Hallucinations

Chapter 1 {skype calls and fuzzy socks}

I take off my mismatched fuzzy socks as I walk back into my room after breakfast and a deep night's sleep. I open up my laptop as I slide under my covers into my bed yet again. I slide open my laptop and check the time; 8:32 AM. Three minutes until my skype session that I've been waiting weeks for. I look at my bed stand and glance at a photo of my parents from when they were young, and the happiness I felt is suddenly lost. I quickly try to forget about it and stare at my socks on the floor bought from the dollar section at Target and put them in my dresser. I smell something baking from the kitchen and feel an instant reminder of how my mother loved to bake. Or at least she used to.

I forget about my depressing thoughts as soon as my phone buzzes to alert me that I've received a text from my best friends, Lake and Quentin. I open it with a smile; their both ready.

My grandma walks into my room and smiles at me, "Are you missing your friends?" she asks with a soft smile.

"A lot," I reply.

Our conversation is interrupted by Skype singing it's catchy ringtone from my laptop. We talk for over an hour, and I end it by making up an excuse for me to go watch Netflix; and our call ends.

 I try to think of some chores I used to do back home, soI tell my grandma that I'm going outside. I walk down the driveway and notice little kids playing in their front yard in a sandbox, remembering how Dad had built me one when I was seven.

A tear rolls down my cheek as I open the mailbox. I look through the mail to see if there's anything for me. All there is are bills. Why did I think there would be mail for me anyway? The move was so sudden that the only people I had the chance to tell were Lake and Quentin, who spread the news after I left for me.

I hand the mail to grandma and head to the kitchen and then resort to hanging out in my room. I sit down on my bed and I glance at the mirror from my closet door that's staring at me. I look at my blue eyes and remember how Dad would say they reminded him of an endless ocean. I play with my red hair and think of how Mom would say that my temper never matched my hair, ever since I was a baby. I glance at the hundreds of freckles that cover my nose and cheeks, recalling how I would try to count them when I was little.

I start to pick up the endless amounts of clothes on the floor; after finally  making up my mind for the first day of school tomorrow; choosing outfits is an impossible task when it comes to me.

I empty my trash can that's filled with useless school papers from my old school in France.

I pick up my bike that I loved more than anything back in France;  but now it lies sad on a wall of my room. I loved it more than anything in France; remembering how every Saturday I would spend biking to hang out with Quentin and Lake. I open my computer to see if Lake is online, and to my surprise, she is. Out of boredom, I try calling her, and strangely, she actually picks up.

"Hey 'Manda," she says, calling me by the nickname she invented.

"Hey!" I say, really excited that she's online. I hear cheering noises in the background and ask, "What's the noise?"

"I'm at Brittany's birthday party!" She says, like she's having the time of her life. The camera shakes as she runs over to somewhere; then shoves the camera in front of who I know is Brittany, one of the most popular girls from our school in France.

"Amanda wanted to say happy birthday!" Lake's voice shouts; even though she clearly knows I hate her and don't want to.

"Happy birthday," I say bored and unenthusiastically to the camera, feeling a pang of jealousy. I thought Lake hated the popular girls as much as I did?

I hang up and leave Lake to partying with the popular kids. I immediately hear the ringtone of her calling me back, and I decline. She's clearly having plenty of fun without me.

I guess all that blabber about how she hated them was a lie! I can't believe I thought she didn't like them; me moving away was simply the perfect opportunity for her to become popular. No wonder she said she hasn't been hanging out with Quentin; she wasn't even sad when I said I was moving.

~

Thanks for reading, more chapters coming soon! Be sure to vote and leave a comment!

-Taika