Broken Pieces

| Chapter 1 |

Although I had always been smart --my lowest grade being an A minus-- I'd never been a fan of school, not only because having to wake up at seven in the morning wasn't the most appealing thing to do, but because of the fact that the majority of what they taught was no where near necessary -- which explained why it was eight A.M. on a Tuesday morning and Brooklyn, along with myself, remained glued to the bed, recovering from staying up late the night before.

Regret settled at the pit of my stomach as I forced my tired limbs to lift themselves up from the comfort of my warm bed, rubbing my tired eyes with a sigh. My gaze fell upon my snoring best friend before I stirred her awake, earning a frustrated groan in response.

"Brooke, it's already eight in the morning, we have to get ready for school," I reminded her, not able to control the hint of annoyance that seeped into my tone.

She only snuggled deeper into my comforter, however judging by her tightly shut eyes, I could tell she was only pretending to be asleep by then. "I don't wanna go." Her reply came out as a mutter, a small frown now etched to her lips.

Reminding myself that I should have been used to her childish behavior after tolerating it for nearly all of my life, I rolled my eyes. "Well too bad, you have to." I said, my teasing tone causing for her to send me a sharp glare before she lifted herself from my bed with a huff, her footsteps loud against my hardwood floor.

My mind inevitably wondered back to when we were younger as I experienced yet another one of her morning tantrums, a laugh escaping my lips at the fact that even several years later, Brooklyn hadn't changed the slightest.

I looked through my closet in an attempt to keep myself busy while I waited for her to shower, my eyes eventually landing upon my strapless peach colored sundress, almost instinctively picturing it on Brooklyn, the color perfect for her tanned skin. A sigh escaped my lips as I searched for something that would suit my dull appearance, my stomach dropping with guilt at the fact that I was actually feeling envious of my own best friend. However, I couldn't help it, seeing as the simple action of standing in the same room as her made me feel insecure; my appearance being the exact opposite of hers.

Where she had perfect long blonde hair, I had dull, nearly black hair. Where she had a gorgeous pair of grayish blue eyes, I had plain brown eyes. Where she was tall and ridiculously fit, I was short and couldn't run a mile without collapsing on the floor, panting. And regardless of how much I scolded myself each day for feeling that way, the thoughts still invaded my mind at some point, creating a wave of guilt that threatened to drown me more each passing day.

I glanced at Brooklyn, who now stood in front of me with a towel wrapped around her thin frame, her blonde locks dripping with water.

"Here wear this, it would look perfect on you," I muttered, tossing her a half-hearted smile, her expression showing me that she knew it was one of those days when my self-esteem was stooping low, regardless of the fact that I knew I was beautiful in my own way.

The rest of the time we spent getting dressed was filled with a comfortable silence, the both of us focused on our hair and makeup, Brooklyn eventually helping me choose a short dress for myself, the piece looking stunning with its beautiful sweetheart-shaped dipped bodice, the exquisite floral lace overlay on top giving it a slightly girly look, without overdoing it, the back exposed zipper causing for it to fall more into my usual style. I paired it with my 6-inch white gold chain wedges, regardless of the fact that I knew I'd regret wearing heels halfway through my day.

After we agreed on taking her car, Brooklyn safely drove us to school, my head resting against the door of her car as I observed the vehicles that zoomed by, my gaze drifting to the many palm trees that stood tall on the streets of California, a smile stretching across my lips as I admired the city I had always lived in.