Whats Normal

Chapter 4 - Regular

The sun shined through the curtains, blinding me when I sat up.
Squinting, I crawled off my bed, swinging my legs over the side. I stood up straight, stretching then glancing at the door.
Stepping to grab the handle, I open the door. I travel downstairs to a wonderful smell in the kitchen.

"Emma! Grab a plate," Olivia said, cheerfully. She was stirring a spatula against the pan, scrambling eggs.
"I made breakfast."
I stood next to her, plate in hand. Olivia scooped eggs and two pieces of toast on top.
"Thanks." My throat was scratchy, I placed my plate down on the table to grab a cup. When I turned, Olivia was standing in front of me with two glasses in hand.
"Orange Juice!" She grinned, her eyes creasing. I smiled back, taking the cup and sitting down.
Olivia sat across from me at the table, she stabbed her eggs with a fork and shoved it in her mouth. I sat, watching her before I realized my food was cooling.
Stuffing my mouth, Olivia stood. Taking her empty dish back to the kitchen.
I hadn't noticed how preppy Olivia was in the morning, the feeling felt giggly, too.. happy to be true. Maybe she truly liked the morning time, or was it just for today?
"By the way, Emma." Olivia interrupted my thoughts, cutting through them like a knife.
"I want to show you your new school today!" She looked up from the sink she was standing over to watch my reaction. "I was hoping to start you a new, regular life!"
Regular. How Ironic, I haven't felt quite settled yet so why not send me to school! That might cheer me up..

"School?" The one word I could get out of my mouth before she spoke again.
"Yeah! Its gonna be amazing, and you can make friends!" She was delighted by the idea, it was purely obvious. I shrugged to give her a sign that I didn't mind going and she almost fell, out of joy. She was jumping up and down for a moment before pulling me into an embrace.
After pulling away, she picked up my empty plate, that I had just now noticed, I ate everything off it.
I wipe the crumbs from my lips and chug the rest of the juice.
Standing up, I turn my body to Olivia.
"When are we leaving?" My words were meant to sound hopeful, but were more fragile than I would have liked.
"Soon," Olivia had sensed the hint of fear in my words, enough to pat my shoulder and head up the stairs. "Im gonna change, I recommend you do too." She called down the stairs.
I glanced down at my clothes and realized that they were striped with bright colors of pink, green, blue, purple and yellow.

Changing my clothes was the easy part, but figuring out what to wear out of 10 shirts, 7 pants, and 3 shoes was difficult. I never knew there was so many different ways to style an outfit.
I settled on a light blue, long sleeved shirt with rose petals flowing down the sleeves, grey jeans and tennis shoes.
Heading back downstairs, Olivia was waiting by the door. She unlatched a hook and opened it up.
We walked out and climbed into the car, the seats were made of cool leather. When Olivia turned the key to the mustang purred to life.
The front window was a blueish purple tint, almost metallic, shining in the sun. She shifted into gear and pulled out of the driveway, the wheels hitting smooth concrete.
"Ready to meet the Principal?" Olivia's voice was high, offering up a conversation starter.
"Sure," I shrugged, not knowing how to respond. "Is this.. school place..." in searching for the word to describe the thought I had, Olivia tried to fill in with adjectives.
"Fun?.. Scary??.... Hard, cool... normal?" The last word drained the color from my face, what does she mean by normal?
I glanced over at Olivia, her eyes were glued to the road. "Normal?" My voice croaked and cracked the word.
"Yep! The school is absolutely normal!" Olivia's voice hollowed out my ears, leaving them ringing. Normal how?
Olivia sighed and the car stopped, I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed we were stationary.
"Earth to Emma!! We have arrived." Her smile lit up her face, there were small crinkles under her eyes. I sat up slightly to her sudden outburst, looking out the window of the car, there was a large building that stated "Lawson's Senior High" on the front.
By the time I had read the sign, Olivia was next to me with my door opened behind her.
"Lets go!" She let out with a joyful hop as she reached for my arm and pulled me out.
Honestly, she is more excited for me to go to highschool than myself..

"Emma! So nice to finally meet you." A man took my hand, shaking it in a greeting manor. "And you must be Mrs. James!" He smiled and reached for her hand. "Please, call me Olivia." She smiled softly as she took a firm grip to his hand. The man turned back to me "Im the man of this school." He let out a bellow as he leaned back. "Mr. Evynwood, Im the principal."
I smiled back as much as possible but everything was a little overwhelming.
The man took a step back towards the school, leaning on his back foot.
"Well, shall we head in then?"
Olivia nodded and followed him up the concrete stairs that led to the front entrance of the building.
Mr. Evynwood press a button and scanned a card against the machine when it beeped.
The sound sent goosebumps up my arms and a shiver down my spine. My feet locked and my world turned upside-down, I reached out for the concrete pillar that sat to the left of my body.
My hands scraped against the stone, cutting the skin off my flesh.
The world spun out of control for a few seconds before settling back to normal, Im gasping for air as it felt like the wind was gushed out of my lungs. I turned over onto my side and saw Olivia bent over my body.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was stressed, almost as if she was bracing for her last breath.
"I.. I believe so..." My shoulder ached as I lifted myself up into a sitting position. Olivia placed a hand on it and I winced in pain, she let go as quickly as she took ahold.
"Im fine, really.." I stood, looking around. My anxiety was on high and my body was still in shock.

I don't understand.. why?

A voice ruptured through my thought.
"Sir, we're ready to host the tour." I looked up and saw a small figured woman. She was looking at Evynwood, the man turned to look at her and frowned a bit.
The woman assumed that was a sign to leave and stalked away.

I stood up, balancing on two legs. My shoulder pain weakened, numbing away. Olivia brushed her hand up against my arm, reaching to hold it. I smiled and shrugged and she pulled away.
"Well then... erm, this way." Mr. Evynwood sounded unsure now, but he led the way, showing me and Olivia around.

It was an hour before the tour was finished, my mind was overwhelmed by all the hallways and lockers that surrounded us.
Olivia and Evynwood said they're goodbyes, I stood there like a kid looking out a window at the rain. I felt tense, almost haunted.
Olivia glanced at me then put a hand on my back as we walk out the door.
She pressed a button on her key that made the car beep twice, I hopped into the car, closing the door behind me. Olivia started the engine, roaring itself to life as we pulled out of the parking lot.
I stared out the window, trees flying by, lamp posts flashing light every few meters. The sun was setting, leaving a grey mist in the sky. The glass was cold, rain pattering against it.
We got home, the rain only sprinkling against my skin when I got out.

Opening the door to the house was like taking a fresh breath, a new start again. A place that was far from everything, a cozy atmosphere from the world of adventure and experience. It felt good to be here, in a place I can call home.