Ronan Malone

I was on the verge of falling to pieces. Honestly, it felt like I might. I could nearly hear my heart cracking into tiny little shards. A million of them. Every possible feeling crashed over me, but one rose louder than all the others, Misery. And it was all because Monday had arrived. That awful day that started another entire week of school? What else was there to cry over? I absolutely hated dragging myself up that early--for any of it--with every ounce of my being. It wasn't as though senior year at Blackridge High was torture to get through. I didn't get bullied or have to deal with those typical mean girls (girls who had no clue what they were doing with their own life choices) or awful teachers. It just wasn't my thing. I liked sleeping late. I liked staying curled beneath my duvet more than anything. Except cupcakes, obviously. Which was probably the only reason I ever hauled myself out of bed. "Lily, I swear, you've got one minute." Ben warned over the phone. "You have exactly sixty seconds to get downstairs before I eat every one of these cupcakes myself." That might've been the most malicious thing I'd ever heard come out of Ben's mouth. And he was meant to be my best friend! One second all I wanted was to sleep for the rest of the entire century, and the next I was being blackmailed into digging through my closet for a decent outfit. After settling on a sweater (one that looked somewhat washed out) and a pair of jeans, I bolted downstairs and out of the house without saying any goodbyes. Not that I had anyone at all to say bye to. Both of my parents were insanely dedicated lawyers, which meant they woke up ridiculously early and came home sometime after midnight. Sometimes they just didn't come back at all, travelling to towns or cities over without even giving me any warning. I never complained, though. My parents and I had this...setup where I never asked for their time, and they never asked much of me either. Just good grades, so long as they got me into med school. Which, honestly, kept giving me nightmares every now and then. "You're such an elephant for cupcakes," Ben asked as I dropped into the passenger seat. "Why were you so slow?"