Chapter Text
Smoke and ashes fell through the sky, filling the air with a god-awful stench that crowded my lungs, causing me to cough repeatedly.
From afar I could hear the cries and screams of people swarming around the burning school that had been completely crumbled to the ground; before it was a lively place, halls buzzing with chatter and giggles on prom night by students who were having the time of their lives. I was one of the students in the building.
I tried to open my eyes, only to realize that I was trapped, I felt a burning sensation in my ankle—was it broken? Shit…
I tried to move but any movement I made sent jolts of pain through my legs and back. I strain my ears, trying to listen for anything that might give me hope from the people wailing from afar. The ringing in my ears is making everything so muffled… I can hear something that sounds like the crackling of fire. How do I get out of this…?
And just then, I heard Cherri! Thank god, maybe if I try screaming back I can—
The alarm blares for the sixth time before I finally cave. I slap at the nightstand until I find my phone and hit dismiss.
Sunlight pierces through the blinds, stabbing into my eyes. “What a dream…” I mutter, wincing. “It felt so real though.” I thought to myself, rubbing the corners of my eyes. I wiggled my ankle—no pain or bruising—phew, it was just a dream.
I drag myself to the wardrobe in the corner of my room, pulling a ripped Metallica band tee over my head, a grey checkered flannel, and black cargos. Classic. Shin-high socks, and I’m done.
I left my room, sauntering down the stairs, only to hear the familiar grating sound of Mom screaming into her phone.
The living room smells like cigarette smoke. what a shocker.
In the kitchen, Mom stands barefoot, pacing like a madwoman. She has a cigarette clutched between two fingers. She’s jabbing that same hand through the air as her tone is at a constant yell.
“What do you mean he’s not there?!” She barks. Her Boston accent is at its finest when she yells. I admit sometimes I find it amusing. I don’t have a Boston accent however, as I never really picked it up from my mother. “Kendra just told me she saw him start his shift,” She takes a drag off her cigarette, scowling at the ground like it just offended her. “Jerry, I swear to God, if you’re lyin’ to me right now you better pray I don’t come down there or it’ll be your head on my wall instead of a deer’s, you hear me?” She points angrily at the mounted deer head on our wood walls that my dad had shot and killed, and taxidermied about 19 years ago. Before I was born, or even planned.
I shake my head and cross the kitchen, grabbing a piece of bread and tossing it into the toaster. Just another day in paradise.
I guess she noticed me because she spoke softer now after letting out a sharp sigh. “Jerry, I’ll call you back. In the meantime, go do whatever Kendra had you doing.” She sets her phone down on the counter, her voice softening into the fake ‘I’m your loving mother’ tone.
“Did you wake your brother up?” she asks. I stare at the toaster a second longer, then turn to her.
“No ma’am. I thought that was your job, y’know… Since you're his mother.” I meet her eyes with a mildly annoyed expression. She furrows her eyebrows, lips tightening into a frown.
“Excuse me? I've been working my ass off, Natalie. The least you could do is wake your brother up.” She takes a puff off her cigarette, practically blowing the smoke into my face. I sneer at the faint scent, crossing my arms.
“He said last night he wasn’t feeling well.” I argue.
“Oh, please,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “He just wants attention. Trying to miss school.”
My brows knit together. Her words light a fire under my skin. “Yeah… probably because his mother is too drunk to tuck him in or drive him to school. Or too busy getting hooked up with whatever loser she drags off the street,” I snap, hugging my arms tighter around myself.
Her expression darkens. For a second, the whole room feels still, like if you were to pause a movie.
then smack.
Her hand cracks across my cheek. The pain immediately sent a sharp sting along my face.
I widened my eyes in disbelief. I stumble back, scoffing under my breath as I steady myself. Without looking at her, I grab the toast that already popped from the toaster and head for the door.
I shove on my dirty Converse, sling my book bag over my shoulder and walk out, never turning back to see whatever look she’s wearing on her make-up caked face now.
I storm down the pavement walkway, fists clenched, jaw tighter than steel. I shove the gate open and march down the sidewalk. The slap still burns across my cheek.
“Who does she think she is?!” I rant silently, my steps growing heavier with each thought.
Lost in my head, I almost miss the sound of someone calling my name in the distance, “Natalie!”
I frown, glancing around until I spot my best friend, Cherri Wilson, sprinting toward me, her bag swung wildly over her shoulder with each jumping step. She finally reaches me; breathless but smiling. And without warning she throws her arms over my shoulders, pulling me into an embrace. Her chest rose and fell fast from running so hard.
Despite everything, I chuckle softly at her usual, bubbly energy. The weight of this morning's tension slips from my shoulders for just a moment.
“Hey, come one, let’s go before we’re late.” I speak up, patting her back.
She leans away slightly, one perfectly shaped eyebrow arching as one corner of her lips pull upward, smirking. “And since when does Natalie Jones care about being late to school?” she teases, her laugh light and playful. I nudge her shoulder as I start walking down the pavement.
