The Sparks That Fly

Chapter 1

"So, are you two excited for senior year?" Mom asks me and Chad, sounding excited herself.

If it were just me she was asking, I would have given her my immediate answer. No.

But seeing as I was sitting next to Chad on our hard and uncomfortable plastic chairs in the backyard holding a plastic plate that had on it a dry and tastless hotdog I wished I could dump in the trash, I stayed silent. Just like the last three times Mom had tried to start a conversation between me and Chad.

Chad offers her an nod, which was more than what I had given. The guy just couldn't come off as unfriendly, could he? I mentally roll my eyes at that. I didn't have anything against Chad, but he sometimes annoyed me because of how popular and loveable he was at school. He had all the friends, the perfect girlfriend, he was on the school's soccer team... It was all going great for him. He actually liked school.

Meanwhile, my school life was a living hell. My home life wasn't much better.

My Mom was what some might describe as a 'housewife'; she didn't work. Dad got all the income, so he was always away on buisness. I had two siblings, a brother and a sister. My brother is Danny who's older than me by seven years, and he left home two years ago when he married his wife Carlie. He's by far my favourite sibling, I was so sad when I found out he was leaving. That leads me on to my younger sister Leah. She's three years younger than me and a total brat. I stay away from her as much as possible, she always has a snide and cruel comment for you on the tip of her tongue the moment you're in her presence. I got enough of that at school, I didn't need it at home too. So for the last four years, when she became the way she is, I have always put myself where she is not.

Except, this was the one day I could not avoid her. I had to sit in her presence all evening, and only a couple hours in, I already wanted to lock myself in my room and stay there. For the rest of my life.

Our family and the Johnsons had this wierd tradition that we had done every year since I was born, apparently. It involved my whole family that consisted of Mom, Dad, Leah, Danny and his wife, and of course me. Then the Johnsons that consisted of Chad and his mom. Chad's dad wasn't around, Chad hadn't ever even met him. Apparently his Dad vanished when he found out he was along the way; his dad and mom weren't married. They were hardly even dating. Mom had once mentioned something about a club, which made it pretty obvious what happened. Chad's mom was only seventeen, our age, when she gave birth and her parents wanted nothing to do with Chad but she raised him all on her own.

Chad's mom, Bethany, and my mom had been best friends in high school and have stayed best friends ever since. Hence why they were in our backyard every year the day before school restared after summer break. Some strange tradition that they started for some reason after I was born. I always hated these get togethers, that grew wierder and more awkward as the years piled on. I remember them all since I was about five, so it was really getting tiresome. And-

I snap out of my thoughts which I feel a sharp and painful pinch on my hand. I look to my side to see my awful little sister glaring at me, while looking smug.

"Amberlyn!" Mom snaps, making me turn my head towards her.

"Mom was trying to talk to you, Amber. And you were just ignoring her. How disrespectful." Leah tuts with mock surprise and disappointment. I glare at her and turn towards Mom.

"It wasn't on purpose. I was just... thinking. What were you saying?" I ask, feeling embarrassed by this whole thing happening in front of Chad. I steal a glance at him, and am surprised to see him with a smile on his face. Why was he smiling? I look back at him again, and find his eyes are on me. We lock gazes, and his smile falters for a brief second, as if unsure, then returns, a bit smaller. I break the stare, feeling awkward and still embarrassed.

"I was simply asking how you were feeling about being in senior year. You didn't answer me the first time." Mom says pointedly to me, with a sharper gaze than before.

Clearly she was intent on getting an answer.

I give a vague shrug. "I don't know. I guess I'll see how it goes." I answer while looking an the hotdog lying on my plate.

After a few silent seconds, I rise from my seat.

"I'll go and get us some more lemonade," I say, noticing the jug had run out. I wasn't planning on doing that at all, by matter of fact. I was really going to retreat to my room and stay there until the Johnsons had left.

Unfortunately, my mother knew my introverted self a little bit too well.

"That's okay, Amber. I'll get it." She says sweetly, but I see the message shadowing that comment. You aren't going to get out of this family tradition.

I sigh and sit back down. I start to poke at my hotdog, feeling annoyed.

Why did Mom want me here so much? The only person I would be fine with speaking to was Danny, but he was on the other side of the long table we had set up, and he was too far away to have a proper conversation with. I was sandwiched between Leah and Chad. Leah who I found rude and Chad who I found awkward.

Sighing, I put my head in my hands. How else could I get out of this? It wasn't like I could distract myself, Mom has started taking mine and Leah's phones at the start of this so we couldn't use it to zone out. She knew we both found it disinteresting, yet she forced us into it. And while Leah was only fourteen, I was seventeen. Wasn't I too old to have my phone confiscated?

I hear a thud on the table, indicating that Mom was back with the jug of lemonade.

"So, what's your favourite subject, Chad?" She asks.

I sigh once more. This was going to be a long evening.

I collapse under my bed and climb under the covers. I felt tired, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Tomorrow I would once again have to face the people I hated the most in this world. Why did summer break have to be so short?

I snuggled deeper under the covers. And sighed. I did a lot of that, didn't I? My life was just that depressing.

Danny was the only one in the family who knew everything. The whole school situation. Who else could it be? Dad was almost always away, Leah was insufferable, and Mom... Well, don't get me wrong, I loved my mom. But we've never really clicked. I know it sounds bad, but I just find it awkward to talk to her. Especially about personal things. I was introverted, and she's always been an extrovert. She just doesn't really understand me.

I don't blame her for that. So I just talk to Danny. He knew that I was still getting bullied, even though I was seventeen. In senior year, near enough. And he knew about the panic attacks. And my counsellor. But that was simply because he was the only one who could understand.

Even my best, and only, friend didn't really get how things could be for me. Only Danny did.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, I fall asleep, dreading the day to come.

What did you guys think of this first chapter?? Please put it in the comment section and let me know if you want more 😉🩷

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