"Hello, Grace. I think it's time to talk."

Grace is my mother's name, and the voice on the machine is distinctly a man's. One I used to know extremely well. My father.

What the hell?

The voicemail box beeps, meaning the message is over. I don't understand why, but his voice is like a dagger to my heart, a memory I have fought to forget and tried to bury, yet in a short two seconds, all my emotions have been dug up again. Why would he call? Why now? It's been eleven years.

Evelign, don't overthink things, when you can't understand a question which has been lingering in your mind, sometimes it's best to forget it then try and solve it, mother always says. I listen to her.

I lay back down on the couch and continue to flip through the channels until I find one I like.

Around 10p.m, my mother arrives home from work, slamming the front door. She moves with such force and frustration that the floorboards actually start to creak.

"Mother." My voice is soft, trying to use my tone to manipulate her into calming down a bit.

She turns around, clearly being previously oblivious to my presence in the room. "Yes, Evelign?" She grits her teeth.

I want to tell her that dad called, but it is quite obvious that she is mad and I'm not going to intentionally make her anger worse. Instead, I sink back down into the old dark green couch.

"Sorry, Evelign. I'm just feeling a bit annoyed at the moment."

"Why?" I ask her.

"I need that promotion...we need that promotion, but I have been denied it, and I don't think we are ever going to get it anytime soon."

It's just me and her, her and I, the Wright Girls. We don't have anyone else really. I guess I have the morning bus entertainment performance but not really any friends, and neither does she. We are both alone in a way.

After my father abruptly left, she wanted to perfect me, leaving her no time to perfect herself. She gave me all of these academic opportunities, but those opportunities came with a price, a very large price. She works and raises me, doing all the work two people should be doing as one, so I get it. I get why she is sometimes hard on me. By being hard on me, she is being hard on herself. I am her reflection. By shooting me (the glass), the way it looks in the mirror is that she has shot herself.

"I'm going to go to bed, so should you. You need sleep, it's what keeps you pretty." My mother says whilst carrying her drained body up the stairs and into her room.

***

"How dare you! You are a monstrosity of a human being!" Emily shouts at Luke.

"Ah, well at least I found someone like me, then." He jokes under his breath.

Emily doesn't even hear him, or as she would have said something in return, but instead just rolls her eyes.

"Is it over?" Carter yawns from the seat behind me, just awakening from her nap. How she fell asleep with the noisy bickering of everyone on the bus is the real question.

"Yes. So...my favourite girl, how was your first last day of high school?" Geraldine nudges my shoulder despite being on the other side of the bus. "Did you have fun?"

"It was nice. Nothing much happened though."

"So, I'm assuming no one happened then?" Geraldine sighs as if all of her hopes and dreams have been crushed by my incapability of attracting boys.

"Well," no. no. no. I shouldn't have said "well". "...um nevermind."

"No, sugar!" Geraldine chuckles. "Please go on. Trust me, I've gotten to the old frail age where I'm living vicariously through the most beautiful girl I've ever seen: you."

Caldwin Fletcher. I don't like him, not like that at least, but there is something about him. I can't figure him out and that's why I'm intrigued. I can figure everyone out, a trait I inherited from my mother...yet not him. I think that's why he annoys me so much. Yet, if I disliked him, then why am I thinking about him right now?

"There was a boy I met but that's all. I simply just met him."

I can hear Christina and Geraldine snicker, obviously not believing a word that comes out of my mouth. "Sweetie, you don't have to say it...your face says it."

"I think I made a friend." I blurt out trying to revert the topic of discussion. "Her name is Natalia."

Most of the people on the bus awkwardly cheer, but it all turns to silence once Emily speaks. "Really?" She questions my comment as if the concept was implausible.

"Yes." My smile fades back into its normal resting place: a frown.

"Be happy for the girl!" Carter spits at Emily. Emily clearly isn't the most popular member on the bus.

"I am happy. I just don't find having friends something worth commemorating. It's expected." She brushes off the looks everyone is giving her.

"And that's why you're an extremely unpredictable person. You never have what's expected. Good for you, Emily." Luke laughs, this time loud enough to make sure Emily can absorb the full contempt of his words.

"And this is why no one likes you." Emily hisses.

"I like Luke." Everyone on the bus says in unison. My eyes might deceive me, but I think Luke actually smiles at that.

For the rest of the bus ride, I start playing music from my Walkman and stare outside my window.

***

"It's your stop, Evelign!" Brian screams from the driver's seat, just in case I can't hear with my headphones on. Believe me, I could be wearing noise-cancelling headphones and I would be able to hear his voice distinctly. Hell, I could be all the way in Australia and his voice would still be blaring in my ears.

I grab my heavy backpack and rush off the bus. "Thanks, Brian. See you after school." I wave goodbye to everyone and they do the same in return. Well, except Emily. "Bye, guys. See you tomorrow morning."

"See you soon, doll!" Geraldine says.

I hop off the bus and start walking towards my school. I quickly check the time. 8:25. Finally, I'm not abnormally early to school. I'm not really paying any attention, actually not any at all, and instead listening to my music whilst staring down at the pavement. Due to my lack of focus or genuine care of my surroundings, I run head first into something and crash to the ground. Wow, what a lovely way to start a day...collapsed on the dirty sidewalk.

"For someone who likes to observe, you sure aren't paying any attention to what's happening around you, Wright." The boy staring down at me laughs, and then grins, before grabbing my arm and pulling me up.

I must be extremely light or extremely strong, because he practically slingshots me right into his chest.

"Sorry." I whisper while backing away from him.

Caldwin doesn't say anything, just continues his sharp gaze and curls his lip to make his grin even wider.

"What are you staring at?" I'm trying to make my voice sound harsh because it's better to seem agitated than flustered.

"Nothing. I'll see you later, Wright." He attempts to slowly turn away from me, I interrupt him.

"You do know my name is Evelign, right?"

"Yes. Evelign Wright."

I clench up my fists, despite knowing that I couldn't fight him and I really don't want to. He just walks away.

One day. I've known him for one day, yet I act as if I have been in love with him for years. I'm not though, I refuse to be. However, that doesn't mean I can't understand my interest in him. My name is Caldwin Fletcher and I have nothing interesting about me. I bet you do Caldwin, and I want to know exactly what that is.