[IC] Promise of an eventful Future

[Twinklemoon]

''I've got it relatively easy. It was not always the case, but that is what made me so open to what happens around me. During my time growing up I've seen people going through all kind of problems, but that is part of life. I think what a person goes through is what defines that person, let it be bad or good. People say that some person grow to be bad because of this or that thing he or she lived in their life, but I don't think it's the experience itself that makes someone good or bad. It's the people around them.

---

Lindsey was sitting in the school's cafe, yet so many books were opened on the small, round table she was sitting at that the coffee she bought hours ago could hardly find itself a place among all this mess. She never had been truly gifted for class, despite her relatively good grades, Lindsey needed to study harder than most for it to get through her head. Her parents were having great hopes for her and she was the one who convinced them to let her stay in a public school instead of sending her off to a private college. They were refusing at first, but decided to change their minds after seeing how insistent she were. The only condition was that she continue having high grades and study hard to not disappoint them. Refusing to change school and lose what friends she had here, Lindsey accepted...but never would she have imagined how hard it would have been.

''Ugh...Are my friends worth that much of a headache?'' She told herself out loud while letting her forehead drop on the book she was stuck on for the last fifteen minutes or so. She was, of course, sarcastic. Lindsey was a loving person, which was the reason she refused to change school. It was a ridiculous problem that, at her age, she shouldn't even be concerned with. Despite knowing how silly it was, Lindsey could hardly just clap fingers together and change who she was. That was also a fact she accepted long ago.

''Hey there Lindy!'' a girl voice said from behind her, soon a friendly hand landing on her shoulder while the newcomer went around the studying girl's table, all smiling. She was Kimberly, one of Lindsey's best friend. ''Still studying? You need to give it a rest and take some time for yourself, you know.''

''Kim, not now...I'm not nearly as ready as I need to be for next week's finals...pleeaase.'' She said with a smile. Her friend too often tried to break her concentration and make her hang out, but it hardly worked. ''You've got it easy, you never need to study to get great grades. You know that I'll be put in another college if I get bad grades so drop it.''

''Lindsey, dear, you've been studying ALL week. Today is Friday, why can't you drop it just for now? There's still all week end left after that! Tonight we could go out.''

Lindsey sighed and rolled eyes. Kimberly was not one to drop it easily, which probably was the reason they remained so close up to this day. With Lindsey's thick head, she needed a friend to take care of her. ''You won't drop it until I come with you, right? And you'll make sure I can't concentrate?''

''Yup.''

Lindsey sighed and closed her book. ''Alright then...I hate you.'' then began packing her things to leave the cafe. Both friends just laughed at Kimberly's success while leaving the cafe. It's true that one needed rest once in a while, after all. They would probably be heading towards downtown to a restaurant of some sort or a club, or both seeing as Kimberly was one person who loved to hang out.

[Pathas]

Fairy tales always lie. There is no happy ending, and there sure isn’t any prince charming coming to save the damsel. No. Reality is a mixture of used and being used. Disappointment of those closet to you. Everything. Dad walked out a long time ago, and mom could careless, drowning her days in toxic alcohol. If only people could relish the fact that they’re still alive.

One day, I will teach all of them that.

Petra sat behind a desk. Her brows arched in concentration. She was finishing up her chemistry lab as the time to the lab’s finish neared. The burner and vials were all in use as she scribbled on her notepad. The other students present were all colluding answers between groups. The cheating bastards. Even though they received decent marks on the lab portion, their exams were far below the average. Petra knew. Though many were embarrassed to share their grades, the spoke at a volume to their friends, which brokered eavesdropping. How annoying.

“This is impossible!” Rick, one of her lab partners, stabbed his pencil against his page. He looked disinterested. “I don’t get it. If this is an introductory course, why does the professor make the work impossible. Jesus, I can’t take this.”

Petra frowned as she completed the balanced equation. She moved onto writing the results.

“It’s a weed out course for a reason,” said Amy, the final member of the lab group. “How’s it going Petra?”

“Nearly finished.”

Rick looked her way, his eyes alight. “Seriously? You sure what you did’s correct?”

