‘Ugh. ’I internally groaned when I woke up on January 31st. The immense horror I had of this day didn’t fully set in until I woke up this morning. I had been preparing for this nearly the whole holidays. It was the first day of school. A replay of last year’s first day fiasco flooded my mind.                          

FLASHBACK

I‘d just turned thirteen and was definitely ready to face year 8. I styled my hair just the way I liked it. I crimped my side fringe carefully as to not burn myself like my idiotic sister, Marianne. Marianne is sixteen and hasn’t failed to remind me of that simply amazing fact every day. I mean, wow, no one else in the entire universe could’ve possibly turned sixteen right? 

Marianne looks like a younger version of my mother. Emerald green eyes and hair a vibrant shade of chestnut. I don’t look anything like mother or my father for that matter. It always struck me as a little odd but I figured I took after my deceased grandmother, who like me, had icy gray eyes and the high cheekbones.

Once I was convinced it was perfect, I turned the crimper off and began applying my makeup. I looked myself in the mirror. ’Hmmm. Not bad Coree.’ I thought. I checked the clock and did a double-take. No way could it be that late! I even got up an hour earlier than needed and even now I was 15 minutes late for my bus. ’Oh crap.’ I ran out of the house, forgetting to lock the door. Halfway to the bus stop, I remembered and ran back. Now I was 25 minutes late. ’Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!’I thought frantically.

I got to the bus stop just in time to see the last bus drive off. Because this was the last stop, there was no way I could possibly run to the next one. ’Ok Coree, don’t panic. It’s gonna be ok. Just stay calm.’ I thought. ’Be calm. Don’t cry.’ Missing the bus was no big deal. But the tears streaming down my face said otherwise. ‘Crap, I’m crying.’ No shit, Sherlock. Great, NOW my inner decides to pipe in.