The rest of the school day seemed to both drag on so slowly, yet rush by so fast, and on the way back to my car I was huffing and puffing due to Physical Education the lesson before. My feet where dragging behind me; Yasmine and I could barely walk to my car.

She could have driven herself, as she got her license at the same time as me, but she didn't have a car. Her mum needed their only car to drive to work, meaning she had to catch the bus to school.

"Trust me," she said on our walk through the parking lot. "You think the school smells bad. It's nothing compared to the stench that reeks inside the bus." I pulled a disgusted face at her, to which she spoke, "geez. I'm just trying to say thanks for letting me catch a ride home with you."

"Yas. Since when I have not let you catch a ride home."

"Hun. You've only had your car for like 2 months."

"I know, but in those 60 days, I've let you have a ride with me on every one."

"You're great for it."

I unlocked the Toyota, and opened the door for Yas. Walking around to the driver's side, I buckled myself in and started the engine. Then, as I was pulling out of the parking lot, Yasmine started the conversation I was hoping she would forget about.

"So, who's the guy?"

"What guy?" I asked, trying to sound innocent and unbothered.

"You know. The hottie who bought us lunch," she said expectantly. I sighed, knowing I couldn't worm my way out of talking about Jake.

"His name is Jacob Cruor. I met him in drama today."

"You guys seemed to get along. Did you talk much?"

"Our teacher wanted someone to be my 'buddy', he was the only one who volunteered, so he sat next to me."

I saw a spark in her eyes. "Oooo, Kay, I think he likes you."

"I doubt it," I blushed, "He was just being nice. He said so himself – he wanted us to have a good first day."

"Yeah, but guys don't just go and buy a random chick lunch. He's into you, and there's no doubt about it. What did you think of him?"

"Well, he's—" What was I supposed to say? Cute? Attractive? Surprisingly Nice? I left Yasmine without an answer, but she managed to decipher my thoughts because she started giggling uncontrollably.

Even though Yas was my best friend, I was relieved to finally drop her off at her place. I didn't want to talk about Jake. I was having a difficult time trying to figure out my own emotions, so I wasn't ready to express them to her just yet.

I turned around and drove back to my house, in deep thought. I wasn't even consciously thinking about anything, instead letting my mind lead inner conversations between my subconscious.

After what seemed like seconds, I was already home, getting out of the Toyota, and sliding my key into the lock on the door. I saw my mum smile as I creaked open the door, and stepped inside.

"How was school today?"

"It was good. My teachers where nice, and my classes are okay."

"Just okay?"

I looked at my mum, and sighed. "I mean, school's school. It isn't any different to how it was back home."

"Well, I suppose. I never particularly enjoyed school myself. Did you make any new friends?"

"I—," I was about to tell mum about Jake, but then I realised that I had only known him for a day. I knew nothing about him, his personality, or how well he did in school. For all I know, he could be some druggy who smokes and gambles, and wastes his money at the local pub.

But I doubted it. Jake seemed like a very nice guy – he was the only one who offered to be my 'buddy' in drama, and he even bought Yasmine and I lunch.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't a creep, but I still knew virtually nothing about him.

"No." I answered finally. "It was just me and Yasmine today."

I could see the slight disappointment forming on my mums face, but she quickly covered it up with a brief smile. "That's okay. I'm sure you'll meet some new people soon enough."

I smiled back, "I'm sure I will. I've got lots of homework to do before dinner, so I'm going to my room." Perhaps my desperation to get away from the situation was a little to obvious.

"Already?" She frowned. "Okay, then. Let me know if you need any help."

"Thanks, Mum."

I jumped the stairs three at a time, and flung open the door to my bedroom. My bed was in the middle of the bedroom, with greyish-blue paint behind it. I surveyed the messy bed I hadn't bothered to make this morning, and sighed when I saw all the clothes scattered on the floor from the trying-on-everything-I-own marathon earlier.

I sighed in frustration; now I had homework and cleaning to do.

Turning left towards my desk, I sat on my desk chair, and sunk into the foam under my legs. It was only now I realised just how tired I was. Just as I allowed myself to close my eyes for a few minutes, a sudden buzz startled me.

My phone was in my backpack, so I dug around for it before seeing Yasmine's name pop up on the screen.

Hey, what are you writing for the Shakespeare homework? It read.

No idea. I'm just about to start it.

Do you think I could get away with a sudden broken wrist?

Mr. Martin doesn't look like the type to be easily fooled, unfortunately. Although, I do think 1000 words is a bit excessive for the first day.

