It All Started From the Stop(Sign)

Chapter Five-The Classroom

"Oh my goodness, Saphy. You have to read The Fault In Our Stars. It's such a fantastic book. Come on, you'll love it," Liz pleads, setting her lunch down on the table. I place my tray down also, and glance out the window. Lucky for us, our lunch table is right by the window, and while it lets the cold air seep in during the winter, it gives us a nice view of the white wonderland outside.

It's noon, so the sun is shining bright, making the snow sparkle like someone dropped millions of diamonds on a white blanket. I sit down in my seat and start shaking my chocolate milk. Liz sits directly across from me, and even though this table is meant for eight, only three people occupy it. Anne is probably still in the lunch line getting her vegetarian meal.

"Liz, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not going to read some sappy love story. You know how I feel about romance novels. The leading female character always ends up looking weak and obeying the male's every order. The author slaps on the words, 'they lived happily ever after', and suddenly it's America's top selling book. Romance is a trap, Liz, I tried to warn you before," I explain and take a sip of my milk.

Liz rolls her brown eyes.

"Not this again. Justin is a phenomenal boyfriend, he isn't my 'master' or whatever you think he is. He is a smart, mature, senior and he already has his future figured out. Everything is planned, just how I like it. I think you are just scared of a relationship, Saphy. And I have no idea why," Liz says.

The buzz of the school cafeteria is becoming distracting, and now it's my turn to roll my eyes at Liz. I look up from my turkey sandwich and I see Anne seated at the seat next to mine. Goodness, Anne is so quiet. Her brown hair is in a braid and she's wearing her usual preppy outfit. Her face is hidden behind a hideous science book. Ugh. I hate science.

"Anne, I didn't know you were here," I tell her causing her to look up from her book. Her lunch is pushed to the side for her book, and her tray only has a water bottle and an apple on it. Anne is always studying, and she never really pays a ton of attention to her health. She's really skinny and average hight. Her brown eyes peer into my own.

"Yeah," she replies before reading again. She's a bit unsocial. You never know what's going on in her head.

"I can't believe we only have a week left until Christmas break!" Liz comments, stabbing a fork into her broccoli. Today she's wearing a white long sleeved shirt tucked into a pink skirt. Her shoulder-length blonde hair is straightened with a blue bow pulling back her long bangs.

I'm about to respond when my phone vibrates in my boot. My attire consists of my dark blue shawl and black leggings with my grey boots. I left my long brown hair down, also, but I regret it because it's been really annoying me today. But then again, everything has been really annoying me today because it's my 'time of the month' and these cramps are killing me. I reach down and take my phone out of my boot. I have a mini flash back to last week when my texting lead me to carrying some boy to the nurse's office. That was so strange.

I turn on my phone and read the message from Alex:

I have to go back to school for something, so I can't pick you up today. Mom can't either because she has a meeting. So take the bus. Remember Echo and Pyra will be home tomorrow.

Great. I don't mind riding the bus, it's the last part that bothers me. I love my sisters, but man, they are something else. They are your typical fashionable, popular, sorority girls. Echo and Pyra crave attention. They're nineteen, but they aren't twins. Echo is older than Pyra by ten months. They are best friends and go to the same college, and it is so awkward being around them. Not to mention how many disagreements we get into.