username; lunaire | name; leah [meaning weary or tired] | gender; female
i took a few shaky breaths, trying to calm down but failing. i felt an anxiety attack coming on, i felt the tears behind my eyes. i kept walking, focusing on counting my steps. i looked up at the school. it was huge, with four
floors. i felt nauseous, thinking about seeing all those people. i didn't want to be here. i was scared. my heart beat faster. i heard it in my head. fighting back my overwhelming anxiety, i pushed the doors open and went to pick up my schedule in the office. i quickly took it and walked to the stairs, so i could get to class as fast as possible. if i was late, everyone would look up and stare at me. i didn't want that, obviously. i can't even begin to explain how relieved i was that we had assigned seats. luckily mine was in the back. i sat down, and pulled out the materials that were written on the white board. out of the corner of my eye i saw people begin to file in. i bit my lip, hard enough for it to bleed. i cursed in my head as i licked the bead of blood away. a girl with shiny black fur and golden eyes sat next to me. i shifted my seat farther away from her. i just tried to focus on my work, and not everyone else in the room.
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first period was over. i walked as fast as possible without getting noticed. i went into the bathroom and took the smallest stall, knowing no one would want it. i took ragged breaths, fighting tears. i took my phone out of my backpack as quietly as i could. i unlocked it and tried to calm myself down by playing a game. it helped a bit. so that's what i did. i sat on the toilet lid, playing a game.
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i didn't come out until the last bell rang, and even then i stayed for a good ten minutes, waiting for everyone to leave. i pulled my hood over my head and walked out. i pushed the door open and continued the walk home. i kept playing the game on my phone. i reached my home and put my phone away. i unlocked the door, then slammed it shut. i threw my backpack on my bedroom floor then flopped on the bed. i grabbed the remote and turned on the tv. some cartoon was playing. i set the remote back on my nightstand and went on instagram. i scrolled through my feed, then noticed i have a follow request. i clicked it, and saw it's someone called lacey_thorne. it's the girl that sat next to me in first period. i approved it and followed her back. i looked through her pictures. i could already tell she's the kind of girl who has a million friends. wait, how did she find my account, and why is she following me? i tried to shrug off the thought, but it lingered. i spent the rest of the day (and most of the night) on my phone, doing random things, trying to distract myself from the anxious thoughts of tomorrow.
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i got less than an hour of sleep last night. i got ready for school and headed out. it was getting colder as it got close to the end of november. there was ice on the road and sidewalks, as well as on cars and windows. i hugged my coat closer to me. i arrived at school much later than i meant to. i walked to the elevator. it was reserved for people with leg injuries and such. but i don't really care, there wasn't anyone waiting anyways. i kept pressing the button until it finally opened. making sure no one saw me, i went in. i took a couple shaky breaths as the doors closed. i waited a few seconds, idling in limbo. it felt nice, the silence. i wanted to stay there forever. but i knew i couldn't. i pressed the button for the second floor. i was probably gonna be late. fabulous. i walked out of the elevator and walked to my class. i opened the door, hiding my face. i took my seat and tried to act like i was there the whole time.
"leah? why were you late?" the teacher asked, staring coldly at me.
"i'm sorry, i got to school a bit late. i don't have a note," i replied. she glared at me and turned away. i sighed and rolled my eyes. oh, i'm sorry i was late by four minutes! i'll get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness!
the teacher handed out a pop quiz. great.
"yeah, this teacher is the worst," the girl named lacey said. i nodded. then i decided it wouldn't be all that bad to have her as a friend.
"you're new here this year, right? how are you liking the school so far?" she asked.
"yeah, and it's alright. hey, just a question, why did you follow me?" i replied.
"i don't know, you just seemed chill so i decided, why not?" lacey said with a smile.
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"just a little farther," lacey told me as she guided me into a room. her paws covered my eyes, making me wait for my birthday present. suddenly, we stopped. she took her paws away and i stared at the box sitting in front of me. it was small and wrapped in brown paper, with an ivory ribbon and a origami crane on top. i stepped forward and began to unwrap it carefully. i managed to get the paper off in one piece. i lifted the lid on the box and took out the scarf that laid there. i gasped in awe. the scarf was gauzy and white. it had little cranes all over it. i loved it the second my paws touched the fabric. i hugged lacey, thanking her for the beautiful gift. she smiled, brushing it off. she took the scarf from me and wrapped it around my neck.
"it used to be my grandmother's and i had it sitting in my attic. the day i first saw you and thought 'she would look amazing in that scarf,'" she said to me, "i want you to keep it. think of it kinda like a friendship bracelet. scarf. whatever."
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since then, i've worn that scarf everyday. it meant a lot to me. i don't know where i would be without lacey. probably not in a good place. now i've went to college with her, and we've even moved to another country together. when lacey headed to france to pursue her career as an herbalist, she invited me to come along. obviously i agreed, since i didn't need a specific place to do my job; writing books. being an author is pretty fun. i'm really glad i met lacey and became her friend, because otherwise, i don't think i would be okay. she's supported me throughout everything. and i'm thankful for that.
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