Opening My Eyes

Chapter 1 – Althea

         “Brr, it’s cold,” Natasha shivered in her jacket. “It’s March! Where are the flowers and the sunshine?” Yes, it is the beginning of April, but there is no end to the attacks winter air is whipping us with. I stuffed my hands inside my pockets. Hopefully, they’ll be kept warm.

         “Yes it is cold, but it’s refreshing! Now Mr. Thumb can save his precious chalks and not throw them at our heads to wake us up,” I reminded them about February. At that time, our school was using heaters to warm the classroom up. It was a bit too comforting that students would stretch their arms and sleep peacefully during their tests. That was one reason to why half my class was failing math.

        “Okay, it’s about time to think pessimistically, Aly. How are we to keep warm when we are basically shivering?” Natasha continued on with the disagreement.

      “Time out,” Christina made a ‘T’ sign with her arms. “We are all forgetting about tomorrow.” Tomorrow?

      “Oh yes,” Sabrina suddenly stopped walking and reached into her bag. She took out a piece of paper. “Well, I told you what will happen tomorrow, so this is where we’re going to meet up.”

      “Um, I’m kind of missing the introduction. What’s going to happen,” I coughed a little.

      “I didn’t tell you?” she tried to act shocked. This meant that she planned all of this beforehand. “You know, out high school is all girls, right?”

      “Yeah…”

      “And just around this area is the all boys academy?”

      “And you’re point is…?” I was being slightly frightened about her plan. Yes, it sent shivers down my spine.

      “Well sweetie, we are going meet four of the boys tomorrow. You know, we meet up with them, then we fall in love, and get ourselves some boyfriends.” My eyes were wide open. What! Get ourselves boyfriends? It’s like hooking up with strangers!

      “Sabrina, you know I love you and all, but you know I’m not going to date. It’ll be pointless. You know… I don’t want other people to know…”

      “Come on Althea,” Christina interrupted. “We already told them four of us are coming, not three. It would be really rude to just ditch one guy who did come.”

      “Please?” Natasha pleaded. “Just this once. I won’t ever force you again.”

I stood there, staring at my friends. Unbelievable! They actually planned all of this and trapped me into it? Wow, I love them!

      “Only in one condition,” I crossed my arms. “I get to wear what I want.”

      “I’m afraid about this,” Natasha murmured into the air. “Okay, you can wear whatever you choose to wear. We won’t bug you.”

      “Thanks!” I smiled. I knew exactly what to dress in.



      “I’m home!” I opened my house door and started to untie my shoe laces. Silence. It was a disturbing silence that simply terrified me. This loneliness crept into my skin, injecting me with sadness and grief. Whatever. I’m hungry.

I slid into my bedroom and changed into my casual home clothes. I felt relieved just by wearing my cargo pants and t-shirt because I absolutely detest my school uniform. No offense, but it certainly is not charming. Imagine wearing a bright orange outfit with a mucky blue embroidery on it. Oh prefect! I have a great idea! I dug into my dressing table’s drawer and scrambled through my hair brush and other medicines until I found my knight in shining armor. My glasses. I feel like the there’s sunshine on my shoulder! I just can’t wait till tomorrow!



      Ring, ring, ring. I ran out my bathroom wearing my bathrobe. Nobody is home so it should not make a difference what I wear. My hair was dripping with water and streaming down my checks. Umm, it felt tender.

      “Hello, Althea speaking,” I brought the phone to my ears. I then heard a sigh.

      “Hello?”

      “Hey Aly,” it was Natasha.

      “Hi and what’s wrong,” I sat on the sofa’s handle.

      “I’m just worried about what you’re going to wear tomorrow. Your little uncertainty and smirk on your face has kind of frightened me,” I could feel a smile growing on my face.

      “Natasha, do you believe in true love?”

      “Well, kind of, but it doesn’t really exist.”

      “Well, I don’t even know if it really exists. Whether people love out of pity or the fact that their partner is supreme in some way such as wealth or looks…”

      “What are you trying to say Aly?” Natasha tried to interpret my confusing phisosophy.”

      “I’m trying to say that if I were to get a special guy- which seems lest likely- I want him to love me as me. What I mean to say is, what I dress in shouldn’t make a huge difference to him.”

      “Yeah, sure, love is not based on what you wear, but tomorrow, we are to impress.”

      “Then I’m going to impress him my way,” I could wearing Natasha slapping her head. Yes, I’m very hopeless.

      “Alright then,” Natasha was laughing, “You are right. We love you as you, so for a guy to see you shouldn’t be hard.” Aww, I have the best friends in the world.

      “Oh thank you so much!” I was about to shriek into the phone.

      “By the way, remember to eat, medicine, and check. If you need anything, phone me, okay?”

      “Thanks Natasha! You rock!” and we hung up the phone. My parents are workaholic. I think they do three jobs at once. I rarely see them at home, so you can consider me as a lonely child. However, have you ever heard this quote “A family is a relationship built from birth, friends are the family you make?” Okay, I don’t honestly know the real quote, but I once read it somewhere. I am honestly the luckiest girl alive to have friends like Natasha, Sabrina, and Christina. I ate and did my regular daily routine. Now I have to finish my homework. Blugh!



      Oh, I’ve just realized that I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Althea and I’m an eleventh grader. I am currently 16 years old, but I will turn 17 by mid July. Technically, by July 13. Oh and, my favourite number is 13. Not that my birthday is on the 13th, but the fact that everything good happens to me whenever there is the slightest sign of this wondrous number. Well, it’s time to sleep. Good night.