Intertwined and Unexpected

Epilogue: Amberlynn

"Mom," Amberlynn sighs, swatting her hand away from her hair, "I'll be fine, I've done this before."

"I know," her mom responds, "But I'm still allowed to be concerned about my baby girl, aren't I?"

Amberlynn shrugs, putting her hair back to how it was before her mom decided to fuss with it. "I guess. I didn't realize it was a big deal. Same school, same kids, just a new grade."

Her mom planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek. "Oh alright. Have a good day sweetheart. You'll do fine."

Amberlynn slings her backpack over her shoulder and walks out the front door, shouting behind her, "I know."

She jogs down her front steps, and continues walking on the sidewalk. She had lied to her mother earlier -- she was absolutely terrified of going into a new grade, with no idea why. Everything she said was true. No one left over the summer, and she didn't know if anyone came either. It would be exactly the same.

So why was her heart thumping against her chest so hard?

Her jeans pocket began to vibrate. Probably Chloe, Amberlynn thinks, freaking out about nothing.

"Chlo?" Amberlynn asks into her phone.

"Lynn," she heard in a frantic voice that had become so familiar that summer, as the girls had nearly been living in each others houses. "Lynn, I think I missed my bus. It's usually here by now and there's no one with me at my bus stop."

"Are you sure?" Amberlynn asks, than ends the phone call. She walks behind a girl with dark hair, slowly and silently, then puts her hands over her eyes.

Chloe lets out a small scream, and covers her mouth as she begins to laugh hysterically. "I hate you," she laughs.

"It's about time that happens," Amberlynn says back, uncovering Chloe's eyes and letting her go. "Did you really think that you were the only one at your bus stop?" She asks innocently.

Chloe shakes her head slowly. "Oh, shut up, you."

"Only if you do," Amberlynn responds, snapping her fingers. The bus rounding the corner caught her eye. "Ready to go, baby?"

"Oh my gosh, I told you not to call me baby ever ever ever!" Chloe shouts, being overdramatic, as the bus came to a stop in front of them. Amberlynn boards the bus before Chloe, sitting in seats next to each other.

"Ready for the first day of school? Maybe we won't have any classes together or maybe all of them I don't know, this is a new year." Chloe rambles, suddenly excited.

"Calm down, baby," Amberlynn says, putting emphasis on the baby, pushing Chloe'sbuttons.

Chloe simply rolls her eyes at her, and the bus bounced along the roads that she had become aquainted with during the school year. The bus stops a few more times, letting more people on, people Amberlynn and Chloe knew, and even a few new freshman.

It seemed to her, in that moment, that anything could happen.

The bus slowly stops in front of BS High School. People get off the bus, and you can instantly tell who the freshman are. They have that look in their eyes like their lost puppies, because high school is so big and bad for some fourteen year olds.

Maybe it is. Most of them, they just have no idea what they're getting themselves into.