethan said. "I never said that short haired women are dykes, I said they look like dykes."

That was when I knew I had to walk away. Ethan called for me a couple times as I left him, but I really couldn't handle his ignorance again.

I walked back up to Lindsay and Sienna, who were impatiently waiting for me.

"So, ready to go to class?"