a nope production - dnp

[so much nope]

sample one - 840 words

"Hurry along, Emilee," a woman with too many plastic surgeries spoke, pursing her painted lips. "You're going to make mommy late."

A seven-year-old redhead was staring into a window displaying a stunningly gorgeous wedding dress. She gleamed at the creation of her imagination, Avery, who was standing beside her, also admiring the dress. "Isn't it pretty?" he asked. She nodded, short, gentle curls following her movement. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed, and she was forced to go along by her mother. The girl tried to pull away by using her free hand. Instead of escaping, she only upset her mom more and made her tighten her grip. Her mother was never one to lose her composure, until it came to Avery. If she ever caught a glimpse of her daughter staring and talking into space, she would yell the same words: "You're too old for imaginary friends."

Anyone would believe the words if they heard it a thousand times. Well, anyone that wasn't afraid of losing their only friend. That's exactly what Avery was to her; she never saw him as a figment of imagination. To her, he was another living human, who has the same needs as everyone else. The two of them had a bond like no other set of friends. That's what Emilee thought until he disappeared without a trace on the morning of her twelfth birthday. Needless to say, there was no longer a celebration, a happy one, at least. The party was missing the birthday girl because she refused to leave her room. She said these exact words to her mom that day: "I'm not coming out until you spit out and revive Avery!"

Of course, she laughed whenever she reminisced back to the days when Avery was still around, but she couldn't help but feel as if her time with him was cut way too short. She wished she could have at least told him goodbye. Or how wonderful it was to have him as a friend. Or how she sort of, maybe had a slight crush on him but was too shy to admit it. He was the type of guy anyone would have a crush on, and he was the sort of guy you'd want as a friend, girl or boy. She had to admit, she felt as if she was probably the luckiest creator to have him as an imaginary friend.

"Where is he?" The redhead, twelve-year-old asked with tears in her eyes. All of her family was gathered into the mansion, ready for the celebration. Emilee was wearing a dress similar to the wedding gown she was so amazed by in the window five years before. It brought out her bright green eyes. Her mother seemed confused and caught a bit off-guard. The girl's emotions had gotten the best of her, and she had forgotten that no one could see him except her. "Avery! Where is he?" Everyone exchanged odd glances and whispers amongst each other, but Emilee wouldn't leave it alone. She started yelling, repeating the words she had just said. Within seconds, a hand landed a loud smacking sound on her cheek, and complete, dead silence replaced her frantic, worried screams.

- - - -

Green eyes opened, and a females body shot upright on her bed, the comforter flying off into the floor. Her breathing and heartbeat returned to normal as she massaged the bridge of her nose. Seven years later and she was still having re-occurring dreams of her childhood imaginary friends. Why couldn't she just move on like her mother wanted all those years? The dreams were becoming bothersome, and she was already prescribed sleeping pills. She tossed her legs over the side of the bed and gathered to her feet, running three fingers through her hair that usually remained messy and untidy.

Just when she was about to pull an oversized t-shirt over her head, something caught the corner of her eye. When she realized it was in the shape of another person, she jumped and grabbed whatever was closest to her. She sent the wooden music box flying at its head and started dashing for the door. "Oh, my god! I just moved in, so there's nothing to take!" She screamed, jumping over the piles of clothing and boxes in the floor. But wait? She dared to glance back over her shoulder, one eye open, the other closed.

She tripped over a box, lost her balance and landed on her bottom. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," she whined, forgetting that she was in the middle of a possible robbery or something worse. She looked again and couldn't believe her eyes. There was no possible way. Not after seven years. She managed to stand back up, rubbing her bottom with a pained expression. She moved closer to the person, who was rubbing his head where she guessed the music box had grazed him. The closer she got, the faster her heart began racing. It was going to beat out of her chest any second.

"No. Way."

[so much nope]

sample two - 1702 words

xx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxclementinexxxxxxxxxxalfie

A green eye fluttered open, instantly blinded by the early morning sunshine. Shielding his eyes with his arm, Alfie's mouth opened into a wide O as he yawned. He sat up and thew his legs over the side of the bed, his eyes flickering to the alarm clock on the bedside table. It read 6:23a.m. No wonder the alarm hadn't gone off yet. A knock sounded on the door before it opened. "We're heading to the airport now, honey," an older woman said from the doorway. From her expression, Alfie could tell that his mother was concerned and somewhat disappointed. It was finally the day of the long-awaited Foreign Exchange students arrival, yet he wasn't going with his parents to retrieve the Russian girl he had signed up for. "Are you sure you don't want to go?" She asked for the third time in the past two days. Sighing, he stood from the bed and ran a hand through his dark, thick, curly hair. The least he could do - well, wanted to do - was walk his mother and father to the car and see them off, though the airport was only thirty minutes away.

Once the car was out of sight, the brunette turned on the heels of his socks and headed back indoors. His family had more than a decent amount of money, whereas the house and the neighborhood in which he lived was quite lovely. The houses were, at least, three-stories, and they each had a double garage and a private, fenced-in yard. He grabbed an almost full carton of milk from the fridge and chugged it down while waiting for his toast to pop out of the toaster. He sat at the bar, getting ready to watch the plasma-screen television, but an idea had popped into his head. He smirked and climbed the stairs to his room, where he grabbed his phone and a ripped-off piece of napkin from under the pillow and dialed the number he had gotten from a waitress just last night. He was home alone, and though it wouldn't be for too long, it would be long enough.

Not even ten minutes later, a loud ding traveled throughout the house. He rushed down the steps and to the front door. During the wait, he had gotten dressed into black jeans and a white v-neck. He ran a hand and tousled his hair one last time before pulling open the door to reveal a black-haired, busty beauty. His eyes caught on the chest poking out from the top of the shirt until she cleared her throat. "Oh, right. Come in," he said smoothly, moving aside and closing the door behind her. She seemed amazed at all of the nice, expensive furniture, and he knew he already had her. Time to do his thing. He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to his bedroom. Although he didn't even know her name, both of their clothes were on the floor, and their bodies were tangled together on the bed.

