CROSSING BETWEEN

༇chapter one༻

"Mother, I'm heading to school," I say, as I grab my pair of house keys from the banister. The grooves dig into my skin, but I'm too occupied to care. Mother sits on the couch, wine glass in hand. It's her third one this morning since she doesn't like coffee. Smells like Chardonnay. Mother stands up, walking towards me.

"Remember, be home before your curfew. If you're hanging out with friends, let me know." Mother spoke, putting her hands on her hips. Her hands are shaky.

"Yes, mother." I turn towards the door.

"I love you, mother," I say as I walk out. I heard her mumble a small "Mhm" as the door closes. Seems like once I reached a certain age, "I love you" doesn't exist anymore. I don't want her to yell at me if I stop saying it. Her wailing about dad is already upsetting, for her and me.

The sky is grey and cloudy, and fog surrounds the sidewalk. I remember how much Harper loved fog. A figure appears out of the fog like it's taking in its appearance. I stop in my tracks. The figure had long black hair and was wearing cuffed jeans and a black sweater. The figure was almost transparent as if it was just a part of the fog.

"Of course, I'm taking a picture of the fog... It's mesmerizing." A voice echoed. The wind blows harshly, causing the figure to disappear. How'd a figure appear out of the blue like that? I focus back on heading to school, as I don't want to be late.

I walk up to the big crowd of people outside. Friend groups chat with each other, whether it's about new clubs, sporting events, or just pointless gossip. Others turn their gaze to me and whisper. I don't care for the minimal attention right now, as it's not important. Everyone turns around like robots, once the teachers let us inside. Students grab breakfast from carts, teachers chat with one another. Even the teachers have people to talk to.

I head to my locker to put my things in and grab the items I need for today. My teacher, Miss Flora greets everyone at the door. She has red hair, pulled nearly into a bun, with bangs in the front, a white turtleneck, and a black skirt with black boots. Her chestnut eyes compliment her outfit, giving her look a fall touch. She seems to be one of the sweetest teachers I have. Ever since Harper's passing, she's been reassuring and doesn't seem to pressure me. I set my things down and go through my folders, looking for the Extra Credit assignment I did over the weekend. I pull it out and hand it to her.

"I did the Extra Credit assignment, Miss." She skims it over, pulls a pen out of her bun, and puts in points.

"Incredible job Cory, I'll put this in the grade book, this brings your score up to an A+." She smiles, as she hands back the paper. I walk back to my seat, hearing snickers and whispers.

"Aww, how cute... The teacher's pet did Extra Credit! Next thing you know he's buyin' her flowers..."

"Who in their right mind does extra credit? Only a teacher's pet does that.. "

"Such a nerd!"

If only Harper were here. But she's not. I look over at where Harper's old desk. It has a flower pot on it, filled to the brim with her favorite flowers. Notes and cards and a picture of her are on there. I'm glad no one has sat there or touched it.

People chat with their friends as they wait for class to start. I continue sketching Miss Flora's plant on her desk. The Chrysanthemums brighten up the room, the red filling the room with color.
Miss Applegate walks out of the class to talk with the Dean.

Four kids walk up to me. One girl with Pinkish hair and yellow eyes, in a frilly white blouse with a jean skirt and Converse, her yellow eyes beaming, making her fair skin glow. April Sanchez. Another girl with Brown hair and blue eyes, in a dark brown crop turtleneck with black high-rise jeans and combat boots, Her brown bangs brushing against her pale skin and freckled face. Summer Reeling. Finally, a tall guy in front of me, curly dark brown mullet, and brown eyes, in ripped jeans and a sweatshirt with a jean jacket. His skin was a tawny beige. Dylan Vasquez. The girl next to him is probably his girlfriend. She has a dark curly afro, and she wears a turquoise tube top, a light green fluffy jacket, bell bottoms, and black heels. She had large hoops, which complimented her warm, reddish-brown skin, and dark and dreary eyes. Jasper Claris. They hover over and surround me, making me feel small. Dylan smirks.

"Oye, ¿qué es esto? What's that you're drawing there, Tory?" He spouts, snatching my notebook. I try and grab it, but he holds it above his head. Summer snickers.

"Relax now, would ya? I ain't even looked at it yet." He scans my drawing, looking for something to comment on. He starts flipping through pages. He comes across the old drawing that I drew freshman year, which was a collage of all the people I've interacted with. My mom, My teachers, Harper. He passes the notebook around to the people in his circle. Jasper gives it a weird look.

"Aww... How cute, he drew his alcoholic mommy.." Jasper sneered, as she passed it to Summer.
"And look at that, he drew the little emo freak! Such an obsessed weirdo, kinda weird to be drawing her." Summer snorted. She passed the book to April, who had a pitying look on her face. I can tell April isn't the type of person to make fun of people, yet she hangs out with these three. April passed the notebook back to Dylan, as he looked around the classroom for something he could find.

"Y'know... That's a nice drawin' ya got there, Tory." Dylan drifted off.
"My name is Cory," I mutter. Dylan and Jasper both scoff. Dylan opens the window, dangling my notebook. I stand up, but as soon as I walk forward, Dylan drops it out the window. All my hard work is gone. Jasper enjoys the look on my face, her brows furrowing into a spiteful look.

"Oops. Dropped it." He looks out the window and back at me. People turn to stop and stare. Some laugh and others do nothing. I feel weak and powerless. A sense of helplessness washes over me, as I hear the faint sound of my breathing and heartbeat. My breathing getting a lot quicker. My hands are shaking abnormally, Eyes are wide in shock.

Miss Flora walks back into the room, concerned about all the chatter and noise. Her talking sounds faint, but I can make out some of the words.
"Class... What's with... Commotion... Co... Are you..." My hearing fades out, as Miss Flora comes toward me. My vision slowly starts to fade, as I hit the ground and more people surround me.