An Unusual Story

The First Day of My Last Year

I woke up to the sounds of various birds chirping outside. My initial reaction was to groan, as the irritating noises of the birds had woken me up before my alarm had. I glanced over to see it was 6:00, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall asleep again. Deciding to make better use of my time, I got onto my feet and walked down the hall and into my bathroom. I turned on the shower, keeping the water at a cool temperature. Some parts of Ridge High School weren't properly air conditioned, and I wasn't in the mood to start off my first day feeling sticky with sweat. I came out of the shower smelling like lavender and honey. Looking at myself in the foggy mirror, I gave myself a small smile. Throughout the past three years, high school has taught me one important lesson: confidence is key.

During my Sophomore year, I pitied myself. I wanted my life to be exactly like The Perks of Being A Wallflower, or The Art of Getting Away with it. I wanted to have someone come it, take me under their wing, and maybe fall in love with me. I'm not even kidding when I say the exact opposite scenario happened. Did I make new friends? Yes. Did I fall in love? Yes. Was it requited? No, not at all. The only time the star of the varsity basketball team, Julian Hayes, ever noticed me was in my dreams. Everything he's ever done has been perfect. He's an athlete, he has perfect grades, and perfect skin. Any teenager would kill for those kind of traits. So basically, I've had a crush on Julian Hayes for two years now, and I can't tell if it's making me or breaking me. Either way, Julian has only noticed me a select few times. 

"Emma!" I heard my Dad call for me from the kitchen. I quickly finished up applying my mascara, and ran down the stairs, and made my way into the kitchen, where I found my Dad making pancakes.

"Where's Mom?" I asked, taking a seat at the table. My Dad walked over to me, sliding a plate of pancakes my way. I drenched my breakfast in syrup, and began to stuff my mouth.

"Oh, you know. Her usual morning antics." he informed me. By 'morning antics', he meant 'idiotic stuff'. After Mom disconnected us from her sisters, she's been trying to find a hobby that she would throughly enjoy. It's been ten years, and she's still searching. Right now, I pretty sure that painting is her new hobby of the week. It's nice that she's trying to find something, but sometimes, I feel like I only have a Dad.

On the other hand, my Dad has a steady job as an environmental lawyer. Environmental lawyers are high in demand right now, so Dad's been making all the money while Mom tries to find what makes her happy. Dad loves me a lot, I'm his darling daughter and he's my rock. Dad is also very idealistic, and smart. He tells me stories of how he pulled off his class' Senior prank by figuring out the mechanics and works to the prank. Though my Dad is loving, sometimes he's very opininated and he often zones out when I'm telling him something important that happened to me. He's an eccentric man, and I still love him the same. 

"So, you're finally a Senior." he said with a sense of pride. I chuckled, finishing up the last bit of pancakes left on the plate.

"After eleven dreadful years of being in the public school system, I'll finally be leaving it." I sighed, snapping myself out of the daydream of my graduation. I could almost feel the smmoth fabrics of the gown touching my skin, and my diploma in my hands. As my dad took my plate, I got up to my feet and walked over to the front door.

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