An Ordinary Day
Chapter One
An Ordinary Day
My alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. I hated mornings. Actually, hate might be putting it mildly. I considered mornings a personal attack, and whoever decided teenagers needed to be awake before the sun was fully up clearly had some unresolved issues.
I slapped my hand around the nightstand until I found my phone and silenced the obnoxious noise. Six thirty-two. Two more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, it was 6:51. Shit.
I threw the blankets off and scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the pair of jeans I’d abandoned on the floor the night before. My bedroom looked like a clothing store had exploded, but that was a problem for another day. Possibly another lifetime. I grabbed the first decent outfit I could find, pulled my hair into something that vaguely resembled a hairstyle, and headed downstairs.
Mom was already in the kitchen, scrolling through her phone with a mug of coffee beside her. “Morning,” I mumbled. She glanced up briefly, “Morning. You’re running late.”
“Wow. Thanks. I hadn’t noticed.” She returned her attention to her phone, and I grabbed a granola bar from the counter and shoved it into my bag, “Are you going to be home tonight?” she asked. “Probably.”
“Okay.” And that was pretty much the extent of our morning conversation. Mom wasn’t a bad person, she just had a talent for being physically present while somehow managing to be somewhere else entirely. I learned a long time ago not to expect much more than that. I headed out the front door, locking it behind me. The walk to school was only about fifteen minutes, which was usually manageable. Unless, of course, I spent half of it running late because I had somehow convinced myself that sleeping an extra twenty minutes was a reasonable life choice.
I made it halfway down the driveway before reaching the house across the street - Hayden’s house. Same driveway. Same front porch. Same stupid basketball hoop that had been there since we were kids. For a second, I caught myself looking toward the front windows. Old habits, I guess. There was a time when I would’ve crossed the street without thinking twice. I would’ve let myself in, raided his refrigerator, and probably annoyed him before he’d even had breakfast. Those days were long gone.
I adjusted the strap of my bag and kept walking when my phone buzzed.
Averi: WHERE ARE YOU?
Me: Walking.
Averi: That’s not an answer.
Me: It’s literally an activity.
Averi: Ava. Hurry up.
I smiled and shoved my phone into my pocket, some things never change. By the time I got to school, Averi was waiting near the front entrance with Parker standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. They looked disgustingly comfortable, “Look who finally decided to show up,” Averi announced. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” She released herself from Parker long enough to hug me, “You’re late.”
“I’m aware.”
“Again.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No.”
“Then stop complaining.”
Parker laughed and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Averi pretended not to notice, which was hilarious considering she was practically glued to him. “Hey, Ava,” he said. “Hey, Parker. Come collect your girlfriend, she’s being mean to me.”
“She’s always mean to you.”
“See? He gets it.” Averi gave him a playful shove and we made our way inside with the usual chaos of Monday morning happening around us. People crowded the hallways, lockers slammed, and someone was already yelling about a test they apparently hadn’t studied for. Senior year was supposed to be exciting; mostly, I was just counting down the days until I didn’t have to be here anymore.
“There’s Caden,” Averi said, nodding toward the lockers. I followed her gaze, he was standing with a couple of the guys, laughing at something one of them had said. When he noticed me, his face lit up. I smiled before I could even think about it, “Hey, babe.” He leaned down and kissed me, “Morning. You sleep okay?”
“Not enough.”
“Shocking.”
“Don’t start.” He laughed, slipping an arm around my shoulders. Caden was easy to be around; he wasn’t loud or attention-seeking, and he didn’t seem to have any interest in getting involved in other people’s drama. He was just… Caden. Sweet, thoughtful, and annoyingly handsome. We’d been together for ten months, and sometimes I still caught myself smiling like an idiot when he looked at me. “Hey, Averi,” he said.
“Hey.” Parker gave him a quick fist bump and the five of us stood around talking until the warning bell rang. Well, four of us were talking. Naturally, Hayden had to be present but be his usual gruff self and ignore the group before being a jerk. “Move, princess.” I turned just in time to see him approaching, one hand shoved into his pocket and that familiar, irritating smirk on his face. I stepped aside just enough to let him pass, “Good morning to you too, asshole.”
“Always a pleasure, Ava.” He didn’t stop walking. I rolled my eyes, God, I couldn’t stand him. “One day,” I muttered, “I’m going to trip him.” Caden chuckled beside me, “Be nice.”
“Absolutely not.” The rest of the morning passed in a blur of classes, questionable cafeteria food, and me pretending to pay attention when I was actually counting the minutes until lunch. Averi and I ended up at our usual table with the others. She was telling us about something that had happened over the weekend, using approximately seventeen hand gestures per sentence. Parker sat beside her, occasionally interrupting to correct some minor detail, “That is not what happened,” he said.
“Yes, it is.”
“No, you literally—”
“Parker.” He stopped. “Okay.” I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my drink. Caden sat beside me, his knee occasionally brushing mine beneath the table. Across from us, Hayden was leaning back in his chair, listening to the story. He glanced over at me and I looked away. It wasn’t that I was afraid of making eye contact with him, I just didn’t particularly enjoy giving him opportunities to annoy me. “So, Ava,” Logan, “you coming Friday?”
“Depends. What’s Friday?”
“Party.”
“That clears things up.” He laughed, “You know, the one out by the lake.” Averi immediately perked up, “We’re going.” I looked at her, “We are?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“You don’t have to. I’ve already decided.”
“Good to know my opinion matters.” Caden smiled, “We can go if you want.” I looked at him, “You’re making it very difficult to argue.”
“That’s the idea.” Hayden snorted from across the table, “Careful, Caden. She doesn’t usually take instructions very well.” I slowly turned toward him, “And you would know?” His smirk widened, “Unfortunately.” There it was; that familiar little exchange. The kind that had become so routine nobody even bothered reacting anymore. I stared at him for another second before turning back to my lunch. Whatever - I had better things to do.
By the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to be done with school. Caden walked me out to the parking lot, his hand resting against the small of my back, “You doing anything tonight?” he asked. “Probably nothing exciting. Why?”
“Thought maybe we could hang out.” I smiled. “Sounds good.” He kissed me goodbye before heading toward his car. Averi caught up with me a moment later, “Friday. Don’t forget.”
“You’re exhausting.”
“And yet, you love me.”
“Unfortunately.” She laughed and threw an arm around my shoulders. We stood there talking for another few minutes before going our separate ways.
The afternoon was warm, the kind of spring day that made you want to open all the windows and forget you have responsibilities. I walked home with my headphones in, the music turned up, and my mind somewhere between what I wanted for dinner and whether I could convince Averi to do something ridiculous over the weekend.
When I reached my street, Hayden’s house came into view again. His car was in the driveway but I kept my eyes forward. It was a good day today. Nothing particularly exciting had happened. No dramatic revelations. No major arguments. Just another Monday. And honestly, I was perfectly okay with that.
I had no idea how much I would have given to have another one.
