Let's Be Awkward Together

Prologue 1: Adrian

May 31st

Adrian sat wearing her over sized jacket, hunched over her computer, with her room light off, stuffing chips into her mouth without savoring. It was dark. She was home alone. Her mom was working the night shift, while her older sister, Jenna, was out with her friends past her curfew. Adrian didn't care much to tattle though, so she left her sister to do her thing. It wasn't her business, and she didn't intend to make it hers, either. Her sister was three years older than her, so she could take care of herself, more or less, but she was very reckless and Adrian and her mother were always worrying about her. Well, Adrian wasn't worrying as much anymore. All of the things that would happen to Jenna in their minds, like getting into a fight, being raped, hit by a car or getting drunk and really anything happening, did not happen, so Adrian stopped caring so much. Adrian's mother was different. Even though she was easy-going and lenient, she was still worrying her head off. Again, Adrian couldn't care less about what her sister was doing. She was occupied.

Adrian typed on her computer Ao Haru Ride, a new manga she had just heard about and had been all the rage recently. What she realized to be greasy fingers typing on her keyboard, squeamish Adrian ran on her tip toes to the bathroom to wash her oily hands. She ran her hands under the cold water, lathered some soap onto her hands, and looked into her reflection. She saw she was . . .

exhausted.

You read too much. Something her friend, Grace, had said about her staying up at night reading manga.

Is there really such thing? Adrian thought to herself. She chuckled at the remark she found amusing.

Just then, she heard her mother walk through the door.

She held her breath.

Though she hadn't heard her say anything, she recognized the sound of the jingle of her keys, and the sound her purse made when she set it down. Adrian, attempting to be sneaky and discrete, ran into her room, turned off her monitor, and jumped into bed, pulling her covers over her head. She pretended to be asleep as she heard her mother open the door. She purposefully had her back to the door, so her mother wouldn't see her if she peeked around. She had stayed up many times past curfew, so she knew the drill.

"Adrian, I know you're up."

But she always managed to screw it up.

Adrian took her covers off of her head and sat up. "What'd I do to give it away this time?" She asked her mother expectantly.

"You left the bathroom light on. And your breathing sounds different when you sleep. And you never sleep with your head under the covers. You usually just throw them off." Her mother informed her, scowling, disappointed. Not at the fact that her daughter was up past her bed time, but ironically enough, she was disappointed at the fact that she didn't fool her in the least.

"Oh . . . "

"Haha. Well, kiddo, get to sleep!" Adrian's mom told her. She walked over and kissed her on her forehead, then left the room. She peeked her head into the room. "Seriously!" She closed the door gently.

"Okay, mama." Adrian said, as she drifted off to sleep.

June 1st

BEEEEEEEEEEP!

BEEEEEEEEEEP!

Adrian was abruptly awoken by the obnoxious ringing of her alarm. She remained in her bed, though. She didn't want to get up. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.

She started to think about Caleb.

In case you are wondering, Caleb, Caleb Morgan, is Adrian's current boyfriend. She has noticed lately, however, that she doesn't feel the same about him than when she did when they first began to date two years ago in the end of eighth grade. She realized something this year that she hadn't before. It was this etched, quiet but screaming, burning thing deep in her subconscious. For the longest time, she ignored it and didn't acknowledge it's existence, but it kept coming back.