Growing Pains | Tyler Joseph's Sister

four | the case of the stressed out girl

Monday morning is awful from the moment my alarm goes off, or rather when I finally hear it.

I had awoken to my mother loudly speaking my name while nudging my feet. The cat was circling my head, her tail flicking me lightly in the head. All the while my alarm was urgently screaming.

I overslept ten minutes because I was up late partaking in last minute restless studying. This was bad news for me, since I only gave myself about twenty minutes to get ready during finals week because I do not have as much to do as usual.

When I ended up checking my phone midway through furiously brushing away at my teeth, I was greeted with a text message sent an hour earlier from my brother. The tour bus had broken down, and it was no longer a matter of what hour today he would arrive at the house, but rather what day this week.

To make matters worse, I had no other choice but to awkwardly jog down the street in the pouring rain in order to catch the bus to school. People were staring at me through the bus windows; my biggest fear. By the time I finally plopped down next to my bus buddy, Talia, I was sweaty, soaked, and embarassed.

I try my best to stop breathing hard so no one else will look at me. My muscles lock up when I still my whole body to become a dripping stone. I did not have enough time to dig through my backpack to find my umbrella.

"That's quite the look you have going on there, Ava," Talia comments solemnly with her close-mouthed smile pulling at the corners of her eyes. "Rough morning?"

Although Talia lives across the neighborhood, we have been sitting together on the school bus since our elementary years. We used to play and ride our bikes together regularly. Talia and I don't really spend time together outside of school anymore, but she is a comfort for me because we can pick things back up with ease. Talia is headstrong and speaks her mind, but still considerate. She is also conveniently in my biology class.

I press my wet forehead into the equally drenched backpack resting on my knees. I tilt my head pitifully her way so I do not have to view anyone else on the bus. "Do you have a hair brush I can borrow?" Pausing, I add because I do not want her to feel obligated: "Maybe?"

Talia flicks perfectly formed water droplets off the ends of my hair. Her tone is gentle but serious. "Listen, after we get off this bus we can head straight to the bathroom. My natural hair can be a nightmare some days, so I always come prepared."

Talia recently took out her box braids. Her hair is shorter now, and reminds me of what she looked like before people had opinions and cared. She has had her hair in various styles throughout the course of high school, but she told me she wanted to let it breathe for once, and she also had a point to make.

Some shitty students at school tried to make Talia feel insecure before she even made a change to her appearance, saying that she was covering up her real hair because it was too ugly and embarrassing. However, the joke was really on them, because Talia has the confidence and class to rock any look. She is naturally gorgeous.

I thank her profusely while staring at the ladybug hair clips supporting the small bun spun in the center of her head, wishing I could be bold and stomach the thought of people seeing me.

---

Talia is true to her word and runs to my rescue when it comes to getting dry. I was not soaked-to-the-bone drenched as if I just waltzed off a water ride, but I was soggy enough to feel uncomfortable and nervous. We spend the time before homeroom in the girls bathroom, wringing out my hair in the sink and clumsily sticking my limbs under the sluggish hand dryers. I feel flighty whenever someone enters the bathroom, but it retreats quickly with Talia by my side as a buffer. By the time we are done, my hair is in order and pulled back into a ponytail, and I am wearing Talia's white gymnastics hoodie she is letting me borrow for the day.