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“How are you doing today?” Fred asked pleasantly.

I grunted, rolling over in my sleep.

“Marli, it is time to face the day.” He urged, his voice colored with boredom as we repeated the morning routine for the hundredth time.

I sighed dramatically, grumbling into one lumpy pillow.

“Or you could drop out of school.” He suggested, seemingly unconcerned.

“Missing one day of school doesn’t mean I have to drop out, Fred.” I countered.

“I was only making a suggestion. You seem so ill-tempered when it comes to the subject of your education, I thought maybe you no longer wished to attend.”

With another unnecessary sigh, I pushed myself up onto my knees and turned my head around to glare in Fred’s general direction.

“Who taught you how to be sarcastic?”

“Only the best.” He replied promptly.

            I ignored him, tugging sheets out from around my legs and tossing pillows around as I crawled out of bed. My sleeping area could probably be considered a mild disaster zone by most government agencies. I left it as such, never having come to terms with the idea of putting something together that you’re just going to take apart again later.

            Fred’s screen glowed serenely as I stumbled over to the desk still half asleep. “New messages?” I asked him.

“Four.”

“That many already? Sheesh. From anyone I care about?”

A window suddenly appeared on the screen, opened already to a message.

 

            Marli

 

               Meeting tomorrow…or today…I don’t know what time it is.

               I want you to come.

              

               Please?

 

               Hi Fred.

                                                                           Josh

 

 

I scowled, shuffling through some papers to find my pen. I located it under a more recent stack, and began scribbling across the tablet that sat in front of Fred.

 

            Josh

 

            I don’t want to go to your meeting.

           

            Meet me at the Apex.

 

            Hey Suz.

                                                            Marli

“Send.” I ordered, and watched as the window folded itself up and went flying away across the screen.

            I shoved myself away from the computer desk and, with a groan, got out of my chair and wandered over to my closet. I glanced back at the clock: 5:52 AM. I had spent too much time being uncooperative. I eyed the contents of my wardrobe without much enthusiasm. Getting dressed was not on my list of appealing things to do this morning. I pulled on an overly long blue undershirt and threw on my favorite gray t-shirt over the top of it. That was the extent of my abilities of outfit creation at this point in time.

            I hopped into my jeans, shoving Fred’s mobile unit into a pocket simultaneously. Grimacing at the prospect of making anything up, let alone my face, I wandered to the bathroom and squinted into the mirror. Eesh. Hurriedly I touched up the more obvious reminders of my adolescence, re-did yesterday’s fading eyeliner, and combining the concepts of eye shadow and mascara into one, picked out a lovely electric blue shade for my lashes. Up went my dull brown hair into a messy bunch. The world would have to live with me.

            Downstairs was quiet, as usual. My parents were both off to work, my siblings already on their respective buses. I eyed the contents of the pantry once and then decided I would buy something at the Apex. Josh would be waiting for me anyway. I picked up my head unit from the counter and slung my schoolbag over my shoulder as I left. “Lock door, please.” I ordered into the tiny microphone as I jostled it around trying to fit the unit over my ear properly. I heard the security system activate behind me as I strode down the few short steps to my doorway and onto the busy sidewalk.

            I walked at a brisk pace, dodging through the endless sea of pedestrians. Our house opened onto Hope Street, which connected to the necessary city amenity of Main Street. Main Street was, of course, the busiest road in the city. It interconnected with just about everything else there was to connect to. Hurried business people scurried along the sidewalks, nearly all fitted with head units similar to mine, except that theirs had that sleek, important look. Mine was wrapped with multi-colored duct tape.

            I didn’t have to look both ways before crossing to the other side, because even if there had been oncoming traffic it would have had to plow its way through a throng of specially tailored suits before it got to me. I skip-hopped onto the curb, just to reaffirm all the surrounding public’s worst fears about teenagers, and hurried the last few steps as I noticed that Josh’s car was already here.

            The Apex was a small convenience store shoved between a flower shop and a Chinese restaurant. Josh and I were probably its most frequent visitors, and possibly even its most lucrative. I shied away internally from counting up all of the dollars and change I had spent here in the course of my education.