A Day in the Life of Sakura
Sakura Kinomoto tried to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes tightly against the bright sunlight streaming in through the white curtains. When she couldn't bear it any longer, she got up and stretched.
Her emerald green eyes wandered around her bedroom. The walls were painted a soft eggshell white. There were two custom-made built-in closets with a small dresser in between. Her antique wooden bed had a pretty and exotic chocolate brown and blue print bed sheet. A wooden desk, a chair and scattered bags were strewn around the bedroom.
She blinked. It seemed so familiar and so different at the same time. After getting up, she grabbed her towel and bathrobe from the back of the door. There was always time to shower, no matter how late she woke up.
As Sakura raced through the big house that was her home for almost nineteen years of her life, she bumped into her younger sister. She said sorry immediately.
"You're always late, Ate," Clare said loudly. The second oldest sister had long and straight black hair, fine nose and fierce eyes. They were always dressed the same by their mother when they were younger. Growing up, they were as different as night and day. But Clare was starting to resemble her as she grew older. She was graduating from high school this year.
Sakura stared at her. She shook her head and smiled. Of course, she had a sister and two brothers. They were a brood of four. She was the eldest sister. But she was not the eldest. Her Kuya, a favorite older cousin, was. He and his sister also lived with Sakura in the big house.
"Take care," the brown-haired girl said and went away. Clare merely rolled her eyes before grabbing her bag. Since she was still a high school student, she didn't have time to dawdle. Muttering under her breath about her absent-minded older sister, she ran out the door.
After a refreshing shower, Sakura went back to her bedroom. Her classes in the community college started at eight am sharp. She was almost always late but she didn't care. Her personal rituals and preparations were more important.
She pulled on her bright red plaid skirt, long-sleeved blouse and black shoes. Everyone who knew her knew about her hate for her school uniform. Getting her short light-brown hair to behave required the art of combing and spraying. Then the green-eyed girl tossed her essentials into her new black bag before rushing out the door to have a quick breakfast.
Her mother and father were still asleep. She didn't hear their voices when she passed by their room. Her youngest brother, John, wasn't making any noise either. John was the favorite because he was the last child and Sakura was about fourteen years older than he was.
Humming merrily, she heated water for her morning tea. She always drank peppermint tea because it calmed her. It was the most delicious thing that she had ever tasted so it became her favorite. While waiting, she made peanut butter sandwiches for the family.
Sakura sat down and tapped her foot. She wondered why she felt slightly unbalanced. It was as though she was unfamiliar with her daily routine when she was sure that she was doing them for all of her life. She felt slightly off but she convinced herself that she was only affected by her late-night study sessions.
She ran emerald green eyes around the brightly lit kitchen. There was peeling paint in the walls and one of them became an indoor waterfall whenever it rained hard. But she loved this room because there were plenty of beautiful memories in there.
The kettle whistled. Sakura shut it off. She made tea and read her newest book while savoring the spicy and refreshing tang of peppermint. Reading was just one of her favorite hobbies. Like sports, photography and watching movies were her favorite things to do in her free time.
Her cell-phone's alarm clock went off. She was late!
Sakura swore and drank the rest of the tea. She grabbed her bag, ran to her parent's room and kissed them goodbye. Somehow, leaving without telling them didn't feel right. She applied Chapstick on her lips, fluffed her hair and ran out to catch a jeepney.
She endured the school day without complaint.
Taking up a Communications course was the only logical thing to do.
She loved to read, to write and to daydream. The only dream that she ever had was to write books. Her professors like Miss Charm (really, that's her real name) knew about her ambition. The school was small and insignificant but it had good teachers. Money was always tight so she never had the chance to go to a larger and more liberal school. Her father was a soldier and her mother was a housewife. She had to understand that this was her chance to make her future.
Sakura fancied that the minute she graduated, she'd walk away and never look back.
She had lots of acquaintances in school but very few friends. The brown-haired girl believed that keeping a trusted handful was better. Her best friends went to different schools but they got together every now and then. They were her anchors, her cheerleaders. Hearing their opinions, sharing their stories and reveling in their friendship were her life. But she was often alone.
Everyone thought that she was nice and energetic although she was often quiet. Many times she also heard them murmur something about "unpredictable" and "weird". She didn't care about what they thought. Her life was not dictated by others. What mattered were her family's and friends' opinions. She had a high self-esteem that kept her going through her boring college life.
Walking home alone was a soothing ritual. She got to think about the day's events, old memories and future plans. There was a time when she used to hold hands and share secrets with a guy but that was over. She couldn't afford to love again after she got hurt. Everyone knew about what he did. It was an open secret. So Sakura resolved to stay single until the right guy came along.
Her school was right beside a huge shopping mall so she often passed through there before boarding a jeepney. She loved to shop and to browse pretty things. It was her most favorite thing in the world. But she often had to stop herself from splurging to save more money for a rainy day. (Her mother often said that if she wanted anything, she should work for it.)
The roads of the subdivision were still pockmarked with puddles and loose gravel so it was absolute hell for her high-heeled shoes. She did not dare ride any tricycles because she wanted to be thrifty. So she endured every step with a smile while bobbing her head to the Japanese anime themes in her mp3 player. (She had to walk barefoot once on the hot gravelly road because her sandal strap broke. From thereon she was grateful that she could afford more decent shoes. Music helped take her mind off the killer road and calmed her after a bad day)
"I'm home," Sakura sang as she pushed the gate open. Their house had a bright blue gate that ran around the whole perimeter. They had a large and majestic mango tree in the yard as well as various potted plants.
When it was their laundry day, they washed their clothes in the cemented front yard. Because there were nine people in the house, they often joked that they could set up shop with all of the clothes they washed!
The dog barked and rushed forward excitedly. It was a Jack Russel terrier they'd named Keroberos.
She knelt and patted his head before running inside. A plate of snacks sat in the table. The television was tuned in to an afternoon talk show in the living room. She could hear her brother's delighted laughter as he pedaled on his bicycle outside.
Sakura grinned. Loving an ordinary day was hard but it was worth it.
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A/N: To those who are wondering what this is, it's a challenge for the dormant_muses community on LJ. It's called "A day in the life of me…" where you get to use an established character to put into an unexpected situation.