Sweater Weather

01

Love In The Strangest Of Places

It's October 5th, 2016, and the leaves are turning various shades of red, orange, and brown on this cool, Autumn, early morning. The branches are swaying back and forth, back and forth, dancing in the wind and calming my soul with every swift movement. I watch as one of the leaves descend slowly as the air carries it from one side of the tree to the other. I've zoned out on my doodle. It's not surprising. Nature is my nature, and to most people that doesn't make sense but to me it just fits.

Unlike most of my friends, I like the cold months, but there is one in particular with the same views on all things cold as I do. Maisie Sophia Moreno. My friend. My best friend. I usually call her Maze, and yes I know that show, but I'm not allowed to watch it, heard she's a baddie, but I may never know. We share so many interests and even a room. I know what you're thinking, and no, she is not my sister. She's my best friend, who happens to have nowhere to go. We aren't opposites, but we're not the same either. We have separate lives, separate dreams, separate plans for the future. But she's not going anywhere anytime soon, and neither am I, so for now, we do everything together. With her, I find love in the strangest of places, and without her, I'd be lost.

I have a boyfriend, Gabe. He's 5' 10, a baseball player for the school team, and a softie for sweets. We've been having a lot of problems lately, and it's been distant. I don't see a future with him, but according to my parents, we're soulmates, so I stay with him. It's easy for them to picture me with a sweet guy like him, but I'm not happy with him. That may change. I've got a full school year and a semester to figure it out.

I play volleyball; I like the sport, but I also need to keep an eye on Annalese. She's a freshman on the varsity team. Impressive, I know. I gotta make sure she can keep up. She's the gifted one, and I'm the brainiac, but that doesn't stop me from being her pesky, protective older sister. I love her, but I'm not her friend. I consider her a friend, but she's still in her awkward years, so I give her space when she needs it. I think she's afraid of my friends, but in all truth, if Maze or Gabe or Kasey ever hurt her, I would defend her in a heartbeat and cut them from my life. 

 I have an older brother and an older sister, but they are much older and have families. I'm the aunt of 3 boys and 1 girl with my sister and her husband, and identical twin girls with my brother and his wife. I love my crazy ass family. I'm "Cool Aunt Oakley." Anna doesn't like the kids that much, which is understandable, but I was very future-oriented when I was her age. All I wanted was to be treated like an adult, but she likes being young; adulthood is one of her greatest fears.

As much as I love my family, I've never really felt the same way about them as I do with my friends. When I have problems with classes, feelings, family troubles, fights with my boyfriend, etc. I don't want to go to my parents or my sister, or anyone related to me about it. They aren't who I relate to and rely on. I normally talk to Maze; I don't understand why that's a bad thing. 

It's time to get on the bus. Maze is downstairs making coffee, and Annalese- lord knows what she's doing in that bathroom. 

"Anna! C'MON THE BUS IS GONNA BE HERE ANY MINUTE!" I yell, pounding on the door. 

"Shut up! I'll be there in a minute," she says, feeling rushed.

"Alrighty then, if you want to miss picture day, that's your choice." I giggle quietly.

"FiiiINUH!" 

I can almost hear the eye-roll as she's grabbing her backpack and sprinting down the stairs. It's impressive how much of an attitude she got from a mix of her mother and me.

"What in god's name are you fighting about now?" Mom hammers us both as we escape out the front door. 

Maze was already waiting outside to get away from the noise. She gets tired of our bickering, but she also doesn't understand what it's like to have a sibling that you constantly fight with or a family with really high yet completely different expectations. 

"Sisters, am I right?" I spoke, instantly regretting the fact that I said it. 

She glances at me and grimaces. NOW I'm in trouble. 

"God, I can't believe you! I WISH with every FIBER of my BEING that I had a sibling to fight with."

That's gonna hurt in AP Lit, she might even still be mad at me during ICP... We'll see, we'll see.