The Game We Both Lost

Part 1 - Complete Disaster

The morning sun shone bright through the curtains of my window, hurting my eyes as I try to squint away any traces of sleep that still lingers. I stretched my arms above my head with a yawn, glancing at the clock that reads 5:59 in the morning. Just one more minute, I thought as I let myself fall back onto my pillow once again. School, school, school. When will it ever end?

I know I said with this new year, everything will be different. But five more minutes of sleep won't hurt anyone, right?

I was wrong. When mom screamed in my ear at 7:30, I panicked. Extremely late for the first day of high school. I couldn't imagine at that moment what could be worst. Mom nagged all the way as I got ready and rushed my breakfast. I tried to block her out but I couldn't help rolling my eyes. It is terrible, but it didn't kill me, or even her. 

I obviously missed the first period and was halfway late for second period, but luckily my best friend Hayley had taken the innitiative to tell Mr. Wolsey that I had a reason for my lateness. Hayley can be such a witch sometimes, but I love her to death. As I glided into the classroom, Mr. Wolsey had apparently bought Hayley's lies, as he lets me into the class without so much a glance, for which I gained a couple of students glaring at me.

"You owe me this time." Hayley whispered after I slid into my seat next to her.

"I know. I'm sorry and thank you. You know I love you." I whispered back as I took out my textbook, glancing at her with a smile of gratitude.

"What happened, anyway? Did you forget the way to school?"

I shot her a glare, turning the pages of my textbook, "I overslept. No big deal."

"Says the girl who once told me the new year will not go wrong." She snickered, and I could only response with an eyeroll. 

Last summer had been a rather boring and hurtful season. I was dumped by my boyfriend Colton for a cheerleader named Lucy, and trust me, she wasn't all that pretty anyway except for her big green eyes. Which sometimes makes her look like a cartoon character, and that's not because she stole my boyfriend away. Well.. Maybe a little but whatever. 

When Colton and I started dating, he told me once that he liked green eyes on a girl. I should've guessed that he and I weren't going to last very long. I have blue eyes, not green. I was surprised that we managed to stay together for a whole of junior year. Unbelievable. The last day of school before summer, he cornered me and told me he and Lucy liked each other and that we were over. Yes, that easy. Why didn't he just text me that shit? I think that would've hurt less.

And worst, after he dumped me, Colton just walked away. No apologies, no 'I hope we had worked', none. Then he straight out made out with Lucy in front of her cheerleading mates and his football teammates and in front of both Hayley and myself. I was pretty sure they were all laughing at me. I didn't cry, I wanted to, but Hayley took my cup of soda and splashed it at Colton's face, who then struggled to breathe. I felt better. 

He never looked my way ever since.

I was pretty upset about the break up. I mean, I was 16, I thought he and I would work out and you know, get married someday. We were the perfect couple, and even had people rooting for us. I didn't know our fanbase betrayed me and saw to it that he gets an even more perfect girl. For the first week of last summer, I stayed home and watch horror movies at night with mom. Sometimes Hayley came over to sleep beside me. And it was like Colton never existed.

During the middle of summer, mom bought me a tiny little hamster for my 17th birthday, saying that maybe with something else to care for, I would eventually forget about murdering both Lucy and Colton. It worked. I named the hamster Anne, and everyday for a week or so, she was all that I paid attention to. She would be on my hand, crawling up to my other hand before she gets tired and cuddled up within my then sweaty hands. I would kiss her head then placed her back in her cage. I loved her more than my relationship with Colton.