Careless

Chapter 1: Flashback

"What?" I screamed from this end of the phone.

"Yep. That's right, I heard they're expelling you." Megan said in what sounded like a satisfied voice.

"But I didn't even do anything!"

"Too late for that... I guess?"

"Isn't there anybody I can explain? Any teacher, any-"

"No one hun. It's all over. However, I don't think staying at home would be a bad idea, I mean, I'd rather be happy to have been expelled, c'mon now, who likes school anyway?

And then, you can paint and draw..."

"Okay thanks, bye." I had to hang up. I wouldn't listen to her sweet talk anymore. I knew that if she wanted to, she could help me. But she wouldn't, so much unlike the beginning of this year when...

*FLASHBACK*

"No mom! I don't like this dress!"

"What love? It's as nice as a fresh daisy, perfect for your first day!" Mom said, in a entirely confident voice, as confident as she is about her gardening skills.

"Alright mom, I know what deal fresh daisies mean to you, but, this dress is just not it mom, everybody's gonna laugh at me on my first day and I definitely don't wanna-"

"This is retro and maybe untrendy right now, as you'd call it, but as they say it, what was it..." Mom looked up with a hand on her chin.

"What, mom?"

"Yes! 'What goes around comes around' yes, that's the one, so, yeah, soon it'll be in trend and-"

"But, mom-"

"And you never know, you might be the one starting the trend or bringing it back!"

"Mom, but-"

"Okay hun, it's 8 already, let me go make breakfast cause you definitely don't wanna be late on your first day of the new school! Okay, let's get going." And she vanished.

I looked down at my dress. It was a full sleeves navy dress, with big white collars and two red ribbons. I wouldn't agree that there were 0% chances of such things coming back to trend for "first day school wear"

but as for now, also since I look like an ugly cat, it wasn't working at all.

To keep my mom's heart, I wore the same dress and went downstairs smelling pancakes.

As I went down and grabbed a seat, I saw mom with her back turned on me, laying out pancakes, wearing her same old worn out apron.

"Why don't you ever buy a new apron mom?" I asked, which now felt like the 1000th time in all these years.

She didn't seem to have taken much notice on that.

"And... Here's some delicious pancakes for my delicious little cupcake!"

I didn't know how to exactly react to that, but before I could think of something...

"If she's little, what am I?" Said my angry, 6 year old sister, as she climbed down the staircase dragging her stupid, annoying little stuffed bunny with her, straight towards the counter.

"Hmm... Can we call you an even smaller cupcake then?"

As she peeped over the counter wall to look into the covered dishes, she exclaimed,

"Soon I'll be as grown as you all and you'll not be able to call me small!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Sure thing!" Mom said in a jolly tone and turned to go back behind the counter slab.

"What is that you're wearing?" Seemed like Mariah, as my sister is known as, would burst into a huge laugh any moment.

"Uh... A dress I suppose?"

"Even my dolls don't wear things like that! Surely somebody wants to make a fool of herself on her first day in a new school!"

Here was the first day-ruining comment of the day, already knocking the door inside my brain to where all the negative thoughts live.

I turned on my seat towards her and said,

"Don't you think that six year olds should actually talk like they're six?"

It seemed like Mariah was too busy telling her bunny how funny the entire situation was, laughing a bit more than she needed to.

"Mariah Johnson! Is that how one talks to their elder sister?" Mom shouted at her.

Mariah stopped laughing immediately and looked down holding her bunny tight. Thanks to mom.

For the rest of the time, everybody had breakfast in silence. As I would glance at mom at times, it felt like she might reconsider her selection of the dress. But she never spoke a word.

"Okay, thanks mum, lovely breakfast, I'm anyway getting late so I better leave now, so umm, yeah..." I grabbed my bag, "Love you mom, bye."

"Have you taken all the important documents? Your previous year's report cards and-"

"And the fee form, the registration form and my identity card, yes mom, everything's here, right inside this..." I raised the big black folder on my hand which had the fresh tag 'Samantha Johnson'. "Okay mum?"

"Yeah, have a good day dearie, I'll be there at 3! Love you honey!"

"Good day?" I thought to myself as I looked down at my dress. Well, maybe.