Afterglow • [fivesos]

places & people • 2

Maybe being up in the middle of the night wasn't the best idea. To say I was tried was an understatement. It was 7, and I had to be at college in about an hour when all I wanted to do was stay in my oh so warm bed.

"Are you up, Alisha?" A knock at my door came followed by a jump of my body.

"Yes" I grounded in reply, dragging myself from under my sheets, moving them and my cushions so that my bed looked like one of those you'd lie on in some furniture store.

When I came back at around 3:30 this morning I already decided that showering was a good idea making this morning a lot easier on my part. Pulling on my black skinny jeans, a black jumper and my converse I put my phone inside my bag and grabbed my coat before leaving the house and walking to my car.

Coffee, I needed Coffee. Okay so here's a fact about me. I don't actually like Coffee. I'm more of a tea or hot chocolate person, but I needed something to wake me up and that was my only option so I took it. I mean I could always hold my nose whilst drinking it.

Arriving at a shopping centre that was only a few minutes away from my place of education, I parked up and made my way straight to the nearest Costa. Ordering an Espresso I covered my face with my hands. This day was going to be long.

••••••••••••••

I was ever so thankful that I had chosen Music Performance at college, I was also ever so thankful that this morning I only had music rehearsals followed by a lesson that was meant to be three hours long but only lasted for an hour because our teacher had to leave early.

"Ali!" My best friend hooked her arm around my own. "We are all going shopping for a bit, want to come?" Although I loved her and all of my friends to pieces the enthusiasm in her voice was just way too much for me today.

"I don't really have that much money today, how about another time?" I lied with a smile which they fell for or just didn't have the effort to argue with me.

"Okay see you later." I received a hug from each of them before we all left College. As they moved further away, I began to walk in the direction to a nearby skate park, walking across the few roads before making my way through the trees sitting on the grass opposite the nearly added skating area.

My headphones went in as I pulled my notepad out thinking of a song I could write for our next college project, as I also watched the people skating. They were the same guys as usual, most of them with some long or coloured hair, and then the others that seemed too model-like to be the type to skate. Maybe they were just in it for the girls? Probably. My eyes than moved to the other side as I noticed a few people I hadn't seen before, which shouldn't be as surprising as it was, as I see people I don't know every day, although yes some of them kind of fit the whole skating look, due to there skinny jeans I might add, they just seemed different? I couldn't put my finger on it, and I had been looking for too long as I noticed one of them looking towards me, making my head automatically drop and get back to what I had set out to do.

•••••••••••

"Help me runaway from this crazy world, I want to feel the open road." An unknown Australian voice read some of the words in my song book causing me to jump slightly and put the book away after I pulled an ear phone out.

"It's rude to read people's things without asking." I spoke sternly as I took my bag and stood up, coming face to face with the stranger, as I recognised him as one of the guys I had been staring too long at.

"It's also rude to stare, so call it payback!" He laughed.

He was taller than I was, but not loads taller, six foot is guess? He also had coloured hair, red coloured hair. Not ginger, I actually mean red. A little lower a piercing was placed on either side of his eyebrow, which surprisingly didn't look too bad on him.

"I told you it's rude to stare, didn't your parents ever tell you?" A smirk appeared on his face which caused a roll of my eyes.

"Yes they did actually, they also told me I should also not waste my time with arrogant people, that being said, I shall be leaving now." Pulling my bag closer to me, I moved myself around him, holding in a smile as I did so. Of course I could take a joke and didn't really think that but it was only fair I payed him back.

"Wait, I'm sorry, we just wanted to say hi, I'm sorry." The boy shouted before me as I noticed his friends come closer at the front of me.

"Hello, and goodbye" I sang as I smiled to his friends.

"At least tell us your name?" The boy in the middle of three with the lip ring asked.

"I'm Jen, not that it matters you probably won't see me again."