Xanthippeia rolled over in bed but she still felt bone-weary. She had only gotten about three hours of rest because of an intense dream that kept her up. It felt very vivid and almost like a nightmare but she wasn't scared, just confused.
The first thing that she could remember about it was wearing a soft blue long dress standing in a lush field, it was so beautiful and the grass was so soft under her bare feet. The sky had many moons as though she were on a different planet. It felt like dusk and strangely she was alone in this vast field, not another living soul in sight. The second thing she could remember was the door or rather portal it seemed like. It was the same door she saw yesterday in her vision when she was with her friends.
She wanted to figure out what it all meant but she decided for the sake of her sanity to let it go and get up to go to school. Besides it's just a dream she would have some other weird on tonight, there's no time to dwell on this anymore.
"Xan, sweetie do want me to drive you to school?" her mother asked as she walked into the kitchen.
"No thank you, mom, I'll drive,"
"You will?" Stella paused, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yeah, dad said I can take my car yesterday,"
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean are you feeling okay?"
"Absolutely mom I'm fine," She said kissing her cheek and grabbed a breakfast burrito and her bag then shouted bye.
Xanthippeia's dad had forbade her from driving her car since he had to pick her up at that damn party during summer. He said she was getting punished for first going out when she was supposed to be babysitting her little sister Luna and also for being drunk. So not only did her summer end with her being utterly humiliated but she also got in trouble with her parents.
But now that was all over, it just goes to show how forgiving parents can be when their child gets hurt and it's as if all the anger goes out the window. When she woke up this morning her car keys were laid out on her bedside table and she felt grateful to have that kind of freedom back.
Xanthippeia drove to Starbucks to get some coffee and some sandwiches for lunch on the count of disgusting cafeteria food. Leaning against her seat and staring at the daunting building she was anxious to walk in so she just sat in her car to calm herself a little. She was facing two problems here; she walks in there and everyone is still talking about that fucking party or she walks in and everyone is now treating her like some oddity.
Xan decided to suck it up and walk in there. The best she can do is keep her head down and get through this day. She jumped a little when she felt a tug on her arm and she was pulled into a warm hug by Carey.
"Hey Xan, you good babe?" Carey said with a smile and Xan tried to mirror hers but it did not quite reach authenticity yet.
"Yeah, I'm good,"
"You look good too, that's a totally cute outfit,"
"Thank you, love yours too,"
She grabbed Xan's hand as they walked in together
"Don't be nervous Xan. I'll be with you all day,"
"Is everyone talking about it?"
"Some people are, you know the usual suspects. They are spreading around these outrageous rumours but I wouldn't pay attention to any of it," Xan rolled her eyes. Of course those bitches are the ones to pour gas on the fire.
"And everyone else?"
"Other people are worried, some even think you're—"
"A freak,"
"More like just curious as to what happened. I swear the theories are absolutely ridiculous and a little fun,"
"Well whatever they are they won't hear it from me; I don't want to talk to anyone,"
"Fair enough but chin up okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Care, I really appreciate it,"
"You're my best friend Xan and I'm always here for you,"
The two girls walked in together and Xan was so nervous her hand was squeezing Carey's arm in a vice grip. Carey didn't mind however she walked a bit faster to get them to their first class so she could get her circulation back in her arm.
Carey and Xan had most classes together except for science but it was fine because Quinton was with her in there so at least for these few hours before she could escape back to her house she wouldn't completely be alone.
The lessons most dragged on and on and for the most part, she tried to focus because she'd already missed two days of the new school year so she couldn't afford to be behind. In every class, she felt the stares behind her back and from the ones bold enough to do it straight to her face. She couldn't tell if the students were just whispering too loudly or if her since the accident her hearing had greatly improved because she could hear every single absurd thing people had to say about her. It seemed as if they were speaking right in her ear and she really did try her best to ignore it but it proud very difficult. Each time she felt like turning around to say something Carey would beat her to it and move her in the opposite direction or simply sneer at them.
That was a quality that Xan loved about Carey, is that she possessed this intimidating aura about her that when she spoke people listened. even inherently nice-girl personality. She was one of the most well-liked people in school but unlike other people, it hadn't been because she was a horrible person and bullied others. Carey was just a people's person, she was even in the running student body president this year.
"Hey, are you okay?" Carey asked as the girls stood by their lockers.
