Solstice

Chapter 2

*above is a picture of Iris played by India Eisley*

The next Monday, I woke up to sunlight, fifteen minutes before my alarm was going to go off. I used those minutes to sit by my window, and to dream of a world that wasn't always the same; of a world that didn't smell like smoke and taste like dirt. I was staring into the rising sun, wondering how it would feel to touch, when Arden sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled when her glazed eyes finally focused on me.

"Nothing," I replied, getting up and walking to my bed, shutting off my alarm just as it went off.

I showered fast, then blow dried my hair until it was straight. I put on a pair of jeans and a white shirt, then grabbed a cardigan before running downstairs. I grabbed a muffin off the counter and kissed Tina's cheek.

"See you at 7," I said cheerfully, opening the door and trying my best to get out before I could say anything. I wasn't so lucky.

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

I stopped and peeked my head back through the door, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Where are you rushing off to?" She folded her arms across her chest. "It's barely 8, school doesn't start for another forty minutes!"

"I'm meeting Ben," was all I said as I pulled the door shut behind me. I took a bite of the muffin as I walked down the street.

•••

"Tina didn't ask why you were leaving the house so early?"

Ben and I sat in a coffee shop across the street from the school.

I scoffed. "Oh, she asked. I told her I was meeting you, then bolted."

"God, that woman would lock you up if she could," he muttered, shaking his head. "I cannot wait till I leave for college."

I nodded in agreement.

Ben checked his phone and I followed as he stood up, tossing our empty cups in the trash. We walked across the street, through the front doors of Mason County High School, and into Mr. Neil's algebra class just as the bell rang. Ben and I fist bumped and took our seats in the back row.

The class went by uneventfully, as did the next two before lunch. Lunch was pizza and salad, the same as every Monday. The three classes after lunch dragged by, making me think vaguely of a cat dragging the body of a bird; slow and gruesome.

When that final bell rang at 3, I bolted out as fast as I could. I loaded my homework from my locker to my backpack, and started my swim upstream through the kids trying to get out the gym doors. I hit Ben's shoulder as I passed by his locker on my way down the hallways.

"See ya tomorrow, loser," he called after me.

I smirked and turned around, shaking my head at him. I waited at the bus stop with my earbuds in, drowning out the outside world. I hopped on the bus when it arrived, tossed in my change, and chose a seat near the doors. The ride to the gym seemed slower than usual, as if it knew I was itching to get my gloves on. It was like it was going slow on purpose, just to annoy me.

When it finally got to my stop, I leaped off and walked as fast as I could without drawing attention to myself towards The Ring. The best boxing gym in all of Kentucky. I was proud to be a part of it, really. I was making history with every championship I won.

I deposited my school bag in the change room and changed into shorts and a tank top. I pulled my hair up and slipped my running shoes on, then grabbed my gloves and joined the group that had begun to form.

Those were the people I spent my Monday afternoons with. It wasn't much, but I ran with them, trained with them, fought with them. I considered that place a second home; the people a second family.

We spent the first hour running and working out. The second hour was working on the motions, warming up our fighting skills. The third hour was where it got fun. One on one matches, going easy of course. I trained as hard as I could for as long as I could, but it still ended far to soon.

•••

When I got home, Tina was still at work, so I put a pot of water on the stove to boil and grabbed the bag of uncooked noodles from the pantry. I made a sauce, and set the table as it was cooking. Tina stepped through the door just as I was putting the pasta on the table.

"Looks good," she said, dropping her purse down on the counter.

"Arden!" I yelled up the stairs.

"What?" She yelled back.

I sighed. "Dinner!"

She came trudging down the stairs, and we all sat down. We passed the food in a circle, eating quickly.

"Thanks for making dinner Iris," was all that was said.