"You told me no one was going to be home!" The girl said through gritted teeth, pushing Alfie off of her. She grabbed her clothes from the floor and hurried to put them on, as did Alfie. He apologized, but he was only disappointed he hadn't gotten the chance to finish. Had an hour really gone by that fast? The girl cursed before falling on top of him, her pants down at her ankles. The door creaked open, and an unfamiliar blonde gasped in shock and turned away in complete embarrassment. The waitress jumped up, pulled on her clothes and brushed passed the girl in the doorway. "Never call me again!" She yelled, and the front door slammed.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it on. It was almost 7:30, and he would be late for school if he didn't leave in the next few minutes or so. "So," he started, "You must be the Russian chick?" His eyes scanned her from head-to-toe, and he was happy with what he saw. He thought about making this girl one of his future targets. He, also, brushed passed her. "Just leave your bags here for now or you'll be late on your first day. I'll take you. Come on," he finished. As soon as he reached the bottom step, his eyes met his mother, who had her hands on her hips and her lips pursed. He already knew what was coming, so he said, "Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm taking her," he signaled back to the steps with a nudge of his head, "to school, so later."

He grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and left the front door open for the girl. He started up the fancy sports car and waited. Thankfully, the high school was only a couple minutes away.

- - - -

"You shouldn't push yourself."

The artificial redhead's eyes landed on the man who was beginning to unpack one of the several boxes around him. "I know, but I want to go to school," Clementine replied, her voice almost a whisper. The two of them had just settled into their new home last night - a couple hours ago - and neither one of them had slept yet. However, she would much rather be at school, where she wouldn't have time to think about her old life. It was time for a forced new beginning, but she wasn't quite ready to leave all of her friends behind. Sighing, she dabbed at the newly forming tears with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. It wasn't cold or chilly out, but something about wearing a sweatshirt made her feel more comfortable.

Opening the door, she lifted a frail hand in an attempt to wave a goodbye. "I'm leaving now." The door closed before her father could get in another word. She wasn't entirely sure where the school building was, but she knew it was within walking distance, though walking distance could get a bit far if you ended up lost. She rubbed the back of her neck before placing her hands on the straps of the bag attached to her back. She swerved her way through various streets until she ended up on what seemed to be a highway. "Thank, God," she said to herself, spotting the school building directly across the street. It was much, much larger than she was used to, and she figured the student body would be the same. She had just come from a school containing two hundred students, so this would be a far stretch.

Her eyes darted nervously as she made her way up to the entrance. Though the new school year hadn't started too long ago, cliques had already been formed and were more than obvious: there were the jocks, the preps, the artists, the band geeks, the nerds, the theatrical entertainers, and, of course, the outcasts. Back at home, it seemed as if her and her friends were their own clique, and she wondered if she would find her place here. She flashed a few forced smiles, and she could hear whispers amongst one or two groups. Was it really obvious that she was new meat? She slid past a group of socializing friends at the steps before pushing open the the door and slipping inside.

"Excuse me," she chirped, biting her lip. A brunette averted her attention from the locker in front of her long enough to glance over her shoulder, waiting for the next words to be spoken. "Where is the main office?" She bit her lip once more and clung tighter to the straps that were still in her hands. "Thank you." She smiled brightly, and the girl smiled back and wished a good luck. Stepping into the office, she wobbled to the desk and stared around after the woman stuck up a finger to signal one sec. The woman placed the phone back onto its hook.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm Clementine Norman, the new student."

"Oh! Welcome, welcome!" The woman jumped up from her seat, retrieved some paper from a folder and guided Clementine throughout the halls of the school. The two of them came to a halt in front of a door. "And that's about it! Here's a copy of your schedule, and if you need anything, you know where the office is! Have a wonderful first day, kiddo!" She disappeared, and the redhead let breathed out in relief. She hadn't understood a thing since it was being explained so quick. She would have to figure out everything by herself. After a few moments of hesitation, she slipped into the room in front of her.

First period seemed to end quickly; she had interrupted the lesson, and there wasn't much of a lesson after that since everyone was more interested in asking her questions. She was glad that was over with until second period, and more people would have the same and other questions to ask. "This blows," she whispered as she wandered out into the hallway, only to run into someone and drop her books. "Ope! I'm so sorry. I wasn-" She was interrupted by an apology on the other person's end instead, and the two of them both bent down to gather the books. She glanced around, and a horde of students had circled around the two - no, definitely three - of them. What had she gotten in the way of?

"Yeah, I'm new, and I'm so so-" She was, once again, interrupted when a males arms wrapped around her and pulled her towards him. Her eyes widened, a small gasp escaped her lips. Finally, she knew what was going on. Bullying, one of the things she hated most. She pushed herself away from the stranger who had grabbed her and said, "You're gross, getting pleasure from picking on others. He'll always be the better person, and you, the scum." She turned around to face the one who had helped pick up her stuff and apologized once more before weaving through the group of students and dashing through the halls.

"What a way to start the day."

[so much nope]

sample three - 856 words

xxxx

Lifting frail arms above her head and arching her back, the twenty-two-year-old artificially pink-haired Clementine - Clem or Clemmy for short - threw her legs over the side of the bed, gathered and slipped into her clothes from the night before and left the mans apartment - which smelled of nothing but sweat and cigarettes - undetected. One-night-stands had become quite routine for her since she turned eighteen and began living on her own, attending university. Though she was still indecisive on what to be in the mere future, she majored in art and dance, two of the four passions in her life. The others were, of course, partying and sex. She figured it came from seeing her mother with different men almost everyday as a child.

Well, the blame wasn't all on her mother's shoulders. Clem wasn't the exactly the ideal child. She got into loads of trouble with school, never listening during class or doing her assignments. It was a mystery of how she even managed to pass without failing once. She got into several fights and earned several enemies along the way. Came home wasted almost every night. You name it, and she had pretty much done it. In the beginning, it might've started out as a scream for attention, but it had become serious somewhere down the line. Fortunately, she was able to break her drinking addiction when one of her childhood friends, James Hollbrook, snapped her out of it. She was more than grateful to have him in her life, along with the other two, Daniel Smith and Emaline DesCartes. All of them had saved her in desperate times.

As her platforms clicked and clacked down a flight of metal stairs, she was still in the process of pulling her black socks above her knee when her phone vibrated against her thigh. With a sigh, she came to a complete halt, moving aside for occupants of the apartment to pass her. The corners of her glossy, full lips tilted into a smile when she saw Jamie-Boo, her nickname for James. She gave all of her close friends a nickname with boo. Emaline was Ema-Boo, and Daniel was Dani-Boo. Her light blue eyes quickly read over the text, saying that James was on his way to pick everyone up for the road trip they had planned quite some time ago as a celebration for graduating college. She chuckled at the winky-face at the end of the text and blew hair out of her mouth that the wind had placed there.

