The Free (Unedited)

The Curse Of The Mondays

I guess going back to school is a bust.

I'm hosting a killer headache right now because of that party my brother threw Saturday. I mean, the only reason I was there was because I couldn't find a hotel for me and Laura to stay in. They were booked solid for the weekend.

So I'm basically waiting for first class bell to ring, just standing at my locker waiting for the next damning text from my mother about some shit I probably didn't do, trying to have a conversation with a gushing transfer. Her name is Amber, and she only got in this school because she aced the test to get in. She was nice enough, and I had to show her around anyways and be this guide thing, so I let her stand near me and blabber before the bell rings.

"Have I told you that this place is beautiful?" she asked me, staring at the interior of the school in amazement.

This school is Morgan's Acadamy, the richest school in the city where all of the richest kids with the richest families go. As far as high schools go, it's not huge, there are only 200 people graduating this year, but we have one of the highest graduating rates in the country.

"Can you tell me more about this place?" Amber asked in awe and excitement.

"You've been here a week!" I exclaimed, showing actual shock at the fact that she really wanted to know. It's not like I've gone to this school all my life right?

My mom and dad are very high standing citizens in society, and not because they are movie stars. My mom is Marcia Hunter-Durham, a famous model before she retired. Now, at only 37, she is a huge mentor for a lot of girls of any age, building confidence in girls 5 and up. A lot of people want to be with her, except dad.

My dad is the prestigous Adrian Durham, a self made billionaire and the CEO of his own packing company. At only 43, he has ships, airplanes, trucks, and more at his disposal. He hosts seminars at huge colleges around the world, and has been in more countries than I can name.

The only problem with my parents is that they don't love each other.

"Well," I said, snapping back to reality, "this school is actually pretty new. Well, the building is anyway. Back in the 1800s, this used to be a small school for all the country kids before rich people started to move here."

"What happened after that?" Amber asked with wonder in her eyes.

"It wasn't until around 1950 when the rich people started living here. The school had basically been abandoned. I think it was a house at some point. Anyways, a person by the name of Andy Morgan came in and saw the old schoolhouse. He decided that there needed to be a school to comemorate our history. He didn't have the money though. So he went around to the rich people in the district and asked them. They all chipped in and this school was opened for their kids in the late 1980s. Since then, the upkeep and modernization of the school comes around around every 10 years or something like that and the rich people in the district make sure their children have only the best schooling."

"How do you know all this?" Amber asked, wide eyed.

"I read," I said with a shrug.

Just then, the bell rang. Amber and I walked off to class, books in hand and ready to learn.

***

Sooner than i expected, the bell for lunch rang.

I didn't like going to lunch immediately because of all the kids flooding the halls. I usually stayed in my class, eating a sadwich and doing some homework until Amber came and got me.

Speaking of...

"It's pizza day!" a voice exclaimed behind me, way to cheery for a regular monday morning.

"Hey Amber," I said, busy with my homework.

"Come on, you can do your homework later, right now I want pizza."

I slowly put my things away and got up. I knew pizza day was imprtant to her because of all the shitty food she used to have at her public school.

We got into the pretty short line in the cafeteria. Because Amber is here on scholarship, she doesn't get too much. I usually pull out some cash and buy her a few more things. She eats like a truck.

"Let's go outside!" Amber exclaimed while dragging me towards the cafeteria doors.

It wasn't like I had room to argue so i just let her drag me along.

It was a beautiful day today at least. The sky was a pale blue, whispy clouds lazily floating through it. The sun was high, making the grounds of the school shine. The flowers stood tall, the trees their guardians, and the grass was as green as fake grass.

"I brought a blanket today," Amber told me shyly, looking at me to judge my reaction. She knew i didn't really care for sitting on the grass.

Today was a special day for her i guess.

I slowly walked over to a tree, a tall oak with a trunk 3 times or wider than me. I looked at her.

She quickly unfurled the blanket, setting it down gently. We both made our way to the middle, taking our food and placing it before us.

We ate in silence, not as we usually do. It seemed as if Amber was off somehow at the moment, like she was in another world.

"Hey. Earth to Amber," i said, snapping my fingers in her direction.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking at me with a little shock in her eyes.

"Um are you ok?" I asked her.

She shot me a bright smile. "Yeah! Of course I am!"

I stared at her for a little bit, my eyes scrutinizing her. I saw a painfully bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. I chose to not push the matter and instead I bit into a cookie. When I looked back at her a few minutes later, she was looking into the sky, her eyes glossed over, thinking about something nobody knew.