Tough

“Are you okay?”

That question was starting to make her skin crawl.

She replied the same as she always had. It was a simple answer. Two words with no meaning. She’d rehearsed it in the mirror over half a dozen times, making sure she added just enough conviction in her tone so it seemed believable.

“I’m fine.”

A sigh. “Sadie, honey, I know it’s tough, but—“

“I'm fine,” Her voice was curt, almost defensive. Her eyes met the identical ones of her mother – soft brown, surrounded in marks set by sleepless nights and stress – and she offered a small, forced smile. “Seriously. I'm good.”

Her mother seemed like she wanted to push the conversation further, but was interrupted by the chirping and chiming of her Blackberry. “Samantha Greyson, speaking...” She excused herself and left, the clicking of her heels against the wooden floors following her downstairs.

The front door slammed shut.

Silence.

Sadie glanced in the mirror. "Smile, kid," She murmured. "This is the beginning of the end."

Senior year. Her last and final year as a high school student.

She was relieved, mostly. Her life could finally start. She could finally move on. She might even be happy for once.

The familiar ache of longing bloomed in her chest.

That was all she wanted. Happiness on her own terms. To be able to create a life worth living.

She sighed. Graduation day couldn't come any sooner.



She was early, maybe fifteen minutes before the first bell, and the student parking lot was already packed. So much for snagging one of the good parking spaces, she thought bitterly, settling for a spot near the back.

She sat in the silence of her car, fingers gripped tightly around the steering wheel. Her anxiety was almost nauseating. Taking a few deep breaths and chewing wildly on the minty gum in her mouth, after a few minutes, she started to feel better.

There wasn’t a whole lot Sadie could do for her anxiety. Medicine and weed would probably help, but she was broke and that shit was expensive. She found some breathing techniques online that helped a bit, but the results never lasted.

Power through, she told herself, opening her car door. Only six more hours.

She reached into the backseat, grabbing hold of her binder and her bag that held a few pens and a notebook. The first week of school was generally the easiest - it was all syllabi, rule reminders, and packets to take home to your parents - so to bring anything more than some writing utensils would be pointless.

Ha. Pointless. Get it? Ha.

Anyways.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” A voice called from across the lot. “I must need to get my eyes checked because I know that ain't Sadie Greyson standing in front of me!”

Sadie grinned and hid behind her binder. “Please, no pictures.”

"Sweet angel, how I have missed you," Cara Fleeter grinned, pulling Sadie in for a hug. "Seems like we haven't talked all summer."

Sadie sighed. "I'm sorry, man," Having Cara as a friend was a blessing, and Sadie wanted to kick herself in the ass for not keeping in touch. "I'm a shitty friend with shitty excuses."

The redhead scoffed, giving Sadie's arm a gentle punch. "Don't sweat it, babe. Past few months have been rough...," Her smile faltered. "...for the both of us."

"How is he?" She asked softly. "Any improvement since you brought him home?"

Cara's father, the ultimate badass and one of Sadie's absolute favorite humans, had been the victim of a serious hit and run earlier that year. He suffered severely, having been left in a wheelchair without use of anything below his bellybutton. The doctor's let him go home the first week of summer, and Sadie hadn't heard any news since then.

Cara shrugged, and the two made their way towards the school. "He's mean. And angry. And depressed," She sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "He doesn't act much like he used to. But, that's to be expected."

"I'm so sorry, Cara," I'm sorry this happened to you and your dad. I'm sorry you had to do this alone. I'm sorry I'm such a shitty friend. "That's...that's fucking awful."

Clearing her throat, the teen shook her head with a small grin. "No need to be sorry, kiddo,” As they entered the school, the hallways were bustling with students, so Cara spoke a little louder. “Pops' will pull through it. We Fleeters' are good at that," She winked before shifting the attention back onto Sadie. "But enough about my depressing home life - how's yours?"

Sadie snorted. "Really fucking depressing, my friend."

"Mom?"

"Working. All day, every day. The past few nights she's come home after one in the morning. I'm worried but she says I shouldn't be."

"What about your dad? Anything from him?"

Sadie shook her head, her lips curling into a disgusted frown. "He sent me money for college back in June. Mom kept the money and sent back a copy of the restraining order. Haven't heard from him since."

"And you?"

Sadie shrugged. "As good as I'm gonna be until I get that goddamn diploma," She said honestly, giving Cara a grin. "Seriously, babe, I'm fine."

“If you say so--Sadie, watch out!”

A body was thrown into the row of lockers in front of them, exhaling a painful groan. Sadie jumped back, cursing loudly and pulling Cara back with her. He was young, maybe a freshman or sophomore, and looked like his face had taken one hell of a beating. His lip and nose were busted and bleeding, and the red liquid dripped into his mouth. He spits, right onto her boots, and she took another step back.

“Excuse me,” A voice, rough and teeming with rage, spoke from behind her. She turned, meeting a pair of fiery golden eyes.

She blinked.

Matt Sanders.

He was huge, well over six feet, with toned arms covered in ink. There was blood on the front of his white t-shirt and the ends of his knuckles were split open. She swallowed, “Uh, you sure you wanna do that?” He was quiet, staring at her with cautious, glazed eyes. She continued, “I’m not gonna stop you, but Shindler’s probably on his way and if he see’s you pummeling this kid to death, there’s a good chance your punishment will be far worse than if you just stop now. Trust me on this one.”

He was still for a few seconds, and Sadie held her breath.

Finally, he cracked an impish grin. “Fine,” He murmured, meeting her eyes again. “I’ll trust you on this one.”

Just as the words left his mouth, the deep voice of the school’s resource officer bellowed from behind them. “Dammit, Sanders,” He cursed, clasping a heavy hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Couldn’t wait to stir shit up, could you?”

Matt ignored him, throwing Sadie one last grin. “I’ll see you around, sweetheart,” He winked and allowed the officer to shove him down the hall and into the guidance office.