Love Is Blind

My alarm clock rang shrilly on my bedside table. I clumsily turned it off and threw the covers off me. Climbing out of bed, I went to my closet to pick out what I wanted to wear on the first day of school. Four shirts, two skirts, and three pairs of jeans later, I had finally found the perfect outfit. I went into my bathroom to shower.

“Abbie,” my mother called up the stairs, “you’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up.”

“Coming. I’m almost ready,” I said as I walked through my bedroom door. I grabbed an apple off the table and ran to the door. “See you after school, Mother.”

Unlocking my car, I threw my bag in the back and reversed out of my driveway. My cell rang when I was about a block from my house. Looking down at the caller ID, I saw it was Hailey.

“Hello,” I said, answering my phone.

“Abs, you better hurry up. You’re going to be late. Have you even left your house yet?”

“Hailey, calm down, I’m about two blocks from the school. And stop pacing. You look like an idiot.”

I heard her mumble something and then nothing. She hung up on me.

I turned into the school parking lot and parked next to Hailey’s silver Mustang convertible. I got out of my black Camaro and walked around to where Hailey was standing.

“Ready?”

With a nod from Hailey, we started walking towards the doors of the school.

“What do you have first period?” Hailey asked.

“What do I have every year first period?”

“Oh, yeah. Color guard. I forgot. I have Chemistry.”

“Hails, please tell me you have photography second period.”

“Of course. Then, I have English third period.”

“Sweet. That’s two classes together so far. Calculus fourth period?”

Hailey groaned, “Yes, unfortunately.”

I giggled, “Oh, Hails, it won’t be that bad. What do you have fifth?”

“Choir. What about you?”

“I have my art class fifth.”

By this time we had gotten into the school and were walking towards our usual table in the quad. We sat down and were immediately engulfed by people.

“Hey guys.” I glanced at the clock on my phone. It read 7:55. “I have to run to my locker. I have to meet in the band room about five minutes before class starts for color guard. See you at lunch.”

Hurriedly, I went to my locker and put away my bag. I looked myself over in the mirror I keep on the door. Seeing as my hair was still in place, I closed my locker and began walking to class.

Opening the door to the band room I quickly scanned the room for the other color guard girls. I quickly grabbed a seat next to them and waited for the teacher to come in.

The bell had just rung to signal it was time for students to head to class when the teacher came in. She had a stack of papers in her hand. I assumed they were the syllabus for this year. While she was walking to the front of the room, she selected several students to pass out the papers. As predicted, the syllabus was handed to me by one of the band members.

I smiled, “Thank you.”

He just nodded and continued passing out the syllabus.

When everyone had been passed a syllabus, our teacher started talking.

“For any new students, my name is Laura West.”

She continued to drone on about the syllabus. I had already heard this same information three times before today. I sat there trying to pay attention, but my thoughts kept getting the best of me.

The next thing I remembered was the boy who passed me my syllabus asking, “Abbie, are you okay? You look like you’re about to cry.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I looked at the clock. “I have to go.”

I stood up and handed Ms. West my pass and left the classroom. I signed out in the office and walked out to my car. Taking a deep breath, I started my car and reversed out of the space. As I drove to the funeral home I kept muttering to myself.

“You’re going to be okay.”