She Waits In Summer

One | Through the Gates

Copyright: All Rights Reserved.

I was doing one last check over before leaving my room - and by one last check, I mean I've been trying to perfect my appearance "one last time" for about twenty minutes. My chocolate hair fell in gentle curls to my waist and my hazel eyes were framed with dark lashes. I had decided to wear my summery white dress and a navy cardigan. The dress hugged my torso and fell loosely over my hips, the hem brushing gently against the skin above my knees. 

"Billie! Come on!" I heard my mother call from downstairs. 

"This will have to do," I sighed while staring at my reflection. I grabbed my handbag stuffed with books and nervously made my way downstairs.  

My mum was standing by the front door as my younger brother dashed past me in a blur of dark hair.

"Shotgun!" Eric called as he threw himself into the passenger seat. 

"Come on, sweetie," mum urged me kindly.

"Do I look okay?" I asked, my stomach churning. 

"You look beautiful, you always do," she smiled. Her hazel eyes looked tired and her hair limp. I hugged her briefly and uttered a gentle goodbye before walking towards my car. 

The divorce had really taken a toll on her, I wish I could stay home with her. But she insisted she was okay and was completely focused on a new project for work. She's as stubborn as Eric and I when it comes to plastering on a smile and not admitting to feeling anything but happy. I climbed into my Jeep and drove down the driveway.

"Why do you always yell shotgun, dork? It's just us in the car," I asked Eric with a laugh. 

"Because I know this is your precious handbag's seat, I need to claim it before Michael Kors does," he said teasingly. His dark eyes twinkled with laughter and his hair fell in curls much like mine, only a lot shorter. 

Eric hadn't seemed this happy in so long. As much as I miss my old school and my old friends, I think starting somewhere new will really benefit us all. He turned up the music in the car and sang softly along to Jimmy Eat World. 

Sooner than I would've liked, I turned left into the student parking lot at Westwick College. I was worried my Jeep would stand out but I couldn't have been more wrong. The parking lot was lined with Jeeps, Range Rovers, Mercedes and even a Porsche. Rich-people land. 

"Have a good day, buddy," I said as Eric was getting out of the car. 

"I'm sure I'll bump into you," he grinned. "Laters, silly Billie." 

I smiled and shook my head as I grabbed my bag and shut the car door behind me. I stood for a moment, taking everything in. The buildings were bigger than at my old school, and they looked older and more beautiful. Come to think of it, everything here was beautiful. People were filing through the front gates onto campus. 

"And here we go," I mumbled to myself, making my way out of the parking lot. I mindlessly played with a loose thread on my sleeve as I approached the gates. Debilitating momentarily, I stepped through and tried to ignore my knotted stomach. 

The bells chimed and I congratulated myself on the perfect arrival time. I could go straight to first period without awkwardly dithering around an unknown area with people that could either make or break me. I walked through the immaculate halls in search of the room where advanced English would be held. 

Nope. Not that door. Not that one either. God, where is it? 

My stomach churned uncomfortably and I felt panic rise in my throat. Just keep going, it's just up ahead, it has to be.