Bella

“Good morning, Bell,” Dad said, placing a plate of pancakes in front of me. “How’s school been going lately?” School was ending today and it was absolutely horrid. You’d think that by the end of my junior year, my peers would quit trying to thrust pity at me because I am the way I am.

I sighed and shrugged. “Absolutely fine,” I muttered. I used my hand to put a few strands of my hair behind my ear and grabbed the bottle of syrup, pouring it all over my pancakes. “Except for the few annoying people that honestly don’t know how to shut up.”

He chuckled lightly. “If I’m totally honest with you, I didn’t enjoy school much, either. I got suspended a lot. I didn’t like rules then, and I don’t like rules now.” A yell from upstairs startled us both.

“Was that really necessary, Mom? Really?” Ranger stomped down the stairs, his shoulder-length hair dripping with water and his shirt soaking wet. “Dad, she poured a bucket of water on me. Like, there was even ice in there. All because I overslept ten minutes.”

Mom came down the stairs shortly after with the empty bucket, casually walking into the kitchen. She tossed the bucket under the cabinet stood behind Dad’s chair. He mumbled something inaudible to my ears and she giggled lightly, bending her neck forward to peck Dad’s lips.

Ranger interjected. “Excuse me, Tyler and Gunner Davis. You two have exceeded your daily limit. Or at least wait until Bell and I have left for school. Thank you very much.” I laughed lightly. My parents were adorable and so was their relationship. They’d been together since their senior year, they’d told us. And a year later, they popped out Ranger.

“I think I’m just going to excuse myself,” I said, pushing my chair out and placing my plate in the sink. I exited the kitchen and went into the living room, grabbing my belongings and my book bag.



I was halfway finished throwing away the rest of the junk in my locker away when I came across a photo. It was of my ex-boyfriend and I, just a few months ago. He was a cunt, if I had to admit it. In the photograph, his ginger hair was cut just below his chin and his arm was around my waist, as a sign of ownership. I was his and he was mine, even though the good of it only lasted for a few months.

I sighed and ripped it up; I looked horrendous and he still looked beautiful. I looked to my right to see Stacy next to me. It was as if I could smell her presence; too much Bath & Beauty Works perfume. “Hey, are you excited for the summer?”

I shrugged and closed my locker, picking up the pile of torn papers to put in the trashcan. “I don’t know. I don’t really care for it, y’know? I’m happy that next year is my last, though. Honestly, I’m probably just going to find random activities to entertain myself with,” I answered. I tossed the papers in the trashcan, Stacy tailing me. “Don’t you have a boyfriend to go bother?”

I heard her sigh. “Sadly, Frank dumped this morning. I’m not surprised it happened.” She grabbed ahold of my arm and forced me to walk down the hallway with her. “I mean, my mom told me that it was only a temporary fling and that I’d find another fling during the summer. I doubt it.”

“Mhm,” I mumbled. We walked to the gym, where the seniors were listening to loud music and wilding out, including Ranger. It was a scene that I regretted walking into the minute I did. The principle was yelling into the microphone, attempted to calm them done, but to no avail. I laughed humorlessly for a minute. Almost every senior seemed to be rebelling—almost.

I looked to Stacy, who was smiling sadly, as Frank was in the mix of them; laughing and smiling with another girl. Ouch. “He looks happy, Bell. He looks happier than I could ever make him.” I wriggled my arm out of her death grip and lightly punched her in the arm.

“Perk up, Stacy. He doesn’t know what he gave up.” But she was right. He did look happy and at that moment, Frank obtained more happiness that Stacy could ever bring him. “Go find some other guy to talk to. Or go talk to Talia. I’m going to go find Ranger in this mess.”