There are people out there who belong to the same puzzle as you, however you can only meet them until their piece is needed.
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Azera Baines is an average girl. She isn't a model, she isn't a genius, she isn't rich, n...
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Light bleakly peeked from the horizon, morphing into the grey scattered clouds. A winter pattern of somber skies blending into misty nights and short-lived, sun kissed mornings had continued into the last week of school.
Constant chatter from younger students was the usual noise which carried us toward the onyx gates of Baskia Girls' Preparatory; and the primary cause of several older girls mumbling discrete profanities at their peers.
Most of us were clearly sleep deprived and the singular thing keeping me barely sane was the soft, timed clink of metal. It was a scratched keychain hooked to my heavy school bag, and the one reminder of my first and only family holiday.
"Azera!"
I slowed down at the shout, scanning for the tall, clumsy girl who came with it. Tora's pale cheeks had taken a rosy glow and a series of jagged breaths indicated that she had ran.
"Hey," she huffed, dropping her posture to inhale a few steady breaths.
Shaking my head at her, a laugh bubbled from my throat, "sometimes I can't help but forget your dad used to be state champion, for running."
"It's not my fault I got the dodgy genes." Tora bumped a shoulder with mine, her delicate brown eyes trained ahead.
"That makes the two of us," I mused, tugging on my black blazer to provide some warmth under the chill.
"Bless the lord that mid-terms are over. All that cramming and coffee better be worth it."
"I'm sure you did well. Hopefully the Asian in us will help those scores out," I joked, watching her lips tilt upwards.
A comfortable silence dawned on our walk and we finally reached the entrance. The fairly small block of land our school was built on didn't inhibit the staff to strive for an "integrated indoor-outdoor educational experience."
Or that was the useless crap they had chosen to feed parents in a hidden plea to keep their gates open. Nonetheless it was a cheaper option of private education than other high schools, and so kids would still end up stuck in the pale grey classrooms with dreams limited to the peeling plaster ceiling.
"I need to go talk to Mrs Mathers, I'll meet you later." Tora tapped my arm, swiftly moving through the morning buzz.
