Best-Case Scenario

Chapter One

Chapter One

The last first day of high school starts with a bang on my door.

"Are you ready?" Kali yells.

Winding my curls into a braid, I struggle to pop open my bedroom door with a free hand. Kali stands there, her backpack over both shoulders and wearing the same t-shirt/skirt combo I saw her last in two weeks ago.

"I thought we were meeting at school?" I ask.

Kali chews on her thumbnail and stares me down with wide brown eyes but doesn't reply.

"You okay?" I don't quite meet her eyes when I ask. Instead, I grab my backpack off my bed and join her, closing the door behind me.

She doesn't answer until I finally look up. She rolls her eyes and sighs, a sure sign she's trying not to cry. "Of course not."

"But you will be," I decide for her and walk down the stairs.

The house is quiet with both of my parents instructing eight AM classes. I spot a muffin on the table and swipe it, placing it in my bag. Kali and I had a plan of action and that meant getting to school almost an hour early and my stomach isn't quite awake. That plan was set in stone via text last night and she seemed a lot surer about it then but I can't let her change her mind now. I lock the door behind me.

When I turn around, I blink in the bright sunlight across the porch. Kali's head is down and her hand is at her mouth again. She must be down to her cuticle by now.

"Stop that," I say and she drops her hand. Listening to me for once. "You're ruining your image and you look good. Let's go."

A corner of her mouth flicks up for a second as she mounts her bike. I grab mine and fasten my helmet with a free hand.

"Where's your helmet?" I ask as she pulls forward, hitting every leaf on the sidewalk in her way.

She shoots me a look and fluffs her curls with one hand. "If you think I'm going to school with my hair flattened down, you're crazy. If I'm going to do this, I need to be a hundred percent."

"You won't be a hundred percent if you crack your head open," I mutter.

She only shrugs a shoulder at me and I don't comment further. She doesn't need to be dwelling on death before we even get to school.

The sun is hot on the back of my neck and I breathe in the smell of grass clippings and soil from the front yards we pass. Summer comes and goes quick here and while my summer wasn't what I imagined, I wasn't going to wish for the season to be over.

I catch my first glimpse of the school through the thicket of maple trees. Kali slows down and bikes behind me.

"Here I am," she says. Her voice is shaky, and I stop too. When I look at her, she's staring over my shoulder and it gives me a moment to take her all in without eye contact. Her eyes look tired, but they aren't red-rimmed and while I wouldn't say she looks confident, she at least doesn't look defeated. "Actually, doing this. Are you sure it's a good idea?"

I start to wonder if maybe I should have let her transfer to a different school. Senior year be damned. Making memories and all that might not be worth it. "I thought we talked about this."

Her shoulders drop and she pushes her bike forward again. "Just let me know if you see her."

Carla. The theme of the summer. Kali hasn't seen her all summer and she seemed to be getting over her two weeks ago, but today is the real test. I'm not sure what she's afraid she'll do. Cry? Not really a Kali move. At least not in public. Scream at her? Even less so. Have a panic attack? Possibly.