Lena woke slowly, uncertain of the time. The alarm clock said 6:42, her phone said 9:04. Dang it. She'd overslept. Her brain panicked into activity much the way a silent (but red hot) pan jumps into action when water is splashed at it. She tried to cache to-do-list items as her mind shouted commands.
-Fix alarm for tomorrow
She grabbed her second favorite pair of (mostly) clean jeans.
-Do laundry
She managed to bump her hip into the door frame as she stumbled into the bathroom. Had adolescence really been so recent that she couldn't remember how wide her hips were? She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and realized she had forgotten to put on a shirt. She went back down the hall, rubbing her hip. Back to the bathroom for deodorant.
-Buy more deodorant
Bedroom closet for socks. Kitchen for granola bar. Bedroom for backpack. Kitchen for yogurt and banana. Keys... where were the keys?
She scowled at the messy kitchen table. Come on... think! Her brain was guiltily quiet.
"Coat!" She grabbed it from the closet and jabbed her hands into the pockets, feeling for the rubber cover on the car key. She forced her feet into her tied tennis shoes, stretching her socks oddly and collapsing the backs of the shoes. She decided she didn't have time for her coat, and went out the front door. The screen door gave a satisfying bang that cursed the cold-porridge colored morning.
-Get house key back from Riley
-Do laundry
She managed to bump her hip into the door frame as she stumbled into the bathroom. Had adolescence really been so recent that she couldn't remember how wide her hips were? She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and realized she had forgotten to put on a shirt. She went back down the hall, rubbing her hip. Back to the bathroom for deodorant.
-Buy more deodorant
Bedroom closet for socks. Kitchen for granola bar. Bedroom for backpack. Kitchen for yogurt and banana. Keys... where were the keys?
She scowled at the messy kitchen table. Come on... think! Her brain was guiltily quiet.
"Coat!" She grabbed it from the closet and jabbed her hands into the pockets, feeling for the rubber cover on the car key. She forced her feet into her tied tennis shoes, stretching her socks oddly and collapsing the backs of the shoes. She decided she didn't have time for her coat, and went out the front door. The screen door gave a satisfying bang that cursed the cold-porridge colored morning.
-Get house key back from Riley
Her car started with only a few whiny squeals. Lena shuddered with the cold and pulled onto the main road. She had class starting in less than an hour and she needed to finish her statistics assignment and print it out from the lab. She needed to be early today. Before class was when she was most likely to be able to talk to Matt.
Matt... She took a deep breath and sat straighter in the front seat. Why couldn't she have picked out her blue sweater? She glanced down at her black drama club shirt and tried not to think of the geeky quote and signatures all over the back. At least it was clean. Today was going to be a good day. Maybe she could go Christmas shopping. Maybe it would snow. Just one more week before break.
"You got this!" A (mostly hopeful) affirmation smile and two stoplights later, she pulled into the parking lot.
Matt... She took a deep breath and sat straighter in the front seat. Why couldn't she have picked out her blue sweater? She glanced down at her black drama club shirt and tried not to think of the geeky quote and signatures all over the back. At least it was clean. Today was going to be a good day. Maybe she could go Christmas shopping. Maybe it would snow. Just one more week before break.
"You got this!" A (mostly hopeful) affirmation smile and two stoplights later, she pulled into the parking lot.
