I sighed. It was 6:00 A.M. Monday morning, a full hour before my alarm would go off. I had been awake since 5:30, having been woken up for unknown reasons, and couldn't fall back to sleep. I never seemed to learn my lesson. I had stayed up too late last night, once again, though I knew I'd have to get up for school the next morning. I'd be tired today, for sure.

It was always something or other that kept me up – watching a good movie, reading a good book, surfing the internet… Last night, I had decided to see The Godfather for the second time. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Really! I had been meaning to see it again, and OK, I guess I could have started it a little earlier than 11:00 PM, particularly when it was a three hour movie. And, I guess I could have only seen half of it and not stayed up so late. Oh well. It's a moot point now.

It was now 6:05 A.M. 6:05 A.M. Monday morning, August 18, the first day back to school after summer break. I was 16, a junior this year, but I'd be graduating come May. I had been informed by my academic advisor that I'd have the option of graduating a year early due to two solid years of taking AP classes whenever I could and extra coursework. Really, I started taking AP classes in eighth grade. I wasn't looking forward to this year though, mainly because I had stupid Calculus to take. It was the last math course I'd have to take prior to graduation. I hated math. It sucked badly.

I should have used the extra time I had this morning to get ready for school, but instead I spent the next hour looking at news on the internet, but I had managed to yell bye to Dad who needed to be to work by 7:00. He worked for the state. Most of the time, I wasn't even up by the time he left. I never really said goodbye to either of my parents in the morning. That was alright, though, I'd see them soon enough in the evening.

I must have forgotten about the time, because I let out a small yelp when I noticed it was 7:15. Fortunately, I had taken my usual nightly shower before bed. I hurried through putting clothes on, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, and gathering my supplies for school. I never really did put much emphasis on my appearance. I guess I probably should have, but I didn't think I ever would. This morning, I had just tied my hair back with a hair tie but didn't bother to try to tie up the loose ends. My hair was the usual brown, but I had too much of it I thought – brown, bushy, and a bear to comb through. No, it wasn't naturally straight either. It was rather frizzy and only straight if I used my flat iron.

I had on black jeans and a solid dark blue t-shirt. Most of my clothes were jeans and t-shirts. I had a few rarely-worn dressy blouses, one skirt, and no dresses. No tank tops either. No make-up. Make-up would only add to my getting-ready time in the morning, and I wasn't willing to sacrifice sleep for a better appearance.

There was no breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen. There never was. I was much like mother and father – sleeping until the absolute latest time and then hurrying through the morning routine in an effort not to be late. I could hear my mother getting ready. She needed to be to work by 8:00 – I guess she was also running late. She also worked for the state.

I grabbed my usual cinnamon flavor pop tart and was out the door and in my car by just after 7:30. Yes, I had my license and a car. My mother had just purchased a PT Cruiser, and I was fortunate enough to get the silver 93 Mercury Tracer she previously had. It only took 15 minutes to get to school, surprisingly, and I was pulling into the parking lot at 7:50, a full 10 minutes prior to the start of school.