this is me trying (9-1-1: Lone Star)

prologue

It's a Monday morning. Sixteen-year-old Saffron Adeline Taylor is getting ready for her first day back at school after the summer. She's showered, dried and brushed her hair, done her make-up and is finishing getting dressed. She packs her backpack with her notebooks and text books for the day alongside her student ID, IPad and pencil case. Once she's satisfied she has everything and is completely ready, she heads downstairs. When she walks into the kitchen she sees her mom, Ellen, and dad, Richard, sat at the dining table. Richard is reading the paper with his coffee in hand and her mom is sat with her laptop.

'Morning.' She says quietly. They both grunt to acknowledge their presence. Sighing, Saffron picks up an apple and then gets a cereal bar from the cupboard alongside her water bottle from the fridge. She turns back to her parents. 'I have theatre after school.' Richard looks up from his paper.

'Theatre isn't on Mondays.' He tells her.

'They changed it for the new year.' Saffron replies.

'Don't back chat your father.' Ellen scowls, briefly looking at her daughter before turning her attention back to her laptop.

'Sorry.' Saffron mutters. 'Bye.' She walks out of the kitchen and leaves for school.

.

Arriving at school, Saffron makes her way to her lockers and puts away the books she won't need until the afternoon.

'Hola, Chica.' She hears from behind her. She turns and sees her best friend, Benjamin, or Ben, Ramos.

'Hey.' Saffron smiles slightly as she closes her locker.

'Where you been? I barely saw, or heard from you over the summer.' Ben asks.

'My mom and dad had to go on a business trip to London. I had to go with them this time.' Saffron tells him. 'They took my phone and laptop off me for most of it. Apparently, the holiday was supposed to be as tech free as possible.'

'Even though their job literally involves tech?' Ben raises an eyebrow. Saffron just shrugs. 'Like c'mon, they're billionaires, have their own security firm and they take their phone off their only daughter, who would need her phone if she was in danger?'

'You know as well as anyone how my parents can be.' Saffron says quietly.

'Yeah.' He frowns sympathetically, putting a hand on her shoulder. 'Have you-'

'No.' Saffron shakes her head cutting him off, knowing what he's going to ask.

'Saff.' Ben raises an eyebrow.

'Look, I tried before. You witnessed the consequences of that.' Saffron tells him. 'Besides, no one believed me, so what's the point.' Ben goes to say something but Saffron cuts him off. 'We better get to advisory.' Ben nods and they both walk to their classroom.

'Just so you know, I'm prepared to whoop someone's ass if we can't sit next to each other.' Ben wraps an arm around her shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood.

'Of course, you are.' Saffron chuckles. Ben and Saffron have known each since elementary school and have never failed to find a way to sit next to, or near each other, in each of their classes. They reach their classroom and make a beeline for two seats adjacent to each other.

.

Half way through the day, Saffron are sitting in their social studies classroom waiting for the class to start.

'So, what torture do you think they have in store for us today?' Saffron half jokes.

'Ugh, don't even get me started.' Ben groans. 'They're probably gonna talk to us about drivers ed or something. They said they'd be doing that this year.'