"Jamie," Clem's soft, hoarse voice chimed after dialing his number. "I'm not home. Near the Keithland Apartment Complex. I'll need to stop by my place to grab my bags. Alright, see you soon, babe." She pressed End and hurried down the stairs. James and her had never had any sort of romantic relationship, though she'd flirt occasionally rather discreetly. He thought nothing of it since she was a flirtatious and seductive person in general. Out of her friends, James was the one she had known the longest. He was the one who knew almost everything there was to know about her, the one she called when she needed someone. The two of them were nearly inseparable as children and even throughout their early teens. That's when her acting out got a little out of a hand, and she went through some personality changes. Thanks for never leaving my side, she thought, her eyes dimming for a brief second until his jeep came into sight.

Hopping into the back behind Em, she learned forward and kissed both of their cheeks before stealing a peek at herself in the rear-view mirror. Her faded-pink hair was messy from the bed and tossed by the wind. Her dark eyeliner was still as clear as the night before, but the few dabs of color above her eyes had disappeared. "Sweet, it didn't smear," she said more so to herself, leaning back into her seat. She felt the excitement settle in and made a hushed squeal in her throat. The cabin in which they would be staying for the next couple days and nights was owned by the Smith family. It was rarely used, but it was tended to regularly. It would be their second time there, but it would be their first with the four of them alone. She thought back on the first time they were there as preteens and Daniel's parents as guardians. What a great week that was.

"Be back in a flash," Clem yelled back at the two in the jeep, already half-way up the stairs leading to her apartment. She grabbed the black-and-white striped Vans book bag that hadn't been used since her first year of college. It held a few changes of clothes, hygiene products and other personal belongings. She kissed her hand and slapped it on the wall. she said, closing the door and locking it. She turned the knob once to make sure it was secure before running back to the jeep. "Alright. Let's go get Dani, shall we?" She flashed a grin, her eyes lighting up.


C L E M E N T I N E N O R M A N

[so much nope]

sample four - 803 words

"Ayabel, Josh, pack your things," an orotund and adenoidal voice called from the bottom step. An artificial redhead poked her head out a door, raising an eyebrow. Ayabel stepped out and started down the stairs. Soon after, more footsteps sounded. She glanced over her shoulder at Josh. Both of them were rather confused, and Ayabel realized she hadn't managed to get completely dressed. She shrugged and said, "So, what's going on now?" Josh put his elbow on his sisters shoulder as if she were an arm rest. She pushed him away and laughed. He was more than used to seeing her half dressed, for she was an airhead who walked out of her room without clothes on more than half the time.

Josh and Ayabel had gone through many relationships. They could go from being inseparable to not being together at all in a second flat. Their personalities stuck together like peanut butter on bread. There was a time when they were children that Josh didn't talk to Ayabel for an entire day, and she refused to talk to him the next. It went on, back and forth, for about a week until they both apologized at the same time. A few years back, Josh saved Ayabel from a guy at a party who was obviously trying to get in her pants, and in return she gave him dating advice for her best friend at the time. The two of them were always there when they needed someone.

"We're going to our summer villa for a month or two!" Their mother announced, throwing her hands into the air as if she were dancing. Josh ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. It was clear he was in thought; that's what he always did when he had something to think about. "Can Tyler come? Saves me from this thing." He asked, rolling his eyes at Ayabel playfully. "Of course! He's more than welcome to come along on our family trips whenever we go," their mother said almost instantly. Ayabel scratched the side of her nose and a hand on her hip. That had just ruined the vacation in her eyes. She had never liked Tyler. Why? She had absolutely no clue, but there was something about him that annoyed her more than anything. And Josh knew that. "Go on and call Tyler over, Josh. Ayabel, get dressed. Both of you, start packing."

Turning on her heels, Ayabel said, "Are you guys like buttbudies or something? He's everywhere you are." Josh chuckled and winked. "Everything's better when you have a buttbuddy." When they reached the top of the stairs, Josh turned left into his room, and Ayabel turned right into hers. She passed the entertainment room, strictly made for Josh and herself, and the music room along the way. Once she was in the room, she pranced over to the mirror that stood just a tad bit taller than her 5'4" self before changing out of her pajamas and dressing in more appropriate clothing, a denim dress and sandals along with a silver dream catcher necklace. She hurriedly applied light make-up, brushed her hair and curled it, and started packing her things.

She was fired up for the family trip. The only thing she didn't care for was Tyler. Other than that, it was perfect timing; she hadn't yet planned anything for summer vacation. However, she wasn't going to allow Tyler to ruin it for her. They hadn't been to the villa for two or so years, and it was one of her favorite places to be. Excited, Ayabel paused her packing and went back downstairs and into the kitchen. She pulled out a carton of pineapple juice from the fridge, sat on the counter top and started to drink it. Her eyes flicked over to Josh who was in the other room on the phone with Tyler. He slid the phone into his pocket and appeared in the doorway.

"Tyler will b- Woah, nice dress," Josh said, shooting her with a hand-formed gun. He usually complimented her, no matter how horrible she looked, but he was right this time. She had bought the dress two or so days ago just for summer vacation. It had become one of her personal favorites out of her many wardrobes worth of clothing. "Thanks. What about Tyler?" She asked, stretching and tilting her hand carrying the juice towards her brother. "Want some?" He shook his head and walked in, leaning against a counter across from her. "He said he'll be over in five. You sure you're alright with him coming? I know how much you hate him." Ayabel laughed and waved her hand as if dismissing him. "I don't hate him. I just don't like him, but yeah, I'm glad he's coming actually. The more the merrier."

[so much nope]

sample five - 936 words

For most twenty-one-year-old's, getting by was pretty difficult; bills on top of more bills, hard labor each and every day, constant worries. However, it was different for Lillianna Hope. Life was a breeze, thanks to having a wealthy family. Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy just about anything that results in just that. After paying the entirety of her education, her father also paid first months rent on the apartment that she had just settled into not even a month ago. Not to mention, he bought her a vehicle for her sixteenth birthday and another after she graduated. Her life, in a nutshell, was handed to her, and one would - most definitely - say that she abused that in every possible way.

She had never been an ideal child. She'd often get into trouble with teachers and classmates, if things didn't go the way she wanted them to. She even ended up attending an alternative school. More than once. As she got older, she'd go out with friends and not come home until early the next morning, and she would never fess up to what she was doing overnight. She'd bring guys home and take them to her bedroom for a few minutes, then her parents would never see that same face ever again. She never did anything to earn the respect that she so well maintained to have throughout the years. However, no one ever told her right from wrong, so in her eyes, she was doing everything right.

