What If...

Chapter One

Maya's POV

I woke up to my obnoxious broken alarm clock that cannot be turned off until it goes off for ten minutes straight first, but I'm just lucky it still works. There was something different about this morning though. And of course, the very noticeable difference, I am up before noon because I have school, but there was something else different. There was a refreshing smell coming from down the hall in the kitchen. Someone else was home, it wasn't just me. It only took one guess to know who was home, my mother, she's the only other person I live with, but why was she home? And why was she actually using the kitchen? We usually stop by McDonald's and order off the dollar menu or buy pre-cooked, frozen, single-serving TV dinners.

She had to know that I was awake by now, after all my alarm had been going off for a good two minutes while I just lay in my bed. I got up to go see what she was doing, but decided to get dressed first. I went to pick out my favorite outfit, but realized that my mom hasn't had time to go to the laundromat to wash clothes in a while. There are only two pairs of shorts left in my drawer. At least my school is pretty lenient on the dress code and lets the girls wear shorts as long as your butt isn't hanging out the back. I grab the black pair that doesn't look as worn down as the lighter ones. Then I turn to the hangers of shirts. I have a lot of shirts, but most of them are baggy and worn down. My fancier shirts are hung up in the back, I had to push the other hangers and clothes out of the way to see them. I decided on a nice long sleeve. It is a medium shade of purple with three arrows going across it, it's actually one of my favorites. I decided not to put socks on until later because we usually don't have the air-conditioning on because that's extra money that we don't have, and I didn't want to be too hot before I left.

When I got to the kitchen, my mom was putting the last batch of pancakes on a plate, then turned around to set them on the table and saw me.

"Good morning sunshine, did you wake up okay? I know you're probably tired and already annoyed with the day, but I figured since it's the first day of high school, I'd start you off right and give you a nice breakfast. You've been up for awhile now though, I heard your alarm, are you okay, why'd it take....'

'Mom I'm fine, I just laid in bed for a while and then got dressed. Could you stop blabbering and we sit down and eat these nice pancakes before they get cold?" I say with a slight laugh. My mom tends to just get rambling unless you stop her, I wonder if she does that when she is waitressing?

"Of course we can, some of them have chocolate chips in them, because I know you like chocolate." That's true, I do love chocolate, but we don't have the money to be splurging like this.

"Thanks mom, but you didn't have to, you actually didn't even have to make me breakfast. You do understand that I know we don't have a lot of money right? That you don't have to hide that fact from me? After all, I am a high school-er now." I made sure on that last part to sound more monotone and to put my hands on my hips for extra effect.

"Of course I know that sweetie, I just wanted you to have a normal day for once, and I promise, those clothes will be washed by when you wake up tomorrow." Of course I know that means she will stay up all night at the laundromat doing them, but I ignored that and grabbed a plate out of the cabinet and sat down at the table.

"So are you excited for your very first day at Monroe High School? I remember when I was in high school. It was a fun four years. I hope they are fun for you to!" By the time my mom finished saying this, she had already grabbed a plate out of the cabinet, set it on the table, and stabbed two pancakes with a fork and dropped them on that plate. She, of course, took the plain pancakes, leaving the chocolate chip ones for me.

"I hope so too, Mom. I am kinda excited, but I feel like everyone will still treat me like a new girl, well everyone except Haley." Haley Hauser was my best friend, we hung out almost everyday over summer, and I still don't understand why she is so nice to me and is my friend. She is pretty much an add on to the trio of friends, making it a quad, but she chooses to hang out with me instead. Of course, she also hangs out with Farkle because they are dating. They are a really cute couple, but he has something against me or something like that so I can never be a third wheel. Which in a way is okay, because who wants to be the third wheel, but I'd like to be better friends with my best friends boyfriend of almost a year now.