"Yeah but I'm so ready to go home,"
"Two more hours to go, oh hey you wanna go shopping after school?"
"Didn't you just go yesterday?"
"Yeah but there's this new Moschino backpack I saw and I need to have it,"
"Yeah sure, I've nothing better to do," Xan shrugged. She figured she could use some new items in her wardrobe anyway.
"You haven't signed up for anything yet?" Carey enquired as she looked over the names on the large sign-up board right next to them.
"No,"
"Why not? I thought you wanted to join the drama club this year, what about tutoring or even the swim team? I'm pretty sure we talked about this,"
"Care honestly I said I would do all that stuff before summer and now I just can't be bothered with it all,"
"Oh come on so what are you going to do all year? At least tell me you're going try the swim team, you're really good,"
"No---"
"Xan! Come on really you wanna be a couch potato this year then I'm scared what you're going to be like senior year,"
"No I just don't want to be here longer than I need to be, I'm a damn pariah,"
"Who cares?"
Carey understood why her best friend felt this way, her optimism for this year had been shot since the events of summer but damn it she was never the kind of person that sat and felt sorry for herself. The Xanthippeia she knew was more resilient than this.
"Alright well I'm not going to push this besides you have a couple of weeks to decide because I know you, you'll change your mind,"
"I doubt it,"
"Either way, so you can take me home after the mall right?"
"I thought we were driving separately,"
"No Mason drove me to school because something's wrong with my car,"
"Did you crash it again?"
"That was one time!"
"It was three and all three times you were texting or vlogging Care!"
"Shut up! My moms lecture me enough about that and I don't need it from you too,"
"And yet they keep letting you drive," Xan giggled.
The two girls were laughing and for the first time in a while, Xanthippeia felt like her normal self again. The girl that loves to laugh and tease her best friends and who participates. The latter was hard to do when she felt like everyone was waiting for her to fail and crumble. When the day ended without much incident she was grateful. Even more so was that her nemesis was nowhere in sight so in addition to everyone's stares she didn't have to endure any abuse from Courtney Adendolf or her little minions.
The girls were just about to leave when they stopped in the hallway at a sight before them. It was Quinton and he had his hands all over Jessica, Carey couldn't seem to be bothered as she went on her phone but Xan was clearly annoyed. Not because of the public display of affection but moreover who it was with.
She could feel her body heat rising and her hands pull into tight fists. This feeling was vaguely familiar to the one she felt before she ended up in that cater. She still couldn't make sense of what happened exactly but she knew the sensation and before anything else that was unexplainable happened she grabbed a distracted Carey and stormed off outside.
"Whoa slow down there bolt! Where's the fire?"
"Get in the car Care," She said between gritted teeth as she slammed the door of the driver's seat.
"Okay, babe I get you're mad about Q not telling you but this reaction is not normal and I think…"
Carey's voice faded into the background as Xan tried to calm herself, she could feel a soft rumbling in the base of her skull almost like something wanted to be let loose. Out of sheer panic, she pulled down her rearview mirror and looked at her own eyes.
She felt a sigh of relief that she hadn't seen that glowing purple eye flicking thing, just as soon as her anger arrived it disappeared.
"Xan are you even listening to me?"
"No sorry, lets' just go to the mall okay."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
Carey had said she wanted one backpack and Xan only set out to get a couple of items and yet three hours later and only now the girls were leaving the mall with five shopping bags each. Time just got away from them because the best friends were having too much fun and Carey liked to talk a lot. Xan enjoyed shopping because it's one of the many things she and Carey could bond over.
Carey had been filling her in on what has happened in the two days she missed school and try as she might paying attention she couldn't help but feel like there were eyes on her. No it wasn't the same attention she's always felt but this was like someone was following her yet every time she looked back there was no one in sight.
While driving back from the frozen yoghurt place and taking Carey home, her head had been off the road for a split second but when she turned back she hit the brakes so hard her frozen yoghurt hit the window in a splat.
"Xan what the fuck!" Carey shrieked but Xan simply could not take her eyes off the four figures that seem to be standing in the middle of the street one second and disappeared the next.
"What?" she whispered to herself. She felt like she was hallucinating again because there is no way what she was seeing was real. The only thing that made it seem remotely real was how she halted the car when she thought she would run the figures over. She hadn't seen their faces because they disappeared in a blur before she could make them out.
One thing was for sure though, they were male and as soon as they disappeared she didn't feel watched anymore.