Lifting frail arms above her head and arching her back, Lillianna threw her legs over the side of king-sized bed. Her eyes as blue as the sea landed on a rather masculine, attractive man as gathered and slipped into her clothes from the night before. She checked herself in the bathroom mirror, removing the smeared eyeliner and faded lipstick. She hated going out onto the streets looking like a mess, but it wasn't irregular for her. Once she made her way back out into the open-concept room, she kissed the palm of her hand and swooshed it in the sleeping man's direction before leaving the apartment, which smelled of nothing but sweat and cigarettes, undetected. One-night-stands had become quite routine for her since she turned sixteen. She had never once been involved in a relationship that lasted longer than forty-eight hours, and she had absolutely no urge to be. She enjoyed the rush that moving from man-to-man gave her. She could never understand why someone would want to stick with one lover for the entirety of their life, but who was she to judge? She only cared about herself, anyway, and no one else was of any concern to her.

"Come again," an older woman chirped as Lillianna waved and slipped out of a door. She had a cup of her guilty pleasure - Starbucks coffee - in hand, and she was ready to face another day, though more than half of the day had already disappeared while she was sleeping. Of course, daytime didn't matter too much. Nighttime is when all the best parties were being thrown and when she would go to bars and get more than wasted, though she would only do that occasionally. Surprisingly, she never liked drinking as much as she did partying and sleeping around. She drank a lot more before she entered college. She decided to treat life decently serious for those four years; she didn't want to be stuck there longer than needed, after all, and though one would never guess, she actually wanted to do something with her life sometime in the future. Cleaning up the mess she's made would be a hard one, but she knew it would be possible if she set her mind to it. That was, by far, the most difficult part.

Reaching into the pocket of her distressed jeans, she fumbled around for the bronze-colored key to her apartment. Feeling her heart sink when she felt nothing but spare change, she placed the almost empty cup of coffee onto the ground and frantically began searching within her pockets with both hands. She breathed a large sigh of relief and ran a hand through blonde loose, messy curls before jamming the key into the door and opening it. Her eyes immediately scanned the unorganized room. Unpacked boxes were still piled up in corners. No decorations, other than the colorful variety of trash thrown here and there from last nights party. She moved into the bedroom just as her cellphone began vibrating against her leg, signaling either a message or a call. It was a call.

"Hello?" She asked, plopping down and laying back on the bed.

"Hi, girl! Party is still on tonight, right? I'm outside your door!" An overly excited, high-pitched voice chimed.

Without answering, she ended the call, fixed her hair and jogged to the door. She had completely forgotten about it. The worn-out feeling from before had been replaced with utmost warmth and joy. It was her time to shine once again. She swung the door open, and people slipped in past her, each hugging or kissing her cheek in the process. Though she had only been there for a month, she had already become quite well-known, but she didn't consider any of them friends. She wouldn't talk to any of them on a daily basis, but she'd see them from time-to-time at bars or parties, especially her parties.

Within minutes, the apartment was crowded with bodies swaying along to the beat and rhythm of the loud, window-shattering music. Life couldn't get any better than it was at that very moment.

[so much nope]

sample six - 732 words

Dark blue eyes mocking that of a deep ocean fluttered open. A frail, pale body performed a full stretch; if stretches were scored, she would've gotten a ten. The artificially orange-haired girl reached over and slammed her hand on the top of the Rilakkuma alarm clock resting upon the bedside table. The corners of her lips tilted into a smile. Aybellie Marie Falls had been waiting for this day for quite some time. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she gathered to her feet, standing rather short at five foot two. She trudged over to the mirror hanging on the wall and took a quick peek at herself. Her face was almost perfectly heart-shaped, but her cheeks were too full. She had never completely lost all of her baby fat, and she guessed she was never going to. However, she was roughly one-hundred and three pounds, which mostly everyone considered perfect and to die for. She thought the opposite.

After taking a quick shower, she slipped into the all-black outfit she had left out of the suitcase for this day. A spaghetti-strap top that flowed with her movements. A flared skater skirt that reached a few inches above the knees. Knee-high socks accompanied by slip-ons that were designed to look like lace-ups. They were her favorite shoes, and she was rarely seen without them on. She turned her natural wavy hair into loose curls and added a touch of make-up onto her porcelain face. After running around the double-wide trailer she lived in by herself to assure she had packed all the necessities she would need for the trip, she grabbed the luggage, turned off the lights and electronics and headed out the door. The taxi she had called was waiting for her outside. She closed and locked the door behind her. The taxi-driver got out to help her with her bags, and she thanked them. Then, they were off to the airport.

"Thank you, again!" She said, running into the airport, doing her best with the bags. One minute later and she would've been late. She had brought along two suitcases of clothing. Well, one suitcase was filled to the brim with clothes while the other was mostly shoes. She also had a book bag - from her college years - stuffed with other various things she probably wouldn't need. Never hurt to pack extras. A sea of bodies covered the floor of the airport, instantly causing her to shudder. Large crowds were definitely not her thing. However, she could overcome it. Today was far more special than many others to her. Her footsteps came to a halt, her eyes wandering around in search of familiar faces. It would be difficult to find the group.

Finally, she spotted Nyx, Aiden and Sean at the bar. Avery and Isabella were off to the side. Out of that group, she was only close with Sean and Jared. She and Sean had been friends for quite some time, but he found out something he didn't particularly like, and it came between them. They grew apart. Aiden, well, her relationship with Aiden was rather hard to describe. They weren't exactly friends, but they were far from hating each other. The black-haired, wild beauty was always there to help her when she needed it the most. She was pretty fun to be around, too. Ellie and Nyx were almost complete opposites, but they would talk occasionally. When they ran into each other in the halls or in classes back in college, they'd share a short conversation and a couple laughs. Avery and Isabella were almost strangers, but they were pretty delightful to be around, and she hoped that this trip would bring them closer together. She couldn't help but think that Avery and Bella would be an adorable couple.

Gathering her bags from the floor, she rushed over to join the group at the bar. She flashed a smile when she reached her destination and placed her bags down once again. She let out a sigh of relief, raising and dropping her shoulders quickly. "Sorry I'm so late," she said. "You guys look great, as always." She turned towards the bartender, fixing her hair in the small mirror on the back wall. "One water." Once her thirst was satisfied, the excitement of the trip settled in, and she couldn't be anymore ready for take off.

