No really, I'm okay. I'm also a great liar.

we plan a road trip to get peach pie and green tea

When my alarm goes off at the usual time of way too early, I tumble out of bed and realize that my CD is still playing. I guess it replays when it finishes through all the tracks.

I look at the the time. 6:47. My first class on Tuesdays is at noon.

I guess I really should make the most of these last few weeks of school. But right now, I don't especially feel like doing anything except for maybe going back to sleep.

I miss Annabelle. Usually I'm with her, and it's really funny how I don't seem to sleep as well without her here, tracing her fingers on my back or pulling me into her. Her cuddly limbs usually tangled themselves with mine, and she'd sleep like a starfish with one arm around me.

I head into the bathroom, deciding that I'll never get back to sleep without Annabelle if I keep thinking about how I can't sleep without Annabelle.

I take a long, hot shower and contemplate the crack in one of the tiles on the wall. I wonder how it got there as I wash my hair.

My hands and feet have wrinkles from the water by the time I finally step out. I don't know how long I spent in there; I have no time perception without music. Usually I measure time with music. But I see all the steam on the mirror and guess it was pretty long.

I take my sweet time getting ready. I still have around five hours, I'm guessing, until my first class.

I wait for my hair to fully dry, then brush it out (which I rarely have time to do). I carefully twist it up into a bun, then zip open my makeup bag.

Today, I'll have time to look like I actually care about my appearance!

When I step out of the room, I have a black and white The 1975 tank top and galaxy pants on.

I grab my backpack and head out, locking the door and setting out on a mission to find coffee.

After I get coffee and breakfast, I walk over to Annabelle's apartment.

She's not up yet. I swear, that girl never goes to bed at a reasonable time. And even when she does, she sleeps for like sixteen hours.

I decide to cook her breakfast for when she wakes up, because I have far too much free time on my hands.

And then I sit down on the couch and curl up with my phone and Dan and Phil's new gaming video.

After I decide to leave her apartment, I go for a walk through the willow trees for the remainder of the time, earbuds in.

My phone buzzes, and a message from Annabelle pops up on my screen.

thanks sweetheart

No problem :) see u in english??

yep

And then it's time for Biology. And after that, Psychology, then finally English. Which I'm pretty sure has turned into a giant shipping session for the rest of the class, including Professor Clark.

We've only gotten partner assignments since the day Annabelle came in.

But I don't mind at all working with her. We've only gotten better at writing in our individual ways. I know for a fact that she's influenced my style. And when I read hers, I can see a little bit of me in there.

It's really cool to see that.

She slides our paper over to me, and I roll my chair around to look at it. She's crossed out some of my sentences, as well as squeezed a couple paragraphs into the margins.

I read it through.

We've both gotten so much better.

Professor Clark mentioned it to me last period, and it's been on my mind ever since.

When I'm done editing her edits and have added another portion to the story, I slide the paper back over to her and then fiddle with my pen.

We stay like this, just side by side, the entire time. I'm all too aware of the occasional glances from our classmates. Especially Sybil, whose bright yellow hair is hard to miss.

Annabelle pokes me in the shoulder with her pen, and I turn my head to face her. She's closer than I remembered, her nose almost squishing mine.

"So, I just thought of this. I usually go home and visit my mom and sister a little bit before the end of the school year. Wanna come with me?"

"To meet your family? Yeah, sure. Do they know anything about me?"

Annabelle crinkles her eyes. "Mmhmm. Yep. I talk about you a lot."

"Well, you're going to have to tell me about them before we go. Otherwise, I'm down. When?"

"Do you have any plans this weekend?"

So it's been settled: Annabelle's house is about a five-hour drive from here. We'll go on Friday afternoon after our classes and then leave at some point on Sunday.

Annabelle gives me all the inside information on her family.

Her little sister, Felicity, plays a mean game of ping-pong and loves green tea and has the most aesthetic room Annabelle's ever seen.

Her mother, Bonnie, cooks up the best peach pie you've ever had and always wins at Pictionary and gives really good hugs.

I can definitely believe that Annabelle came from this house of amazing-sounding people.

Jenna and Jacob are almost as excited as me for the road trip when they hear about it.

Thursday evening comes and I've packed all of my things for the trip, and a duffel full of stuff to do on the actual car ride. And a lot of CDs.

After my last class on Friday, I stop by the room one last time to say goodbye and to grab my things, then head over to Annabelle's.

She's standing in her room in front of her closet with a mostly-packed suitcase on the bed.

"Annabelle, we're leaving in like ten minutes!" I protest.

"Hush, it's how I pack," she replies. "When did you?"

"Last night."

"Which one?" she asks me, holding up a blue skirt and a pink skirt.

"The pink one."

"M'kay, thanks." Annabelle tosses it into her bag, then nips into the bathroom to grab her toothbrush. She zips it up and then grabs ahold of the handle.

It's a cute little bag, plastered with pins. A lot like my backpack.

"Done," she announces, drawing herself up. I lead the way out, then lock up behind us.

She opens the passenger side of her truck for me, then grabs my bag and tosses them both into the backseat.

She grins at me, a small curl escaping her ponytail and bouncing in her face. "Ready?"

a/n: hi! it's been quite the week, hasn't it? also i saw the lego batman movie finally and it was like really gay (unexpected and not canon, but still really funny)