“Wake Up, LOS ANGELES! It’s 7:00 AM!” I heard my alarm clock go off.

Uggghhh….God. Was it Monday already. It was the first day of school and I was starting my junior year. I should have been ecstatic but there was nothing to be excited about. This was the worst summer of my entire life and I was sure this wasn’t going to be the greatest year either.  I’ve always been a morning person but lately I couldn’t stand anything about it. Not since that night. I started my usual routine of getting ready for school except I didn’t spend nearly half as much time as I did last year. I procrastinated a little bit and of course Mom never lost track of time or of me as a matter of fact. ”Spencer, come down now or you’re going to be late for school”.  She had been extraordinarily happy for the past month not caring about my pain. But that was Paula for you. I made my way down the stairs and saw Mom, Dad and Clay already at the breakfast table. It was still weird not seeing Glen at the table and even though I didn’t want to admit it, I missed him a lot. “Honey, sit down and eat your breakfast. I made chocolate chip pancakes, your favorite”. That was weird. Mom hated chocolate chip pancakes. She said they made her gain weight and therefore no one in the house could enjoy them. I finished my breakfast and Mom and Dad wished us a great day at school. I rolled my eyes and followed Clay out the door. “This is going to be one interesting school year” he said. “Yeah and I am not looking forward to any of it” I replied. “Hey, Glen called this morning. He spoke to Mom and Dad for a couple of minutes. Something about him finishing boot camp soon and that he should be home in the next two weeks” Clay said. “You know, I hate to admit it, but things are going to be a lot better when he gets home. Never thought I could miss that asswipe so much” I said with a slight giggle in my tone. “Me neither”.

As we approached the parking lot, I had to prepare myself. I could see Clay looking over at me, making sure I wasn’t hyperventilating or anything. After all, this was the first time I would see her in a couple of months and I didn’t know how I was going to hold my composure. I could feel my face getting flushed. Clay parked the car and turned to me. “Spencer, I’m not sure I ever told you this, but…..I think you are the strongest and bravest person I’ve ever met and I’m proud that you are my sister. No matter what anyone says or does, remember that”. I held him in a tight embrace as I tried to let all my frustrations out. I must of held on too tight because he said “That’s one hell of a hug you have sister”. I couldn’t help but laugh. We got out of the car and started walking towards school. I tried not to think about her or that night. Besides, she was always late for school and I probably wouldn’t even run into her at all today. I looked around discretely as I walked to 1^st period.  Chemistry. I wished we could just eliminate science all together.  It was now third period and the coast was clear. No signs of Ashley anywhere. God, I couldn’t even say her name without feeling a sharp pain in my heart. I walked into my third period class. Senior Calculus. I was only a junior but I was a whiz at math. Most people dreaded math, but I actually enjoyed it. Numbers didn’t have emotions or stories to tell. They were cold, hard facts. They were unwavering. They were the most stable thing in the most unstable world. I picked a seat near the front of the classroom. If I sat in the back, I would be distracted by all the kids who thought math was useless. The class quickly filled up and all but three seats were empty, one in back and two next to me. I opened my notebook and started doodling as I waited for the bell to ring. As the bell rung, I saw the last two people I would ever want to see walk in, hand in hand. Ashley and Aiden. My stomach dropped to my feet and I felt my face go pale as ice. They were so busy laughing and flirting they still hadn’t noticed my intent glare.  As Ashley searched the classroom for seats, I saw her face turn almost as pale as mine. Her brown eyes were as deep as ever. I didn’t even bother to look at Aiden. We were locked in a deep gaze as I felt my eyes well up with tears. It took every fiber in my body to fight back the tears. She just stood there and looked at me. I suddenly felt like I was in a daze and the world was spinning. The intensity of her eyes was burning a whole in the middle of my face. I felt like I was going to be sick. The teacher asked the two of them to take their seats and I could see the hesitation on their faces. I simply looked away as they drew closer and sat down. Was this really happening to me? My ex-girlfriend and the guy she dumped me for are sitting next to me for an entire year! What had I done to deserve such punishment? I scribbled in my book as if I was going to find the answer in it. I kept my head buried in my book. I could feel her gazing at me. I was afraid if I looked over I was going to spill the contents of my breakfast all over the floor. I was so distracted in keeping myself from looking at her that I hadn’t even noticed someone walk in late. “Class, May I have your attention” I heard the teacher say. I quickly looked up. “It seems we have a new student who just transferred from New York”….”Would you like to introduce yourself”?

“I’m Alex”…she said.