[so much nope]

sample seven - 1339 words

xxxx

║││████████ ♕ lillianna hope


Performing a small stretch and yawn, two beads resembling the swarming greens and blues of the sea fluttered open. Petite legs withdrew from the warmth of an artificial fur comforter, apple painted toes barely skimming the floor from where the seventeen-year-old rested on the edge of the queen-sized bed. After dabbing at her eyes with frail hands, she glanced around the rather large room. Boxes were still piled here and there, only few pieces of furniture placed wherever it was convenient for the time-being. She somehow managed to forget about the move each time she drifted away at night, but she preferred it that way. Moving away from her hometown in England to this unknown neighborhood in the Golden State was not something Lillianna Hope wanted, but she, of course, could never stand against her parents' decisions.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she inched forward on the bed until the bottoms of her feet touched the slick wood and lifted herself. She waltzed over to one of the boxes and dug through it until she found clothes that she felt like wearing, which consisted of dark gray knee-high stockings and a cap-sleeved burgundy dress. Whilst getting dressed, she fought her thick, platinum blonde hair with a brush. Once it finally cooperated with her, it rested with slightly existing curls from yesterday. Her arms fell back to her side with a heavy, drew-out sigh, stealing a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror of the vanity. Everyone back home in England always told her that she had such a model-like appearance, that she always sparkled and stuck out amongst crowds because of her beauty. Because she couldn't see it herself, she picked and nagged at her appearance all the time, but she was beginning to ease up on it. She had no one to impress, after all.

She looked once more, bit her lip, shrugged and moved to the door, closing it behind her. She had the entire upstairs to herself since her brother, Aflie, was away at college for another two years. The two of them had a tight relationship, and they communicated often. If there was one person Lillianna could tell everything to, it would definitely be him. Slipping into the bathroom two doors down, she brushed her teeth with the usual cinnamon paste and gurgled mouthwash. When her mouth felt clean, she spit it out into the sink and washed it away. She had had the same routine ever since she could remember, though it used to include replying to texts she would receive overnight back in England.

Thinking about it made it feel as if a hole had been pierced through her chest. A small grimace appeared and disappeared. What she thought were her friends hadn't called or texted since they parted ways nor had they replied to her messages. It was her fault, but it wasn't at the same time; it wasn't like she had a choice in moving or not. She liked to believe that the change and new start was nice, but it was only half-heartedly. Her parents always said to give it some time before deciding on something, so she would do just that, though she found it hard at times, especially when she attempted to sleep but ended up staring at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts. There was no need to think about her past life anymore.

Thudding down the stairs, she met her parents in the kitchen, where her father, Martyn, was preparing multiple dishes at once and her mother, Vivianne, was standing on a chair to hang floral-decorated garland along the wood paneling. She cleared her throat to make her existence known. Her mother did a double-take before stepping down from the chair and hugging her daughter. Her father peeked over his shoulder and flashed a cheeky grin. They all said their good mornings. She arched an eyebrow, noting his unusual excitement. She lifted a hand to the back of her head and rubbed it. With curiosity and confusion, she asked, "Did I miss something?" She signaled to the decorations and all of the meals scattered amongst the marble countertops.

"What do you mean, honey?" Vivianne asked, getting back to the decorations. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Forgot what?" It sunk in just as the words left her mouth. Today was the day of the party to welcome themselves into the neighborhood. She placed her hands over her face, and Howard chuckled. "Guess that means she forgot, huh?" He said to his wife, and the two of them laughed. She also chuckled at herself before rushing back upstairs. She applied the lightest of make-up to look more presentable, and before she knew it, there was a knock at the door. She groaned; she wasn't excited, and she didn't want to attend the party in the first place, but she knew better than to dismiss herself. Her parents looked forward to this, and she knew they would want her to be there and try to make friends so she could possibly be pulled out of the funk that she was in.

"Got it," she called, running down the stairs to open the door. She smiled a perfectly straight, white smile, a single dimple showing itself on her right cheek. A string of what she guessed to be neighbors returned the warmth and introduced themselves as they walked past her. Within minutes, the house was filled with people, and she had been drug away by children to play. Eventually, late comers knocked, and she headed to open the door, but her mother had already retrieved it. A couple and what she guessed to be their son were on the other side. It was confirmed when they introduced themselves. Lillianna's eyes landed on the dirty-blonde male, who obviously towered above her 5'1" frame. He appeared to be around the same age as her, and it made her feel a bit more relaxed; it was nice to know that she wasn't the only older teenager in the neighborhood.

The first hour had passed, and everyone was busy communicating or stuffing their mouths. Lillianna took an empty seat near the window and tasted a little of everything, curious as to what all of it was. Just as she finished off half of the plate, light raindrops began to fall from the dull, darkened sky. While most girls complained about rain, she loved rainy days more than she loved most things. She jumped down from the chair, brushed past tons of bodies and tossed the plate into the trashcan on the way out onto the front porch. The damp, calm air was an instantly refreshing feeling, especially after being cooped up with so many bodies. Since she could hear her own thoughts once again, her ears were now noticeably ringing. All of the voices at once was more overwhelming than she thought.

Reaching a hand out from under the shelter to touch the rain, something moving out of the corner of her eye startled and caused her to jump. She glanced over at the person sitting on the steps and couldn't help but laugh at herself. She moved closer, realizing that it was the other teenager from before. He was rather attractive, and he had really nice hair. She felt as if he carried himself in a way that was unknown to her. She wondered why he had come out in such weather. A creaking sounded from behind, and her name was called. Her father was holding a full trashbag in her direction. "Will you take this to that trashcan right there, please?" She stepped forwards and took it from his hand. "Thank you," he added before disappearing back inside.

Careful to not touch Logan with the dirty bag, she slipped past him on the thin staircase and out into the rain. She smiled as it pelted down on her head, but she ran back under the shelter once the bag was thrown away, deciding it was best to not get soaked right now.

[so much nope]

sample eight - 1256 words

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxclementinexxxxxxxxxxalfie

Brushing his way past the teenagers waiting in line to get their food, Alfie broke the line in certain spots to plop the food he wanted on the tray and skipped to the front to pay. He never waited in line, like a good boy would. His feet automatically led him over to the table that he sat at, with the jocks and cheerleaders. Yeah, he was in with that crowd. He put his tray on the table before jumping over the back of the chair and sitting in it. He flashed a grin at one of the blondes, and the grin said the two had already slept together and that she was one of his targets once again. Not that she would mind. All the girls nudged the blonde with their shoulders and said oooo! They all laughed.

"Hey, bro," Vaughn spoke up, chewing on a cheeseburger as if he were an animal. He swallowed. "You goin' to the game tonight?" By game, he meant football, the first football game of the season. The curly-haired brunette thought about it for a second before hitting his friend on the back of the head and smirking. "You twit," he responded with a strong British accent. "I wouldn't miss my hubby getting all sweaty for nothing," he joked as Vaughn started massaging the place on his head that Alfie had slapped. "Ow, bro, you got a heavy hand." Everyone laughed again, except Alfie.

