When you’re in high school it feels like you’ve been in high school your entire life. Remembering being a kid makes you slightly sad and thinking about your future makes you very scared. Layla was a girl who up until high school was minding her own business. She wasn’t bullied and she didn’t want to avoid others, she just naturally kept to herself. She grew up as an only child with two parents in a home just big enough for the three of them and a cat they’ve had since she was 6. She was good at studying and she used a lot of her time on it so her grades were towards the top of the class. It was her third year of high school and time had come to choose a representative for her class. She was recommended but had no plans to agree to it. Everyone else was too lazy and not dedicated enough so teachers and student council begged her to be the representative. She thought it was easier to agree than to make them at a loss for no reason. So she gained new responsibility as the class rep. The first student meeting was coming up and she was very level headed. On her way towards the meeting classroom, she got called out to.
“Uh excuse me!” An unknown voice called. “Can you lend me a hand over here?”
Layla looked around for the voice until she turned to see down the hall of her right was a student carrying a bunch of boxes. She trotted towards him and took some of the boxes off of his hands. He sighed in relief. With some boxes out of the way, his face was more visible. Layla had recognized him. He was the student council president, ever since freshman year. They were in the same grade but they’ve never had a class together. His grades were better than hers and his name could always be seen a few rows above Layla’s in the school ranking charts. He was a few inches taller than she was and wore an expensive looking watch.
“Thanks, Layla,” he said. It was no surprise he knew who she was because he has to be socially aware. The school was somewhat prestigious so his position was considered important.
“No problem” Layla responded while following slightly behind him to the meeting room. She often came across as cold or mean because of how she never smiled unless she had something to smile about and she made it sound like she didn’t want to talk to you, but she just didn’t know how.
“I’m really grateful you accepted to being the representative, I know our class isn’t really excited about these things, it’s like someone drained us of school spirit or something” he laughed. “We haven’t introduced ourselves but I know how much pressure we put on you to be the representative. I’d shake your hand but that’ll have to wait” he nervously grinned. “My name is Ashton Zander, but I want to get along with you so you can call me Ash if you want” he looked forward waiting for a response.
“Okay,” Layla nodded. She didn’t have a small voice and she wasn’t shy. She stood at 5’3 with long dark hair that reached her elbows. Her eyes were dark as well as slightly slanted like she was always half asleep. She was thin but healthy. She had an earring on one ear even though both of her ears were pierced because she lost the other one when she was small. It was a small blue gem that wasn’t too expensive but definitely pricey, especially because her parents weren’t the wealthiest couple, but did their best to spoil Layla when they could. Despite their doting on Layla as a child, she was very modest and quiet.
Finally, they both made it to the meeting room and many other members made teasings about the president being late to the first meeting. Ashton nervously laughed as he and Layla set down the boxes near the front and he began setting up the meeting. The boxes contained samples of spirit items to be sold at the homecoming rally. He started by apologizing for being late and explains what they would be doing with the boxes. Then the meeting began and although Layla was new she adapted quickly and tried to be as involved as she could without overstepping her place as a newbie. Most of the members were seniors and there were few freshman and sophomores but the second majority was the juniors.
The meeting ended and it was time to go home. Layla packed her stuff and headed out the door but Ashton asked her to stay for a few minutes. Layla waited for Ashton to finish cleaning up and he talked to her about the meeting.
“Sorry” he panted. “You probably have to head home I just wanted to let you know you did great today. I was worried you’d be lost or embarrassed to speak up but I’m glad you got through it. If you ever have any questions don’t be afraid to ask me or other council members that make you comfortable” he smiled
Layla listened to his advice quietly and thanked him as she headed to the school exit. Ashton was a bit hesitant about approaching Layla. He always tried to keep his business smile on and wanted to get along with everyone but Layla was a different kind of quiet because she wasn’t quiet for a reason. Ashton was much better at dealing with loud rowdy kids with attitude but he did not want to avoid Layla. In his heart, he was truly kind although he came across as distant because he treated classmates like co-workers that he had to keep in line while using a friendly tactic. He came from a wealthier family and his father was a nice man who laughed a lot and was very good at business. His mother was slightly harsh but they loved each other. Ashton has two older brothers and a younger sister, so although he was expected to be able to accomplish a lot, his brothers had already reached a lot of tops to live up to their last names that held the power that others didn’t want to have.
Layla made it home an hour later than usual. Her mom was still at work but her dad was home. He asked in a concerned voice why she was late. She explained there was a meeting but she didn’t know how late she would be so from now on she might come home around the same time. She apologized and said in the future she’ll try to be more diligent with letting them know if she’s busy with school activities. Her dad was relieved and thanked her. He was a stay at home worker. They prepared dinner together and finished just in time for mom to come home from work. The three of them ate together while watching tv and talking about their day in small comments and reassuring words.
After dinner, Layla went to her room to finish school work. Her mom went to bed and her dad stayed up a bit longer to clean and get a little work done. Morning came and the day started over. There is a saying that every day is a new day but to Layla, the days were just repeating and she felt slightly empty and wasted. Now that she was a representative there was a slight change in her daily life which was better than nothing. Layla never needed an alarm clock because she always woke up on time. Even is she was late her father would wake her up in time but he almost to never did. She was a gentle waker. She also didn’t toss in the morning, once her eyes were open she sat up until she gained consciousness and got ready for school. Her mom left for work before she woke up every day and her dad always had breakfast made in time for her to eat.
Ashton had a different schedule for waking up. He always wanted to be at school early to get a lot of work done or to be available in case someone needed him for something. He woke up earlier than Layla and also had breakfast made, although his parents weren’t the ones making it. His father was at work every day at around practically the break of dawn, he was a hard worker as well. His mother might’ve still been sleeping or she was getting ready for an event that she had planned. In today’s case, she had nothing planned so as he ate breakfast she still slept. His brothers were at work early as well although not as early as his father. His younger sister ate with him and then he helped her get dressed for school. Although their father was in the upper class, they didn’t have butlers or anything. They had a chauffeur and a maid but none like in the movies. These workers came, did their job, and left as if they weren't supposed to be seen. Not that they weren’t friendly, they just didn’t bother staying longer than they needed. Ashton’s little sister, Amy, did have a nanny but she only came after school. After helping Amy get dressed she sat in the living room watching cartoons while Ashton got himself ready for school. Then Layla walked the same path every day to school, while Ashton and Amy were driven on whatever path had less traffic. This was the contrast in their schedules just for the morning. These two had a lot to do with each other but how long before they became a part of one another’s daily life.
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