Yeah, but you gotta remember that it's not everyone's first day. Just ours.

I know. But Mr. Martin could have spared us.

He doesn't seem like the type of bloke to be nice to anyone. Did you see the way he looked at us when we walked in?

Obviously. He was trying to kill us with his eyes.

LOL. Listen, can you call?

I sighed, and as much as I really wanted to talk to Yasmine, I had too much homework to do. And I already knew how this conversation was going to turn. She was going to question me about Jake. So not happening. I felt guilt churn in my stomach as I made up a believable excuse.

Sorry, Yas. My mum is being strict about homework. I wouldn't want to be caught calling – I'm not even supposed to be texting right now. I gotta go, bye.

Oh, okay that's fine. See you tomorrow.

I sent her a thumbs up emoji, before turning my phone on silent, and switching on my laptop.

The first thing I did was pull open a blank word document, but all I did was stare blankly at it for a few minutes.

Sighing softly, I typed random letters and phrases on my laptop, hoping to kick-start an idea for my homework essay thingy. Usually, I was on top of all my school work, but today my brain was broken. Just as an idea seemed to come into view, Jacobs burning eyes cut into my vision and distracted me.

I wasn't going to get anywhere just staring at my screen and thinking of a guy I'd only just met, so I huffed in immense frustrated and slammed the laptop screen hard. I winced. Hopefully mum didn't hear that.

I collapsed onto my messy bed with a sigh, sinking into the familiar softness of my sheets. The cool fabric pressed against my cheek, soothing and inviting. Without a second thought, I slipped under the covers, pulling them over my head like a cocoon. The world outside could wait—right now, all I wanted was the quiet comfort of my bed.

I knew I should probably go downstairs and ask my mother for help, but the idea of moving felt impossible. My eyelids grew heavier, and before I could fight it, sleep pulled me under.

When I woke up, the soft glow of the afternoon was gone, replaced by an endless stretch of darkness beyond my curtains. I bolted upright, only to be hit with a dizzying wave of disorientation. Blinking away the haze of sleep, I tried to piece together what had happened.

I had only meant to rest for a few minutes—just close my eyes, nothing more. But as I turned to check the clock, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. 1:30. Not in the afternoon. The next morning.

Just great.

And I still had a 1,000-word essay to write.

Cursing myself for falling asleep, I jumped out of bed and crossed the room in one stride, dropping into my chair. With a flick of my wrist, I flipped open my laptop and pressed the power button, bracing myself for a long, miserable night of writing.

But when the screen lit up, I froze.

There it was—a fully written essay, exactly 1,000 words. Perfectly structured, flawless grammar, not a single mistake in sight.

My heart pounded as I scanned through the document, my mind racing for an explanation. Had I somehow written it in my sleep? Was this some bizarre prank?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a small, handwritten note stuck to my desk.

Flicking on the lamp, I leaned in to read it, a slow smile forming on my lips.

I came into your room to check on your progress
and saw you were asleep. I knew you had an essay due - Yas's
mum told me - so I decided you must be exhausted
from school. I hope you don't mind that I wrote it for you - mum xxx

I felt a grateful squeeze in my stomach. My eyes glanced down to the bottom of the note.

                                         P.S. There's some left-over spaghetti in the fridge, in case youwake up hungry.

I placed the note carefully on my desk, opened my door, and headed down stairs for dinner. I walked into the kitchen – a rather tight space with barley enough room for two people – and opened the fridge. It was packed with food, and I scoped out a red Tupperware container filled to the brim with spaghetti. My favourite. I placed it in the microwave, heated it for two minutes, then walked over to the kitchen table to eat.

After my extremely late – or early I suppose – dinner, I tip-toed back up the stairs being careful not to wake my mum. Sprawling in bed again, I closed my eyes and slept for the rest of the morning.

At exactly 8:00, my alarm clock screamed for me to get up, and I willingly accepted. I felt fully rested due to my long, 13-hour slumber.

In the kitchen, I poured myself a bowl of cereal, and thought about school today. Against all reason, I was excited to see Jake again. I desperately wanted to know what he was actually like – after all I couldn't make assumptions about a guy I'd just met. Today, I would see how he truly was before I made up my mind about him.

In my bedroom, I hurried through my morning routine—brushing my teeth, dragging a comb through my tangled hair, and pulling on an emerald-green tank top with white cargo pants. I skipped the jewellery for the day but slipped on my usual sneakers.

By 8:30, I was completely ready for school. I hugged my mum goodbye, grabbed my bag, and slid into my car, ready to take on the day.