Curse Of The White Lighter (vol I)

4

    Summer wrapped her coat around her, her teeth chattering so hard she was sure an few were bound to just fly out of her mouth. Though Washington was a beautiful state, and is a grunge icon (something Summer is very fond of), they don't wear those flannels just for shits a giggles.

   It was fall, and the air had grown cold and bitter. Kind of like her. Every time Summer opened the door, it was like someone had thrown a bag of ice water in her face. If you can't tell, cold weather is not something she often appreciates.

   A flash if yellow finally came barreling down the lonely street, high contrast to the grey sky. Small, cold rain drops had began falling, just enough to make Summer damp, the rainwater sinking through the fabric of her shirt and coating her skin in icy liquid. The buses squeaky breaks rang throughout the neighborhood, as if to say if you're not up yet you're fucked.

   The bus driver, who Max has nicknamed ponytail for her lack of hair, was smoking a cigarette (which was not only hazardous for the passengers, but highly illegal, though none of the kids seemed to mind) glared at Summer as she walked up the steps.

  It was a ten minute drive to school, and Summer thanked a higher power that someone had invented headphones. More than a minute listening to these morons try to talk and breathe at the same time would be enough to send her to a loony bin. Though, Summer contemplated whether she would mind.

***

Hayden was dreading school today. For starters, Summer, and he also late. Like, school started in less than a minute late. He opened the doors to the school, slowly walking inside. The worn red carpet stretching along the hallway. He walked down, passing the other students, who were too occupied to notice him, until he reached his beige locker.

Summer's pale hand was pressed against his locker, coated with chipped black nail polish, as support while she reached the top shelf of her locker. Her blue hair, now starting to fade, was pulled back into a short ponytail.

Hayden cleared his throat from behind her, and she turned, and gave a devious smile. She eyed him up and down, his dirty blonde hair tossed to the side, showing the three freckles above his right eyebrow, something he was rather insecure of.

"You're late, Gellen. What a shame." She said, just as the bell rang in the background as Hayden glared at her. She shook her head.

"Such a good student." She cooed, purposefully bumping into him as she passed.  

Hayden groaned as the hallway slowly emptied. He quickly entered his combination to open his locker, with no luck. One more time. Still nothing.

Hayden pounded his fist into the locker,  the pulled back and tried again.

"Gotcha." He muttered to himself, as his locker creaked open. Quickly depositing his textbooks, then he grabbed one notebook in particular. He slammed his locked, and hurried to Mr. Bradshaw's homeroom.

•••

Summer's head snapped up when she heard the door open. Hayden sulked in, his wild lump of curls spilling over his face.

"You're tardy, Mr. Gellen." Mr. Bradshaw said, without looking up from whatever he was writing on.

Hayden swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, making his way to the back of the class, where Summer sat, patiently waiting to mock him.