*Alex P.O.V.*
It's been three months since Melanie and Taylor first met.. Though they are still not together, there are no hard feelings over their first meet. They don't talk much, but every once in a while, they meet up for coffee at the shop downtown to get to know each other better. I don't mind, I actually encourage her to go. Taylor is her soulmate, afterall.. Yes, it hurts to know that she and I aren't soulmates, but I can't keep her from finding the eternal love she deserved.
They're actually together right now. Taylor told Melanie that she had some exciting news to share the next time they met up, so shes most likely telling her now. I know it's not really any of my business, but I'm curious about the news, too. Mel already tells me everything anyways, so I know I'll hear about it tomorrow.
"Alex!" I hear my mom call from downstairs, "Will you come down here for a minute, please?" I hop up from my computer desk and walk down into the kitchen where she stood preparing dinner. I take a deep breath and smile as I recognise the familiar aroma in the room. My mouth begins to water as my senses are filled with delight at the smell of mom's homemade pizza. Pureed homegrown tomatoes, simmered with oregano, basil, and garlic. A thick layer of mom's special 5 cheese blend of ooey, gooey, goodness, topped with extra pepperoni, and a little more cheese on top. And the best part? Stuffed. Crust. The best pizza you could ever imagine.
"Smells delicious as always, Mom!" I say as I grab plates for everyone.
"Well, thanks honey, but that's not why I called you down here," she snickered. "Is your bag packed and ready for your first day of Senior year Tuesday? There's only two days left and I know it wasn't packed last night."
Ugh, I completely forgot about that! I've been so focused on football practice and helping Mel navigate through all the stuff with Taylor that I hadn't realized it was almost time for school to start back. "No, mom. I'm sorry. I'll pack it tonight, after dinner, " I sighed.
Mom shook her head, "Nope. Go pack it now so that it's already done, there's still five more minutes until the pizza is ready, anyways. That's plenty of time to find everything and have it packed and sit back down in front of the table." I started to argue but she just gave me that face that says 'Don't even think about it' and pointed up the stairs toward my room.
I slowly stood, with my head hung low, and trudged up the stairs. I know she's right, but I didn't want to pack. I hate packing for school, especially on the first day. You have to make sure you have a binder for every class, a composition notebook for math and literature, notebook paper, pencils, pens, and anything else that you want to stay in your locker. Not to mention my football gear for afterschool practice, or a band instrument like Melanie has to carry, and a lunchbox too if you bring your own food. It's so much to pack and carry! But at least most of it will stay at school for a while.
I gathered all of my new binders, notebooks, and textbooks. Filling up my pencil pouch with everything I needed, and looked around to double check if I had forgotten anything. When I was satisfied that I had everything for the first day of school, I zipped up the deep blue bag and slung it on my shoulder. As I walked down the stairs with bag in hand, I saw Mom pulling her cheesy masterpiece out of the oven. Oooh, I can't wait to sink my teeth into a nice big slice of heaven.
"Just in time, like I told you," Mom winked. I dropped my school bag next to my football gear in the mudroom and sat down at the table as Mom had set a big slice of pizza in front of me. "Now was that so bad to do?" she asked. I rolled my eyes in response with a smile on my face. She knew she was right and so did I. I topped my pizza with a little parmesan cheese and Mom slid me a glass of water.
We enjoyed our pizza at the table across from each other,