Changing Fate

Chapter 1

Monday, April 8th
This is a familiar sight. The screaming crowds, the cheer squad, and my mom frantically waving a poster with 'Go Ella!'. It's a basketball game. I'm running, about to score, and the ground is cracking, and I'm falling...and then I'm awake. And Mom is screaming at me.

"Ella!"
That's me. Ella Green. A lazy, unforgiving, grumpy teenager, who loves basketball, food and Panic! (Don't judge.) I have friends, but I'm nowhere near being popular. In my life, there are no aims or goals - just getting through high school would be a miracle.

"Ella!"

Groaning, I lean over and grab my phone. I hate waking up. And school. I can smell bacon from the kitchen. It's enticing, but not enticing enough. I don't want to get up.

"Ella! Are you ready yet?"

I drag myself out of my cosy bed, all 5'5 of me. My brunette hair is still messed, and my face is oily, not to mention the tiny pore underneath my lip. But it's a school day, so I don't care. And no one else does either. I throw on a Hollister shirt, jeans and Converse before bolting downstairs. "Coming, Mom!"

The table is covered in dishes.

One thing that annoys me about Mom is that she wants to hear everything that happened at school. It's like I'm another one of her shitty gossip magazines.

She suddenly gasps, as if she's just remembered something.

"I forgot to ask. How was the party last night? It's a big thing, the first party of senior year."

She's right, and I know it. But I didn't really do anything last night. At least not anything she'd approve of. Really not living a Mom-friendly lifestyle over here.

I pull up outside school. Liv is waiting for me as I get out. Her actual name is Olivia, but someone called her Liv once and it just kinda stuck. She's taller than me, slightly prettier. Every day, the same makeup. Way more foundation than she actually needs (honestly, her skin is perfect) and the same lipstick in shade 10. Her favorite thing to do is gossip.

"Hey, Ella! I have so much to tell you! Did you hear about the Johnson twins?" One's the star linebacker, the other's the team captain. Everyone fancies them, except me.

"I saw the video on Britney's Snapchat story, but I don't actually know what happened."

This is a lie. Trying to get her to shut up, more than anything. I have a serious problem with gossip. Something feels off to me about insulting or attacking someone behind their back. And she knows I feel that way, but always carries on.

"And as for Kyle? I know he thinks he's so awesome and all, but he is such a lightweight! Two cans and he was throwing up everywhere!"

She laughs. I don't. For some reason, she's always had a problem with Kyle, even while they dated. I'm past caring about it though. It was two months in the 8th grade. Not exactly world-changing.

"I don't get why you always have to leave before all the fun stuff happens." she complains.

I glare at her.

She sighs. "Anyway..."

----

Homeroom is such a drag. My homeroom teacher, Mr. Estup, is a bit of a nutcase. He teaches Spanish, but I don't have. The people that do say he's twice as bad in those lessons. Like, what other teacher do you know that plays Shakira on loop for the whole 45 minutes you're stuck with him?

"Donde has estado, Ella?"

Did I forget to mention he makes us speak Spanish in homeroom? I'm cringing just thinking about it.