attendance, she gives a brief spiel about this test: “This test has fifty questions and a small essay afterward. You have the full class period to finish it. Good luck.”
When I get my test, I look at the first question and smile. I know this. I can easily get an A on this. An hour later, I turn in my test, feeling confident that I did well. Mrs. Applegate looks at me, a question in her eyes. I smile at her. I can see the relief in her expression as I turn around and walk away.
Walking back to my desk, I stumble on a backpack in the aisle. I hear snickers throughout the room and know that my cheeks turn red from embarrassment.
I sit back down and look out the window and notice the peculiar weather. The sun is still out, but small rain clouds are slowly covering it up. It doesn’t rain though. After a few seconds, the clouds leave as quickly as they came, dissipating into the distance.
I sit back in my chair and get out my doodle notebook. I look down at the drawing I was working on earlier and gasp. I see a few heads turn in my direction, but I ignore them. Encompassing the entire page, I’d drawn flames, with intricate swirls and designs located inside; the same flames that I’d seen on Liam’s arm.
When the bell rings, I jump up and leave the room quickly. No one says anything to me as I make my way through the school and out the front doors. Rounding the corner, I look towards the house and see that Jane is home again.
“Hey, Ryanne, How did your test go?”
“It was easy. I’m almost 100% positive that I passed. Why are you home so early?” I ask right as I hear something fall in the kitchen. “Who’s in there?”
“That’s excellent. Oh, Ross is over. He’s making a romantic dinner for me. Do you mind going somewhere else for the evening?” She looks so excited. She hasn’t stopped smiling since I walked through the door.
“I guess I could go to the library.”
“Thanks, Ryanne.” She walks up to me and gives me a hug, before skipping back into the kitchen. I walk up to my room and gather up some things: my iPod, my notebook, and a couple pencils. I don’t really want to go to the library, but I don’t really have anywhere else to go. I grab the car keys off the side table beside the front door. I can hear Jane’s laughter in the kitchen as I pass and I am glad that she is happy, but I’m also sad, because I know that it’s happening already. The only person in my life that actually cares for me is going to push me aside and forget me.
I quietly lock the front door and take a step outside. I stop after a minute and groan. It is incredibly muggy; the muggy weather that occurs after a long bout of rain in the middle of a hot summer. The kind of muggy that makes your hair frizz and leaves your body feeling sticky. This is the type of weather that dampens your mood the second you step out into it.
Getting in the car, I turn the air conditioning on as high as it will go. My hair needs some sort of angel to save it from the impending poof. I have what I call poodle syndrome. Whenever moisture is in the air, my hair becomes uncontrollably curly and frizzes and I end up looking like a poodle.
The library is located on the outskirts of town. It doesn’t take long to get there. I drive the 35 mph speed limit, only having to stop at the one stop light in town. It is right in front of the BlackMoon Bookstore. My eyes are drawn to the building, but I am unable to see anything inside. I have this strange urge to go in, but I know that it will only lead to further embarrassment. When the light turns green, I pull away and continue driving to the library.
I park in the library parking lot and notice the others cars there. There is a shiny red jeep parked at the far side of the lot. Crap. Lily and Adam are here. Lily and Adam are the most popular couple in school. Lily is the head cheerleader and Adam is the head jock. Despite their amiable exteriors, they are full of evil. Santa