His eyes were following a redhead that he had never seen before. Wait, was she with the emo? He guessed it to be the new girl, and if it was, Vaughn's statement earlier was right; she is hot. And there was someone else with them. A blonde. "The Russian chick," he mumbled to himself, turning his attention back to his group before Vaughn noticed what he was looking at. He wasn't in the mood to see Riley get hurt anymore than usual at the moment. Instead, he carried on a conversation with one of the blonde girls about cheerleading and her boyfriend. She started to break down in tears, and he discovered that the two of them had just broken up. She caught him with another dude, or something like that. He wasn't really listening.

After whispering something that no one else could quite understand, he stood from the table and plopped a fry in his mouth. "Gotta go take a piss," he said, flashing a devilish grin at Vaughn, who caught his drift and started talking to someone else at the table. A moment later, the blonde from before was in his arms in the women's bathroom stall, but not too long after, she was ripped away by one of the teachers. He hit the side of the stall when they left. "s**t, it must be my lucky day," he thought sarcastically, his mind wondering back to Maryana.

It all started with her; it had to have been her fault. He wasn't sure, but he would settle it himself. He couldn't allow her to keep interrupting his times with the babes. He buckled his pants and left the stall. One or two girls screamed but smiled when they realized who it was. He pulled his shirt over his head and rejoined his group at the table, but the blonde was missing. Not that he cared.

- - - -

"With you being new and all, it's great that you're already so far ahead of the class! Thank you for the wonderful news, Clementine," a teacher spoke gleefully.

A moment before, the redhead had handed in a note that she wrote in the middle of class, explaining that she had learned most of the material being taught already. She was home schooled up until three years ago, after all. During that time, she taught herself more than she ever needed to know. She had nothing better to do, anyway. At the time, she didn't have friends, and her dad was always busy. It hasn't changed much, she realized. They talked a bit more about how she felt being at a new school and living in a new neighborhood. She told her that it wasn't as delicious as a slice of cake, and the conversation died soon after, and Clementine dismissed herself.

Apparently, it was lunch time. Great. But how did she find her way to the lunch room? She started walking aimlessly down a few halls, as if she couldn't just go ask for help from the teacher she had just spoken to, or the principal in her office. She pushed open a door leading to the outside court. Her blue eyes wandered around in search of a familiar face from one of her periods. She spotted a couple but bit her lip at the thought of asking them. They would only judge her for not being able to do it herself. "Riley," she mumbled, giving up on the search just in time. Riley appeared behind her as if she had paged him. She laughed at herself, instantly feeling better.

"Hey, uhm," she started with a shrug. In the period they had last together, second, they passed notes and learned a bit about each other. Just the basic things, like names and what brought her here. She told him that it had to do with her father's business, which was the truth. Just not the entire truth. Her eyes fell for a brief second, but she forced herself to pipe back up. "Where's the lunchroom? I'm totally lost," she admitted, knowing Riley wouldn't mind showing her. In fact, he was probably headed there himself. The two started walking, and she was obviously standing just outside of it, only ten or fifteen feet away. She couldn't help but feel student and laugh at herself again. They got in line, and it was time to play the waiting game. Being that there were so many students, it would take forever to get food.

The girl from second period showed up not too long after, and she was greeted with open arms. "Hey there, beautiful," Clem spoke as if she had known Maryana all of her life. The truth was, she didn't really know her at all. Other than the fact that her name was Maryana and that was an exchange student from Russia, it was pretty blank. She was a definite beauty, though, so the nickname was from the heart. "You're already doing better than me." She laughed. "I couldn't even find the lunchroom on my own." The three of them laughed. She was lucky to have met Riley when she did, but she wished it would have been under better circumstances, that he wasn't bullied and picked on. He didn't deserve it; no one did.

Scrunching her nose at the meat that Riley had put on his tray, she, instead, grabbed a fruit cup, an icecream and a bottle of water. There was nothing else that really interested her. "Alright, so, where do you usually sit?" She asked Riley, knowing that he was the only one familiar with seats. She chewed on her lip as her eyes moved around from table-to-table. Everyone was indulged with their own conversations, not paying a bit of mind to anything else. At least that's what she knew was true, but she felt as if everyone's eyes were on her, picking her apart.

She hoped that Riley would choose to eat away from everyone else. Plus, she wanted to learn more about him and Maryana, and it would be hard to hear over everyone else.

[so much nope]

sample nine - 1226 words

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A small groan sounded before two green eyes fluttered open, flicking over to the vintage alarm clock before silencing it. The redheads frail figure slowly arose into a sitting position as she kicked the layers of sheets and comforters down to the foot of the queen-sized bed. Emilee tossed her legs over the edge of the bed and gathered to her feet, moving over to the wooden wardrobe and picking out an outfit for the day. She wondered for a second whether or not she should bother with a shower and decided against it. No reason to. Dancing into the tribal-print leggings, she peered at herself in the mirror. She wasn't content with how she looked, but when was she? Though she had no one to impress, nor did she want to impress anyone, it was still highly upsetting that she, herself, was not happy, even after everything she did to herself to make her outlook improve. Shrugging it off, she finished getting dressed and ran her fingers through her slightly curly hair, leaving it rather messy in appearance. Bedhead was the best, in her opinion. Glancing around the large, incredibly clean room one last time, she turned on the heels of her boots, hit the light switch and shut the door behind her.

After passing two doors in the hallway, she slowly and quietly opened the last one. She poked her head in, and surely enough, a womanly, exhausted voice greeted her . "Good Morning, Emi Dear." Her mother was the only one to ever call her by such a nickname, but Emilee didn't mind it one bit. In fact, she enjoyed the sound of it. Stepping inside, she sat beside the woman, whom she heavily resembled, on the hospital bed. "Mornin', Mum," she spoke up, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "How are you feeling?" This was and had been Emilee's morning routine for several years. She laced her fingers with her mom's; her hand was unusually cold. Emi stood and retrieved a blanket from the closet hallway and feathered it out onto the pile of blankets atop woman before tucking her in. "You need to stay warm," she added, biting her bottom lip. She was beyond worried. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she said in response. "Go on before your late. Give your mum another kiss." She lifted her hand and pointed to her cheek. Without hesitation, the seventeen-year-old did as she was told and disappeared from the room. She never wanted to leave her alone, and it got even more difficult with every passing day.