“Mostly,” she said. “If you actually tried to help, you’d see it for yourself.”

“I try. I’m just not good at this … crap.”

Petra looked up. She hated Rick from the start. He reminded her of the woman that she called mom. Day in, day out, she’d just drink and smoke. Petra never went back to visit if she could help it. It depressed her too much to see how useless her mom had become. Mom was an anchor that brought her into a reminisce. She wished dad were still here. Everything fell apart after he passed away from the accident.

Before anything else could be said, the TA at the front announced that time was up. Petra got up as she began to clean the tools on the table. She saw Rick look at her notes. The sudden urge to snatch them away and yell at the guy boiled in her body. But why did it matter? Like all the other mediocre students in the room, he’d do bad overall in the long run. What difference would it make if he copied what she had on her lab report.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Amy said as she closed her lab book and began to disconnect the bunsen burner. “Any plans tonight?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Petra said as she washed the chemicals out.

Amy smiled. “Let’s do something then.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

---

“Why do you let him do it?”

Petra was sitting on her bed reading from one of her books. Amy had come over to her dorm room. Surprisingly, she got a single — a rarity for a freshmen.

“No harm done to me. I’d like to avoid talking to that guy as much as possible. He rubs me the wrong way.”

Amy ruffled her warm, hazel, brown hair. “You’re always so blunt Petra.”

“Don’t see a reason to be otherwise.”

“Want to go out?”

Petra looked up from her book. “Excuse me?”

“Heard there’s something going on downtown. It sounds fun, don’t you think?”

“Amy?”

“Yes?”

She shut the book and tossed it on her bedside table. “I’m getting dorm fever. Lets go.”

[Twinklemoon]

Lindsey had been in her friend's car for quite some time while they headed for the center of town. She actually remained silent, lost in her own thoughts, while staring at the lights speeding by on the sides of the road. It was a scene took straight out of an 80's movie or something, which did not escape Kimberly.

''Lindy, sweetheart, what's the deal here. You seem to be in another world.''

Lindsey snapped out of it as she heard her friend speaks. Truth was, she had been thinking a lot lately about a whole lot of things. The girl always had been greatly affected by the world around her to a point where it could become negative for her, almost dangerous for her lifestyle. Kim knew it and tried her best to keep her best friend's mind busy and entertained.

''I'm sorry, Kim, it's nothing really. You know me, I'm just stressed about the exams and all. I don'T know how you can be so calm every time...''

Kimberly laughed it off. She knew all too well that Lindsey knew how much studies were not important to her. She didn't try, but managed to get good grades. Kim interest was towards partying, mostly. Most people would wonder why the heck a girl like Lindsey was best friend with someone like Kimberly, but some things could hardly be given an answer to. Even Lindsey wondered, and every time the question popped up in her mind she would smile and realize there was absolutely no reason. They had been friends forever. If there was one person in who she had total trust, it was Kimberly. Her attitude did not matter in the scale.

''Yeah well...I'm not. Calm, I mean. You sure you know me all that well, Lindy? I mean, we are going at one of my favorite place, and that's a club downtown so.'' She said jokingly. Both laughed as Kim pulled over and stopped the car. Both friends got out and walked a little while until they finally reached it. The place seemed fairly popular and there was a lot of people, as well as a waiting line to get in. Being a regular, Kim managed to talk her way in VIP style. The music inside was loud, too loud for Lindsey's tastes but she promised her friend to be with her. She might as well try to enjoy it.

Despite not being her style, she danced along way her friend for a while before she finally left the crowd and sat down at a table, looking around and feeling out of place. It took a few minutes before Kimberly noticed her friend disappeared and for her to find the stubborn girl.

''Lindsy, what are you doing? Come on!'' she yelled through the music. Lindsey knew better than to try and answer with words, there was no way she'd scream it would be a waste of time. She instead shook her head in denial and motioned something about her leaving very soon. At least she was going to, but at the same moment Kimberly seemed as if she had spotted a ghost. Kim looked closer and smiled as she put her hand on another girl's shoulder, yelling over the music yet again;

''Amy?! Is that you?!'' It seemed like she had met with someone she knew.