Changing Fate

Chapter 2

A week later

I wander into the school lounge, the smell of burnt toast making me hungry. There's chairs scattered everywhere, a half-cooked pack of ramen in the microwave, and Good Morning America playing way too loud on the TV. It's familiar, almost like a point of comfort.

Amber is next to show up, slightly later than normal.
"Sorry! I was stuck in the queue at Subway. Got your favorite for you!"

"Thanks, that's so sweet of you!"

Everyone knows I love Subway. My one true food love. I always get the same thing: pepperoni and cheese with tomato sauce, toasted so it's like a pizza. I've never realised how unhealthy that is. And I've been trying to lose weight. I only have it like twice a month though, so it's not that bad.

She sits and we talk about school. Suddenly, a familiar song comes on the radio in the back.

I gasp loudly. Culture Club! As it plays on, memories come flooding back to me, playing with my mom in the garden. Driving my tiny pink Jeep on the lawn, an 80s radio station on the boombox. They played this song a lot.

"Ella? You OK? You're starting to cry."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Long night."

She sees through my (obvious) lies. "It's this song, isn't it?"

I wipe my eyes. "Maybe..."

She goes behind the counter, and flips a switch. A minute later, she returns triumphantly.

"There! Happier now?"

We start eating. "Hey, did you get an email about CalArts?"

I stopped, shocked she'd brought it up. "Yeah. Completely forgot about it though."

That was a lie. I had chosen not to look, still scared I'd be rejected.

"I bet you get in."

She's always been so optimistic about my future, arguably even more than her own. I think she does it because I'm not very confident in myself.

"I hope I do."

With the conversation over as quickly as it started, we headed out to Amber's old Ford, which was full of empty McDonald's wrappers and coffee cups. She grabbed her bag, and we headed to homeroom.

"Did you do your English homework?"

"Some of it." I stop dead in my tracks, shuddering at the thought of another screaming match with Ms. Petrano.

"Don't worry. She'll probably be more pissed off that Liv isn't here."

"Amber?"

She stares at me curiously. "Yeah?"

"She's never here. Except on Fridays, because that's when they serve pizza."

Liv's always going on about that pizza. She says it's better than Pizza Hut ("just a pile of cardboard shit").

"What is it with you two and pizza?"

I don't answer. I've always had a thing for Italian food. There's a video somewhere in our basement of me and my dad doing that spaghetti thing from Lady and the Tramp. I hid it, though, when my first boyfriend came over, and now it's buried under another dozen VHS tapes. My mind goes off on another tangent. What happened to those? Did...

I'm distracted from my thoughts by Amber screaming at me.

"Ella? Ella, talk to me! Ella!"

"What?"

She turns to stare at me. "Why do you love pizza so much?"

"I don't know, I just do."

I'm not sure if she's happy with my answer. I don't care if she is, to be honest.

----

As I sink in to my chair in class, Ms. Petrano is hanging over me.

"Do you have the homework, Ella?"

I'm frozen. She's scared me. I can't answer. All that comes out is a series of 'um' and 'ah's that don't really answer her question.

"Never mind. Your father told me what's happened lately. I'll give you some more time to do it."

I sigh with relief. Thanks, Dad. You got me out of that one!

She continues. "And as you know, if you ever need help, I'd be happy to get you a meeting with the school counsellor."

Ugh. The school counsellor. The ultimate 'look. we're doing something to help!' move. I won't go, and she knows it, but I might as well be polite.

"Thanks, Ms. Petrano."

She goes back to her desk, as I reach for my copy of Romeo and Juliet.

----

We meet Liv at her house after school.

"I had an awesome day. I played this game. These two guys came after me on flying bikes, and destroyed my car. So I set off this giant cannon, and kept setting bounties on them. Eventually they got sick of dying every 5 minutes, and just left..."

We stared at her. Amber was the first to speak up. "Good for you, I guess?"

Liv stared back. "I'll take that as a compliment."

We hang out at her house for hours, taking turns to do missions in that game. I wasn't bad at it, either. For once. I killed someone. That's good, right?

----

I get in at 7:30. My mom is already in bed, and there's a lasagne in the oven for me to finish making. I was having a great time talking to my family, laughing with them at my dumb memories. But life has a way of ruining these moments.

Suddenly, a scream came from the bedroom. We ran up, and she was coughing blood...