A Slow Descent

Chapter 1

"Honey, come on! You'll be late!"

My mother frantically knocked on the door. I groaned before quickly getting up and opening the door, just enough to sneak my head out to look at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up." i responded in a groggy voice. She smiled as she kissed my forehead.

"Good! I have breakfast made downstairs! You better hurry or Braiden might beat you to it." she warned, walking off to wake him.

I laughed to myself as I closed my door and made my way to my closet. She's not wrong, if I didn't get dressed soon my brother would inhale every bit of my breakfast.

I quickly changed, then made my way to the bathroom so i could start on my makeup. My makeup was never extravagant or anything, just very simple and probably a bit sloppy. I wasn't too big on wearing makeup everyday, but my mom always thought that everyone could use a little bit of makeup. She thinks it's a bit more professional and I couldn't argue with that.

It took me around fifteen minutes to complete my makeup before I started on my hair. I didn't really do much with my hair either, I only slightly curled it. Although I have naturally straight hair, I always longed for my hair to have some curls. I quickly curled a few strands of hair before unplugging the curling iron and making my way downstairs. On my way down the stairs, I heard my brothers door open as he let out a groan.

"Finally!" he exclaimed stretching. He looked over at me and gave me a disapproving nod.

"It takes you an eternity to get ready."

I shot him a glance before responding, "I only take around twenty minutes!"

"Yeah, that's like fifteen minutes too long." he quickly added as he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door. I shrugged him off as I continued to head downstairs to breakfast.

At least I'm ensured some food before my prison sentence.

It was my sophomore year of high school and I wasn't exactly looking forward to the first day. I mean, I never really had any problems. I made good grades, I was involved in a few clubs, and I even had a couple friends. However, one factor I mainly looked forward to was getting to see my best friend, Jada.

Jada and I had been best friends since the first grade. We both still remember exactly how we met, at recess. I smiled to myself as I remembered her asking me to push her on the swing set. It was truly a wonder that we even became friends as we were polar opposites. Jada had such a bubbly person and very outgoing, while I kept to myself. She was always pushing me to do crazy things with her and I knew this year wouldn't be any different.

I made my way into the kitchen, sitting down at the counter. My mother was humming as she fixed my plate. She worked at the school's daycare, which meant she drove us to school and picked us up at the end of the day. Though I was glad I didn't have to ride the bus, I always wondered what that was like. Jada always told me it was no fun as she had to ride the bus to and from school. I tended to believe that riding the bus, especially with Jada would be a super fun experience, but I had never gotten the chance.

I was pulled from my thoughts as my mother sat the plate of food in front of me and began to fix another. That one was probably for Braiden as I noticed he was finally making his way into the kitchen. He took a seat beside me, trying to slyly steal the toast from my plate.

"Hey! That's mine! Get your own!" I couldn't help but giggle a bit as his hand retreated in defeat.

"Fine. Be that way, punk." he rolled his eyes as he tried to contain his grin.

Braiden was a year younger than I was. Today was a big day for him as he was just starting his journey into high school. Though my mom worried that he might struggle, I didn't worry at all. She didn't know the Braiden I knew. He was super outgoing and was always cracking jokes. I knew that he was sure to make many friends and have tons of fun this year. He always made the best of every situation, even when things looked bleak.

My mother set his plate down in front of him as she quickly turned down the radio. She then turned to us, wiping her hands on a towel and placing them on the counter. She began to speak as we ate.

"Are you two excited for the day?" she exclaimed happily. "You must be so excited to be back in the same school building together!"

Braiden groaned as he ate, which caused me to giggle a bit.

"Oh, don't act like you're not thrilled to pester me in the halls all school year." i rolled my eyes and watched him grin ever so slightly.

"Okay, maybe." he shrugged, bringing his full attention back to his eggs. This caused a laugh from my mother before she continued.

"Well, just remember that I love you so much. The both of you bring me so much joy and I'm proud of you both, no matter what." i gave a small smile and Braiden nodded.

"We love you too, mom." he responded with his mouth full. I playfully shoved him before getting up to take my plate to the sink.

"That's so gross, dude. Please swallow your food before speaking."

He only rolled his eyes as he grabbed his plate and followed my lead. We were both quite responsible and tried our best to help mom out whenever we could.

As we put the plates away, I gave mom a little hug before heading into the living room to grab my bag. Braiden followed close behind as we stood and waited for mom at the front door.

"You ready?" i asked as enthusiastically as possible.

He gave me a slight smile back as he nodded, "Yeah, I think so. I mean, of course, I'll be fine." he trailed off before giving me a somewhat serious look.

"Are you ready? I bet Jada's excited to see you." i smiled brightly at his mentioning of Jada.

"Yeah! Of course! I bet she has so much to tell me!" Braiden smiled as he saw my pure excitement and chuckled.

I hadn't seen Jada since around mid June. Her parents were separated, so she spent the school year here, with her father, and spent the summers in Chicago, with her mother. I was always excited to hear about all the mischief she got into in the summer. Last summer, she told me a story of this group of teenagers she met. She said they were all fifteen, but a few of them were sixteen. One of the older ones had thrown a party and, of course, Jada got invited. She had told me that it was the best time she's ever had and that she wanted to have a party of her own one night. We never got around to it, but I'm sure that won't stop her from plotting again this year.

Soon enough, mom made her way into the living room and grabbed her car keys off the coffee table. She then smiled as she pulled out her phone and held it up.

"Okay! Picture time!" she exclaimed.

My brother and I both groaned as we put our arms around each other.

"Oh, come on now!" my mother scoffed. "At least act like you love each other!" she giggled as Braiden tightened his grip on my shoulder and smiled big. I laughed as I, too, put on the biggest smile possible.

As she snapped a few pictures, I could feel the sadness creeping up behind me.

The first without you...

I thought to myself as I quickly glanced at the picture hanging on the wall behind my mother.

I'll make sure to make you proud this year.

My eyes welled up a bit, but i kept my composure as mom stopped taking pictures. Braiden squeezed a bit harder before letting his hand drop. I could tell he was feeling a bit of what I felt too.

Soon, we were walking out the door. Mom climbed in the front seat as Braiden tried to protest that he should be given passenger seat rights for today. I rolled my eyes as I climbed in the back. I wasn't looking to make a big deal about sitting in the front, I could only focus on getting to school and starting the year.

I'll make you proud, dad.

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Thanks for reading! I'm not sure how this story will go, but i've always wanted to write my own story with my own characters! This one may take a bit longer to update, but i promise i'm working on it. :)
Please leave any suggestions or comments about the story! <3