Unexpected

Chapter 2.

When my alarm blarred at 6 AM Monday morning, I genuinely would have risked the apocalypse for an extra hour in bed. Having gotten used to sleeping in all summer, my eyelids felt glued shut and every muscle screamed for the soft comforter and mattress I was forced to leave behind. Because I lived in an apartment complex far from Eastwood, my commute to school took about an hour and a half by DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit).

I sleepwalked into the bathroom to brush my teeth, shower, and dress in the standard navy blazer and plaid skirt uniform required at Eastwood. And the countdown begins, day one out of 180...

As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed my hair was trailing water on the shoulders of my blazer, but I was too sleepy to care. It would dry on the way to school anyway. I was mentally calculating how much sleep I could manage on the DART when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Coffee?"

"God, please," I mumbled, half-opening my eyes. My mom smiled, pouring me a mug.

"Aren't you chipper for the start of junior year."

"Name one person who's chipper at 6 AM. Besides you." My mom worked as an ER nurse, and a normally-timed shift was an anomaly for her. Even with the sun barely in the sky, she looked perfectly put together, her short, blonde hair tucked behind her ears, eyes alert, mouth smiling, decked in fresh scrubs. I loved my mom in the morning, energetic and radiating positivity, her scrubs making her look like an actress on Grey's Anatomy. Heck, I loved her anytime, but she usually wasn't home until I was asleep, so I didn't see her much besides during the morning.

"Fair point." She drained the last drops of her coffee, black as usual. I had a liberal amount of cream and sugar in mine. "Oh sweetie. 11th grade already. Where has the time gone?"

I groaned. "Mom. Please. Stop."

"You'll understand when you have kids someday."

"Considering no guy has ever looked twice at me, I don't think I'm in danger of that anytime soon." Or ever.

"Believe me, Charity, they have. A beautiful, smart girl like you, how could they not? But they back away from that chip on your shoulder the size of Texas."

I made a face. "I do not have a chip on my shoulder."

"I'm not blaming you, baby. I know what an emotional toll being at Eastwood has taken on you." My mom patted my hand. "So I'm so proud of you for not giving up."

While I love to bitch about Eastwood as much as the next angsty teenager, I'd never do it in front of my mom. She felt guilty enough about not being around enough that the last thing she needed was me to unload my highschool drama onto her.

"It's not so bad. I've got Ariel, and I'm doing well in my classes. And the point is, top colleges love Eastwood. I just need to graduate, and then I'm free."

"That's my girl." My mom watched me fondly as I chewed on a bagel. "You're so level-headed, Charity. God knows you didn't get it from me."

My father. Was he level-headed and practical like me? Driven and focused? Or more idealistic, more dreamy, like my mom? I knew better than to ask.

"I should get going," I finished up my last few bites of breakfast and gave my mom a quick hug.

"Love you, honey. Be careful."

"I love you too." I'd been riding the DART for two years, but my mom still always required me to text her when I got to school, so she could be sure I didn't get kidnapped by human traffickers on the way or something. I'd understand when I was a mom, she said.