Crimson Eyes

Chapter 1

PSA: THIS IS GOING TO BE SO EMO IT'LL PROBABLY MAKE YOU CRINGE, BUT I'M SO DOING IT ON PURPOSE. THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS FIC IS TO MAKE YOU NOSTALGIC FOR WHEN THESE TYPES OF STORIES WERE ALL OVER THIS APP. WITH THAT BEING SAID, DON'T TRY TO BULLY ME FOR HOW CRINGE THIS IS, BECAUSE I'M FULLY AWARE, I'M DOING IT ON PURPOSE, SHUT UP AND ENJOY IT LIKE I KNOW YOU ARE. 

Another Monday morning, nothing special itself. The buzzing of energy I was feeling had nothing to do with the day of the week. It was the first day of school. The first day of a new school. The first day of senior year. 

I wasn't excited, I didn't want to be. Excitement meant that I was expecting the day to go well. That could only lead to the inevitable disappointment when high schoolers proved they were shitty across the nation and not just my hometown. 

All that being said, I couldn't completely lie to myself. I was a little excited by all the possibilities this year had to offer. But I kept that part of myself locked away, at least for the day. 

I nearly tripped over a still-packed box on my journey to the bathroom. We had just finished moving everything into the house on Saturday, not nearly enough to get fully unpacked before the first day of school. I had tried to convince my mother to let me start a week later, so I could settle in at home, but she hadn't bought it. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting her to. 

I looked over myself in the mirror while I put toothpaste on my brush. My hair was as wild and untamable as always, green strands flying everywhere. My outfit was nothing fancy, just a dark green hoodie with a checker print on one sleeve and black jeans. My goal for the day was to keep my head down, earbuds in, and draw as few eyes to me as possible. 

As I made my way down the stairs, I shoved my headphones in and selected a playlist. I knew my mom was already at work, so the house was just eerily quiet and I couldn't stand it. I looked around the kitchen, Fall Out Boy blaring in my ears, and found the note I knew my mom would leave me. 

Have an amazing first day! You'll do amazing! Love you lots!!!

-Love Mom 

I couldn't help the smile on my face as I read it. The woman never did understand how many exclamation marks were too many. 

I grabbed an apple on my way out the door, knowing that today would suck enough without my stomach grumbling until lunch. I slipped on my Converse, grabbed my backpack, and slipped out the door. Our new house was only a block or two from the high school, so I didn't mind the walk. Way better than being the senior who still took the bus. I had my license, but between my mom and I, we couldn't afford two cars. Which reminded me, I had to start looking for an after school job. 

I managed to make it to school about five minutes before the bell rang. Just enough time to remember where my locker was and toss everything I wouldn't need for first hour. My new school had an orientation night of sorts, it's really only freshman orientation, but they let the older kids find their new classes and get their lockers situated. I was thankful for that, seeing as all my books and notebooks were already in my locker and I hadn't had to walk with them in my bag. 

Classes were about as boring as I had been expecting. Thankfully it was the first day and I was able to listen to music and nap for the first half of the day. No one had said a word to me all day, not even the teachers. They all seemed just as tired as the seniors. Maybe this would just be a quiet year. I'd definitely take that. 

When lunch rolled around, I headed to the cafeteria. My music was still loud enough to drown out the sounds of the student body, so it shouldn't have surprised me when someone ran directly into me. One of my headphones fell out as I tried to catch myself.