My first shift book 1#

Chapter thirteen

Beep... Beep... Beep...
My alarm went off.
I rolled over and looked at my phone.
8:00 a.m.
I jumped out of bed.
It was finally the first day back at school.
As I got dressed, I couldn't stop thinking about what Mom had told me.
You'll find your mate soon.
Was she right?
Would I meet her today?
No one new had come to Haven High since I moved here.
So... was there going to be a new student?
I laughed to myself.
What would I even say?
"Hi... I'm your mate."
Yeah...
That would probably scare her away.
Maybe I'd just be friends with her first.
Then, if she liked me...
Maybe we'd end up together.
I smiled to myself before heading downstairs.
I grabbed a quick breakfast, said goodbye to Mom and Dad, and headed outside.
Every school day, I picked everyone up on the way to Haven High.
My first stop was Lilly's house.
I hadn't seen her all summer because she'd been away in Vancouver with her family.
When I pulled into her driveway, I frowned.
She was never late.
She was usually standing outside waiting for me.
I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.
Alex:
Where are you?
A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.
Lilly:
Sorry! I'm running a little late. I'll be right out.
Alex:
Okay.
While I waited, two more messages popped up.
Leanna:
Hey! Where are you? Maya and I are freezing our butts off out here! 🥶
I smiled.
Alex:
Sorry! Lilly's running a little late. I'll be there soon.
Leanna:
You better hurry!
Another notification appeared.
Maya:
Hey, Alex! Everything okay?
Alex:
Yep! Just running a little behind. See you soon.
Maya:
Okay! I'll tell Leanna. 😊
Just then, Lilly came jogging out of the house with her backpack.
"There you are," I said with a laugh.
"Everything okay?"
She smiled, although it looked forced.
"Yeah."
"I just overslept."
"How was your trip?"
"Oh... it was mostly family stuff."
"Nothing too exciting."
"Well, it's good to have you back."
She smiled again.
"Thanks."
We headed toward Maya and Leanna's house.
On the way, my phone buzzed one more time.
Nicole:
Hey, Alex! My mom's driving me to school today, so I'll just meet you guys at lunch. Can't wait to see everyone! 😊
Alex:
Sounds good! See you at lunch.
Lilly glanced over.
"Who was that?"
"Nicole."
"Her mom's driving her today, so we don't have to pick her up."
A few minutes later, we pulled up outside Maya and Leanna's house.
The front door flew open.
"There you are!" Leanna said as she climbed into the back seat.
"We're freezing!"
I laughed.
"Good thing I turned the heat on."
Everyone laughed.
"Where's Nicole?" Maya asked.
"Her mom gave her a ride."
"We'll see her at lunch."
"Oh, okay."
As we drove toward school, Leanna smiled.
"I missed you guys."
"How've you been, Lilly?"
"I'm good."
"Just tired."
Leanna grinned.
"Well, after school we should all go for a run."
"It'll wake you up."
Lilly looked out the window.
"I don't think so."
The car went quiet.
I looked at her through the rearview mirror.
"You okay?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
She forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
"I just... need a break from running."
Every head in the car turned toward her.
"What?" Leanna asked.
"You love going for runs."
"Why would you need a break?"
Lilly looked down at her hands.
"I've just got a lot going on."
"I don't really want to talk about it."
She looked toward the school parking lot as it came into view.
"Can we just drop it?"
"We're here."
She climbed out of the car before anyone could ask another question.
The rest of us stayed inside for a second.
I looked over at Maya and Leanna.
"What happened to her this summer?"
Leanna shook her head.
"I don't know."
"But something's definitely wrong."
Maya nodded.
"She isn't acting like herself."
I grabbed my backpack.
"We'll talk to her later."
The others agreed.
We climbed out of the car, slung our backpacks over our shoulders, and headed toward Haven High.
None of us knew it yet...
But this school year was about to change all of our lives.