When Jessica Campbell decided to transfer to America for her final year of high-school, she didn't expect to lose her twin-brother just a week before in a car crash. Neither did she expect to catch the eye of Elliot Black; which almost immediately s...
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Be enough for yourself first, the rest of the world can wait.
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One day you'll realise that it's your last day of school. You'll take your last test, you'll freak out for last time by the sound of the fire alarm, you'll realise this will will be the last time you'll duck for cover in the high school hallway. You'll go return library books for the last time, stand in line to take your school pictures for the last time. Get your last report card that will determine your future, you'll close your locker for the last time and then you'll walk out of those doors. Then you'll be standing alphabetically for the last time with your friends, the people you watched grow up and they've even watched you grow up. Most of those people you'll never see or hear from again. Then you'll barely remember anything about school but the only thing that'll help you remember is a single picture and then a new chapter will begin. But the question was will my chapter begin in LA or back in England. I looked around at our small table at Alyssa and Sira who were taunting Jacob who looked at Elliot for backup. They both joking lifted their fists up which Sira and Alyssa reciprocated with by lifting their own. I smiled.
Daniels death made me realise a lot of things. You're going to be 18 for only 365 days. And you could die at 19. When your mum asks if you want to sleep in her bed, say yes. One day she'll be in a hospital bed and there won't be enough room to make up for right now. Stop cancelling plans; go out and use your legs while they work. You're guaranteed nothing. Stop denying affection. You'll never be able to love someone as a teenager at 35. Someone, many someone's, are going to tell you they love you. Don't keep quiet because you've been told it's too soon. If you love them, say so. Be brutally, beautifully honest. Go out and change the world. Fight for peace, equality and change. When you're 70 and can only watch the news all day you don't want to see the same issues still going on when you had every chance to fight it. Stop romanticising the 'I don't need anybody' and 'I don't have feelings' attitude. It's easier to make friends in high school than in a nursing home. Embrace feelings and intimacy. Don't apologise for caring and don't let anybody make you feel guilty for caring even if it's one sided. You're only a teenager for 2,555 days and then you're 20. Life slows down. Bones become fragile and break, people die, and hearts become weak. With every atom in your body, live right now.
"Lets go" I finally said. The group stop talking at looked at me.
"Go where?" Elliot asked taking my hand into his.
"The museum trip, let's just go" I said looking at everyone. Life was too short, to say no.
"Museum's are boring" Jacob groaned and everyone nodded in agreement.
"It doesn't matter. We'll make it less boring. We're going. All of us" I said firmly and no one disagreed.
"We best hurry though because tomorrow's the deadline to return our slips" Sira mentioned taking a bite of her lunch. We all agreed to bring our signed slips tomorrow and set off our separate ways. I saw Taylor from the corner of my eye as I left the cafeteria, she just glared at me but didn't say anything. Thank God.
