Chapter Two-- Five Miles

The morning run was always so much longer than it should be. It was about seven in the morning, and I was the second person on the bus.

  I always sat alone, even now, as a junior. I couldn’t drive, as my very own car seemed like a far-off dream.

  The seat next to me remained safely empty, so I stared out of my window, to daydream.

Today, Anthony would have on that red polo shirt, with a single, white, horizontal stripe through it.

  “Hey, Bells!” he would say, and beckon for me to sit in the bus seat with him. “Five miles ‘till school.” He’d note, using distance instead of time to measure, as always.

  The bus was rolling, and as it jolted over a bump, I too, jolted out of my daydream. Sighing, I resorted to observing.

  It was mid-October, so the trees here were turning to their autumn reds and oranges. The leaves scattered over the dry grass, like classic, priceless artwork made for us by the trees themselves.

  Everett wasn’t such a bad place; actually it turned sort of serene in the autumn. On the Cape, the leaves didn’t change colors as well, because of the hurricane leftovers, storming through during the summer.  I was glad I lived here, even for a mere moment in time. The miles between there and my home closed quickly, and I could see our very own Everett High School building.

  Red bricks mixing with falling autumn leaves, the scene was pristine, until I saw…them.

  Stephenie was, well, only the most popular cheerleader in the whole school. We used to be friends…but that’s another story all together.

  What bugged me was her hand, interlocked with…with…

  It was most impossible! Simply unthinkable, absurd…unnatural. There it was, right out in the open. Stephenie, and Anthony. It was inevitable this time. I knew she would steal away everything, anyway, as she’s always done. Seeing them felt like a nasty hole was burning in the very pit of my stomach, and at any second, I would burst into flame, a spontaneous combustion on a scale unknown to mankind.

  Alright. Maybe I’m a little too dramatic…

  My throat burned, as a side effect and I had to look away. As my fists balled, I decided I would not cry over stupid Stephenie and her new Guinea Pig that she’d test heartbreak symptoms on.

  I let out an aggravated sigh, realizing I was really just mad at myself for never speaking up when I had the chance.

  “I wish that my life would go exactly as I dream!” came the aggravated voice from inside of me. It was almost unrecognizable.

  “Alright, kids. It's Seven-Twenty-Five. Go on off.” Said the bus driver, one of those old, tough lady ones.

  I hugged my books to my chest, unconfidence radiating off of me like the rays of morning sun from the sky.

  Bitterly, my thoughts drifted, and I was the one walking with Anthony’s hand in mine. I was the one in expensive, beautiful clothes. I, Bells, would be the one who he’d walk five miles to meet in the morning, so I didn’t have to walk alone or take a stinking bus to school.

 

Author's Note

So this is the way life works for Bells.
Found anything symbolic yet?
You'll see how that unfolds in a chapter or so.

Reviews

[Justin Tobey]

Great! I can feel her emotions surging through her the entire chapter, and now we see a hint of the conflict. Stephanie vs. Isabella. I like it a lot so far! :D