Adrianna

Adrianna woke up to the sound of her alarm. “Huh Jeez” Adrianna mumbled and turned off the alarm, which fell to the floor as she reached for it. She sat up on her bed and mumbled “Great, now it’s broken too”. She stepped down from her bed and sluggishly entered the bathroom. The bathroom had broken tiles and a broken mirror. “Ahh!! Why is the water cold?” Adrianna exclaimed as she turned on the shower in her bathroom. She shivered as she came out dressed in a baggy top and faded jeans. “Gosh, everything in this house is broken,” she complained as she entered the living room. “Morning Mom”. She slumped on the kitchen stool and stared at the cold cereal before her. “Sorry sweetheart, that’s all I can afford for now,” Laura said sadly to her daughter. “It’s okay Mom,” Adrianna responded and started eating the cereal. “Umm Mom, the water heater is broken,” She said between her chewing. “No, it’s not. I turned it off,” Laura said as she washed dishes. “Oh, come on Mom. The dishwasher is broken, the washing machine only works part-time, and the car is nothing to talk about”. She whined “Honey, I’m sorry, okay, I’m trying my best, but I’m not making enough money to cater for us. I’m just trying to save money, okay”, Laura said as she dried her hands with a dishcloth. “Look Adri,” She put her hand on her hips and faced Adrianna. “If you want me to turn it back on, I will do it right now.” “No it’s fine Mom, I understand,” Adrianna said as she stood up to leave for school. “Bye Mom, I’ll see you later,” she said as she opened the apartment door. “Adri wait,” Laura said as she came over and pecked her on the check. “I love you, you know right,” She said, stroking Adrianna’s hair. “I know, and I love you too, Mom”, Adrianna smiled and went out the door. Her mom, Laura Harmon, raised her independently after her dad left her when she was 2. She didn’t even know who her dad was, and her mom always avoided the topic. So, growing up, she learned not to talk about it. As she entered the crowded hallway of Spring High, she couldn’t help but be grateful that this was their last day of school. She had hated the school for as long as she could remember, but she had to continue going there because it was the only private school that allowed her mom to pay the fees in installments. Spring High was what someone could say ‘The public private school’. The owner of the school was barely around. Therefore, the school had been mismanaged for years. Adrianna checked her battered phone and saw a text from one of her best friends, Faith Lim, telling her to meet them at their normal place. She then found her way to the shade of a tree away from the students. “Hey Adri,” Jace said. Jace Newman was the son of Famous Director Ted Newman and also one of Adrianna’s best friends. “Hey guys”, Adri sat right next to Faith Lim. Faith was from the prominent Lim family. Her mom owned a chain of beauty salons and her dad owned one of the biggest companies in the state. Faith herself was a dancer who was already very famous. “I can’t wait for summer break to start tomorrow,” Adrianna said, noticing her friends' gloomy faces. She asked “What’s wrong guys?” “Umm Adri, we have something to tell you,” Jace said. “I’m listening,” Adri said. “Umm, our parents are transferring us to West Country High for high school,” Faith said. “Great,” Adri said in her head. “I have to survive high school without my best friends” But she knew that the only reason why they were still in the school was because their parents had a good relationship with the school’s owner, but now that the owner was retiring, they had no reason to retain their children in the school. West Country High was the best private school in LA. The school was an elite school which was attended by celebrities and prominent people. Adrianna had always wanted to go there since she was little, but it was way too expensive. “Those are wonderful guys. I’m so happy for you guys,” She said, forcing a smile. “Are you sure?” Jace asked tentatively to check if she was sad or not. “Of course, I’m sure at least you guys get to leave this dump of a school, she said, looking around.” “ And we will see each other during weekends, so it’s not that bad” She reassured them. “Okay, but I am going to miss seeing you every day,” Faith said, hugging Adrianna. “Hey, you girls are leaving me out,” Jace said, joining the hug. “Okay so let’s go collect our report cards and get the hell out of this school,” Adrianna said, standing up and leading her friends toward the school grounds. “What a way to start summer,” she said to herself. *************************************************** Adrianna walked down the hallway to her apartment door and saw that it was unlocked. “Hmm, maybe mom’s home,” she said to herself and opened the door. “Mom, I’m home” she announced, dropping her bag on the couch and moving towards the kitchen. “Mom”. She called again “Mom!!!!!!” She screamed and rushed to the kitchen floor where her mom was lying on the floor motionless with blood coming out of her mouth. “Mom!!!, wake up, wake up!!” She shouted. “Someone help please” she screamed. “Mom!!!” She finally managed to dial 911, and they arrived within minutes, taking her mom in an ambulance with Adrianna at the back crying uncontrollably. ***************************************************