Massaging the bridge of her nose, she started down the steps and turned into the kitchen, where she met her younger brother, Alfie. "Where's Dad?" She asked. Alfie gave her a look, obviously saying how stupid she was for even asking. Of course, he had already left hours ago for work. Well, that was to be expected being he was a highly-ranked businessman. She eyed the bowl of cereal in front of her brother and scrunched her nose. At least it was better than what he normally ate, bacon. She couldn't bare the smell of it, yet alone seeing someone munch down on it. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice and slid it into one of the pockets of her book bag. She always, always took one with her everywhere she went, and her family never understood the obsession. Honestly, she didn't either, but obsessions weren't meant to be understood. Suddenly, Alfie smacked his hands together, and she realized she had been staring at him for the past minute or so with a confused expression. He only laughed, and she ruffled his light brown hair. They said goodbye to each other before parting ways in front of the house. His school was the opposite way from the high school she attended.

- - - A short walk later - - -

Emi shut the locker she was standing in front of. She put away everything she wouldn't need for the first few periods, and the bag on her back was a lot lighter. Pulling the oversized sweater even further down her thighs, she turned around and noticed that not many bodies lingered in the hallway. She had arrived a bit earlier than planned. Though she normally arrived early to have a couple minutes to herself in the art room, this was too early. The room was bound to still be locked. She guessed she would try anyway. When she arrived in front of the door, she turned the knob. Locked. Tried again. Locked. Sighing, she was about to give up and loiter out behind the school when the art teacher showed up. "Bright eyed and bushy tailed, are we?" She joked, unlocking the door and pushing it open. She signaled for Emilee to go in, and so she did. If she was close to any of the teachers, it would definitely be her. She was the teacher she spent the most time with, after all. Whenever she had free time, this is where she was at, even during lunch some days. Anywhere was better than sitting and watching a bunch of people eat. It made her want to puke just thinking about it. She settled into a seat and began to continue working on one of the pictures she had been in the process of making for a week or so. Time flew by when she was painting.

The first few periods flew by, without any trouble for her, as usual, and before she knew it, it was time for lunch. She inhaled for what seemed like minutes, held it for a few then let it out. She stood from her daily chair in the art room and disappeared into the hallway. She followed the group of people, in which she wasn't familiar with, until they led her to her locker. She thanked them mentally, though they had no idea that she was there. All the better. Wow, that sounded creepy. She exchanged the contents of her book bag with the contents of her locker and closed her. Just then, her phone vibrated against her skin. Confused, she slipped her hand into the pocket of her sweater and read the text. It was from Draven. A slight smile pulled at the corners of her lips. He was a member of the Artistics, which was the name of the "clique" she was a part of. The two of them had been friends for a while, but nothing more. She texted back:

To: Jett
From: Emi
Using me as a cure of boredom again, hm? Coming to your rescue, love. c:

She began walking in the direction of the lunchroom and was there moments later. She scanned the sea of bodies for the handsome face that belonged to Draven, and finally found him sitting on the floor. Just like him. Tugging the sleeves of the sweater over her hands, she brushed past everyone. She was beyond uncomfortable, but she always was when it came to crowds of people. And a crowd, in her opinion, was three plus. Lifting her hand as an attempt of a wave, Emilee sat down beside the male. Finally, she felt a tad bit more comfortable, knowing he was there. She hugged her legs to her chest and sat her bag on the ground. "How's everything?"

[so much nope]

sample ten - 823 words

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"-me. Dezme, honey."

The redhead jumped into a sitting position on her queen-sized bed as she came to the realization of someone's hands on her. Suddenly, one hand was on either shoulder. "Dezme, it's okay. It's me. It's Mom." A string of blinks. Her eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight streaming in through the uncovered windows around the wooden-walled room. Dezme placed a hand on her chest before her eyes moved over to the woman, in which she heavily resembled, who had sat on the foot of the bed. She apologized and flung her legs over the side, moving closer to her mother, Anina. Kissing her on the cheek, she asked, "Is everything okay?" It wasn't necessarily unusual that her mom had woken her up, but she still hadn't come to her senses. She glanced over at the vintage-themed alarm clock and groaned. It was a little past ten; in other words, still too early for Dezme's liking. On weekends, she liked sleeping in until noon since work, the local grocery store, didn't need her until sometime after one. She was the usual closer. However, she had taken the day off since the Halloween dance was tonight.

"Everything's fine, dear. I just wanted to let you know I'm going out for a bit," Anina answered, gathering to her feet. She picked up some misplaced clothing on her way to the door and tossed them into the large cardboard box in the corner. She had always been a neatfreak, and Dezme's room wasn't the place for her. Before she could ask any questions, the door closed, and her mother disappeared. She listened for the front door, which followed a second later. With a sigh, she tossed the comforter off of her small-framed figure, ran a hand through her copper-toned hair and eyed her phone atop the bedside table. She reached over and took it in her hand, unlocking and clicking on the messages. There was one, from Savannah, in which she hadn't read. She had known the blonde for years now, and she held her extremely close, especially after the accident. Savannah was the one that was having the most trouble coping. Choosing to ignore the dreary thought, she returned a text.

To: Sav
From: Dez
Of course! Be there in a few. Love ya, Savvy. <3

After throwing on whatever clothes she picked up and felt like wearing, Dezme stood in front of the mirror, watching the reflection. Her inherited, long red hair was tossed everywhere, but - thankfully - it was easy to tame everyday. Freckles that she loved and considered her favorite feature dotted her cheeks and nose. Her face was frail yet round, and she had a pale complexion, which she also liked about herself. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes with the back of her pointer fingers and finished getting ready for the day by brushing her hair and teeth and washing her face to remove any remaining make-up from yesterday. Admittedly, she wasn't much on make-up; she preferred natural beauty. Flicking off the lights of the bathroom and bedroom, she rushed to the kitchen where she toasted a piece of bread and smeared butter and strawberry jelly on it. Strawberry jelly was so much better than any other flavor.

Closing the front door behind her, she locked up the house and started the five minute walk to Petal Boutique, the non-bitten bread hanging from her mouth. She was glad that Savannah needed a shopping partner because she still hadn't bought her dress either, and she didn't want to go alone. Even if she hadn't been invited, Dezme would've forced CJ to go with her. CJ was the first ever friend she had made in Breakwater when she moved there roughly seven years ago, and the two of them had been tight ever since. They instantaneously clicked. Two years ago, she realized her feelings for the boy were a bit heavier than friendship, but she would never openly admit that. After all, she was more than thankful for the relationship they already had. Hesitantly, she ate the bread, ignoring the subconscious voice telling her not to. Her phone vibrated against her thigh, and she pulled it out to answer the message. "Savannah, I alrea-" Oh, it wasn't from Savannah. It was from CJ.

