~ Perfect Imperfection ~

~ Chapter 1 - Perfect ~

Denise was perfect. Literally. She was an academic prodigy, she was punctual, and even had a popular boyfriend. There was nothing anyone could see that was wrong with her life. Denise was perfect.

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"I am perfect. I am perfect."

"I am..." I tug a little at my ponytail, a nervous habit. I puff out my chest, looking in the mirror as I finish my daily morning affirmations. "Perfect."

Maybe it's stupid, but one of my classmates told me to do it after I broke up with my old boyfriend. She's a sweet girl, but maybe a little overbearing?

I check my clock. There are no numbers or even lines to go off of, because Mom threw out my old clock saying it wouldn't help me reach my full potential in analogue reading.

It's easy though. Exactly four in the morning, I decide. That's enough time to do next week's homework Ms Sherly provided for me, and then do next month's homework that Madam Soot Beng gave me. I frown, clutching my rumbling stomach.

Breakfast can wait.

I stride downstairs and, as expected, nobody's there. Mom's probably driving to the office already, she said she has a very important meeting so she can't work from home. Dad, on the other hand...

I sigh, forcing the thought from my mind. Mom would literally go ballistic if I addressed him as anything other than his first name. I'm always reminded that if I don't do well in school, I'll become like him. An outcast, exiled from the family.

I sit at the modern kitchen island, my legs fidgeting. I start on my physics homework, the hanging light in the kitchen my only way to see through the early morning darkness.

For some reason though, I keep feeling distracted. I've noticed that recently, my focus dips completely, and I find my attention drifting off to my phone. I smile when I remember my boyfriend, Vincent.

I open our texts, and send my daily 'good morning' message. I know he's not awake yet, but I'm sure he appreciates it anyway. I cover my mouth, yawning. I stayed up late last night. Or, maybe it would count as this morning? I remember studying at my desk at around two a.m, and then I guess I passed out.

I shake my head, continuing with my work. How stupid of me, falling asleep in the middle of studying. I click my pen vigorously as I berate myself, losing focus on the science in front of me. This is unfortunately normal for me. I get so worked up over the smallest things, and I'm already running late for school.

Well, technically, I'm not late. The school gates aren't meant to be opened until seven, but I always show up at five. The school gave me keys to the building and to my homeroom. Bearing this in mind, I've practically overslept.

I check my watch. This won't do. I grab my paper and my pencil, walking towards my front door. I don't enjoy doing homework while walking, but I have a daily schedule, and can't afford to run over on a single step.

"The gradient of a distance time graph is the speed..." I mumble, hopping over a crack in the pavement. "That means the car moved at six metres per second in the last two- good morning, Mr King!" I say, briefly looking up to see the familiar man opening up his store. He waves back at me, his usual big smile on his face.

I'm not sure why most people in my area don't like Mr King. Apparently he's mean to teenagers, but he's always been nice to me. 

"Doing more homework, Denise?" he asks, soft-spoken as usual. I nod quickly, showing Mr King my paper. He's the only one who begins to open his store so early, since he's one of the few workers in his small library. So, it's nice when we cross paths in the morning. "Ah, physics. I hate science."

I chuckle. "It's really not that hard, Mr King. You see, the amplitude of the wave is the distance from a peak or-"

"That's lovely, Denise, but I really need to open my store. Duty calls..."

"You're trying to get rid of me."

"It's too early for you to ramble on about transvelt caves-"

"Transverse waves."

"Yeah, transverse or whatever... And vedolity-"

"Velocity." my grin grows wider when he rolls his eyes.

"Just get to class, Kid." I begin walking away, saying a fast 'goodbye', "and be careful!"

I stick up a thumbs up, already immersed again in my homework. I don't need to be careful. I've lived here long enough to know everything to expect. Like how I just kicked a football away without looking up. What kind of psycho kids even play football at this time is the question I've asked myself for years.

The gates make a beeping noise as they open up for me. Nobody other than the staff members have the fobs, but I was given one because it became a safeguarding issue for me to study outside waiting for Mr Salim (the security guard) to arrive, when they realised I'd sometimes have to stay out in the rain for hours.

Click!

I take a deep breath as I enter my room. School air is one of my favourite sensations, especially when I walk into class T1-T5. I switch on the lights, sitting down at my table and beginning next month's English homework I was given early.

"Denise, good morning."

I look up to see Ms Sherly, my homeroom teacher, sitting at her desk, looking half-asleep.

"Ms Sherly!" I pause. "I didn't see you there."

"Denise, it's half past seven..." the lady groans, pinching the bridge of her nose when she realises I lost track of time working. "How long have you been here?"

"Since five o'clock." I grin sheepishly, "as usual."

"Do you even get any sleep?" she questions, and I bite my lip, considering it.

"Yeah, of course I do."

"That's wonderful, because I don't." Ms Sherly lays her head down on the table, and I grimace. "Let me know when your classmates arrive."

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