Friday, March 1, 2019.
The day started like any other: Connor awoke to the sound of an alarm clock ringing in his ear.
Frowning, he smacked the snooze button and tried to will himself back to sleep, wishing sleep could protect him from the hell he had to endure that day.
At this point in his life he felt completely done. All he wanted was for high school to end. It was bitter sweet; he would miss his friends, but he was also ready for the adventure that was college.
College. The Parties, the girls, the experience. Everything new, far away from this god forsaken town and everyone in it.
Connors eyes drifted closed as he became lost in thought, almost falling back asleep.
His alarm clock had other plans.
"Screw you" he whispered angrily as the buzzing filled his ears. His hand smacked down on the ringing machine to turn it off and he slowly pushed his covers to the side.
It was a daily fight, getting out of bed. The comfort of laying there, even without his sheets on top of him, was almost too strong to resist. After a few minutes debating if school was really worth all this pain, he lifted one foot at a time to get himself out of his bed.
Luckily for him, Connor was never one to care too much about his appearance, so he simply grabbed a pair of jeans, a plain gray shirt and a red flannel to keep him warm.
After he brushed his teeth he put his toothbrush back in its holder, his eyes glanced up to see his face reflected by the mirror.
How does his life rush by so fast? One second you are a carefree child, splashing in puddles and singing songs. The next you are planning the rest of your life, clueless of how to do just that.
And suddenly there he was, watching his own brown eyes stare back at himself. So close to graduation; so close to freedom.
Connor didn't want to go to school but he knew he had to. He knew that if he ever wanted to escape that town he would have to work hard to make himself better. Better than that town. Better than the people there.
A familiar beep outside drew Connor away from his thoughts. Frowning, he ran back into his room grabbed his sneakers and backpack and raced down the stairs.
The house seemed empty, so he didn't think twice before grabbing an apple and heading out the door, rushing across the dead lawn to the silver Saturn Ion sitting in his driveway.
When he opened the door he was greeted with the familiar sound of alternative music and a warm smile from the girl in the drivers seat.
Lily, his best friend, picked Connor up every morning for school, saving him from the wretched school bus.
She pushed her long blonde hair out of her face and turned the music down, "hey pal, how are you?"
"Good." Connor stated simply, before turning to smile at his other friend Ryan, who was sitting in the backseat. "What's up Ryan?"
"Not much man," Ryan said before looking down at his phone, "hey did you do that homework for social studies?"
Connor snorted, "yeah but I'm not giving it to you."
