Girl, Interrupted • HS

• O N E •

Loving her was like swimming in an ocean of quicksand; it takes a moment to realize you are indeed in an ocean of quicksand. You struggle against the current, doing everything in your power to not be sucked into a bottomless pit of nothing. Eventually, you then come to the conclusion that struggling makes matters worse so you accept the fact that you are going down. You stop fighting and you savor the moments you have until you are completely and utterly consumed.

Now, by no means am I saying that loving her was as awful as being consumed by quicksand. It was actually quite the opposite. It was rather beautiful.

Her name was Adrienne Reese and she was a wildfire. She was a wildfire and I had third degree burns.

      Coincidentally, our story starts off with a fire.

      •••

      It was a few hours into my Language and Composition exam. I remember I studied and crammed the night before and could feel all the information I had packed into brain leaking out. The lecture hall was quiet with about one hundred students taking their mid-term exams at Westbrook University.

      "Pssst," A voice obnoxiously hissed from behind me. I ignored it, focusing back on the work in front of me. "Harry, psst."

      Rolling my eyes, I turn around and whisper a "what?" The obnoxious footballer jock snorted in an annoying way.

      "What's number," he paused, looking back down at his exam packet. "Seventeen."

      Without a word, I turn back around in my seat and think the word pathetic hard, hoping he'd happen to have mind reading abilities so he could accidentally hear what I'd have to say about him rather than me be a prick and tell him. But, of course, this is the real world and things don't work that way.

      Another hour into the test, another few attempts at cheating from the footballer whose name I couldn't be bothered to remember, and we were halfway finished. Emphasis on were.

      Apparently, somebody decided that today would be the perfect day to pull the fire alarm, thus causing a clamorous alarming sound to replace the serene silence and a shower of water to splatter all over our backs.

      "Students! Leave your things and exit as quickly as possible!" The professor demanded, quickly getting up from his desk. There was no way I was leaving my phone to be ruined in this water so quickly take it out of my backpack and proceed to follow everyone else out of the massive lecture hall. Students from all sides of the main English hall poured out into the courtyard and began a swarm of gossip.

"Are our exams being cancelled?"

"When will we have to retake?"

"Will we retake them?"

What I wanted to know where this supposed fire was. Or were my suspicions correct, did someone purposefully pull the fire alarm? My mind fleeted to the possible culprits. Then I landed on one group it could've been.

The Wolves.

I spotted the leather-cladded and chain smoker group sitting atop a picnic table, talking about whatever those troublemakers talk about. A group of delinquent guys dressed in leather and all things considered "bad boy" with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. It was weird that they all looked similar and came from the same city, Wolverhampton. Their leader, Liam Payne, was quiet though. No doubt he was the one that pulled the alarm. He probably did it to get out of his exams because he didn't study.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and leaned up against the wall, waiting for an announcement to be made.

"What's got you all moody?" A faint voice cooed from beside me.

I pointed my eyes to Hudson, my rather annoying best friend. She observed the courtyard looking very smug and amused at the situation. Maybe she had been the one to pull the alarm. I wouldn't put it past her.

"Someone pulled the alarm." I state.

"I can see that. I just thought you'd be relieved after cramming last night." She shrugged, causing multiple pieces of her straight blonde hair to fall from her shoulder. "Bet you it was Liam."

"I know it was him. Just look how guilty he looks." I murmured slowly, glaring at his stupid face. "Honestly, I have no idea why administration allows him to attend this school."

"Well, it could be because his mum is the faculty advisor." She sarcastically admits.

I shrug in response and lean my head back against the wall, mindlessly looking over my classmates. I stop on an unfamiliar face, one that stands easily out of the crowd. The face is pale in comparison to our surrounding classmates and framed by black hair which had flowers and beads tangled into it. The girl sits alone in the middle of the courtyard with a guitar at hand. At first I don't hear any sound coming out of the instrument but when she strums faster, I hear the familiar tune of a popular song.

      "Students may return to exam rooms and resume testing, sorry for the inconvenience." A nasally voice came over the intercom. Immediately following the message, the whole courtyard chorused with groans.

      "See you at home, Harry!" Hudson calls over shoulder after skipping away from me. I dragged my eyes back to its previous spot but the girl nor her guitar were there anymore. I sighed, pushing myself off the concrete wall to return to the lecture hall. Just as I turned my gaze elsewhere, I was met with big blue eyes glaring into mine.

      "Look, Harry, pal." The footballer from my exam room began in a charming voice. As if second nature, I dramatically rolled my eyes at him, crossing my arms.

"I'm not helping you cheat, pal. Quit pestering me."

"Wow, and to think I once considered you a friend." He exclaimed melodramatically. "Obviously, I was wrong."

I chuckled in response in a bitter way, walking around him to return to the lecture hall to complete the exam. Of course, this footballer was notorious for being a brat and getting his way so he continued to bother me until the exam was started again.

While thinking up a topic for the fourth and final, free topic essay, my eyes found my way to the window on the east side of the room. It allowed the bright sun to shine through and view of the gardens. I was never the person to enjoy nature and all of its aspects but something, or rather someone in the garden caught my gaze. The same girl from before with the guitar sat on the ground with legs crossed together. I found it oddly peculiar how she just sat there playing her guitar while half the school were taking their exams. It was interesting how nothing else seemed to matter to her besides her guitar. Ideas began to fill my mind, just by looking at her.

I shake my head, turning my attention to my slightly wet exam packet instead of the interesting sight outside. I lift my pencil to the standardized essay packet and wrote down a title.

Girl vs. World

A U T H O R S N O T E

Hey everyone :)

So basically I'm very excited for this story because for the first time since I've started writing I'm actually putting some of my own qualities into my characters to make them more lively! It's a new thing I'm starting and like I stated earlier, I'm e x c i t e d.

Stay tuned for more!

Kisses and hugs, Noelle xx