Number 33

Chapter 5 - The News.

Chapter 5 - The News.

It's now my sophomore year of high school. I woke up to my obnoxious alarm, silencing it as fast as possible. Monday mornings are hard, but this Thursday morning is proving to be very difficult as well.

I headed downstairs, and unplugged my phone from the charger, checking my texts. I poured myself a bowl of cereal, grabbed a water bottle, and lounged for about an hour. That might seem ridiculous, but if I don't have my chill morning time, then I feel like my whole day is messed up.

I crunched on my cereal, scrolling through social media. Eventually, I gathered up the will to carry myself up my stairs in order to get ready. I put on my music, and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. I started my routine. I brushed my teeth, primed my face, and put in my contacts. I grabbed my stippling brush, running it across the back of my hand to see if it was clean. I then used it to spread my foundation across my face. I set the liquid and looked at myself. Huffing in annoyance, I grabbed my concealer and applied it generously, blending it out and setting that.

I moved on to the usual steps; doing my contour, highlighting, winging out my eyeliner, painting on some mascara, using liquid lipstick. The whole works.

I still wasn't happy with the reflection I saw. Oh well.

I brushed out my short hair, curling it in tight ringlets. I ran my fingers through the curls and smiled at the finished product.

I look okay.

I threw on some skinny jeans and whatever blouse, still listening to my music. I turned it off, put on socks, and grabbed my black high top Converse.

I got in the car and messed with the CD player until my favorite came on. Luke Wade. My mom and I sang along, appreciating the pick-me-up quality to the singer's voice. We headed into school a few minutes later, still a little bit tired.

*****

The morning passed on as normal, but then I realized that I wasn't going to be there for eighth period, which is when I have Honors Algebra Two. I definitely can't get behind in that class, so I skipped my fourth period and headed to my teacher's classroom. She teaches the same Algebra course during fourth, so I won't be missing out on the lesson.

I sat down at a desk in the back by the teacher, and explained why I was there. She let me stay, so I started unloading my textbook, calculator, and notebook paper.

"Hey, Britton!" I heard to my left. I looked, and it was Aiden with a huge smile on his face.

"Hi. Long time, no text." I said, playfully scolding him. He laughed, and I took the time to appreciate it. His laughter made me laugh, and it lit up his face, filling the whole room with warmth.

"Alright guys, let's settle down now," My teacher said, making us turn our attention towards her. "Flip to page 97..."

*****

I was in my bed, snuggled with two blankets on me. I had gone to counseling earlier, and I felt really good. It's always nice to talk things out. I started texting a guy from my eighth period math class, seeing how it was without me.

I eventually ended up calling him. He picked up after a few rings.

"Hey," he said into the phone. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you." I replied, while scrolling through Facebook.

"Have you heard about Aiden?" He asked. I closed my laptop.

"No. What happened?" I said, only a little concerned.

"He was playing the JV Football game tonight and he headbutted someone. He had a seizure and passed out. It's all over my Snapchat."

I was super shocked. "Oh my God, really?"

"Yeah. They had to carry him off and now he's in the hospital."

I was floored. I kept saying, over and over again, that it was crazy. And it was.

I hung up the phone, and I felt sick. This is the same guy who helped me four years ago. He remained my friend the years after that, and we texted often in middle school.

I didn't know what to do, so I started praying. I prayed for Aiden. For a quick recovery with minimal damage. For his mom, so she wouldn't stress out too much.

I layed down, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of football players and bullies.