Not Yet Alone

Chapter 1

Greetings to one and all. Thanks for checking out my story!  I just wanted to add that this story is by all means fictional. The characters, plot, and stuff were all made up. But anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

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Welcome to planet earth, the home to life. To many, earth is considered a place, a place where people live. But, earth is more than just a place to live. Earth is where life happens.

I used to believe fate ruled life. I used to believe that everything that happened in the world was destined to happen no matter what I did. I used to...

Now, as I drive to school on this ungodly early morning, I see the people around me. I know they all are just living their lives, letting whatever happen.

Not a single individual around me has recently taken the time to examine their life. None of them has ever considered that any choice made by them could change a life, but the earth just keeps spinning, round and round...

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It's a chilly morning in late January. I am running late to school and I know it. But, it really isn't my fault. I have been up all night working to help other people (I know that is a really vague description of why I was up late, but it's a long story).

The sun is just peaking over the horizon, causing the sky to look gray. My drowsy eyes see red cars, blue cars, black cars, pickups, trucks, minivans, and all sorts of vehicles rush past me. Everybody is just so eager to go about their busy ways.

As I wait at a stop light, I look at the person in the car to my right. There is a twenty five year old mom yelling at her two year old in the back seat for spilling Cheerios. To my left, there is a forty year old male talking on his cellphone with absolutely no expression on his face.

It may be slightly creepy to stare at the people near me, but I find it interesting to see how wrapped up they are in their own lives. I used to be like that too.

I drive through this life that is my reality. It is easy to get swept away with the busy happenings in life. Sometimes I just need to pause myself to notice the life going on around me.

Sometimes I just have to force myself to look, and force myself to notice that I am just a normal person. I've may have made different choices in my life, and I used to use that an excuse for ignoring the world. But I don't do that anymore.

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When I arrive at the school parking lot, I am already ten minutes late, so I don't even bother running in. There is no point in trying to beat the bell when it has already rung. Instead, I go straight to the attendance office to get a tardy pass.

Five years ago, I would have cried if I was late to class. I never used to be like this. But...times do change.

The process really is not all that complicated. All I had to do was give the secretary at the attendance office my student ID number and she printed me off this little receipt. My tardy pass.

Even now, it is still surprising to see my name on a tardy pass. Taylor Arnold. Monday, January 23, 2012. Never, in my younger years would I have imagined myself ever arriving ten minutes late. But then again, I never had imagined what had happened to me to happen to me either.

I have History class for first block, so after stopping at my locker to put my coat away, I went there. When I opened the door to my classroom, everyone turned and looked up at me.

Noticing that all eyes were on me made me feel utterly pitiful for arriving late. But really, it isn't like this situation could have been avoidable.