We start heading toward the school about seven minutes away, walking down sidewalks and crossing streets. Cherri starts rambling about anything and everything like usual, as we walk, not in too much of a rush.
About seven minutes later, we arrived at Willow Creek High—a two-story building painted… grey, purple, and yellow.
“Ugh... Whose idea was that?” my expression flashes in a grimacing look as I take in the unappealing mixed colors.
Shrubs and trees scatter around the building, rocks and pebbles litter the patches of grass.
Students crowd the sidewalks and front lawn, chatting, play-fighting, leaning against trees, all waiting for the bell to finally drag us all to our classes.
The low hum of conversations buzzes in the air. Laughter echoes across the front steps. Somewhere nearby, a basketball bounces on the pavement. Same old routine, same old faces. At least here, I can pretend my life is… semi-normal. I can blend in.
Eight minutes later, I stand at my locker, spinning the lock until it clicks open. I grab my textbooks and pencil case, shoving them into my bag before slamming the locker shut. “Sooo…” Cherri’s voice chirps beside me, “Lori said our next practice is at 7pm tomorrow. She apparently wrote a song - including music sheets for all of us.” Her eyes sparkle with excitement as she grips her bag strap.
“Oh really? Sweet.” A subtle grin creeps onto my lips. Cherri beams like a little kid on Christmas morning, nodding eagerly. “Well, I can’t wait,” I add, leaning against my locker and clutching my bookbag to my stomach. “Whatever she wrote is gonna be sick.”
“Yeah! I know, right? She's got, like, actual talent.” Cherri pauses for a second, then drags, “Anyway… Can I sleep over tonight? I rented some new comics I think you’ll definitely dig.” She winks, grinning wide, still clutching her bag strap like it might get stolen.
“Uhm…” I hesitate, thinking back to this morning’s disaster. “Yeah, for sure. Greg’ll probably sleep through the whole night, and Mom’s working a night shift. She won’t care either way.” That last part probably wasn’t true.
Her whole face lights up. “Eeee! It’s gonna be so fun! Maybe I can dress you up again?” She drew out the last few words, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah… no. There is no way in hell I’m letting you do that. Last time I had glitter stuck to my body for a whole week. And I still don’t know where it all came from.” I shudder at the memory. Cherri just laughs, already planning my doom.
Cherri and I sat in science class together, Julie plopped down in the seat beside us, already pulling a granola bar out of her bag like we were at a picnic.
“Did you seriously bring snacks, again?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow as I leaned back in my chair.
Julie shrugged, unwrapping the granola bar with zero shame “What? Learning requires fuel.”
Cherri chortled quietly beside me, twirling a pen between her fingers. “Yeah, fuel—or just an excuse to eat in class.” Cherri joked.
Before Julie could fire back, Mr. Donnelly walked in, plopping a heavy stack of papers on the front desk. His balding head practically reflected the fluorescent lights.
“Alright people,” he groaned, like our mere existence exhausted him. “Open your textbooks to chapter five.”
I sighed, flipping my book open with the rest of the class. “Another day of pretending mitochondria is the most important thing on Earth…”
Mr. Donnelly’s voice droned on in the background—something about cells… or chloroplasts..? The words on the page blurred, or maybe the room did. A dull hum replaced the ongoing noise all around the classroom. I tapped my pencil against my notebook, zoning out.
Then a pink sticky-note slid onto my desk.
I unfolded it. And there lay Cherri’s handwriting sprawled across it:
“Do you believe in love at first sight? …Or should I walk by again?”
I glanced over at her. She winked, then returned to her science notes with a smug grin. I rolled my eyes, biting my lip to hide a smile. And scribbled back:
“Walk by again, maybe I’ll laugh harder the second time xD”
I slid the note back her way. She read it, then dramatically but silently gasped. I could tell she was trying not to burst out into a giggling mess. Then, she scribbled another line of words, her handwriting neat.
“Ouch! My ego's shattered. Guess you’ll have to kiss it better ;]” she passed it back to me once more, the words filling up the last bit of space on the sticky-note paper.
I scoffed but couldn't stop my cheeks from turning a subtle pink from the embarrassingly cheesy note.
Julie peeked over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the note and raising an eyebrow, trying not to chuckle.
Before I could flip over the paper to write back, a snide voice piped up two chairs over from us, “Looks like someone’s got a fresh bruise from mommy this morning.” he says in a mock whiney voice
The words hit me like a slap all over again. I froze, my body tensing as heat flared in my chest. I turned sharply to see Toby Grant, leaning back in his chair like he was proud of himself; his smirk insinuating—pointed right at me.
Cherri’s chair screeched as she pushed it back and spun to face him. I have no doubt that at least one other person is watching us now…
“Say that again, Toby,” she warned, her tone sharp, the playful glimmer in her eyes vanished, replaced with a fire-like stare.
