12. Iced Coffee

                                    

                                          
ARI.
                          
I woke up Monday morning in a much better mood than normal. Unless you're Beyonce or a person living out their ultimate dreams, Mondays can die in a dark abyss. But since I was merely a 17-year-old senior who was still trying survive high school, Mondays thoroughly sucked ass.
                          
When the morning sun's rays snaked its way into the cracks of the venetian blinds of my room, it dawned on me that it was indeed Monday and it was time to wake up. However, instead of flipping my body over and burying my face into my pillow with a groan, I simply yawned viciously before sitting up in my bed. I grabbed my phone off of my bedside table and checked the time. It was 7AM, a whole 30 minutes before I was supposed to wake up.
                          
This rarely happened.
                          
With the extra time, I decided to have a proper breakfast. I'm sure my mother would be pleased to see me sit at the table eating gobs of oatmeal and sipping coffee from one of my personalized mugs. I turned on the Spotify app from my phone, letting it play a bunch of upbeat, happy songs. After breakfast, I showered, put on my usual makeup and with the extra time, I blew dry my hair and even straightened it.
                          
I did take more time deciding on what to wear, which was another rare feat for me. Why I couldn't just wear a simple pair of skinny jeans and one of my many band tees or flannels was beyond me. On this particular day however, I actually wanted to look more than just Ari decent. It was warm outside - typical California. So after numerous clothing changes, I opted for a pair of light washed high waisted jean shorts and a white, fitted, short-sleeved top that dipped low at the back with a huge bow. The shirt was new, something my sister had bought for me a couple of months ago.
                          
I gave myself one last look in the mirror, spinning around to look at my entire body a full 360 degrees. Without being cocky, I actually thought I looked pretty. I never thought I was Chewbacca ugly, but for the most part, I never really stood out. Despite my hair being something other than blonde or brown, I still blended in. I never wore the most trendiest clothing worth pinning on Pinterest, or had the most flawless makeup worth watching a tutorial on Youtube. But today, I had a confidence boost that gave me a feeling that this Monday would be a great day.
                          
In the foyer, I stuck on a pair of brown combat boots. As I zipped up the boot, I could see a figure approach me from the corner of my eye.
                          
"Morning mom," I smiled, standing up and grabbing my school bag.
                          
"Morning anak," she said, taking a sip from her morning coffee. "You look beautiful. Is that the shirt your Ate gave you?"
                          
(translation: child; older sister)
                          
I nodded, "yes mom."
                          
"I'm off this Thursday evening," she told me, walking closer, "I'm thinking about having a small get together with the family. It's been a while. Mia will be home for the weekend. Tell Calum, Michael and Ashton to come by too. I already called their mom's."
                          
I grinned excitedly, "for sure! That's gonna be so much fun! I can't wait. I haven't seen the family in a hella long time! And the boys are always down for free food!"
                          
"I knew you'd like the idea," mom predicted. "I'm going to go upstairs to rest now. I'm tired from work. Have a nice day at school. Study hard, okay?"
                          
"Always mom, always," I promised. I gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking out the front door.
                          
I was able to get the air conditioning fixed in my car. After throwing down about $500 dollars which was absolutely ridiculous in my opinion, I could finally drive around without melting into an Asian puddle. As usual, I blasted songs through my speakers and parked in the same general area as I usually do - near the school's football stadium. I met up with my friends towards the front of the main entrance at a bench.