To: CJ
From: Dez
At PB with Sav right now. I better be seeing you tonight. : p

Dezme slipped her phone back into her pocket just as she opened the door to Petal Boutique. "God, it feels so much better in here than out there." She said to no one in particular. It was chilly outside, even though she was in long-sleeves and pants. Spotting Savannah, she grinned and walked up behind her, pulling her into a tight hug. She wanted to ask how she was doing, but she decided against it. Instead, she put on a reassuring smile and said, "Let's get this show on the road, beautiful."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxwhere home > PBxxwith mom > savxxwearing outfitxxmood neutral

[so much nope]

sample eleven - 1398 words

A groan sounded, along with a string of inaudible curse words, as the obnoxious ringing of an alarm clock began echoing around the room. Rolling over onto my side, I strained to slam a hand down on the clock and silence the annoyance. It was a little past seven. Another inaudible curse word was muttered. I could've sworn I changed the alarm to ring at six-thirty last night, but I guess it was just part of my dream. I pressed my back against the bed once more and kicked the sheets off onto the wooden floor as I rubbed at my eyes with the palm of my hands. It took a few seconds to adjust to the sunlight streaming in through the exposed windows. I made the millionth mental note to purchase some blinds or, at least, curtains the next time I went out. Money used to be quite an issue for Mom and I to come by, but we managed. Now, money was more or less handed to us since Mom recently became married to this nicely-waged man, Marcus. Though it was nice, something about it felt wrong, and I had yet to take even a penny from his hands. I preferred to work and earn everything myself; it was probably just a pride thing that most of us men have. With a sign, I decided to get out of bed and start getting ready for the day. "Fun."

I stepped in front of the tall mirror screwed into the wall and ran a hand through my messy, brunette hair. Dabbing some styling gel into the palm of my hand, I smeared it only on the front part, combed it straight out then upwards into the usual style. I moved over to the not-so-large cardboard box in the corner of my room and pulled out whatever clothes were on top. Turned out it was a three/fourth-sleeved baseball tee and dark skinny jeans, or as I preferred to call them, straight-legs. I grabbed a black beanie from the top corner of the mirror and fixed it onto my head. It was rare for me to be seen without a beanie in public. I rushed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and rushed back to my bedroom to finish getting ready. I pulled on black socks and stepped into one of the few pairs of Vans I owned. Glancing at the clock as I started for the bedroom door, it was now fifteen minutes past seven. Mostly likely, I was going to make my step-sister, Erina, a little delayed with her entrance and big scene at school. I smirked; it was becoming a daily thing, and it pissed her off each time, for it made her "look bad" in front of her "friends". Admittedly, it was entertaining.

Closing the door behind myself, I nearly bumped into Erina when I turned around. Speak of the devil, I thought, attempting to keep a neutral, straight face as she blatantly ignored me by putting her hair up. She knew I definitely didn't enjoy her company, but I did my best to keep that on the down-low around Mom and Marcus. After all, Erina made sure to stress the two of them out enough on her own. I rolled my eyes as I followed behind her down the stairs. I watched my feet at first, but her feet caught my attention, and I knew what was about to happen. Then, it happened; she slipped. Without hesitation, I threw my arms out and caught her by the waist. It was either catch her, or let her fall and take me down with her. The latter didn't seem all that bad, but I'd rather not suffer a head injury in the hospital bed next to hers. Don't get me wrong - if I had a different roomie in the hospital, I would've happily went with the latter. I was brought back to reality when she snapped away from my grasp and muttered a thanks as her face turned red. I couldn't help but smirk. First of all, Erina? Saying thanks? Second of all, blushing? She must've been sick. "Turning red from a little skin-on-skin contact?" I called after her, though she had already disappeared into the kitchen. I shook my head and joined her.

In the kitchen, there was only one missing face, but it wasn't unusual. I wondered if Mom ever got lonely from Marcus working day-in and day-out. Why did she choose him, of all people? It had been some time since my good-for-nothing father and Mom split ways. It's a bit hazy, but she got out and dated a couple times since then. None of the relationships managed to last any longer than four months; even then, it wasn't all that serious. I hoped she hadn't settled because Marcus told her he loved her or some other ridiculous reason. I hoped she truly loved him and felt loved in return. However, there was nothing I could particularly do about it since she's thirty-something years older than I am. Pushing the thoughts aside, I brushed past Erina, who was - as usual - acting like a brat, and hugged the woman. "Mornin', Mom," I said, kissing her cheek as she kissed my forehead. "Good Morning, Aydie Dear, Erina." I pulled away and forced a smile when I actually wanted to turn around and snap at the brat eating her bowl of fruit as if no one was in the room. She acted as if it was only hard on her to adjust to the new living conditions. I grit my teeth, retrieved a carton of strawberry milk from the fridge and poured a glass. I gulped it down within seconds and washed the empty cup when I was done with it.

I hugged Mom once more before heading for the door. "See you later, Marcus," I called back over my shoulder just before closing the front door. I sat in the passenger seat of Erina's car, not even bothering to glance over at her. It was easy to tell she was about to burst, but when was she not? It was easy to see through her; she believed she always appeared to be keeping her composure when, in reality, it was far from that. I made sure to focus my attention out of the window, though I was already used to the new surroundings. The ride to school passed by slowly and, as usual, I climbed out of the car about a block away from the school. Before closing the door, I said "You know, it really wouldn't hurt you to not act like such a b***h towards my mom," My eyes fell dull and stared directly into hers. "Go ahead and punch me like you normally do if it makes you feel more like a human," I hissed. This conversation sounded all too familiar. Oh, that's right; it's because we had already had it several times before, and nothing changed. Closing the door, I patted the hood of the car as a signal for her to drive off, and she did.

Adjusting the beanie atop my head, I pulled the straps of the denim backpack onto either shoulder and started my walk. About two minutes away from the school, a vibration went off against my leg. Reaching into the pocket of my jeans, I pulled out my phone and scanned the new message. It was from Daniel, one of my friends from school. Out of the group of girls and guys I hung out, Daniel was probably the closest at the moment. I answered back: Just got here. Meet you at my locker. And, sure enough, Daniel was propped up against the locker, a tall, dark-haired girl in his arm. The two parted just as I walked up to him. "Did I interrupt something?" I joked, knowing the girl was just another playtoy for his friend. Of course, I wasn't one to talk; I have a couple playtoys too, and I've had tons of them in the past. "Man, you know, you know." Daniel grinned from ear-to-ear as his eyes flicked over, and I decided to follow them. It was Erina and her group, cackling and snickering about something. I turned back around and stuffed my books into the locker before closing and locking it back up.

"Let's go get this day over with."

[so much nope]

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