Videotape

Chapter 2

I woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of my alarm, heavy-eyed and with a mouth drier than a desert. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, shifting my gaze around my cluttered room as I reached over and flipped the switch on my alarm clock to silence its shrill repetition. I then rolled out of bed and eased my frozen feet into the worn pair of slippers on the floor beside it, vaguely registering the fact that I had hardly slept. I exited my room and started toward the kitchen as my exhausted mind slowly dragged itself back to reality.

My routine was exactly the same every morning, and today was no different. I poured myself a mug of coffee, which my mother had fortunately already brewed before she left for work, and drank it with milk and sugar as to avoid falling asleep in class later. With it, I took my daily medication as to avoid breaking down in class later. I crammed a granola bar down my throat, then trudged back to my room and quickly changed into the outfit I'd chosen the night before: worn-out jeans and an old, faded Harley Davidson T-shirt, along with a ratty flannel to top it off. I'd never been one to dress to impress; with my average appearance, I knew it would be a wasted effort. Once I was dressed, I headed to my bathroom to brush my teeth. I then combed through my hair, which was surprisingly still damp from my shower the night before, and slathered on some mascara before gathering my belongings and heading for the front door. There, I pulled on my boots, threw on my beat-up leather jacket, and headed out with my backpack slung over my shoulders.

The frigid morning air sent shivers down my spine and chills throughout my entire body. My bag weighed heavily on my back, making it ache as I trekked toward my bus stop, knowing that today would be nothing but another day. Another beginning. Another uphill battle. Another meaningless day in a meaningless world in a meaningless universe in a meaningless existence, and so on and so forth. All I had to do now was convince myself that any of it still mattered.

"God, this is the worst," I groaned as I slumped forward in my seat, pressing the palm of my hand against my temple as if it would do anything to cease the throbbing pain in my skull.

From beside me, Gabby nudged my shoulder, taking a long swig of her Arizona tea as she did so. "Bad night?" she asked with a glance over at me.

"I just..." I sighed, feeling my heart sink in my chest. What was there to say? There truly was no way to describe my reasons for restlessness. None that Gabby would understand, anyway. Pain pulsed through my head again, and I winced, giving a listless shrug. "...I've just been thinking too much, if you know what I mean. I couldn't sleep, and I'm paying for it today with this headache."

Gabby nodded. "Yeah, I get it. It's hard to sleep when your mind is going a million miles a minute. Do you want an aspirin or something? I have some in my bag."

"No, it's fine. I'm sure it'll pass. Thanks, though."

"Suit yourself," Gabby said with a shrug.

"Gabs! Ase!" A familiar, cheery voice rang out from behind us. I cringed at the sound; on a typical day, I would've been happy to hear it, but loud noises were the last thing I needed at this moment in particular. Gabby seemed to share my annoyance. She put down her can of tea, rolling her eyes. "What is it, Caleb?" she asked without turning around.

Caleb set one gloved hand on my shoulder, allowing the other to come to rest on Gabby's. "Believe me, Gabs, you won't want to miss this," he said. I could tell he was smiling simply by the tone of his voice. "There are some people I want you to meet." Gabby perked up a bit. I lifted my head, placing the spork I'd been fiddling with on my untouched tray of pasta. We both turned around in our seats. Two people stood on either side of Caleb: a boy and a girl who appeared to be around the same age. I automatically assumed that they were related; they were both tall and lanky and had thick, dark hair, along with pale skin that appeared almost translucent. Caleb clapped his hand onto the boy's shoulder. "This is Ethan and Jade Griffiths," he said with a warm grin. "Twins, if you couldn't tell. They just moved here from New York. Er, state, not city. We really hit it off in art class."