Our Bittersweet Lives

[one]

"Morning Taegan! Time to rise and shine!"

"Muuuhhhggghhh" I reply.

"Come on Taegs. Wakey wakey. You'll be late for school otherwise."

Uh. School. I'd forgotten about that. Rolling over groggily, my eyes flick to my alarm clock, where the flashing digits read 6:45.

Ahhhhh! I overslept again!
Suddenly wide awake, I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom. Clicking on the shower, I undress and step into the warm stream of water. I quickly wash and then hop out. I throw on my uniform - grey trousers, a sky blue shirt, grey and blue tie, navy blue cardigan and grey blazer. Then I quickly drag a brush though my long wet hair a few times, and throw it up into a high ponytail. After brushing my teeth in record time, I'm done in the bathroom.

Grabbing my shoes from under my bed, my school bag from my desk and my phone from my charging station, I rush downstairs, grab a banana, a pot of peanut butter, my house keys, and then sprint out of the house. Reaching the train station, I run in, tap my card on the reader and sprint on the train just at the announcer says "The train is about to depart." I collapse on a free seat, panting.

Now that's what I call timing.

When I reach my stop, I jump off the train and start the last part of my morning journey - walking to school. It is a pleasant morning, the sun is shining and I hum as I walk along. Then I realise I'm going to be late for school, so I start running again.
Reaching the gates, I stop to catch my breath. I'm panting like I normally do when I finish a cross country race, I only ran five minutes what's wrong with me? Why am I so short of breath?
Suddenly a sharp pain starts in my chest. Each time I breathe in, a pain stabs through my chest and lungs. I cry out, and double over in pain, trying to control my breathing. Slowly, in, out, in, out, calmly, waiting for the pains to go away.

After about five minutes, I can stand up straight again, and the pains are steadily lessening. I know I'm going to be late for form, meaning Mrs Wilkes is going to kill me. I would run but I don't want to risk the pain again, and anyway, I'm already late, there's nothing I can do to avoid a detention now. So I just walk into school, having already accepted my fate.

"Miss Green, why are you late to form room?!" Mrs Wilkes shouts.

"Sorry Mrs Wilkes." I say.

She hands me a detention slip for tomorrow after school, and I sigh. That means I'm going to miss Drama for the third Wednesday in a row. There's no point in arguing, though, or Mrs Wilkes will just give me lines to do, too.

I slip into my seat as Mrs Wilkes starts the register. Then after the day's notices, I walk out to my first lesson of the day - Music. Yippee. Not.

The mornings lessons pass as slowly as ever, and then it's lunchtime. I meet up with my friends in the usual place, by the arches outside The Quad. As I walk up to them, shielding my eyes from the sun, I see their five silhouettes against the skyline. May animatedly moving her hands, Regina bouncing the tennis ball she always has on her, Kate in a handstand (not an unusual sight for Kate. She wants to be in the circus, and so is constantly upside down in some way or another. Once she went the whole of lunch break walking on her hands. It was impressive.) And finally the twins, Kyra and Zoe, side by side, leaning against the brick arch and reading a book each. Probably the same one. That's what they do. I've never known two people more alike than them. I mean, I know they're identical twins and everything. But they're as close as peas in a pod. It's crazy.