Toby snickered, shrugging like he didn’t say anything serious. “Just making an observation.”
“You want me to make an observation? I observe that your face would look a whole lot better with my fist in it.”
Julie shot a warning glare at us. “Cherri… don’t”
But I didn’t stop her. Honestly? I wanted to see what she’d do.
Mr. Donnelly finally noticed the rising tension and sighed loudly. “Ladies, Toby enough. Eyes up here or I’m handing out detention like Halloween candy.”
Cherri didn’t look away from Toby immediately. She gave him one last, slow glare before sitting down and muttering, “Coward.”
Toby shrank in his chair, finally looking less amused.
Cherri slid a new sticky note across my desk. “You okay? <3”
I scribbled back. “Yeah, thanks. You’re kind of awesome, y’know? :]”
She winked and whispered, “I know.”
The lunch courtyard buzzed with noise—the usual hum of gossip, cafeteria trays clattering, and the occasional someone yelling across the yard like they were allergic to indoor voices.
I slid onto a bench at our usual table, dropping my bag beside me.
Cherri slumped down next to me on the bench, her tray barely balanced while Julie sat across from us, already digging into her lunchbox—no surprise there.
She pulled out a plastic container of what seemed to be homemade cookies.
Josh plopped down last, nearly knocking down Cherri’s drink with his elbows.
“Hey, careful, genius,” Julie muttered, sliding Cherri’s cup back toward her.
Josh just grinned, shoving a handful of fries into his mouth. “What? I got the reflexes of a ninja.”
“Yeah, a drunk ninja,” Cherri snorted, stealing one of his fries before he noticed.
Julie passed the cookie container toward me. “I tried a new recipe. Oatmeal chocolate chip, but I added peanut butter, too.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds… Dangerous.” I let out a breathy chuckle,
“You're dangerous,” Cherri teased, bumping her shoulder against mine.
I rolled my eyes but smirked as I grabbed a cookie. “If I die from this, I’ll haunt you until you croak.”
Josh leaned across the table, his eyes wide.
“Wait, are they good-dangerous, or hospital-dangerous? Because my Aunt says I have a weak stomach but, like, I don’t believe her.”
“They’re fine, Josh.” Julie assured him with a small laugh. “I survived two already.”
Josh nodded seriously like that was enough evidence for him, then quickly grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, making a humming noise once he started chewing, clearly enjoying it.
Across the table, Cherri twirled her straw in her drink, her eyes flicking over to me. “So… what’s the plan for tonight? Still on for the sleepover?”
“Yeah,” I replied, taking a bite of the cookie I snatched earlier, it was actually stupid good “As long as you swear to keep glitter far away from me.”
Cherri gasped, mock-offended. “Where is your sense of adventure?”
“Somewhere between don’t wanna and no thanks,” I deadpanned.
Josh watched us with a clueless grin. “Wait… there’s glitter? Can I come?”
Julie laughed softly. “It’s a girls thing, Josh.”
Josh blinked. “Uh, rude? What if I identify as… glitter?” He said glitter with a slight stutter, knowing how stupid that probably sounded.
We all audibly groaned in unison, but it was honestly laughable in a way.
Josh was still chewing dramatically on his cookie when the warning bell rang, snapping the whole courtyard back to life. Some people practically exploded out of their chairs to get to class, while others barely dragged themselves, not in any rush.
“Well,” I muttered, standing up and slinging my bag over my shoulder.
“C’mon,” Cherri teased, nudging my side as she grabbed her bag. “Maybe today’s the day school magically becomes fun.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, and maybe today’s the day pigs fly and my mom wins ‘Parent of the Year’.”
Julie winced slightly at the mention of my mom, but didn’t say anything. She knew better than to continue that conversation.
We dumped our trays and headed back inside, the halls buzzing and everyone rushed to class. For the next few hours, it was all a blur.
Notes scribbled half-heartedly, teachers lecturing about things I’d probably forget by next week. I didn’t care. My head wasn’t really in it.
By the time the final bell shrieked through the building, I was already halfway packed up, desperate for the exit.
I met Cherri by the front doors.
“See you tonight?” she asked, her eyes softening just a little.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Thanks… y’know… for earlier.”
She smiled, bumping her knuckles gently against mine. “Anytime, Jones.”
We split ways outside. Julie waved from the parking lot where her older brother and Josh waited to pick her up, still rambling to himself about something I couldn't pick up.
I tugged my hoodie over my head, slipping my hands into my pocket as I started down the sidewalk. The late afternoon sun was already sinking lower, casting everything in that weird, soft glow that makes the world feel quiet for once.
The farther I walked, the quieter it got. No crowded halls. No Cherri jokes. No Josh’s nonsense. Just me…
My street came into view: the broken fences, the tilted mailboxes, the familiar chipped sidewalk leading to my house.
The porch light was already off. No car in the driveway. Just silence… and maybe a few hours of peace for once.