The Butterfly and The Moth

7

"This is your high-school?"

I could hear the mix of emotions swirling in my voice, as I asked my sister the question. I didn't turn to look at her for the answer. My eyes were too busy, once again, scanning my new and wildly unfamiliar surroundings.

You know the high-schools in the movies? The ones that look like nothing bad could ever happen in them? The yards are clean, the halls are bright white and the lockers are painted the school colours. Not muted colours, either. Bright colours. Loud colours. Preppy colours. The schools with coffee carts every mile, and palm trees every where you looked.

Up until right now, I didn't believe in those schools. Those schools were make-believe, painted in a perfect light by Hollywood and beyond. Those schools did not exist, not in America, anyway.

But, here I was, looking at one. Well, I guess I wasn't simply just looking at one. I was in one. I was apart of one; a student.

How the hell did that happen?

"Well, it was," Daisy answered my question casually, almost like she held the opposite belief that I had.

I had thought these schools didn't exist. Maybe, Daisy thought only these schools existed. 

"I graduated last week, remember?" She laughed at me, and I felt her hand take my own.

She began to pull me down the bright white halls, and even though I couldn't see her face, as she was ahead of me, I could tell by her voice that she was smiling.

I let a small breath escape through my nose as my feet moved, following immediately after her.  I mean, not that I had a choice. She was practically dragging me.

I hadn't been aware, when Lucinda spoke about summer school, that it would begin so soon. Something Daisy had conveniently left out until she woke me up this morning. She had been in a particularly good mood about it too, as she handed me a mug filled with vanilla coffee. She had picked my clothes out while I was in the shower, and she had hummed the music playing in her car the entire drive here.

"How long am I supposed to be here, again?" I muttered, as she came to a stop in front of one of the many doors. I was, at least, thankful she was here to guide me. If I had been left to my own devices, I would have gotten lost. And then, I would have given up, and walked right out of this movie-set highschool.

My eye caught on the large wooden clock that was hung in the center of the hall, thanking the universe that summer school apparently started at 1, and not when I was still meant to be sleeping.

"You only have to be here for a couple of hours, Dahlia. You're done at 3:30," Daisy rolled her eyes at the expression on my face that formed at her words. The one of disgust.

"You'll be fine," Daisy laughed out, putting her hands on my shoulders. "The kids here don't bite, I promise."

"And I'm supposed to take your word for it?" I replied, halfway joking. Halfway not.

"You liked my friends last night," Daisy said, tilting her head at me like she was daring me to say otherwise.

"Yeah," I nodded, reluctantly. "Your friends were actually pretty cool. Surprisingly," I watched as my sister's expression became one of offence.

I shook my head as I laughed, turning my head so I could observe the trophy case beside me, counting them for just a second before I gave up. How many trophies did a highschool fucking need?