CHAPTER 1 THE PERFECT LIFE

It was still quite early; the curtains were yellow, though not very bright. Jenna Parker stretched the hand with the alarm clock towards her and switched it off. Similar to other weekdays, it was 6:30 AM, though the implications of the time could not be compared to any other day. She yawned widely, raising her hands to stretch out her senses a delightful look painted her face, thinking of the day that lay ahead of her. Jenna’s mornings can be most accurately described as being incredibly orderly to the extreme. She got into her slippers neatly before also making her bed in a rather professional manner. In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, then puffed her chestnut hair up high and twisted it into a ponytail. Standing in front of the mirror, she could see her shining eyes, the absence of spots on her face, and something within—something very small and unspoiled that needed no make-up to bring out. "Hello, Jenna!” her mother shouted from the kitchen. “Good morning,” she added. “Good morning, Mom,” Jenna said to the woman. She picked up her backpack hurriedly and went down the stairs. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee and pancakes could be smelled all over. Jenna’s mother, Mrs. Parker, was an almost always unshakable lady who was now confidently slapping the pancakes at the pan. Her father, Mr. Parker, was busy reading the morning paper while seated at the kitchen table. “Are you ready for another day at school?” questioned Mr. Parker, looking over the rims of his glasses. “Oh, yep! I got a big chemistry test today,” Jenna said as she joined us at the table. “I am rather sure about this.” Tommy, her young brother, ran into the kitchen, all charged up. “Hi Jenna, do you mind if I ask you to assist me in solving some of the math problems after school?” "Alright, then squirt,” Jenna said, patting his head playfully. "After school, okay?" Mrs. Parker served Jenna pancakes and put them in front of her. ”Well, honey, you don’t wake up in the morning and say I am happy as a clam, do you?” she asked. Jenna shrugged. ”Living life to the fullest that I can,” “Besides, this is my senior year; I have to make good grades for college.” Jenna was again one of the early birds, or, should I say, early mice, at school. She caught up with her best friend, Sarah, whom she came across in front of the lockers. “Morning, Sarah! Earlier prepared for the chem test?” Jenna greeted her, opening the door to her locker and taking her books out. “Oh, come on,” Sarah sighed reluctantly, giving me her hand. “Ugh, don’t remind me,” she groaned. By that time, she had barely slept and had been studying the whole night. “You’ll be just fine,” Jenna told Kayla. “We studied together; you know that, right?” In chemistry, her teacher, Mr. Carter, was already preparing for the test while they were in class. There was uneasiness among the students, and the atmosphere that was present in the classroom was tense. “Good morning, class; I trust you are all prepared for the test tomorrow,” said Mr. Carter. Jenna sat down and smiled at Sarah, encouraging her to go on. The test started, and Jenna was confidently ticking off the question, her pencil scorching the paper. She appeared to be quite confident, unlike the other students, who had frowns on their faces while vigorously writing. Shortly, Jenna and Sarah arrived at the cafeteria to find the place where they usually eat. This was followed shortly by Mark and Emily, friends of the pair. “Hey man, how was the test?” Mark came in and began pulling off the pieces of the sandwich. “A piece of cake,” Jenna responded, biting into her salad vigorously. "How about you guys?" ‘’Uh, I guess I made it.” Emily joined in the laughter by saying this. "Barely. " While vessels were kept, the two friends talked while laughing, and as Jenna looked around the cafeteria, she. She first saw Ryan Mitchell, one of the delinquent students in their school, with his back rested on a wall, having a word with some of his friends. There was something very laid-back about him, with his leather jacket and spiky hair giving him that edgy look. “Why the dirt gaze on Ryan?” The bubbly redhead named Sarah joked, elbowing Jenna slightly. - “I wasn’t staring,” Jenna said quickly; she could feel her cheeks reddening. She replied as simply, “I was just watching. ” “Uh-huh, sure?” Mark said, smirking. ‘He is trouble, Jenna; do you even know that?’ “I know,” Jenna said, cynically rolling her eyes. I did not do it like that. I was just curious. The final bell rang, and Jenna left to go to the library, serving as a volunteer there. She appreciated the silence, the dust of books, and the peace it offered her. “Hi Jenna,” the librarian, Mrs. Thompson, said to her. “Can I take the shift to welcome the new books that have arrived?” “Certainly,” Jenna said as she put her hair in a ponytail. This is done in the following manner: The boss gets to work by snapping, saying, “Let’s get to work. As she rifled through them, she found herself seeing Ryan Mitchell in her mind’s eye. There was something in him that she could not resist, something in him that puzzled her just like any other woman; what could be hiding behind that hard-looking man? Thus, back-home eating was always such great stuff, ain’t it? Parker family joined the table, and they started the discussion sharing events of the day. “Hello sweetheart, how did your day go, Jenna?” Her mom asked, offering her the mashed potatoes. “Not bad at all. I passed my chemistry test and went to volunteer at the library. An average day,” Jenna replied with a smile. “It’s that girl,” stated Mr. Parker, toasting with the glass without spitting on it. On-time all the time. That night, Jenna was in bed, looking at the ceiling, trying to solve the puzzle in her mind. Her life was perfect—insofar as the society she lived in made it appear to be perfect. She had wonderful friends, loving parents, and a good future ahead of her. But there was a part of her that wanted more, which wanted things to be just a little off. Before pulling the covers over her head, Jenna’s thoughts were with Ryan Mitchell. She did not know why, but she developed some sort of attraction for him that made it difficult for her to stay away. Little did she know that was when her life was going to change in a way she never expected.