"For the love of God, stop screaming!" I groaned out loud with my eyes still shut. I stretched out my hand, trying to reach my stupid phone to shut it off, but it ended up falling on the ground with a loud thud.
"Perfect." I threw my sheets away from my body in anger and picked up my phone from the floor to see a small crack on the top left corner and the name of my best friend blinking on the screen.
"Lucy, it's Sunday!" I almost yelled at her as soon as I answered her call. I hated when someone interrupted my sleep, especially on a Sunday.
"Good morning to you too, sunshine!" she replied in a sarcastic tone, and I rolled my eyes.
"You better have a good reason for calling me," I yawned, falling back on my bed, pushing my chestnut brown hair away from my face.
"School is starting tomorrow, and we're officially seniors now. We need to go shopping, Ri."
"You mean you need to go shopping," I replied lazily, trying to get back under the covers.
"Riley Adams, you better get out of your bed. I'm going to be there in, like, fifteen minutes to drag your lazy ass to the mall." She cut the call without waiting for my reply. I loved that girl to bits, but she drove me insane sometimes.
After much struggle, I got out of my tiny bed and took a quick shower. I put on my ripped jeans and favorite Gryffindor hoodie, then threw my hair up in a bun before heading downstairs to see my dad reading a newspaper on the couch.
"Wow, you're up early. It is Sunday, right?" he asked in a doubtful tone and adjusted his specs to check the date on the paper just to be sure.
"Lucy is making me go shopping with her again," I whined, grabbing a bowl from the kitchen and a box of cereal from the shelves.
"But that's great, right? It is about time you bought some new clothes for yourself," he stated and reached for his wallet to give me some money.
"I'm not going to buy anything for myself, Dad. And what's wrong with my clothes?" I pouted, looking down at my cute hoodie.
"They're very cool, sweetheart, but if you ever feel like buying new clothes at all, I want you to ask me for money. Please don't hesitate." He smiled at me warmly, and I sighed, walking towards him with my bowl of cereal.
"I know, Dad, but I'm fine."
"Alright then. I'm going to head out to the store to pick up a few things for dinner. Lock the door before you leave, okay?" He kissed my forehead and got up to leave.
"Okay."
It was just me and my dad. My mom was not in the picture. She and my dad got divorced when I was five years old. She left him for another guy, and we were no longer in touch with her, nor did she try to stay in touch with us.
My dad was a carpenter. Even though he was paid decently, it was not enough, so I took a part-time job at the library near my school. He tried so hard to talk me out of it as he didn't like me juggling work and school at the same time, but obviously, I won in the end. I could be stubborn as hell sometimes.
For now, we were able to pay the bills, but I was worried about college. I was just an average student, so getting a scholarship was totally out of the question. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Coming," I shouted, placing the half-eaten bowl of cereal on the coffee table in front of me and rushing to get the door. I came face to face with my best and only friend in the whole wide world.
Lucy Wilson!
She was the exact opposite of me: Beautiful. Smart. Rich. Literally every guy in our school had a huge crush on her. Sometimes, I wondered why she even hung out with a loser like me. She never showed off her wealth or acted like a bitch, unlike other rich girls. That was one of the reasons I liked her so much. We had been friends since first grade.
"Shall we?" she chirped enthusiastically, dangling her car keys in front of my face as I shut the door behind me.
"Yeah, but give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!"
"Because you love me, babe." She winked, getting inside her car, and I climbed inside the front seat, buckling my seatbelt.
"I hate you, Wilson. You owe me," I mumbled, sinking into the back of the seat, and soon we were on the road.
"Stop whining, Ri. It's going to be fun."
"Fun for you. Boring for me."
"Let's get you new clothes too. Something hot and sexy. It's senior year, Ri, and you're still a virgin," she whispered the last part, making me scowl.
"Do I look like I care?" I asked with a shrug, but she paid me no mind.
"Well, I care, and as your best friend, it's my duty to make sure you get a boyfriend this year. You are so getting laid before we head off to college," she stated firmly.
Easy for her to say, she was dating Andrew Simmons on the swim team, and he was the perfect guy. They had been dating for almost a year now.
"I have more important things on my plate, Lu," I spoke quietly, and she sighed heavily beside me.
"I told you that my parents are more than willing to pay for you to go to college, babe. You can pay them back when you start making real money." She pouted, but I shook my head firmly.
"No way! I've told you a million times, I'm not okay with that. I'll just find a way to earn some extra bucks and save up for college," I explained, looking out the window.
"It's really hard to convince your stubborn ass sometimes," she muttered under her breath, but I was already lost in my thoughts.
***
"What about this one?" she asked, coming out of the dressing room in a purple skirt.
"Ew! No way." I grimaced, and she gave me a dirty look.
We had been at this for more than three hours, but finally, she ended up buying the dress that she and I picked out first.
"Who are you texting?" I asked as we walked towards McDonald's. I was starving.
"Andrew. He just got back from vacation, and I can't wait to see him." She sounded excited, and I smiled at her. They both were so cute together.
The thought of a boyfriend did excite me sometimes. I mean, I wasn't completely boring. I had been on a date or two, but obviously, it didn't end well.
I wasn't the type that guys usually went for. I was a nerdy girl who wore hoodies and baggy clothes, and honestly, I was much more comfortable this way. I wanted a guy to like me for who I was, and I didn't want to change myself just to get a boyfriend.
"Yo, Adams! Still can't afford to buy some decent clothes at the mall?" I heard a familiar yet irritating voice call out from behind me. Turning around, I saw the most annoyingly perfect face, one that I absolutely loathed.
Tristan fucking Harris!
Captain of the football team. Popular. Handsome. Annoying. Cocky. Arrogant as hell.
I hated him to the core. It all started in seventh grade when he began picking on me for no reason at all, and it just kept getting worse from there. Every popular guy needed a target to show off his coolness in front of others, and I guess I was Tristan's.
"Fuck off, Tristan. Leave her alone," Lucy spat at him, but he just laughed along with his friends as they kept walking towards us.
"Always a pleasure, Adams. Can't wait to make fun of you at school tomorrow." He smirked, and I flipped him off as he walked past me with his stupid friends.
"God, I hate that stupid jerkface," I grumbled while Lucy placed an arm around my shoulders.
"Don't mind him, babe. Just one more year."
"Yeah, let's go home. I've completely lost my appetite," I sulked, pulling her towards the exit.