Prologue

BLUE MOON

PROLOGUE

" Wake up. You are gonna be late. " My aunt Sarah said, sitting on my bed and pulling at my blanket. "Rise and shine," she said, smiling brightly. "Time to get ready for the day!"

Aunt Sarah has been my guardian since mom and dad died in an accident . She has been taking care of me since then and has always been there to give a helping hand and motivate me to get up and seize the day. She constantly encourages me to do my best and reminds me to never give up, no matter how hard life may seem. She is in her thirties and the coolest person in the world.

" Hmm. Just one more minute please. " I whined in my sleep.

" Come on. You are already fifteen minutes late and I have to drop you too before I go to my job, so hurry up." She says.

"I know, I know," I grumbled, reluctantly climbing out of bed. "But I just need one more minute."

I get up and rub my eyes. " Can't I skip today?" I give her my best puppy face but she doesn't fall for it. That is what happens when you live with your not-so old aunt.

She just shakes her head and says, "No chance! We both know you need to get up and get your day started!" She knows your moves.

" You are not skipping your first day back to school." She says, rolling her eyes.

" I always thought you were cool, but I was wrong apparently." And jackpot, that's how you appeal to the older generation. She seems to be contemplating the decision but then gives me a smirk .

" I am cool . Now, get ready while I make breakfast ." She leaves my room and goes downstairs and into the kitchen.

I brush my teeth and take a bath , get dressed in a sundress and criss-cross sandals since it's sunny outside. As I go down, I call my best friend to ask if he is ready. He picks up my phone at the first ring, like always.

" Are you ready?" I ask.

"Hello to you too... How are you?... Oh, I am fine . Thanks for asking. " JER aka my best friend replies.

Jerah is the school's golden boy making him popular, but he is not one of the mean guys. He respects everyone and even saves some people from bullying. He saved me from a bully at a party and then, while I was crying near the pool, he came up to me and cracked some jokes and we instantly clicked and have become inseparable ever since. I do not want to be popular, but since we are together, I am also considered in the popular group, but people don't like me much. Most of the time, girls hate me because I am friends with jer.

" You know I hate mornings so excuse me. Are you ready or not?"

" I am ready. Should I pick you up on the way? "

" Wait. Let me ask Aunt Sara."

"AUNT SARA ?! Can I go with Jerah ?" I yelled on the way downstairs and aunt Sarah gave me a thumbs up.

" Yeah. Goodie for me. I won't be late today for my shift." She replies.

" She said yes. Come quickly " I said to Jer.

"Okay. Bye Annie." He replies.

I quickly inhale my breakfast and wait by the porch for jer . Aunt waits with me , her car keys in her hand.

Jer rounds the corner, so I kiss my aunt's cheeks and bid her goodbye and get in the car with jer .

" Hey . Are you ready for your first day back ?"

" Hey. Nope. You?"

" I am always ready for anything. Why are you not happy?"

" I just feel like after the accident, everybody is gonna stare at me and look at me with pity and sympathy. I don't want that. You know I want to be as scarce as I can."

I lost both my parents in that accident. They were both coming to pick me up from the party when they crashed the car into the tree. The help and medics arrived late and I got a call from a cop saying my parents had died in a crash. I could not control myself and my grief so I fell into depression, so aunt Sarah had me take anti-depressants when she became my legal guardian. After that day, everybody has been treating me like I am too fragile and I would break up if treated harshly. I can't go through those looks again.

" Hey , you know I am always with you ,right? And if any of the girls say anything ,call me and I will work my charm." jer says , interrupting my thoughts.

"So what are you planning to do this year?"

" Three things- parties, girls and a little bit of studying if I want to get into Cambridge."

" You are such a pig."

"You love me?" he says and winks at me.

I nod and we listen to music on the way. We reach school in twenty minutes and get out of the car.

Jer leads me inside while holding my hands.

" Ana, I have to go to the washroom. Wait here."