Chapter I: Jake Bradley I
I groaned as I heard my alarm blaring and knew that I would have to get up soon. It was 06:30, and that was the latest I could get up and still make it to school on time. It was the first day of the new year, and I was already dreading it. I really shouldn't have stayed up all night playing games. Every time I stay up late, I always end up regretting it! For fucks sake, I wish I could just fall asleep for another hour, or at least 15 minutes!
I then heard my dad stomping down the stairs, ready for work; now I really knew I had to get up. I quickly brushed my teeth, got ready for the school day, and rushed down the stairs. "Mornin' son," my dad yelled as I came down the stairs. "Morning, Dad," I barely managed to grumble out, still somehow half asleep. He always liked to catch a bit of the news before heading off to work.
"If you can't handle your first day of school, you're never going to be able to handle the real world!" My dad yelled. He's the kind of person who always talks about how he has it harder than everyone, especially me. I know he doesn't mean it in a bad way though. Still, it annoyed me, mainly due to my own tiredness, but the way he constantly does it drives me insane. I decided it's better not to bite the bait. My dad decided to fill the awkward silence, "Well, at least you're actually up, unlike your sister and mother, I think they would sleep forever if they could!" My dad joked. I doubt I'll ever understand how he has this much energy in the mornings.
My mum works in the afternoon, and my sister hasn't started her semester yet, so they both often sleep in, or as my dad puts it, "they like to be lazy". My dad is 5 feet 9 inches tall, bald, and a shadow of his former self. The once-athletic man who used to box now only has a beer belly and a tough attitude to show for it. Despite this, I do still respect my father. My sister is on the shorter side, like my mother, and they are both around 5 feet 2. Where my mother is more timid, my sister is always outgoing, and although she often jokes and puts me down, I know she secretly has my back. I, on the other hand, stand at 5 feet 11 and am quite athletic, being on the football team, but I'm nothing special. We all have our signature Bradley family black hair, as we call it. However, it's just technically dark hair.
"Even though I can tell you're tired, you do know I still expect 100% out of you, remember no one gets something for nothing in this world," my dad declared. A simple "Yeah, I know" is all I could muster. "That's my boy," my dad replied as he shot up and walked out for work. I also would have to leave now if I wanted to make it on time.
Soon after, I began the long walk to my bus stop, deep in thought. Would this year be as bad as last year? Would I still be stuck as a second-string player this year? Would I at least have a good first day of school? All these thoughts surprisingly made my walk to the bus stop seem quick. I checked my phone and realised the bus would be here in 10 minutes. Well, early is better than late, I thought to myself, before realising that was exactly what my dad would say to me. Eventually, the school bus arrived, and I quickly took my usual window seat in the back-middle of the bus and began to daydream as I looked out of the window, wishing I were as lucky as all of the people still in bed.
Chapter II: Cindy Turner I
I couldn't help but smile as I was sitting on the school bus. I was just so excited to spend the whole day with my friends again. My legs were shaking in anticipation of when I'd finally get to see them again. I, as usual, sat near the front of the bus, so I turned around to see who shared my excitement. Those who did chattered and laughed on the bus, but many were clearly dreading it and sat in silence. I always pitied those people, but at the same time, I wondered what they were truly thinking just as much; after all, it is often those who think the most who speak the least.
The bus began to slow as my excitement grew. I practically jumped out of my seat at the bus stop, and I finally saw my best friends in the entire world... Maria and Isabel. We were an unlikely trio: Maria was a short, 5-foot-3, olive-skinned girl with long brunette hair and a body that showed how much she exercised, green eyes that practically melted souls, and a bubbly, outgoing personality to match. Isabel, on the other hand, looked like a stereotypical goth, with piercing blue eyes, a slender build at 5 feet 8, pale skin, and black hair that always matched the black of her clothes; she was also definitely on the quieter side, but she was the kindest girl I'd ever met. I, on the other hand, am an unassuming girl, average height at 5 feet 5, brown hair and brown eyes.
Despite all our differences, we got along amazingly well throughout our years together, and we were united by our true love: music and playing instruments.
"Oh my god, Cind, I'm so excited to see you!" Maria practically squealed as we all hugged each other, much to the annoyance of the people waiting behind to still get on the bus. We eventually sat down and began talking. "I bet this year is going to be our best one yet!" Maria shouted. "Well, I just hope it doesn't drag like the rest of them at this point," Isabel groaned. "Aww, come on, Isabel, it's not going to be that bad, I mean, how can it drag when you have Maria and me?" I joked and smiled. "Well, I guess you have a point," Isabel said back as she began hugging me.
