Shallow Water

"Come on Allie, we need sticks for our house!"
 
"Okay. Caleb you go down to the river and collect mud for our base while Hannah and I go for the sticks."
 
"Alright. This fort will be perfect guys, I promise."
 
I felt a hand sneak fastly over my mouth, clamping down hard. I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell for help. "Don't Allie." The voice was familiar, but my mind was racing too fast to put a name to it. The hand clamped down harder, tighter. "Don't."
..............
 
My eyes opened fast. I sat up straight. My chest rising and falling at an abnormally fast pace, like I had just finished a four mile sprint. My head was dewy, covered in beads of light sweat. I glanced around the room, adjusting to the darkness. It was my room, I was in my bed. It was only a dream. My hands were shaking, but I reached for the chain to my night lamp anyway. Pulling it down with a fast jerk. Light suddenly filled the room, illuminating the walls in a soft yellow glow. I sighed lightly. I lay my head back onto my pillow, slowing my breath, struggling to calm myself. Tears escaped my dark hazel eyes as I closed them, slipping into a dark, dreamless sleep.
 
The sunlight woke me up this time, shining straight onto my eyes. I'd prefer waking up to this any day, compared to last night it was heaven. I sat up slowly in my bed. Taking my time to stretch before I turned off my night lamp. I rubbed my eyes and pulled the covers off of my legs. Blah, mornings suck, school sucks, work sucks.
 
"Come on Allie. Up, up, up. You're gonna miss your bus at this pace." My mother screamed up the stairs. Doesn't everyone just love being screamed at, at seven in the morning. I made my way to my closet, pulling out the first pair of skinny jeans I saw. Thought about changing my shirt, but screw it, comfort first.
 
I stepped off the bus. The dreary, red brick building focusing in my view. Saint's Birch High school, also known as, my own personal hell. Saint's Birch was a fairly small town located on Belle Water's edge. Belle Water was the name of the large lake that wrapped its way around the town. You'd think from a town so small, that the people's mouth's would also be small, but no, trust me they were exceedingly large. Busy bodies of all ages completed the small, 240 person population. Old ladies wore hats you'd expect to see on the Queen of England, girls liked the color pink, tennis was the sport of popular interest, and church on Sunday was mandatory to maintain a good reputation.
 
I simply did not fit. My hair is brown and straight, falling past my shoulders, it is not blonde or highlighted. I don't wear skirts, or play tennis, I'm not particularly perky, and I tend to keep to myself. A good book, a pair of skinny jeans, and some old converse will do just fine with me. I'm not a loner. I do like people, as miserable as I make myself sound. I have a small group of friends that I sit with, eat lunch with, talk to, you know. Hannah however, doesn't fall into that group. She's better than that. She's my best friend and has been for as long as I can remember.
 
My feet dragged my body along with them towards the dull prison. I don't know why my feet did this, considering every part of me was convinced on skipping school and going back to sleep. I pushed the gray doors open and made my way to my locker. Just as I started to mentally debate whether or not to endure my classes or hide out in the bathroom until lunch, Hannah nudged my shoulder. "Not thinking of skipping are you?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at me.
 
"I was considering it." I smiled back at her. Making contact with her light green eyes.
 
"Well you're not allowed. Not today, I need my best friend." Her voice cooed convincingly.
 
"You need to copy my English notes, don't you?" I asked smugly. She sucked in that department, I guess Romeo and Juliet isn't for everyone.
 
"Okay, yeah. But you know how crappy I am at not falling asleep in that class." Her shoulder nudged mine again. "Plus, I feel like hanging out with you after school today. Wanna do something?"
 
"I guess, but you're not getting me to see anymore romantic chick flicks, so just get that idea out of your head." I said with a smile. Hannah and I were different in a lot of ways. Her hair was a dishwater blonde, that fell in loose waves down to her shoulders. She had light green eyes with gold flecks outlining her pupils, freckles that peppered over her nose and cheeks, and a silver nose ring that hooped around her right nostril. Even more unlike me, she loved romantic movies. I'm more of a scary movie girl, but to each his own I guess.
 
"Nah no chick flicks this time, I have to go to my uncle's orchard. It's time to pick the apples. He's short a couple guys this year though, so I offered to help. Wanna tag along?"
 
"Yeah, sure." I answered simply. Hannah's uncle owns a huge plantation on the far side of town where he has a few hundred apple trees growing. He spends all year preparing his farm for Fall Fest, when he lets the entire town gather up on his property for a night filled of, dancing, games, a few farm animals, and of course apples. So in a couple weeks time, the apples will all be picked and sold. I loved the orchard. Hannah and I would always play there as kids. We'd run through the rows of trees feeling childishly free, like all of the world belonged to us. Those were good times, and still every time I return to the orchard warmness fills up my body, an indescribable happiness.
 
