While Im Young (Currently on Hold)

Prologue: Existential Crisis and Crying Girl

I had one of those moments you only see in cheesy bad quality teen movies. Time froze, everything was moving in slow motion, memories flashed through my mind, and I was left with an existential crisis that haunted me. What exactly had I've been doing with my life and why the hell did it matter? I'd been doing everything right. I worked hard in school, spent an excruciating amount of time studying, I didn't partake in any questionable teenage activities that are often thought to be milestones you find yourself laughing about at thirty. But, in this moment, that all felt worthless. It felt like I had been striving for something that in the end would be pointless. There was always going to be something more. College, a job, a job promotion, and on and on. What were we trying to get to? What was good enough? When would we get to the point where we were done trying and just were? When it was too late? Why was I wasting my time instead of living? Memories of studying, homework, college searching, and essay writing is not what I wanted to remember before I died! Yet, here we were. And it seems I was out of time.

Wham! The ball slapped me so hard in the face, I was knocked off my feet. My nose was overwhelmed by the smell of rubber and I could feel the ball leaving an imprint across my face. The basketball bounced away carelessly, as if it didn't just assault my face with the force of hundred Amazon Warriors, while I laid lifelessly on the gym floor. I stayed there too distracted by my realization too move. I couldn't seem to even be offended by the cackling caused by my very real injury. I licked my lips instantly tasting the metallic red blood that oozed from my open wound. Suddenly, a face blocked my wonderful view of the gyms dull fluorescent lights and chipped ceiling. "Athena, are you okay?!" Coach Lanely's booming voice caused me to cringe more than slightly. Her spit fell heavily on my face with every word. I'm wasn't dead but I might as well have been.

"Fine Coach, just died a little in side but aside from that I'm doing great." I raised my arm limply in the air showcasing my thumbs up.

"Sounds good. How about you head to the bathroom to clean that lip up?"

I agreed with a weak nod slowly raising myself upright with the help of my elbows. I spotted Sever, Delia, and Freddie snickering openly as they watched me rise. Not surprising. I had to admit, Sever could really throw for someone with three inch nails and baby hands. My face could attest to that.

I found my mind still circling around the idea of how pointless my life had been up to this point as I made my way to the bathroom. That I could focus on anything other than the aching my body was doing was astounding which made me believe this crisis was anything but foolish. Had I truly been wasting time? I sighed as I found myself staring in my empty eyes through the dirty bathroom mirror. As I continued to ponder over the true purpose of life a soft sniffling could be heard from the last bathroom stall. I turned slowly making my way towards the stall door. The sniffling continued followed by quiet whimpers. "Hey, uh, are you...are you okay in there?", I said awkwardly. The sniffling halted and a beat passed with no reply. Thinking a reply would never come, I began to turn away from the stall when the door opened slowly. Kellina Scott stood there with tear-stained cheeks. Her eyes were red and mascara was smudged around them. "Oh boy," I muttered under my breath.

"No," she replied shakily to my previously asked question.

"What's...what's wrong?" I said this hoping wholeheartedly she wouldn't give a real answer as I was growing progressively more uncomfortable with the situation. She released a loud cry as she sank to the floor. I looked around for any signs of help that may have miraculously appeared. Sadly, none did.

"My-My boyfriend, Mark St-Stuart, cheated on me!", she replied through sobs. I sighed deeply as I reluctantly took a seat next to her on the disease-ridden bathroom floor. I patted her back awkwardly.

"Well screw him. Uh, not literally of course." She wiped her running nose with wadded up toilet paper.

"Ugh, I don't care about him. He was an ass anyway." I scrunched my nose in confusion, noting the pain it caused.

"Then why are you crying?"

"You know Sever Adams?" I nodded resisting to role my eyes which, trust me, was no easy task. "She's the one who slept with him and she was my best friend. How could she do that to me?" I found it more surprising that anyone would find that even remotely surprising.

"Listen, people suck sometimes and they do sucky things. The best thing to do is to act like they can't touch you. Don't respond in anyway. Don't yell at them. Don't let them see you cry. Don't give them the satisfaction by letting them know you care." I stood up going to the sink to wet a napkin. I placed it gently against my stinging lip as I studied my face in the mirror. It was still a bright red.

"You really think so?", Kellina said from behind me where she rose from her sitting position.

"Yeah, I mean that's what I would do." I winced as a stinging pain shot through my lip.

Kellina stood at my side. I saw her glance at my swollen lip.

"I have some cover up if you want."

"I'm good. I think I'm kind of working it. I got this kind of Kylie Jenner vibe, don't you think?", I said sarcastically with a halfhearted smile. Kellina smiled slightly before turning to the mirror next to mine. She wiped away her smudged mascara, a tired sigh escaped her lips.

"Alright, I got this." She turned to me. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," I said with a small smile.

She nodded before strutting out of the bathroom with such confidence I almost forgot she had been balling her eyes out only moments earlier.

I faced the mirror once again. I patted my lip with the napkin, a little harder than I intended.

"Ow, ow, ow! Big mistake! Big mistake!"

e

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Well, if you're reading this you made it through the chapter! I hope you enjoyed and want to read more. Next chapter should be up soon! Let me know what you think! Also, i will be adding a character list but you can ignore it if feel better picturing the characters on your own. that's all for now!

over and out- Sabrina