The rest of the journey breezed by as we joked and all laughed together the whole way there. Eventually, we finally got to school, breathed in the crisp school air and headed to our hangout spot, the benches by the fountain. "So, Cind, is this the year where you're finally gonna get with Patrick then?" Maria teased. "Shut up, Maria!" I yelped as I softly hit her arm and started laughing. As the noise died down, Isabel also added her two cents: "I think you're too good for that guy anyway," she said, almost disappointed. I always knew she didn't approve of my long-term crush on Patrick, but I know it comes from a place of kindness; she's always been very protective of those she loves. Patrick was over 6 feet tall and well-built, even compared to the rest of the boys on the football team, and had a mullet and dirty blonde hair.
Suddenly, the bell rang for home room. "Right, girls, I love you all and hope you all have a great first day back", I said as I turned to go to home room "Fingers crossed for all of us!" Maria announced, and Isabel waved goodbye at both of us. I couldn't help but smile as I walked to my class.
Chapter III: Jake II
I have just made it to home room, and my feet are already dragging. I sat in my assigned seat and began rubbing my eyes, trying to ease my dull headache or relieve the tiredness. "Well, someone is looking as radiant as ever!" Miss Groves joked. I barely managed a light chuckle and a smile. Miss Groves was one of the few teachers I actually got along with very well. I had grown close with her over a few years as she taught both my sister and me. Frankly, I'm extremely lucky that she is my home room teacher. "Ugh, why does everyone have to be so loud?" I mumbled. Ignoring my complaints, she began to shuffle some books on her desk. "Late night, I'm guessing?" She always had a good read on me and seemed actually to care about her students. "Yup, and I'm already regretting it," we both chuckled. "Was your journey at least alright?" She asked inquisitively. "Well, Miss Groves, it really didn't help with my headache. Half the people on the bus were screaming; it's almost like they have no self-awareness. Even this group of girls blocked everyone else from getting on the bus because they were too busy screeching. For some reason, all the loud noises seemed to anger me more than usual. "You see, this is why you should've got that car you were telling me about," she winked. "Salt on the wound Miss Groves,"
Eventually, more people began flooding into our home room, and I began watching the clock, somehow trying to will the hands to move faster. I can tell it's going to be a long day already by the fact that I'm already clock-watching. "Hey, bro, how are you doing?" I heard as I simultaneously felt a slap on my back. I turned and smiled, "tired as fuck," I replied with a laugh. Michael chuckled to himself as he took his seat next to mine. Michael had been my best friend for the best part of a decade, and he always felt like the brother I never had. He was 6 feet tall and had tanned skin. He was mixed race with a Bajan mom and a dad from here in the states. He had dark curly hair that formed into a fringe. "Let me guess, you were playing that shitty game again", he joked "Well, it beats yours and Tyler's ideas of a late night, all you two do is eat," I retorted "touché," Michael said after a second of thought. Every weekend, we'd spend a night at one of our houses, eating, chilling, and playing games. It was one of the few times in the week that I'd always look forward to.
Many of my other classmates were in their own worlds, talking to their friends with clear excitement for the day, a day I failed to share. Everyone else was in their naturally formed cliques. A large group of mainly girls were sitting in their seats gossiping about something that I knew nothing about, while a group of so-called geeks were all talking about the latest video games, which just so happened to be exactly what I stayed up a lot of the night playing. I unconsciously smiled at them to mixed reactions. Some of those who knew me better smiled and waved when they noticed (like Ned and Victor), while the rest only greeted me with a scowl, Leanna's and Eve's being the deepest. I decided to turn away and quickly remove the awkwardness from the room. Even their scowls annoyed me; the lack of sleep was clearly putting me in a mood today. The next-largest group I looked at was calling my name, and I looked over at them. "Hey, Jake can't wait to see you at training again!" Rob cheered as the other athletes began to shout, to Miss Groves' dismay, and she quickly shushed them. I decided to stop looking around the room now to draw less attention. I got along with a lot of the athletes, but not with everything they did. Our lives outside of sports were often too different, but Rob and I always got along very well.
Then we all heard the chiming of the morning school news, and we began to quieten even more, while Miss Groves also spun to watch the screen. A beautiful, tanned girl's smiling face was a welcome sight on the projector as she began reading the news. Her name was Tara, a fellow AP student who also participated in many extracurricular activities despite her already busy schedule. I never understood how she was even smiling like that in the morning. For a long time, I actually had a crush on her, which explained why every time we saw her, Michael would hit me with a dashing smile that I always chose to ignore. Despite my still finding her very beautiful, it faded last year when I saw her and her friends and how they truly acted. It did shock me as she always seemed very kind to me, but I guess lies slither from different people more easily than others. Shaking my head to try to forget about it, I began daydreaming again, and before I knew it, homeroom was over. Maybe today won't be as much of a drag as I thought it would be; that was until I looked at my timetable and saw what I had in my first period. Michael leaned over my shoulder as I looked at my timetable. "Well, damn, you have fun double AP biology with Mr Lee," he said sarcastically as he patted me on the back and made his way to his first period class. All I could manage was a simple groan as I trudged to my first period of the year.