Feckless

Chapter 1

~Blaire~

The walk from my apartment to school was a short one, only twenty minutes, and it felt even shorter that morning. Joy was filling me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. It was the first day of my senior year of high school and I was certain that this year would be the very best.

I had carefully selected my outfit for that morning. It was a yellow floral dress, a white cardigan, and my favorite yellow sneakers with the flowers my brother Carter had drawn on the rubber toes in sharpie. My hair was neatly braided and pulled up in a yellow headscarf. Everything would be perfect today. If I searched for joy and happiness, I was sure to find it.

I reached the parking lot and paused for a moment, watching the students streaming into Blackwell High. I knew most of them by name. It was a small school and I often went out of my way to greet everyone. As my grandma had taught me, being kind is one of the world's greatest superpowers. And I had found that being kind changed people for the better. I was yet to find someone who could not be softened by kindness.

Entering the building after three months of summer was a shock. The halls had that peculiar dusty smell that old buildings often have, and all lockers were bare of stickers and posters. Everyone's voices echoed and bounced loudly about, and I had to duck and weave around shoulders, backpacks, and elbows.

A few people waved at me and smiled. There was Jason from the basketball team who I had helped set up with his current girlfriend, a sweet girl named Lynn. Then there was Karelyn who I had given my Spanish notes to all last year. And then there was Hannah from the Home Economics club whom I'd helped bake a large batch of cookies for an event.

Everyone was rowdy, even so early in the morning. The girl's volleyball team had already punted someone's volleyball on top of the lockers and they were now coordinating with the cheerleaders to lift someone up to get it back. I grinned to myself. This was a good sign for a very interesting year.

"Blaire!!" Someone screamed my name from down the hall, and I only had a few seconds to react before I was nearly bowled over by my best friend in the whole world.

"Emma!" I squealed back, and we hugged tightly and jumped up and down as if we hadn't just seen each other a few days ago.

Emma was my stunning and gorgeous best friend. She was tall, with luscious brown curls and freckles across her nose. We had known each other since first grade, and could almost be considered sisters at this point.

"How's my sunshine?" Emma asked, stepping back to give me a once over.

"Splendid!" I replied, grinning at her.

She grabbed my shoulders firmly and stared into my eyes. "This year you will focus on yourself, do you understand?"

"Yes!" I lied.

"No more helping random people get together, or helping clubs that you're not a part of, or giving everyone your notes!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I clicked my feet together, stood tall, and saluted her.

"This year, you will live for yourself! And I will find you a boyfriend!"

I dropped out of my salute and frowned at her. "I don't need a boyfriend."

"You have absolutely no dating experience, and you're almost eighteen!!" Emma frowned and poked me in the forehead. "I just want you to be prepared for college."

I shrugged. "I figure if it happens, it happens. No need to force it."

"Boyfriends don't fall from the sky, silly!"