1 Life before the mystery I

*Brrrrng Brrrrng*

the crazy alarm chimed loudly, almost damaging my poor eardrums.

"Ugh!, ten more minutes," I groaned out loud and tapped my bedside table in an attempt to snooze the shrilling noise of the damn clock. I had barely slept at all, and today is the first day of my final year in Eastwood high.

And you don't want to be late on your first day....

My stupid subconscious reminds and I groaned out loudly again, I wonder what I was thinking when I stayed up all night reading ebooks. I yank off my snugly blanket and get off my comfy soft bed, hurrying to my bathroom while muttering prayers of thanksgiving to God. I'm already thirty minutes off schedule and I really do not want to be late for classes.

I pull on a new jean I got during the holidays and an old, black turtleneck blouse. This is very very different from the customary baggy clothes I normally wear around since I can remember, it's that way because mom buys my clothes. The thing is, mum buys my clothes but she doesn't know my size and she's never bothered knowing, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if she doesn't even recognise me anymore, it's just the way it is.

I bounce down the stairs with my backpack and helmet, as always the house is like a graveyard – empty and cold. I shake my head at the disappointment I felt, there's no getting used to that feeling of loneliness. I hurry through cereal as there was no time to make something warm and rushed to the garage to fetch my scooter, I could have taken a car considering the number of expensive cars in the garage just sitting there and collecting dust but I couldn't drive and even if I could, I won't still take any of them out, it's all just a constant reminder of how much my parents earn and how hard they work to earn that much and how I am left on the sidelines while they do their jobs, I know I'm pathetic already, you don't need to tell me.

I get to school in record time – just as the last warning bell goes off and dashed towards my first class for the day, I take deep breaths before walking in because as usual, today is going to be a very long and frustrating day.

"If it isn't the bookworm's girlfriend," Tess the hottest chic and Queen bee in Eastwood high announces the moment I enter the classroom with my head bowed, everyone laughs even if it isn't funny and I scramble for the nearest vacant seat, it just so happens that fate was playing with me this morning as I find myself seating close to Mark aka my longtime crush, coolest guy in Eastwood high and Tess's boyfriend, didn't I tell you today was going to be a long and frustrating day?

"Hey," He calls and all attention is diverted to me once again, why isn't the teacher here already? I mumble a 'hi' in reply and he raises a brow like he's trying to figure something out.

"Why ain't you in one of your sack clothes today?" He questions loudly so the class can laugh at his 'joke' and at my expense again, I just ignored him as usual and focus on getting out my writing materials for literature.

My stupid pencil just had to drop at that moment and Matt –the bookworm, had to be the one to help me pick it up.

"Oh my, take your nerdy romance out of the class, it kinda makes me wanna puke," Mark says in a dramatic way that sends the class roaring with laughter again. If it were sophomore year, I would have been in tears but now, I've just gotten used and immune to all the insults and crude remarks being hauled my way, though it still stings a lot when those insults come from my crush, there's just NP helping that.

I mutter a 'thank you' to poor Matthew and adjust my glasses, just then Mrs. Sharpens, our very young literature teacher walks in in all her alluring beauty.

"Good morning everyone, sorry for my lateness, I had to finish up something very important, With that said, our topic for today is historical literature, if you'll please bring out your text..." Class went just fine, save for the fact that 'the populars' made a joke out of Matthew, I and other helpless kids during class,Mrs. Sharpens could do next to nothing as she was too young to be taken seriously.

At lunch break, I make my way to my locker with books in arms and my heavy backpack after getting my schedule from the principal, only to bump into Matt in the hallway and all my books went flying into the air and all over the floor.

Joy.

"Sorry," he mutter nervously as I straighten my crooked glasses.

"It's okay," I reply and bend over to pick up my books, silently praying Matt would just go away before any of the populars finds us together, I didn't want trouble. But things doesn't go my way again as he joins me on the floor, helping me collect the scattered books, I sigh inwardly but stay silent, he is just trying to be helpful. Right.

We work in silence for a few minutes before he starts a creepy conversation, I hate conversations.

"What would you do if you get sucked up into a weird videogame?" Is that even how to start a healthy conversation?

"Huh?" Was all I could manage to mutter out in my bewilderment