Listen Lucky

1. The Maverick

Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

My Friday started out like any other but by the end of the day my life had been changed forever.

I hit snooze on my alarm five times before actually dragging myself out of bed. I hurried through my shower, skipped breakfast and yelled at my sister to hurry up.

"Willow! We're going to be late!" I called up the stairs to her. "What are you looking at mom?" I asked to my nosy mother who was spying out of the window, using the curtains to half cover her face.

"There's a new car on the Patterson's drive way," she informed me, squinting her eyes to see better. My mother was the sort of woman you would go to if you wanted to hear the local gossip. The sort of woman that would chat over the garden fence to our neighbours about our other neighbours. Privacy was not a word that existed in her vocabulary.

"Perhaps they have a guest?" I suggested, rolling my eyes at her nosiness as I grabbed my bag off of the kitchen table. "Willow!" I shouted once again as I frantically searched for my car keys.

"You blame me for us being late but you're the one who takes twenty minutes in the shower," Willow huffed as she appeared in the kitchen.

"You can put your opinions next to the cares I give, somewhere near Timbucktoo" I told her sarcastically before getting down on my hands and knees to search the floor.

"You know you're such a b-"

"Willow!" My mom warned, cutting my little sister off. She was only a year younger than me but it felt as if there were worlds between us. Galaxies even. Let's just say, we weren't close like sisters are supposed to be.

"How the hell did they get under the fridge?" I mused as I grabbed them, trying to avoid the cobwebs and other gross things lurking in the dark.

"Malia, please look after your keys, it's the only set you've got," mom chastised me as I walked past her to the door.

"I will actually hang them up when I get home today, I promise," I assured her, even though I knew I'd forget.

"Kisses please, girls," My father requested as he walked into the kitchen, tie askew. He was a great man. Extremely patient considering my older brother had moved out and he was left living alone with three women. Three women who didn't particularly get along, at that.

"Love you Pops," I kissed his cheek as I passed him.

"Love you Daddy," Willow did the same and then we were out of the house and on our way to the prison camp known as high school.

***

The ride to school in my little red car was as silent as it always was. Any attempts at conversation on my behalf warranted one word replies. Willow really resented me.

For years I had been a rebellious teenagers, getting in fights, stealing and even verbally assaulting police officers. Its no surprise Willow disliked me as I had stolen my parent's attention and been selfish for so many years. Even though it had been two years since I had got into any sort of trouble, the hurt was still fresh for her.

"Have you heard the news?" My best friend Emma ran over to where I was getting books out of my locker.

"Yeah! They found stardust on the Earth that might actually be older than the sun. That's pretty cool!" I mused, even though I was fully aware that was not what she was talking about. Emma and I had different opinions on what constituted 'news'.

"No you nerd, that is not cool. What is cool though is the super hot new guy. He might actually be as hot as the sun," she copied my tone of voice for the last sentence, mocking me.