Chapter 1
My whole life has been a string of memories I can't remember. I mean, I can remember tidbits of my life as a kid like a birthday cake and riding my pink and girly bike with pink and white streamers on the handlebars. I remember my moms warm and inviting hugs. She smelled of lavendar and her hair was a styled into a cute, blonde pixie cut. I vaguely recall my father's hearty life and his piggy back rides that would send us both into fits of giggles.
I remember the little things. And The Big Thing. All of my friends know not to talk about The Big Thing. After T.B.T. my mind eliminated the majority of my memories of dear old mom and dad, but i managed to salvage some memories even if it hurts to remember. My grey eyes have seen enough for a lifetime. Imagine a lost and confused 11 year old girl dialing 911 and sitting in a police station for nearly 8 hours. Luckily, my Auntie Meryl was in town and able to take me under her wing. I appriciate her but with the recent divorce she seems out of it. Drunk. A mess. Still, because of her i don't have to rot away in foster care. Thanks Auntie.
That 11 year old is now 17. That 11 year old is long gone. She now attends a crappy high school in a crappy town with more than decent friends. West Park High School in Aurora,Oregon. If you combine all four classes there's about 200 of us. Small school district I suppose. Of those 200 adolecents, there is Mia, Loghan, Jakob, Riley, Aurora (her parents are SO original), and me. We're our own little outcast gang except for our one and only "popular" friend Mia. She's not so much popular as just her family is rich so people wait on her hand and foot. Oh, also, when there's a sleep over it's at her house. her HUGE house. Loghan and Jakob aren't supposed to stay over because they're guys and we're a group of "hormonal horny teens" as Mia's parents say, but they just climb up the balcony that leads to her room. Honestly they're the funny ones of the group. Mia is the money and power, Loghan and Jakob are the funny, witty ones, Riley is the smart one, Aurora is the artsy fartsy one, and me. Well, I'm the dull and lifeless one. We've all been friends since I was about 7, so they knew the me before T.B.T. I think they hope she's still in there and one day she'll resurface, but she won't. This is me now.
Today is Sunday and tomorrow is another dreaded day of senior year. Mid-January in Oregon is cold. Cold and wet and not fun at all, but I get to wear all of my cute sweaters without getting weird looks. I tend to always wear covering material that won't expose my "battle scars" from T.B.T. Just thinking about it makes me sick. My mind reels and plays back to that day. It's truly amazing how the mood can go from light-hearted to dispair and sorrow in less than a moments notice.
Folding the last bit of my aunt's clean clothes I place them at the front of her bedroom door. I swear she isolates herself in her room more than an angsty teenager. I walk down the corridor of our quaint, one-story house into my room and shut the door behind me. I grab my laptop from the desk and plop onto my bed and I decide to call Riley.
"Hey, Ms. Sunshine, what do i owe the pleasure?" Riley's chipper voice rings in my ear as i grimace at the ironic nickname.
"Calculus homework question number," I drag out the word as i glance down at the paper to check which question has me stumped, "12," I can almost hear her shake her head disapproving my cheating off of her.
"It's negative two-thirds, and here I was hoping you called to hang out," I hear her pout although it's only a joking tone. I think.
"Ri-ri, it's almost 8 at night. We have school tomorrow," I roll my eyes and hear her giggle and act as if she completely forgot. She wishes me and goodnight and reminds me that we're al meeting up at the donut shop around the corner from Jakob's house before school. Not all of us drive so we usually meet up and take one or two cars. I drive my aunt's mini cooper and of course Mia drives. She drives a freaking Audi R6 for goodness sakes. Maybe they should've adopted me. The thought makes me smile as i browse through articles on my laptop. This essay I have to write is a pain. It's about health care and how it helps and where it lacks. Not my forte.
