What Happened To Forever?

Chapter 4: Back To School (Sadly)

The next morning at 6, my alarm clock blares. I shudder and roll out of bed sluggishly. Alarm clocks, I think sullenly. Because every morning should begin with a mini heart attack. My silk robe beckons me from my closet, but today I don’t have time to lounge around and stuff my face in the pillows and think about how much I miss Caleb. Today is my first day back to school since the accident.

I had my outfit put on a hanger the night before, so getting dressed was a breeze. Sliding on the flow-y tank top, I remember I have to get to school early for a Yearbook Committee meeting. I do a lot of extra curricular activities nowadays for college. Drama Club, soccer and softball teams, Art, Band… tack that on to the number of hours I’m after school for extra help in order to get ahead and you’ve got one full schedule. 

I adjust the blazer and dark wash skinny jeans and look in the mirror. Polished, mature, feminine… just what I was going for. I’m somewhat of a fashion addict, so I keep up to date on the latest styles and designers.  I then take a quick peek in the mirror and brush on some foundation. Most girls at my school look like a box of 52 Crayola crayons attacked them when they wear make-up. Caleb used to always make fun of them, asking me if other girls even looked in the mirror while applying “beautification products,” (as he’d call them.)

My hair is basically standing up by itself due to the fact I didn’t blow-dry my hair after Alex left. I was too tired and lazy. Basically my night consisted of me falling in to a fitful sleep, dreaming of Caleb yelling at me to save him. I’d wake up and be like ‘Good, just a dream,’ and then it would come crashing down on me that most of it wasn’t a dream, that Caleb was dead.  I shiver. It seemed so… vivid. To try to control my unruly mop of hair, I snap it into a messy bun on top of my head. There. Now I won’t look like a complete idiot my first day back.

I look out the window and see Taylor pull into my driveway. She’s probably been up for 2 hours practicing ballet in the makeshift studio her parents have set up in their basement. Her morning ritual is ballet, quick shower, go through her whole closet looking for the perfect thing to wear, then proceed to spend the last 30 minutes doing her hair.  Tay has pretty much flawless complexion, so she rarely puts anything on her face.

I grab my Tom Sperry loafers and skid out the door to make sure I got to Taylor before Mom did. I’ve been late way too many times due to the fact Tay had “just one more” question about being a lawyer. Thankfully, Mom is snoring soundly in her bedroom and I can hear Taylor seating herself at our kitchen counter. When she spots me, her lips turn up into a smile.

“Hey, Bee!” she calls to me. Taylor’s hair is beachy waves that I would kill for. She’s basically a hairstyling guru. Who am I kidding? Tay’s taught me everything she knows. I’m not as skilled as her, but I can do a killer French twist.

“Hi,” I wave half-heartedly, my mind not into it. In my mind, its all about Caleb, Caleb, Caleb. I guess Taylor could tell that I was thinking about him again.

“Brenna. Seriously. You’ve got to push him to the back of your mind right now, okay? I know you’re feeling down but you have to concentrate on school!” She sounded like Mom. But deep down I knew she was right. Taylor would be just as sad if she were in my position.

Whatever,” I mutter as she waltzes to the front door. Her slouchy tote bag bounced against her hip. I grab my phone and yell up to Mom.

“BYE MOM!” I can hear her scuffling around and soon see her at the to of the stairs. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes and smiles.

“Bye, pumpkin.”  Mom blows me a kiss and scuttles to her home office. She’s made it her top priority to be home as much as she can. It’s the least she can do to make up for the absence of Dad.

Taylor, as usual, bounds down the steps with more energy than a squirrel on Red Bull. I follow a bit more slowly to Taylor’s parked Jeep. It was a cherry red that could make your eyes hurt but it didn’t seem to bother Tay. I clamber into the passenger seat as Taylor cranks up the radio. “Part Of Me” comes blasting though the speakers. She starts singing at the top of her lungs and I crack a smile. Taylor’s told me time and time again, “I cannot sing a single note. However, this is my favorite song. So I shall sing.” After the final notes fade away, she abruptly turns off the music and glances over to me.

“I heard Alex apologized to you yesterday,” she laughs, a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Don’t even talk. He has no idea what privacy is,” I smile nervously.

“So, I meant to ask you yesterday… you didn’t seem very up to going to support Alex at his football game. What’s up with that? You always jump at the chance.” Her eyes lock in on mine, as if daring me to lie.

“Tay! Eyes on the road!” I screech as we narrowly avoid rear-ending another driver at a red light. She giggles but focuses back, forgetting her question. It is a miracle she passed her drivers test. Whenever I get into a car with her, I put my life on the line.

We jerk into Taylor’s parking spot and nearly hit Ryder’s silver Mercedes Benz. Lucky for me, my spot is on the other side of the parking lot close to the school and far from Ryder.

“Damn. Barely missed. I was this close!” Taylor sighs forlornly. I can tell that she’s trying to get my mind off of what was about to happen. She slides across her seat and strains to get her tote underneath my chair. I grab both of the bags and hand Taylor hers. She pats me on the back reassuringly and I take deep breaths. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay, I chant to myself as we stride toward the school.

My school is actually really nice private school called “Northview High.” No one knows where the school got its name, maybe because there was some dude named Northview. No one’s ever questioned the name so there must not have been any demand to release the reasoning behind the name. I’m not even sure Principal Wilder knows how Northview got its name.

Kids loiter around outside, sitting on the stairs and leaning up against the weeping willows. Some seniors are trying to get a freshman into the fountain. I race past everybody, leaving Taylor behind. Maybe no one will have seen me. I look back to see everyone staring and pointing.

Too late. I grasp the cold metal door handle and pull with all my strength, whipping around to make sure no one was following me besides Taylor. She’s shoving people out of the way to get to me. Phew. Without her, I’d already be curled into the fetal position rocking back and forth. I throw my head back in an attempt not look like a psycho and strut to my locker. Clicking in my combination, I hear a voice behind me and I jump about a foot in the air. It’s only Alex.

“Oh, hi. You scared me,” I put a hand to my forehead.

Alex half smiles. “Jumpy much?” I nod and grab my Algebra books out of my locker as Taylor skids over to us.

“For the love of god, Brenna! Why’d you leave so suddenly?” she exclaims. “Never mind, we need to get to Algebra.” Tay grabs my arm and leads me away from my locker. I wave goodbye to Alex as Taylor pushes me down the hall. Her grip tightens on my bicep as we pass Ryder and her wannabe friends Haley and Lea . Ryder scoffs at me, than whispers something that must be so hilarious Haley and Lea have no other choice but to laugh as loud as humanly possible. Idiots. I feel weak in the knees as Ryder saunters over.

“Hi, Brenna. You sure ran out of Duffy’s fast yesterday. Everything okay? Did I touch a nerve?” She smirks.

“Why don’t you go somewhere very, very, VERY, far away? Then everyone would be happy,” I snarl. She huffs and we make a mad dash to Mr. Lewis’s classroom. At least my first confrontation of the day is behind me. I know that it’s the first, but it certainly won’t be the last. 

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