Episode one

Ariana!"

I could hear my mom screaming my name from the living room, trying to get me to come downstairs--which was probably due to the fact that I was late for school.

Cracking my eyes open, I checked the time but I couldn't see the numbers clearly because my vision was blurry. The green light from the alarm clock sitting on my bed-side table, told me that it was 6:05 am.

School usually started at 7 am, and I didn't need to be there until at least five minutes before.

"For God's sake, I still have some time. Please, let me sleep for a little bit more." I grumbled to myself, burrowing deeper under the covers. But my mom wasn't having any of that because she was already up the stairs and at my doorstep, pushing the door wide open without knocking.

"Young lady, will you get up from the bed this minute or do you want me to help you out of it?" She asked, in that no-nonsense tone.

I yawned and sat up on the bed. The glare on her face told me that she meant business and there was no way I could convince her otherwise.

"Come on Ariana, it's your first day at school and you need to get there early. Remember, first impression matters alot." She added, pausing to let the words sink into my head.

Grudgingly, I admitted to myself that she had a point.

I grumbled and got out of bed, dragging my legs sleepily as I walked into the bathroom. I could barely see anything. I was really pissed, but I couldn't vent my anger because it was also my fault. I stayed up all night binge-watching Boys over Flowers, and only got to sleep around 4 am.

I was so caught up in the series that I totally forgot that I had school the next day.

Pish! I really hate school.

As if my previous school wasn't bad enough, I now had to start at this one. Why would a school start by 7am? I hadn't been to the school yet, but I already hated it with a passion.

"Ariana?" My mom called again as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom--after taking a quick shower.

"I am getting ready!" I called back at the top of my voice.

As I started to dress up, my stomach rumbled. I was so hungry, but lucky for me my mom was preparing breakfast already. And how did I know? The mouth-watering aroma of French toast lingered in the air.

The hot water had really helped to loosen my tense muscles. I would have loved to stay longer under the shower, but I didn't dare. I had hurriedly washed my hair and body because I did not want my mom yelling at me for the third time.

Too late, she called my name again. I ignored her this time. I blow-dried my hair and wore the smart outfit which my mom had picked out for me the previous night.

My boyfriend, Zachary, would be here soon to ride with me and my mom to my new school. And as far as I was concerned, that was the only good thing about the school--Zachary also attended the school. So, really, it wouldn't be that depressing for me after all. Zachary was so nice and loving. To me, he was the perfect boyfriend.

When I stepped out of my room, I heard the familiar masculine voice. Zachary. Which surprised me, because it was too early for him to be here. I hurried down the stairs to meet him.

"Hey, Ariana." He waved when he saw me, love and endearment shinning in his eyes.

Walking over to him, I wrapped my arms around him in a hug and spoke into his ear, "Good morning."

"You look beautiful and smell nice too, as always." He said, his hands still around me.

I pulled out of the embrace and smiled brightly as I stared into his eyes.

"You don't look bad, either."

He winked at me.

Zachary was very good-looking with a well-built body that any guy would kill to have. He was every girl's dream guy. And I was damn lucky that he was my boyfriend. Add that to the fact that he was coming to school with me, I was elated.

I had imagined life in my new school without him several times. It would be nothing short of miserable. I didn't know a single person that schooled there other than him, but hopefully, I would make a few friends over time.

"Breakfast is ready!" My mom yelled from the kitchen.

Zachary and I made our way to the dinning table and took our seats, ready to have breakfast. My mom made an extra because she knew Zachary was coming around. And, did I forget mention that my mom loved Zachary so much? She basically treated him like her own son. The craziest thing was that she already had our wedding planned out in her head.

After breakfast, my mom turned a disappointed look at me. "Ariana, you have to wait a couple of minutes to fix your hair."

I made my way to the small mirror in the hallway and nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh. My mom was right. My hair looked like a bird's nest--the furthest thing from presentable. I felt so embarrassed because she had pointed it out front of Zachary.

I walked back to the living room, hiding my face behind my hands.

"Let me help you with it." My mom said, her tone softer.

Zachary, on the other hand, grabbed the car keys from the table and slung my bag over his shoulder. "I"ll take your bag to the car." He stopped, seeming to have an internal battle, then walked over to me, and said, "You don't have to feel embarrassed around me. I've seen you at your worst."

With that, he dropped a kiss on my cheek and walked out.

When I turned to my mom, she was smiling. "What a gentleman."

Butterflies took flight in my stomach for two different reasons. First and foremost being that Zachary was incredibly sweet and I didn't know what I would do without him. Second, was that in a few minutes, I would be starting my new school officially.

"Is my baby ready for school?" My dad's baritone rang out in the room.

I suddenly became excited. If there was one thing my dad was, it was that he was a great father and an incredibly supportive one. There was no way he was going to miss seeing me before my first day at school.

"Good morning, dad." I said to him as I settled on the couch so that my mom could help arrange my hair.

He beamed. "How are you doing, my dear?"

"I'm good, at least I got to see you before you leave again."

I was super excited to see my dad due to the fact that he was a very busy man.He was very rarely at home and we never got the chance to see him as much as we would like. By we, I meant me and my mom.

"I won't be home for long today. I'm sorry." He said, the look on his face, a genuinely sorry one.

"It's alright, dad. I understand that you're only doing what you need to." I tried to reassure him. "If it wasn't important, you wouldn't leave as much as you do." I replied.

A smile graced his face as he settled beside me on the couch. "My baby is all grown up."

"Of course she is all grown now." My mom laughed too as she brushed my hair.

Some minutes went by with my mom chatting with my dad while Zachary came back in to say hi to my dad. My mom really did a great job at hair. She had carefully piled it up into a bun on my head, making sure that the usual tendrils that escaped, didn't.

"See you later, dad." I told him, while my mom hurried over to share a quick kiss with him before both she, Zachary and I walked out the door.