Battle of the Boys

۵ c h a p t e r o n e ۵

Something Did Happen

If i've learned anything over the summer, it's that sleep is a crucial thing. Without being said, I had aimed to go to bed early last night... only, that never happened. Instead, my mother kept me up to watch an informational documentary about how to keep a balanced and happy life.

One key feature of that, was to get 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Funny, because that's exactly what I wasn't getting while Doctor Belinda Giles was yapping about her studies.

As I walked across the forgotten courtyard, memories of the past two years swelled inside my brain. All I thought about while passing through, were my friends and how I hadn't seen them all summer. Heather was away in Tahiti visiting her grandma, Kelsey went to New York for an internship, and Bridget went to stay with her dad in San Francisco.

I, unfortunately, had to stay here. I didn't have family in exotic places - other than Hawaii- , or a life far interesting in order to gain a really cool internship. All I had was a family dedicated to proper success, and a part-time job that usually felt more like a real one.

If Heather, Kelsey, or Bridget were already here, I can only think of one place they'd all be. Our picnic table underneath the willow tree towards middle of the left side on the courtyard.

The courtyard was Cambridge High's main hangout area. It's where all the students would hang during the mornings before school, at lunches when it's nice outside, during their free period of the day, and after school while they waited on rides home. If you needed to find somebody, this is where you'd usually find them.

As our branded table came into view, I was able to finally see how different each one of my girls had looked. Heather's feathery brown hair had become a shade lighter, and her neutral skin, ten shades darker. Kelsey looked just about the same, but something about her outfit and red lipgloss screamed couture.New York reinvented her. Bridget looked like a classic cali girl. Bronzed skin, and bleached blonde salty waves.

They each had their own, unique look that somehow managed to match their bubbly personalities. I just looked like a native born Hawaiian who constantly gets mistaken for being filipino. 

My family isn't from the Philippines. They're from Hawaii!

Kelsey was the one who spotted me first. She squealed, before getting up from her seat and running towards me. I opened my arms, and she ran right into them.

"I've missed you so much, Bry!" She cheered, after nearly squeezing me to death.

Gently removing her arms, I smiled at her. "Let me see the new look!"

With a vibrant smile, and an appreciation for me noticing, Kelsey turned around twice to show me the twirl of her new checkered skirt. She topped it off with a plain black ribbed short sleeve, and tiny black pumps. "What do you think?"

I pretended to swoon, "Flawless."

Kelsey smiled, "I'm glad you're here."

Kelsey walked with me until I finally reached our table. Bridget was the next to get up, also giving me a tight hug.

She pulled away, and then ruffled my hair playfully like she always did. "How's my filipino?"

I huffed, "For the last time- I'm Hawaiian!"

Bridget shrugged, "Debatable."

With a subtle roll from my eyes, I made my way around to sit next to Heather, my ultimate best friend. Her and I were day ones, meaning we've been friends for like ever. It was originally us two, and then Kelsey and Bridget joined us towards the middle of freshman year. Heather and I both agreed that we needed to befriend other people- and not just ourselves.