Us against the world

Departure: Lydia

I wake up late, leaving me enough time to shower and make breakfast. Mom sits at the table, holding a file and sipping on some coffee.
"Morning." I say sliding into the seat next to her.
Her head snaps up, "Hey, Lydia." Her voice is strained. She's stressed.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Dad and I are going to Washington for a bit. Late notice assignment."
I sigh, "Can you tell me about it?"
Mom laughs and shakes her head, "No."
Darn. I pour a cup for myself and drop in some cream. I sip it slowly and watch mom's face as she reads. Her eyebrows are knit together, she chews on her top lip. She isn't liking what she sees. Dad comes into the kitchen, wearing a suit, "Can I get some help, Tam?" He points to his knotted tie. Mom stands, and untangles the knot.
Ross comes barreling down the stairs, "Food!" She yells and rummages through the fridge. I set my empty cup in the sink, and go upstairs to gather my books for the day.
I throw my algebra, history, and AP English book into my bag, along with a few bucks for lunch. Then run downstairs, and kiss mom and dad goodbye. Ross and I usually ride the bus, but Ross's friend Hannah is picking us up. A beat up, navy blue Volkswagen waits in the drive way, a pink haired girl sits behind the wheel, "Get in losers, we are going to hell." Hannah yells. Ross cheers, and goes for the front seat, I climb in the back. Pop cans, chip bags, and shoes liter the van floor. This will be fun.
Hannah and Ross chatter over dub step music, while I lean my head against the window. The leaves had started to turn red and orange, this was my favorite time of year. I close my eyes, and open them when we pull into the school parking lot. Madison Lake High School,
Twelve hundred and sixteen students, myself included, all from ages 14-18, learning mostly useless stuff. I hop out of the van and head into Algebra. I already finished my lesson for today, so I could sleep if I wanted too. But instead I doodle in my notebook, and wait for the day to be done.