Living With The Pain

Chapter I

    As I wake up,  the smell of coffee and the warmth of my blankets are the first things that my mind registers.  I almost don't want to get out of bed.  That is until my alarm clock blares to life less than two feet from my head, effectively scaring me half to death.  Glaring over at the despicable device, I hurriedly try to turn the damn thing off before I end up going deaf from the noise. I groan as I pull myself up out of bed so I can start getting ready for school.

    I gently brush out my loose, brunette curls and style it so that half of it's up and spun into a rose-looking bun.  It took me a few tries to get it right, but once I'm satisfied with it, I go in and start on my make up.  I quickly do my makeup and decide to keep it natural looking.  With only ten minutes left until I have to leave, I dash into my closet and quickly slip into my white skinny jeans with a brown leather belt, and a blue, half-sleeved, button up plaid shirt.  I grab my gold angel wing necklace and leather watch from the jewelry stand on my dresser as I dash down the stairs and into the kitchen.

        Aunt L looks up from her desk, also known as the kitchen counter by any normal person, as I come scrambling in like a mad person. 

"Good morning to you too, beautiful."  I could see by the curve of her lips pressed together that a laugh was trying to escape from her serious expression.  Her eyes flicker to the clock on the wall and her vaguely amused look drops into a concerned frown.
   
    "Kena, you're going to be late if you don't get moving."  She scolds as I'm trying to fill my travis with coffee while simultaneously trying to stuff a pop-tart down my throat as quickly as I can.

"Yes, I know Aunt L.  I'm moving as fast as I can!  Did someone take Chris to school already?"  I ask as soon as my mouth is free of food.  He usually beats me down to the kitchen in the morning.  The kid is only fifteen, so he usually needs to hitch a ride with me.  My aunt takes a sip of her coffee and gestures behind me.
   
    "Right behind you slow poke."  He says.  I just roll my eyes at his comment.  "Come on, let's go!  I don't want to be late because of you."

    "Christian Taylor, lose the attitude!  The last thing I need from you right now is another call from one of your teachers because of your smart mouth." My aunt scolds.  Honestly, if we had a dollar for every time Chris got into trouble with his teachers, we could afford to send him to military school.

    "Whatever.  Kena, you coming or not?"  He calls as he walks out the door.  Yeah, he's a real ray of sunshine, isn't he?  I don't respond to most of his commentary because it usually leads to a fight.  It's just not worth it anymore.  He's always just so arrogant  and condescending and all it does is put me in a bad mood, which I really don't need.  So I just give my aunt a kiss on the cheek goodbye and head out the door after him.  Luckily, the drive to school is only a ten minute drive.

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    As I pull into my normal parking spot at the school, I see my boyfriend and best friend waiting for me at our normal spot- the little white crab apple tree in between the parking lot and the school.  It's just a tiny little thing, but it provides plenty of shade, which is all we need.  Elijah looks up from his phone and grins at me as I throw my little Chevy in park.  Chris, fortunately, is long gone by now.  He ran off before I even stopped my car.  With a small smile on my face, I grab my bag from the back seat and head over to the tree.  At this point, Eli is beaming as he pockets his phone and comes over to meet me halfway.

    "Hey babe!" Lydia finally notices my arrival as my boyfriend wraps me up into a tight hug.

    "Hey!  Someone's in a good mood.  What's going on?"  I quietly say to him while resting in his arms.  After a minute, he pulls away, grin still plastered on his face.