WHISPERS OF A SOULMATE ANONYMOUS
“NOPE, nope, nope, nope, nope.” I whispered under my breath, which puffed like smoke
from my lips as it clashed with the frigid air. The hood of my oversized Ole Miss sweatshirt that I had stolen from my dad enveloped my head, bits of my milk chocolate hair spilling out as I hurried to open the door of my dark blue Kia Soul. I certainly wasn’t rushing because I was anxious to get to school but solely because this was an in-and-out mission. With the cold weather setting in, I made the decision as I brushed my teeth to turn on my car ten minutes before I had to leave for school so it would be warm. Cold weather sucks. I scurried back up the stairs to my room, the tip of my button nose still a little red from the chilly morning. Alright, school starts at 8:00am. That means I have to leave by 7:30. That means I’ve got fifteen minutes before I have to leave. I budgeted my time. I’ve always had the skill of thinking ahead, living in the future. I had already done my hair, which turned out to be running it through a straightener a few times until my loose curls turned into waves, so I just needed to throw on my cute outfit. The previous night I had laid out a red, worn out, crew neck sweatshirt, leggings, and Vans which I promptly slipped on. Usually it would be difficult to avoid getting dress-coded by wearing leggings to school, but my sweatshirt reached my mid-thigh and I rarely ever got dress-coded anyway so I was confident nobody would notice. As I walked into Lake Oswego High School, I was bombarded by my sweet friends. “Emberlyn! How was your break?” One of them asked. “Did ya get anything cool for Christmas?” Another questioned. I laughed the laugh that many people claim to find contagious and responded, “I didn’t think I’d see you guys before class started! My break was great and I, as a matter of fact, did get some cool stuff for Christmas, Mila. I’ll tell you all about it at lunch. The usual place, right?” To which everyone nodded. “Let’s head to first period. Mrs. Wilson will be less than happy if we’re late. Except she’d probably let it slide for you, Em. Teachers can’t get enough of you, frickin’ golden child. How do you do that, it’s totally unfair.” My best friend, Lilac, said as she looped her arm in mine and dragged me off into the familiar halls of our high school. The door to my debate classroom was across the school, and Lilac and I babbled on about our winter breaks as we made the journey to it. However, as we turned a corner something caught my eye. It was a guy. But his gender wasn’t what made me stare, it was the fact that I hadn’t seen him before. I knew everyone at my school. I was on the welcoming committee for God’s sake! Who was this kid? He seemed so mysterious. I wanted to find out more about him, but I didn’t have the time. Class would be starting soon. My day went as usual, and I quickly forgot about the unfamiliar boy in the halls. Piles of work were crowding my planner yet again and I tried to foresee how much time each assignment would take so I could budget time for it later in my night. I was planning on going to a concert for my favorite artist, Maisy Peters, that night and I wanted to make sure I had time for homework. The first day back at school always goes by in a flash, and today was no exception. Before I knew it I was sliding my backpack off my shoulders onto the floor of my cozy room next to my desk. I huffed a sigh as I pulled my planner out and skimmed my to-do list, then
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STORIES & CHAPTERS
