"Ms. Thorn?"
My eyes fluttered opened instantly. There the old hag was, Mrs. Aymer, my math teacher, pointing her long, thin finger at the equation on the board.
"Care to answer the question, Ms?"
Mrs. Aymer stared through my soul with those dark, glassy eyes. I probably looked like an idiot, but I just shrugged out of annoyance and brushed it off. The math teacher gave me the classic teacher eye roll, and proceeded to write my name on the board for detention. I groaned and rested my head on the desk just as the school bell rang. Mrs. Aymer started babbling on about the homework in her nasally voice as kids shuffled their way out the doors of, what I like to call, hell.
"Hails, wait up!"
I shot my head back lazily to look at the owner of the voice. It was my best friend, Val.
"So, I'm guessing you got detention in Aymer again?"
I scoffed, "Why would you say that?"
"Considering your current attitude, and I'm pretty sure this gives it away." She snatched the yellow piece of detention paper Mrs. Aymer had given me on the way out the door.
I grinned, "So, whats up?"
"You know how I have family from Maine right?" Val gestured her arms.
"Mhm."
"They're coming over to visit for a couple of weeks, and - ," I stopped her.
"What does this have to do with me again?"
"Well," she retorted, seemingly annoyed, "I want you to come over tomorrow to have dinner with them and my family."
I stopped in my tracks.
"What?"
Val stepped back hesitantly, "Whats the big deal?"
"Oh, I don't know, the fact that you're asking me to talk to human beings?" I said, completely serious.
"Hailey Thorn." Val put her hands on her hips, "It's senior year, it's about time you learn to, you know, socialize?"
"Yeah, I don't think so." I rolled my eyes at that statement.
For as long as I could remember, it's always just been me and Val. Never anybody else. You see, I'm not exactly the most sociable or popular person in my grade. In fact, I'm pretty much the exact opposite of that. And honestly, I'm fine with it. I don't need to go out with friends often, or talk to a lot of people, or care about what others really thought of me. As long as I kept to myself and stayed reserved, things were going to stay like how they've always been.
"C'mon, Hails." Val tugged my arm, "It's just a dinner, you're not really going to be talking to anyone, I just want them to know that I'm not lonely." She whined.
I rolled my eyes sarcastically. I guess it wouldn't be so bad. A dinner... with some of Val's family members. Yeah, whatever. Besides, what's the worse that can happen? An aunt asks me a little too many questions? I can handle that. I'm sure of it.
"Sure. Why not?"
I had no idea how that "Sure. Why not?" was going to flip my life upside down.