I grabbed my Advanced Calc. book from the top shelf in my locker. Gosh I love starting the day off with head achingly large math problems. I honestly think that the office secretary is out to get me, why else would she make calculus my first class? She's trying to punish me for missing so much school I know it.
 
"See ya sexy." I teasingly winked at Hannah before we parted ways. She just smiled and shook her head in return.
 
The hours droned on slowly. I forced myself to stay awake, but when history came around I was a goner. There's just something about reading about the first World War that puts me right to sleep. I had just threw a tomato at Taylor Lautner when the entire room started shaking. I opened my eyes slowly. I was still in class. I looked up to see the culprit of my rude awakening shaking my shoulder furiously.
 
"Allison! Allison! Wake up this instant." My usually soft spoken teacher yelled to me. I smiled. I knew it was the wrong move, but I was just so amazed that Mr. Lauler could yell. "You think this is funny? Sleeping in class is prohibited. You come here for an education, not to droll all over your book!" My smile faded as I looked around the room filled with classmates I don't particularly like. Their eyes were on me, watching my every move in amusement. I wiped the drool from my chin and made eye contact with my teacher.
 
"Sorry sir. But maybe if you talked more like how you are now, you could keep the class awake." A few quiet laughs escaped throughout the room. I kept my eyes locked on his. Watching as he nervously looked around the room at the snickering teenagers before looking back to me.
 
"Miss Turell to the office you go. I do not tolerate attitudes like yours in this class. I'll let the office deal with you. As for the rest of the class..." He paused glancing around the room again. I watched as children shifted their gazes so they didn't make eye contact with my now furious teacher. "Continue on. And if any one of you even closes an eye, I will have you reported to the principal." A chorus of groans erupted throughout the class.
 
As I made my way out of the class and down to the office my eyes made harsh contact with Emily's. Emily is the girl Barbie was based off of. She has long blonde hair that's always wrapped in a high pony tail, and piercing eyes the color of a robin's egg. She looked me up and down as I walked nearer to the spot she was standing. I averted my gaze quickly. I always tried to never meet her eyes, I couldn't stand looking into her familiar blue eyes for a second. I quickly passed her and entered the office. "Hi, uh...Mr Lauler told me to come here, I fell asleep in class. Sorry."
 
As the clock neared 3:00 I ironically found myself thanking the secretary that gave me history last period. I couldn't stand counting the white ceiling tiles, or sit in this stupid metal chair for another minute. The bell finally rang and I got up from my seat, moving quickly as to not make contact with the principal.
.........
 
When I was safely buckled in Hannah's truck, I relaxed. "So what did you do this time?" Hannah asked with a smile in her voice.
 
"Fell asleep." I answered furrowing my brow when I looked at her. The truck started and soon we were on our way out of the Saint's Birch High school parking lot, and on the winding road that led to her uncle's orchard. Hannah laughed as she drove. Her voice so bubbly it made me smile.
 
"You and your sleep." She shook her head as she giggled.
 
"Hey, a growing girl like me needs her beauty sleep. Sides I was doing the world a favor by conserving energy. I should get a medal, but instead I'm in for detention after school tomorrow. She looked at me with a smile.
 
We drove in a peaceful silence the rest of the way to the orchard. I watched as we passed through Main St. Lamp posts decorated with scarecrows, pumpkins of all shapes and sizes placed along the sidewalk, stick on pictures of cartoon ghosts pasted on store windows. I love fall. The colors, the smell, the leaves that crunch under your feet, all of it. As we crossed the bridge over the lake I suddenly remembered the dream I had last night. I averted my gaze quickly, so I couldn't see the water. Chills ran up my spine. Hannah seemed to notice this and placed a hand on mine with a tight squeeze, not taking it off until we had left the lake behind us.
 
We pulled onto a dirt drive way, outlined by cornstalks and pumpkins. We drove under the large wooden arch that read "Bowington Orchard" and carried on up the drive. The trees, on either side of the drive, were ripe with apples of all sorts. The large white house came into view as the truck rounded a curve in the drive way. The ginormous house was breath taking. Pumpkins sat atop small hay bales on both sides of the steps. Even more pumpkins lined the wooden railing of the wrap around porch, the awning was outlined in orange and purple lights. The sight of the house was beautiful.
 
I got out of the truck after Hannah and followed her to the large red barn that sat behind the house. I said hello to her uncle, grabbed two laundry basket size tubs, and made my way to the maze of trees.