Chapter Text
Sunrays shine through my window, awakening me before my alarm could. Yawning, I reach out to check the time on my phone. 8:15am. It’s gonna be another boring school day, with my only subjects today being geography, mathematics, and art. Even though the classes are fun, I have little motivation to go. I get out of bed regardless with one motivation on my mind.
My friend Hekla will miss me if I stay home today.
My parents are still asleep, so I quietly sneak past their room. I get ready, eat my breakfast, and begin my walk to school. I’ve walked the path so many times now that I could dream every detail of it; from the ladder outside of that one house that’s been in renovation for two years, to the crossroad overlooking an impressive catholic church. Despite that, though, the walk is a calming activity to really wake up in the morning. Today, the weather is pleasant, which is rather common in summer, of course. Summer is not my favourite season – I have a soft spot for the beautiful orange of autumn, but at least the warm temperature of summer is better than winter’s cold one. The sun is shining brightly, lighting up the world around me. The singing of the birds in the trees reaches my ears, and I close my eyes for a brief second to take in the peaceful moment. My school is not far away from my house, only a fifteen-minute walk, in contrary to some of my classmates who have to travel a lot further every day. I am in my senior year of high school. My grades are fine; not perfect, but they don’t have to be for me to graduate, and I got a few good friends. Still, I can’t wait until I can finally leave for college. I have already signed up to study wildlife photography. Photography is already a great hobby of mine, and I like being in nature, so it’s a great combination.
“Hey, Dawn!”
I get snapped out of my thoughts when I hear the voice of Hekla greeting me. I smile when she runs up to me. Hekla is my best friend. She has beautiful brown hair, a grown-out mullet that’s been there since maybe one or two years, and a vintage fashion style that oddly matches my more masculine one.
“Hi Hekla.” I greet her back, more calmly, a smile on my face present as we share our handshake.
“How are you doing? Have you signed up yet for the residential trip?” Hekla beams as she asked the question. Ah, the residential trip. Our high school organises those for the senior year group. It’s basically a supposed-to-be-educational field trip in another place lasting around a week. You get to pick from a selection of countries or regions to go to, each group being accompanied by teachers. You sleep in hotels or Air B&B’s. It’s not very luxurious and likely very chaotic, and for those reasons, I never quite wanted to go. However, this year, our school opened Greece and Italy as options, and I had always wanted to visit those countries at some point in my life. I imagine that the landscape there must be amazing to photograph.
“Not yet. I’m still not sure. You know how I get homesick.” I laugh a little awkwardly at my own excuse.
“True. Remember our sleepovers when we were kids?” Hekla grins, and we both laugh at the memory.
We walk in comfortable silence for a few moments, entering the school gates. My expression loses its joy when the sound of screaming children and the scent of vapes reaches me.
Oh, how I hate this place.
“Anyway, you should really think about going. I would love to have you on the trip, Dawn.” Hekla continues to talk, her soft and pretty voice almost convincing me I should just sign up right now.
“How about this: if I score higher than 75% on my history exam, I’ll go.” I say almost jokingly, a playful grin on my face. History is my best subject, yet for the upcoming exam I need to know a lot of chapters. 75% was a good halfway point.
“Deal.” Hekla gives me the same grin, her eyes full of confidence in me.
“Don’t be so certain, I’m not that good.” I tease her, a laugh escaping my mouth.
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I stare at the badly scribbled 84/100 on my graded paper of my history exam. It’s been a week since my bet with Hekla, and I had mostly been studying in all of my free time. Perhaps I want to go on that trip more than I thought. Well, it is settled now. My best friend snatches the paper out of my hands, and I see a smirk, both proud and happy, appear on her face when she sees my score.
“It’s fate! You gotta sign up for the trip, Dawn!” Hekla declares, to which I laugh.
“Okay, but if I do end up vomiting each night because I miss my home, please don’t make fun of me.” I pout jokingly, and Hekla gives me a playful flick of her finger as if to say I should grow up. I’m not disappointed at all, though. A vacation with my best friend is fun! Even if it will be poorly organized and at the cheapest hotels school can find.