A fresh start is exactly what London McLaren needs in order to forget the demons of her past. A new last name, a new town and a new school.
She's about to start her final year of high school, ready to obey her parent's orders to keep her head down a...
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Saturday, April 25th, 2020
You know you're an introvert when all you want to do his stay inside on a Saturday night, doing homework.
My phone has been continuously buzzing for the past half hour. Suffice to say, I've ignored every notification.
I knew who it was, though. Kennedy was the only person to be so persistent. She wanted me to come to the party tonight and I just couldn't.
I wish I could give them, any of them, a good enough reason as to why I couldn't come tonight. But without being truthful, how could I say anything at all?
I finish off the last math equation, just as the doorbell rings. The time reads 6:31 pm on my alarm clock. Which meant—
"Shit," I mutter, jumping up from my chair and grasping for the door handle. "I'll get it, don't—"
The front door swings open just as I make it into the foyer. My heart completely drops and I squeeze my eyes shut briefly. I was in deep shit.
"Hi. Can we help you?" mum speaks, answering the door.
My heart pumps rapidly in my chest. My palms are growing sweaty.
This was it. This was the end of everything.
My parents were going to realise that I'd made really good friends. They'll know I've put them all in danger and they'll never forgive me for this.
"Mum, I can explain," I say, stepping forward, my palms outstretched. "They're only here because of some stupid school project."
Mum turns to me, her sceptical eyebrow raised. "Do you know this person?"
The door swings open fully and I stop in my tracks.
"Oh."
Standing before me is a man I've never seen in my entire life. He's middle-aged, wearing a shirt with a bright red heart placed in the centre.
"Hello there. Did you know that on average, 30,000 people die every year from heart disease? But with your help—"
"Here you go," mum produces a five-dollar note from her pocket, placing it in the heart disease money tin.
She shuts the door before the man can even respond, turning to me. "Is everything okay? You've gone a bit pale."
I shake my head, clearing my throat. "Everything's— everything's fine."
"What was that about a school project?"
"Oh. Nothing. I just thought— never mind."
She frowns at me but nods, nonetheless. "Well, dinner will be ready in ten."
She walks back into the kitchen and I breathe a sigh of relief. I brush my hand through my hair, resting my hand against my mouth.
I thought I was going to lose everything just then. I thought Kennedy was going to try and use methods of persuasion to get my parents to let me go to a party. She might have thought she was doing the best thing by me but if that happened, she'd be doing the exact opposite.
