Dragging her feet down the hallway, Sarah headed to her bedroom from her morning shower. Usually mornings were fun; she would enjoy getting up early, luxuriating in a long hot shower, then taking her time, picking out the best outfit for the day, imagining the affection her body would earn her from her peers.
That day, though, something was different. Instead of feeling her excitement rise, Sarah could only begrudgingly accept the fact that she had to go to school that day. For the first time in her life she had been tempted to play hookie, not to go to the mall, or hang out with friends, but to stay home. Home just felt so warm, safe, good.
After drying her hair, she settled on a pair of denim shorts and a striped top, both hugging her body nicely, both very stylish. She'd always wanted to do something with style after school, maybe fashion design, maybe a style consultant. Her fantasies had always involved living somewhere like New York or Paris, hubs of the fashion world. Having people finally realize how stylish she was, buy her designs, wear her outfits, would be a dream come true.
Well, a dream come true the day before. For some reason that morning Sarah's world seemed to have shrunk considerably. She was having trouble imagining life outside of the city where she had grown up. Picturing life outside the home was hard enough, no less another city!
Absentmindedly she picked up some dirty laundry off the floor and carried it to the basket. Normally she wouldn't notice things like that until her mother harped on her to be more tidy, but that morning everything in her room seemed sharper, more vivid. She noticed some books out of order, so she straightened them. She noticed her unmade bed, so she made it. A feeling of satisfaction filled her as she cleaned her room, putting everything just right for...
For whom, exactly? For herself? No, that didn't seem right. It was as if there was a person on the tip of her tongue, the edge of her brain, and she couldn't quite bring them to memory.
Noticing the clock, Sarah quickly got dressed, ignored the rest of the mess in her room, and finished getting ready. No matter her feelings on the matter she needed to get to school. She just wished she could get excited about it.
