Please Don't Let Me Go

Chapter 1- Coca-Cola

I was abruptly awoken at the godawful hour of 6am by the hideous sound of my alarm clock beside my bed.

I'd never hated that thing so much until now, as getting up of a morning lead to work.

Work for a job I hate.

Which meant an extremely long and boring day ahead.

I wish I'd tried harder in college. My grades came to such a degree of failure that the college refused to even accept my standard anymore; kicking me out. Even my parents agreed to pull me out.

So there I was, only one year ago: a graduated senior student of Owatonna High School, ready to leave out into the real world, get a substantial job, fall in love, get married, and have a family; living my life to the fullest, my beautiful infinity.

It's what everyone dreams of right? Wrong. Dreams are too often so far out of reach, it's a wonder why so many people give up on their lifetime goals.

Leaving high school isn't all what it's cracked up to be.

Everyone just expects to have these amazing life stories and adventures when they leave after twelve years of stress, pressure and learning.

School has given me nothing but exhaustion, chewed down fingernails and the sense I wasn't good enough.

You often hear all the teens of the generation enthusing about the future. I just wish I could warn them it's all a trap.

That school is just training for what's to come.

I dreamt of becoming a vet when I was eight years old. I was so sure, so ready to kick-start my dream career as soon as I left. And now, I'm a second year Coca-Cola employee who hasn't a clue what the future holds.

I guess life is full of disappointment sometimes.

The truth is, leaving school just means you're an adult. You are expected sustain your own life and responsibilities. Looking after yourself, living by yourself, and working for what makes the world go round. Money.

In a nutshell, this is reality at it's worst.

I dragged myself out of the warm covers and stumbled down stairs to the kitchen filled with the hearty and comforting smell of a cooked breakfast. My mother stood by the stove cooking pancakes and bacon.

The sun was only just up, still streaming steadily through the half-drawn curtains, lighting everything in its path.

My dad sat in his favorite couch reading the newspaper.

I turned on the television just in time for another episode of Spongebob; To this day, it still remains my favorite tv show.

"Aren't you a little old for that" my dad shouted from the living room.

"Nevvverrrr!" I replied proudly as the theme song ended, rolling into the start of the show.

He stared at me oddly before I shot back under his stare.

What?! A twenty-year-old guy isn't allowed to enjoy a good cartoon?!

That's another thing I hate about being an "adult" now: you're expected to be mature on this inside, to match your physical appearance.

Which means no Spongebob, or Disney movies, or anything fun in general.

If this is what being an adult means, then I never want to grow up. Remain a kid at heart. Always. That's how I want to live my life, ignoring the stress and adulthood burdens, and focusing on the things I enjoy most and living my life to the fullest, even if I have a crappy job.

Someday I'll have my own house, family, and a real job. And I can watch as many episodes of Spongebob as I want.

Just as the show ended, I could hear plates being put down at the table and the delicious smell of bacon and pancakes smothered in syrup, cream, and strawberries filled my nose, making my stomach churn and crave the delicious taste of food.

We all sat down and ate faster than usual, I was due at work by 6:45am to begin my twelve hour shift at the Coca-Cola factory.

I forked down the last mouthfuls, skulled some horrible-tasting lukewarm coffee before a quick shower.

I dressed quickly, pulling on some jeans and a T-shirt before heading out the door.

Keys in hand, I walked to my car (a beat-up 90's van) and reversed from the driveway, knocking over the trash can as I went.

I never really mastered reversing well; Easily shown by the scuff marks and dents all over the rear of the Van.

The silence was suffocating as I pulled off Mineral Springs Rd, and onto the somewhat-deserted highway.

The repetition of my day's routine was beggining to drive me insane. So rather than taking in the scenery and observing the wonderful crispness of morning like I usually did, I put a CD in the player.

Blink-182's "Here's Your Letter" began destroying the silence, and giving me a break from my everlasting train of though I was usually trapped in.

I subconsciously began singing along loudly... until I discovered a car beside me, and in the driver's seat two girls about my age laughing at me as I pulled up at the traffic lights beside them.

Worse still, my window was down.

The two of them, in their cherry convertible laughing away at my enthusiasm for my favorite band, making me blush with embarrassment and wanting to sink down into the seat and hide for eternity.

I'm pretty sure my face was a darker shade of red than their car by now.

Every second went slower as the traffic lights I were adjacent to seemed to stand still.

the red one stubbornly remained motionless, my embarrassment grew by the second. There was no escape.

The steady flow of traffic from the other direction continued, making the time pass slower still. I was already five minutes late.

One of the girls was texting, the others, re-applying a coat of gloss to her sickly-pink lips. Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the lights turned green and I sped off (well as fast as my van would go) in the direction of the factory.

It was going to be an awfully long day.

Union meeting day.

The rumor was, three other workers were being sacked today, I just had to pray one wouldn't be me. I needed this job. Even if I hated it, it was the only job I could get here in Owatonna.

And if I couldn't get one here, I'd have to leave behind everything I've ever known here in my hometown.

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Author's note:

Hey guys! So what do you think?! :D I know I'm not the best writer, but hey, I'm having too much fun writing this ^_^

I'm trying to update more often and I know this seems really boring at the moment, but after this chapter things will be settling in as far as the main part of the story and such, everything should fall into place nicely, and I shouldn't get too much writers block! Fingers crossed!

Feedback and votes are very much appreciated as well! Love you all and thanks for reading! <3