The alarm blared in my ear. I didn't groan, moan, or anything of the sort. Instead, I just rolled over and turned it off.
"Mari! Let's go!" Brendon called. "Your alarm has been ringing for 10 minutes!"
Fear shot through my body and I quickly got out of bed. My outfit (which I meticulously picked out last night) laid across my desk chair, calling my name. I changed quickly. My shoes weren't by the chair!
"Where are they?" I mumbled. I searched everywhere in the room- my closet, under my bed, heck even in the bathroom. Nothing.
"Brendon! Have you seen my shoes?" I shouted down the hall.
"By the back door!" Sarah called.
I frowned, poking back into my room. Why did I leave them out there? I didn't remember doing anything outside, or even dropping the shoes off by the back door.
The sun hadn't even risen yet, I noticed. I shook my hands around, looking around for my backpack. My wrists ached by the time I found it leaning against the desk.
"Mari! We have your eggs ready for you," Brendon said, poking his head into my room. I bumped into him, stumbling back.
"Whoa, whoa. You alright kiddo?" Brendon asked, grabbing my arms.
I hesitated, trying to assess quickly. My heart slammed in my chest, and my mind raced with all the possibilities of the day.
I shrugged. I knew I wasn't actually okay, but Brendon didn't need to know that.
He smiled a little, "It's alright. C'mon, let's get your eggs and we'll get you to school." Brendon's arm wrapped around my shoulders, leading me out of my room. I barely managed to hit the light on my way out.
"Scrambled?" I asked.
"With bell peppers and a teensy bit of cheese sprinkled in," Brendon said, holding his fingers a centimeter apart for emphasis.
I smiled, "Thank you."
Penny and Bogart came running up the stairs as Brendon and I descended. Music played softly from the kitchen- I could barely hear it but still smiled in appreciation. Brendon began to hum next to me, mimicking the words in his own way.
My backpack slapped gently on my back as we walked. I took it off as soon as I could, setting it gently on the kitchen counter next to my eggs. I sat, grabbing my fork and beginning to eat.
Sarah sat in front of me, two plates in hand. Brendon sat next to her. Do they also have eggs? Sure enough, upon closer inspection, they both had scrambled eggs with bell peppers.
"You're... eating with me?" Normally, Brendon would be off to his shed by now and Sarah would be off to her office.
"Yeah! Big day! I'm gonna take you to school and drop you off," Brendon explained, stabbing his fork into the eggs.
I nodded. Just the thought of the campus I memorized ages ago sent my heart racing. I half-noticed the table shook under the influence of my bouncing leg.
Brendon smiled and reached a hand out. "It's gonna be okay, Mari. Everyone has a first day of school. Yours just happens to line up with everyone else's, so it'll be less obvious that you're a new kid."
The thought didn't exactly help. I didn't look up, merely stabbing into a bunch of eggs and cramming it into my mouth.
"What if," Brendon began, "You're not the only new girl?"
I chewed on the thought and my eggs. The idea still sent my heart pounding, but not as bad. I thought of what another girl could look like if she was new. Maybe I could be friends with a new girl-!
"Mari?" Brendon asked.
I looked up, "Hmm?"
"It's been five minutes and you've been completely silent and just staring at your food," Brendon pointed out.
I nodded slowly, "Sorry." A short laugh followed. Brendon looked uncertainly at Sarah. I felt my heart drop.