(Un)Fortunate

Chapter 11

The alarm clock sounds louder than usual. And more annoying too. I roll over and shut it off. I roll back onto my back and stare at the ceiling until I have enough willpower to get out of bed.

It is Monday morning. That means the 's' word-school. I get out of bed, sort of like a zombie waking up from the dead. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror- my hair has partially fallen out of its bun and my face is smudged with eyeliner that did not come off yesterday after the pool incident.

My parents came home late last night. I don' t even know when they got home. All I know is that I was asleep by the time they got here.

I pull myself into the bathroom and splash my face with cold water. I feel myself perk up at the sudden coolness. I look up at my eyes. The gray has brightened up a bit and is now a pale blue. This happens some days when I am really stressed.

I splash my face again and dry it. I then pull the ponytail out of my hair and begin to brush through the knots. It only takes about five minutes to get it all smoothed out. I pull my hair into a side ponytail and go into my closet and get out my school uniform.

My school, Chance, is a private school. We are not religious or anything, just an expensive high end school that is far away. The uniforms aren't hideous though. The skirt is black plaid, and is semi-short and falls just above my knees.  The top is white and the black blazer over it has our school emblem on it. We can wear whatever shoes and socks we want. Sometimes, we are given Uniform Free days. Which means we can wear anything we want to school, as long as it is appropriate. Today, I slide on my uniform and pick up some pink Supras. I put on some eyeliner and mascara and a little blush to make myself look more lively, since I feel dead.

I grab my homework and throw my tote bag with my pencils and paper over my shoulder. Max honks the horn outside my window and I run down the stairs, the clock reads 6:30.

In the car, I usually have some time to sleep, considering its a half hours drive just to get to school. Today, though, I check Instagram. I have a lot of new mentions on the pic I posted on Caleb's account. I reply to a few and follow a few people. I turn to show Caleb a funny picture this girl Direct Messaged me, but stop, and realize he is not there. I hold my phone to my chest and let out a little sob.

"Are you okay Miss Ellie?" Max asks, looking at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, I'm fine, its just that Caleb is not here. And he usually sits next to me and we usually bet on how many red lights there will be and he just is not here. It hit me kind of hard."

I pull out some tissues from my bag and wipe my eyes, careful not to smudge anything.

Thirty minutes later, we pull up to the iron wrought gate surrounding Chase Private Academy. I hand Max my key card and he swipes it. The gate slowly opens, and  we pull through. The grounds are nothing special. There is a track and football field and an outdoor classroom.

There are a few girls sitting on the front steps and when I get out, they point at me and whisper. I shrug it off. As I am about to open the doors, a boy with curly blonde hair opens the door for me.

"Here you go Ellie," He says gesturing inside.

"Thanks Cam," I say, stepping inside.

Cameron Barly is my best guy-friend. He is in the same grade as me and is Jen and I's boy guru. He tells us the inside scoop on who is getting asked out, the boys hottest crush, relationship advice, etc. Basically, he is our walking, talking, boy encyclopedia. He is a varsity soccer player as well.

We have been friends since grade school. I know his crush, favorite color, and deepest secret. He also likes me for me and not my brother. Actually, Cam and Caleb are pretty good friends. They hang out together and call each other 'bro' so I guess that means they are friends.  Half the stuff that comes out of my brother's mouth is weird. Of course, since he started calling Cam 'bro', everyone at Chance thinks it's cool now.

"Have you seen Caleb yet?" Cam asks, joining me in the lobby of the school.

"No, today though. Brandon drove in and we are going together. You can come if you want. Jen will be there," I add, shrugging.

"I don't want to intrude, but if your parents and Brandon is okay with it, I guess I'll come," Cam says, loosening his tie.

I nod and the bell rings to head to our first class. In the hall, I get three sealed envelopes with my name and Caleb's on there. I roll my eyes. This is going to be a long day.