The Crazy Adventures of Aqua Girl

Chapter 28 - Our Little Bubble

"See ya later, alligator." Blaze Boy drawled, before leaving the pavement and shooting off into the sky, a trail of smoke billowing behind him. I launched myself up into the air, and flew up to the 4th storey, before landing on my sturdy windowsill. I looked back down towards the street, instantly thankful San Francisco was only just waking up, and the streets were pretty empty. I opened my window and climbed into my room, locking the window behind me. Quickly, I scrambled around my room, changing into my pajamas and flinging my suit, mask and shoes under my bed, with all my forgotten childhood toys. I glanced over at my alarm clock, and it told me the time was 5:50am. Great. I had one hour of sleep. I jumped into bed, snuggled up into a comfortable position, and let the tiredness of the night's activities engulf me...

Hazy flames of fire...

Wispy puffs of mist...

A boy with floppy, black hair and dark hazel eyes...

Echoing voices crowding my head...

"Cascade! Wake up!" The sound of my mother's voice woke me from my slumber, and I groaned before opening my eyes and shoving my duvet off of my body. What a weird dream. I half stumbled, half shuffled to the door, my eyes still groggy with sleep. I fumbled with the key, and my door opened, revealing my mother, already dressed and ready to start her working day.

"Where did you go last night?" What? She knew I left?!

"Huh?" I replied, panicking.

"You locked yourself in your room and didn't even say goodbye to Brian." Oh. She probably just thought I was being an anti-social teenager. Little did she know, I was rummaging around my dad's headquarters. Haha.

"Sorry, I was really tired." I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Well, I was a bit disappointed in you, Cascade. Now get ready for school." My mother replied, turning around and heading into the kitchen. Rufus rounded the corner from the living room and bounded over to me, his tail wagging so fast it was a blur.

In a rush, I ran around my room, scrambling into some jeans and a t-shirt with two atoms talking on it. I thought it was a genius t-shirt. One atom was saying "I lost an electron" and the other was replying with "Are you positive?".

Sorry.

It's only me that ever gets these science jokes.

Ha.

I grabbed my school bag and slammed the door, locking it behind me. I didn't need Mom coming home early to find Blaze Boy crouched on my windowsill. I dumped my bag by the door and looked down to find an extra pair of shoes. Men's shoes.

"Mom! Who's shoes are these?" I yelled through the apartment, causing Mom to appear at the kitchen doorway.

"Oh, those are Brian's shoes. I said it would be ok if he left a pair here."

So now Brian was leaving shoes here? 

This was all happening a bit too quickly, if you ask me.

"Cool." I muttered, wandering into the living room. I stopped dead when I noticed new vinyls on our shelf. My vinyl shelf. I knelt down to examine the newly-placed vinyls. Next to my Twenty One Pilots albums and other music I liked, there was ACDC and Queen vinyls. What the heck? Why was there trash next to the best music ever?

"Mom!" I cried, picking up the new vinyls and bringing them into the kitchen. I dumped them on the table as Mom turned around to face me, from her salad preparations.

"Careful, sweetie. Those are Brian's to. He brought some stuff round." Mom exclaimed, not seeming that bothered.

"But they are not going on my vinyl shelf!" I protested, picking the vinyls back up again and storming back into the living room. Mom's shelf was already full of her trashy music, but I pushed Brian's stupid music on her shelf too, so that the vinyls were packed together like sardines. I sauntered into the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed the carton of orange juice, unscrewing the cap and chugging it down. Gosh, I was thirsty.

"Cass, what have I told you about drinking straight from the carton."

I ignored my mother, finishing my drink and shoving it back in the fridge. 

"Bye." I mumbled, racing through the apartment to the front door. I tied up the laces of my red Converse, swung my backpack over my shoulders and unlocked the door, leaving Mom to think about what she'd done, letting Brian destroy our little bubble by bringing his shoes and music into our home. Since Dad left us years ago, it had always just been me and Mom, the two of us. Sure, Mom had past boyfriends, but they never moved in, they never dared to destroy the strong bond of a mother and daughter. But Brian, well, he was different. As far as I was aware, they hadn't known each other long, and now he was shoving his things into our lives.

No sir, I am never going to listen to his crappy music.

In a huff, I stomped down the stairs and opened the front door, letting the sounds and smells of San Fran engulf my angry thoughts. I barged through the early-morning crowds to the edge of the road, where the usual group of students from my neighborhood were waiting for the bus. After plugging in my earphones and turning the volume up to full, the bus pulled up, and I climbed aboard, plonking myself behind Rachael, just so I could caught a glimpse of her familiar face every now and then, when she looked out the window. 

I missed Rachael.

I missed her non-stop text messages throughout the day. I missed her laugh and the way she snorted when something was a little bit funny. I missed her constant nagging about wanting to go to the mall every weekend. I missed sitting next to her on the bus and in the cafeteria. Now at lunchtimes I grab a sandwich from the sandwich bar and sit with a few other band members, who are boring and don't say much.

As the bus chugged to life, I gazed out the window, watching the swarms of tourists navigate their way through the streets, looking like lost penguins with their heads held high above the rest of San Fran's crowds.

The bus slowed down and halted at another neighborhood stop.

And that's when Aidan took a seat next to me.