anoesis

I

"No, that one is too freshman like. You're going to be a senior, not a freshman." Liz tells me as I point to a light pink backpack hanging up on the rack.

"Then how about I ditch the whole backpack idea and only carry around a notebook and a pen instead?" I ask her sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes, "Listen, L, unless you want to look like a freshman, a pink backpack will not do." Turning around, she grabs a boring grey backpack down lower on the shelf, holding it up to me. "This will do!"

I roll my eyes as I take the backpack from her hands and head to the register with all my supplies.

Who cares about a backpacks anyways?

"Do you think this is maybe too much color for me?" Liz questions as she examines the backpack she had picked up off the shelf. It was a solid turquoise color, but it screamed her name all the way.

"It's fine, Liz. It's just a backpack."

"It's not just a backpack, everyone looks at it every day, so you've got to make some sort of impression or none at all, you know?" She rambles as we make our way into a line.

"Right." I say as I send her my nicest 'I don't really care about what you're saying' smile.

She gets the message and rolls her eyes as I pay for my things.

Once Liz has found a way to fit her bags in the car, because we've stopped at six different stores already today, she drives me back to my house.

"I can't believe it." She mumbles, "Seniors. We're going to be seniors! Do you know how crazy this is?"

"Mhm." I reply, not really paying attention.

"L!" She says, smacking me on the arm, "This is our last year of high school, can you take a minute to seriously think about that?"

I stop and take a second. It really is the last year. This is the last year Liz and I will go back to school shopping together, the last year we'll walk the halls of the school we have come to hate and love, and the last year we'll have time to spend with each other before we move on.

"You're right." I tell her, and she smirks. "How great will it be to move away and make new best friends?"

She hits me harder in the arm as we pull up into my driveway.

I get out of the car and grab my few bags from the trunk, most of which are filled with clothes that Liz picked out for me herself, since I have no personal interest in my style.

As I make my way around the car, she rolls down her window.

"This is it, L. It's your last chance to make an impression. You've got to let loose this year, have some fun."

I shrug at her and she rolls her eyes.

"I'll see you later, don't forget about your plans with Noah tomorrow."

Liz rolls her window up and as she backs her way out of the driveway I wave to her.

I make my way into the house and up to my room, dropping the shopping bags in the middle of the floor and plopping myself onto the bed face-first.