Autumn Falls

I pulled at the collar of my white, button-up uniform shirt. I absolutely dreaded these outfits because of one simple reason: everyone wears them. In my school, no one had originality. If you dyed your hair hot pink or sky blue, you were either suspended and sent home with a slip demanding you to change your hair back, or you were expelled. I swear it was like a prison here. I sighed, brushing my bleach blonde hair behind my ear and grasping my plastic fork in one hand. I picked at my food, too tired to eat whatever mystery meat the lunch ladies had served us today. Another horrible thing about this school? We couldn’t go off campus for lunch.

“…And so I told him to get the hell out of my face because he’s white trash and no one wants him anyways,” Melissa droned on about her latest break up.

“He just wanted ass,” I heard Spencer offer as she cracked open her sparking water. “I don’t even know what you saw in him,” she continued.

“Tell me about it,” Mel sighed, talking a bite of her Cesar salad. “So Autumn, how was your weekend visiting dad in Palm Springs?” she asked, trying to get me to say something. She knew how much I wasn’t in the mood, but she still wanted to push it. Typical Melissa.

“Same as always. He was too busy working to spend time with me so I was stuck with my step-monster and my step-brats. Definitely nothing like spending a weekend in Miami with you guys,” I explained, pushing my lunch away from me in disgust and swiping my Coke from the table, sipping softly from the straw.

“Are you going back this weekend? ‘Cause we’d really like to hang out with you sometime. We never see you anymore, Auti,” Spencer asked.

“I’m not going back anymore. My mom said that I don’t have to, so I’m not going to. He can just send me my child support checks every month,” I grumbled, frustrated that my own father didn’t have time for his daughter anymore. I finished the Coke with another annoyed sip and threw it on my lunch tray. I was officially bored of private school lunches.

“Whoa, Spence, who’s that?” I heard Melissa breath in a quick whisper. My head suddenly shot up to look in the direction that Mel was gawking at. I gasped myself when I saw the sight. Walking down the lunch line in those nasty blue uniforms was a god. But just not any god; he was my type of god.

“Oh,” Spence started, her words laced with venom. “That’s Larson Kelly. He just moved here from New York because his mother and father decided to relocate. They enrolled him in a private school because he’s totally rich and stuff like that, but he doesn’t like to flaunt it,” she explained, of course knowing all the dirt.

“My kind of man,” I smiled, getting ready to stand up and work my magic.

“Funny,” Spence laughed, ready to shoot me down. “Too bad his girlfriend of three years transferred with them.” Suddenly, as if on cue, a brunette bimbo slid her arm through his as he paid for their food. They walked right past our table, sitting on the other side of the cafeteria and ignoring our presence. “And that,” Spencer continued. “Is is twin sister,” she noted, pointing back toward the lunch line.

The girl she was pointing at was awkwardly beautiful in a weird way. She had light brown hair that fell in waves down her back. Her style was decent and she looked prim in proper. I smiled, knowing how I was going to make him mine. “Girls, if anyone knows how to get rid of a girlfriend, it’s me: Autumn Sharp.” I stood, smoothing out my denim skirt and running a hand through my ragged hair. “Watch and learn,” I smirked, walking away from my friends and right toward the girl as she reached for last week’s apple pie.

“I’d go for the yogurt instead,” I offered, trying to make short conversation. She hesitated, looking up at me with a questionable look. “It’s a week old,” I explained. “No one eats them.”

“Oh. Well, thanks,” she muttered, he voice soft as she traded the pie for a strawberry-banana yogurt. She walked down the line until she reached the register to pay for the meal.

“Would you like to sit with me and my friends?” I asked her as she started walking toward her brother’s table.

She looked from me to him a few times before smiling and nodding her head. “I’m Serena Kelly.”

“Autumn Sharp. Welcome to Ransom Everglades Prep School,” I smiled back with a devilish grin, leading her to my table of friends.

__________________________________________________________________

“I’m telling you, if she doesn’t take the deal then I’ll be out one pay check and I can’t deal with the pressure of selling three properties in just one month,” my mother complained into her Blackberry.

“Mom, I’m home,” I yelled toward the kitchen.

“How was school, sweetie?” she yelled back, phone still glued to her ear. If I ever wanted to talk to my mom, this was pretty much the only time I could because she works to much to have a full conversation with me.

“Same as always,” I told her, walking into the room and reaching for the refrigerator. I grabbed a pink VitaminWater and waved a small goodbye as I walked up the stairs and she continued her phone call. I went into my room and collapsed onto my bed, tired and not ready to do anything. I rolled over onto my back and grabbed my iPhone from my purse, dialing my father’s office. It rang a few times before someone picked up.

“Patrick Sharp’s office, how may I help you on this wonderful afternoon?” his receptionist said in a cheerful voice.

“Hey, Kayla, it’s Autumn. Transfer me to my dad’s office?” I asked.

“Of course, right away. You have a nice day, Autumn,” she said, connecting me strait to his main phone.

He answered before it went to voicemail. “Hello?” A familiar voice asked.

“Hey, dad,” I muttered, flipping my TV on. Music videos flashed before my eyes, but I wasn’t seeing them; I was too consumed in my conversation to notice the lyrics or the people that danced.

“How are you, sweetie?” he asked, his voice careful and soft.

“I’m good, I just got home from school and I wanted to see how you were doing,” I confessed.

“I’m just fine, but I’m really cramped with work so I have to go, but maybe you should come into town this weekend ‘cause it seems like I haven’t seen you in ages! I’ll send you my jet on Friday so we can have some quality father daughter time, how’s that sound?” he asked, quick to hang up on me.

“O-okay, sounds good,” I lied. I wasn’t going back this weekend or ever again if he didn’t notice me when I actually was around.

I heard muffled kisses and a female voice before he rushed into his next sentence. “Alright, well I have to go, I love you, miss you, bye!” he went for the end button, but was too late before I heard the woman speak. “Who was that, baby?” the line went dead before I heard his answer. Just a client, I imagined him saying.

“Bye,” I said softly. “I love you too.” I dropped the phone. 27 second phone call. That’s a record breaker, I thought as I crawled into a ball, holding onto my chest as I silently cried myself to sleep.