HER

One: kindergartners

Analia

"Alright, I'm headed home for the day," I tell my coworker, Lauren, who just nods. I can feel the weight of exhaustion settling upon my shoulders. I walk outside and there's my dad's truck, looking more inviting than ever. His contagious smile greets me as I get into the passenger seat.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" he asks, his voice full of genuine concern.

"It was good, but today was insane," I reply with a tired sigh. "It was field trip day, so l had to entertain 50 kindergartners all by myself." I love kids, but not that much.

I'm grateful for my dad and his willingness to take me to work and pick me up. He hardly ever does that anymore since my mom passed away, so he must be in a good mood today.

I turn to him and ask, "How was your day?"

"It was okay. I had to start training someone new today. She's very qualified on paper, but she's not much of a people person. But maybe with time that will change.

My dad runs a social media management and marketing company, and I used to work for him occasionally when the company was smaller. But now that it's growing, he's found someone better suited for the job.

As a recent high school graduate, I spend most of my time at the library, volunteering, and studying. Even though I'm not starting college until next year, I don't plan on slacking off for the rest of this year. I'm planning to study education and become a teacher, just like my mom was.

My mom was always passionate about teaching and loved all of her students.She regularly checked in with them and would do anything to help those going through tough times. To her, every student was family.

I still remember her funeral and all the old students who showed up, sharing stories of how she had helped or inspired them. I hope to be as good a teacher as she was one day.

A tear slides down my cheek, but I quickly wipe it away, determined to stay strong. That's what mom would have wanted.

Lexie

I lean against the faded red brick wall and hit my vape, closing my eyes as I exhale the vapor. "Where is she?" I mutter, kicking a rock across the parking lot.

Birdie, my best friend, shrugs her shoulders in response. "I don't know, but she better get here fast."

Our shift ended 40 minutes ago and we're still waiting on my girlfriend, Samantha, to come pick us up.  I curse myself for agreeing to the ride- I had stayed at her house last night, and now I regret it. Next time, I'll walk the five minutes back to my place. Maybe she's with someone else, I think to myself bitterly.

"I'm done waiting. Let's just start walking," I say, shaking my head in disbelief. The one time I let her drive me to work.

Just as we're about to leave the parking lot, Sam's Nissan screeches to a halt next to us. "Finally," we both say in unison, before hopping in.

"Where the fuck were you? We got off work almost an hour ago," I rant, feeling more annoyed now that she's here.

Sam rolls her eyes, blowing a bubble with her gum. "I'm sorry, I was at the mall and lost track of time. Relax."

I turn up the music, refraining from saying anything else. I don't have the energy to argue with her.

"Oh come on, I'm sorry, okay? I am. I should've been here I time," Samantha says half-heartedly.

"Yeah, whatever," I reply, resting my head against the window.

"You guys want to stop and get food? I'm starving," Birdie suggests from the backseat, cutting through the tension.

"You work at a cafe, you couldn't eat before you clocked out?" Sam questions, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?" Birdie retorts sharply, her voice rising.
The two of the them start to argue, and I tune them out, their voices nothing more than background noise.

As we ride, I can feel a sense of dread settling over me. As obnoxious as Samantha is, something worse is waiting for me at home.