Taking a rip from her bong one more time this morning, Lilith flopped back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling while trying to find any motivation to go to school today.
Liberty would be merging with Rosefell. That meant that every face from middle school that she never wanted to see again would be floating around the halls of Rosefell like weird Prada wearing ghosts. Marcos. Juno. The Zabrecky’s. The school was going to be packed. Why couldn’t Liberty merge with Abernathy High?
Why was Lilith being subjected to this hell?
Enough dwelling on how much she didn’t want to deal with it.
”Might as well go ahead and get Senior year over with. When I graduate that means I can pack my shit and move away from this fuck-stick town.” With a groan, Lilith hit shuffle on her Spotify playlist before rummaging through her dresser looking for something to wear. As the familiar sound of
Red Hot Chili Peppers filled the room, Lilith took another hit from her bong before resuming her search for clothing. She wasn’t worried about impressing the Liberty kids. They could suck her metaphorical dick for all she cared. Lilith just wanted to be cute and comfy for the day.
Settling on her favorite
Nirvana shirt, Lilith slipped it on over her head. Grabbing a pair of fishnet leggings and denim shorts, Lilith tucked her shirt in before glancing in the full length mirror that she had hanging on the back of her bedroom door. There was something missing… Something else that today's outfit needed…
”Chunky black belt? Yes please.” Once dressed, Lilith tried her best to make sure she had everything that she needed in her book bag for the day. Grabbing her rolling tray, Lil sat down on the edge of her bed and began rolling herself a blunt. This was part of her normal morning routine. Get high, shower, get dressed, roll a fatty and go to school. Her routine hadn’t failed her yet, so there was absolutely no point in changing things up.
Once she had packed her things, Lilith picked up some of the dirty laundry scattering the floor and tossed it in the clothes hamper before heading downstairs.
“Good morning, love,” her mother called cheerfully from the kitchen. “Do you need me to drive you to school this morning?”
”Nah. I’m not that high yet,” Lil responded, taking her spot on the living room couch.
Her grandfather chuckled. “Looking forward to your first day back?” he asked.
”Not really,” she replied, her expression going sour.
“Oh come on.” John was doing his best to raise his granddaughter's spirits, and you could tell it by his tone of voice. “You get to meet up with some old friends, meet a few new ones… It’ll be fine.”
”I appreciate the reassurance, Gramps, but… I just ain’t feeling it.” With a sigh, the old man turned to the next page in his newspaper. “Heard.”
“Lilith, baby, did you want anything to eat? I have pancakes.” Claire’s voice rang out from the kitchen once more, the mention of pancakes lightning her daughters mood ever so slightly.
”I’ll take two with peanut butter!” “Got the munchies again, eh?” John asked, smirking at Lilith from over his news paper.
”Me? Munchies? Never.” Getting up from the couch, Lilith grabbed her pancakes from her mother before pouring herself a small glass of milk. Checking the time on her phone, Lilith’s eyes widened.
”Fuck. I gotta go.” Shoving the last of the pancakes in her mouth, Lilith gave her mother a quick hug.
”Love you guys,” she shouted before closing the front door behind her.
In the back of her mind, Lilith knew that she shouldn’t be driving. That’s why she did the responsible thing and took the bus. Her hair now mostly dry from her shower, Lilith tossed it up in a messy bun before boarding her stinky bright yellow chariot. Taking a seat right behind the driver, Lilith put in her earbuds and cranked up her music.
The ride from her house to Rosefell was short, meaning that Lilith didn’t have to spend much time on the bus. Rather that was a good thing this morning, she didn’t know. Normally it would be, but with each stop as they got closer and closer to the school, her anxiety rose. At least she knew the person that she was showing around. Sort of.
Juno had always been one of the girls that Lilith was too scared to approach in middle school, but exchanged a few friendly hello’s with. Then there was the whole thing with Marcos. Lilith cringed just thinking about it. Would Juno recognize her? Would Lilith recognize Juno? Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
As the school bus opened its doors, Lilith was one of the first students to exit the yellow hell. She could make a beeline for her and Ellie’s usual spot, or she could be a good mentor and go look for Juno. Lilith reluctantly chose the latter.
Doubting that any of the Liberty kids would have taken the bus, Lilith decided to make her way over to the school parking lot. If she failed to find Juno there, then she would make her way back over to the entrance to the school. Spotting Spike’s Charger, Lilith decided she’d head over that way first so that she could check in on her friend before embarking on her quest. Once she was about twenty feet away, Lilith shouted at the young man.
”Yo Spike! What’s up, dude?!” There were two girls standing nearby, but from what Lilith could tell, she didn’t recognize either of them - at least not from this far away. Maybe they were Liberty kids?
Only one way to find out.