Rupture

Chapter 3

                                                                               Angelica's POV

 I wake up to my nose in Rosie's white-blonde hair. She looks pretty much like me; tan, platinum blonde hair, similiar features, tall and lean. The only things different are our eyes. 

Rosie's are a light gray, huge and round. Most people in this area have gray or brown eyes. These families here have been here for generations, so I guess eventually everyone gets similiar features in a particular area. 

That's why my eyes always appear so peculiar. I got them from my mom, bright green eyes. They're not your typical green-eyed color either, they're almost unnatural looking, as green as spring leaves and vibrant dyes.

My mother wasn't from around here, she met my dad when she visited once. She started living in the area, and the government finally paired them together. The government decides who we marry, based on whatever they use to decide that. I never found out where she was from, she always said she would tell me when I was older, but now I am, and she's no longer here.

Rosie stirs in her sleep, and I decide to get up. Edith has her back to me in the kitchen, and I slide out the back door before she can see me. 

As soon as I'm outside, I run towards Brynne's house, or my best friend. I go around to her bedroom window and knock on the window.

I see her curled up in bed, but as soon as I knock she groans and hoists herself up. She meets my eyes with her hazel ones and stares like I just ruined a good dream. Then she laughs, she can never keep a straight face. It always puts me on edge when she laughs, that's an emotional related reaction, and I would never want anyone to report her.

She comes and lifts up the first-floor window enough for me to climb through.

"Hey Angie. What's up?" 

I swear there's endless nicknames that people come up with for Angelica. I can't remember the last time someone called me by my real name besides teachers and adults I don't know.

"Disobeying grounding rules. Fun stuff." I sigh and lie back on her bed. Her bed is much softer than mine, and bigger.

I observe her new hair color of the month. 

"What brand are you testing now?" I ask. Brynne makes a little bit of money by testing out products for companies. She tries them and then gives them feedback. She's always in a funky new hair dye, or sucking a lollipop, trying new lotion, etc. She always seeks out anything to do with hair dye or food, those are her favorite.

"I forget, but their hair dye sure is effective." She looks at her reflection in the mirror directly across from her bed, and examines her red hair. Bright red hair. I don't even know what her natural hair color is, and she sometimes says she forgets herself, but that's a lie. Or at least I think, you never know with Brynne.

"Wait..." She turns to me and one side of her lip twitches up. "How'd ya get grounded, hun?"

I stare at her blankly, but nevertheless my body, as usual, disagrees with what I'm feeling, and I feel color rising to my cheeks. An emotion-triggered reaction. What's wrong with me lately?

"I was in the Park, fell asleep, chatted with a weird boy, got back late...and that's pretty much it."

"WHAT?!" Her mouth formed a perfect circle, and she beamed at me. "Angie's talking to boys? This isn't the girl I know! It's about time!"

My expression doesn't change. "Why are you so into boys? The government pairs us with one, we increase the population, and then we share a house until we die. What's so special about that? It's just the normal way of life. It's not like we get to choose, anyway, so why do you care?"