The Good, The Bad and The Broken

let's just get this over with

'Nothing haunts us like the things we didn't buy'

Alyx POV

I turned around in my bed. A noise ringing in my head. I groaned. Why did I have to set my alarm so early? Oh, wait. It wasn't my fault that I had to wake up at six-thirty in the morning. It was the government. I wished that I could just stay at home and not go to school. I groaned and as if she was summoned, my mum knocked on my door.

"Good morning sweetie." She smiled and then she saw my expression. "Are you okay?" She rushed over to my bedside and felt my forehead. "You feel a bit warm. Do you want to stay at home today?" I felt tempted to say yes, but I knew that staying at home meant staying in bed. With no TV, no phone and being babied.

"No thanks, mum." I jumped out of bed to show her that I was feeling okay. She shook her head.

"Your father's traditional back-to-school bagels are ready and awaiting your arrival." My mum says and walks out, probably to go wake my brother. When she leaves, I walk towards my closet, stretching my arms above my head. I picked out a dark grey sweater and paired it with a skirt that reached mid-thigh.

Okay. Time to mentally prepare myself to Melanie. When  I walked down the stairs, I found Melanie sitting down at the bench with my parents and Fred. I should have been surprised, but I really wasn't. My family thought of her as a second daughter and she thought of them as her second family.

It didn't help that her parents were extremely busy with their business. They were almost always away on business trips and often left Melanie with their housekeeper. Most of the time, Melanie would sneak out to my house.

"Good morning daughter." My dad said, sliding a plate in my direction. On it was a cream and fruit-filled bagel.

He only made them once every year. "Thanks" I nodded in my dad's direction and wolfed it down in less than ten bites. Melanie looked at me and then at her bagel, which was only about a quarter eaten. Being born into a rich family, she knew her table manners. I, on the other hand, didn't bother with the niceties.

"So, are you excited for the new school year? Your second last year at high school." My mother asked Melanie and I.

"I bet it will be the same as every other year. Tests, Melanie asking me to go to parties with her. Her going to parties by herself." I walked over to our Nespresso coffee machine and started making a coffee.

"You went to that party with me last week." Melanie pointed out.

"And I deeply regret that." I refuted just as the coffee was finished. That was quick. I took a sip, forgetting that the coffee was hot and burned my tongue. "Ow!"

"Sucks to be you." I poked my burned tongue out at Melanie. She ate the last of her bagel and we walked out to her car, arm in arm. We were like sisters. We argued and fought, but our relationship was always strong. Nothing could ever come between us. Her chauffeur drove us up to the school's entrance and dropped us off.

"This year is going to be different. I can feel it." She proclaimed.

"Mmm-hmm. You say that every year." I laughed.

"I was right once wasn't I?" She shot back. That shut me up.We walked to the reception to get out schedules. The brunette in front of us turned around sharply. Natalie. Otherwise known as the top cougar. Or poacher of men. But if a man succumbed to her powers, then they weren't men. They were boys.

"Melanie!" Natalie screeched. Her voice made me want to rip her voice box out and burn it. As usual, she completely ignored me.

"Hi," Melanie replied awkwardly. We had both agreed that we didn't like Natalie.