WHISPERS OF DESIRE

~SKYLAR~Several knockings at the door roused me from sleep. It was morning already. The knock came again, this time louder."Mum, go away. I don't feel like going to school today." I said drowsily, hoping she would miraculously leave.The door was flung open, and she marched in as she always did whenever I refused to prepare for school."You don't feel like going to school? You know I can let you have your way in everything, but on this, no way," she declared.I looked sleepily at her and laid down again. "Mum, you know how it is with me on Monday mornings. Please let me pass on this one," I said, covering my duvet even more."No, you are not." She uncovered my duvet and dragged me up. I managed to sit but refused to get out of bed."Everyone has their Monday blues. I do too, but I choose 'mind over matter.'""What's that?" I asked, eyeing her."Choosing your mind to overcome your physical condition.""How do I do that?" I asked, suddenly interested."Just tell your body that it needs to be strong for you to go to school, and you are good to go.""Just that?""Just that," she replied, smiling."Why don't I believe you, Mum?""You don't need to believe me, Skylar. Just get your butt out of that bed of yours and go prepare for school. I need you downstairs in fifteen minutes." She left the room and swung the door shut.I knew she wouldn't be happy if I didn't show up in the next fifteen minutes as she said. I laid back on the bed and tried to do what she said; surprisingly, it worked. The next minute, I found myself under the shower spray.I tried to bring my mind together as I let the water do justice to my body. Yesterday had been great. Spending time with my friends had always been my Sunday evening schedule. We would either go to a coffee shop, a milkshake bar, the mall, or probably go swimming. We usually met in school to discuss our adventures and escapades.Audrey and Shannon were always talking about how many guys asked for their numbers. Alex was the brainy and calmest one amongst us, always dragging us to study for our SATs and final year exams. Then there was Cassandra, also brainy but the most different in the group. She was gay but not out to the world.Funny enough, I was the only one who knew she was gay because I stumbled upon her diary the time I went to her house in junior year. But I didn't snitch because I knew my friends were crazy homophobes, especially Audrey and Shannon. She and Alex were the brainy ones in our clique. I wasn't really a dullard, but studying wasn't my forte. That didn't mean I didn't pass my exams; I did, but fairly. My mom would scream the house down for me to sit up and face my studies squarely. But the only thing I excelled in was swimming.My swimming skills were top-notch and earned me the spot of Malibu Horizon High star swimmer. I believed that skill was enough to get me an athletic scholarship into Berkeley.This was the beginning of our senior year and undoubtedly our final year in high school. Despite my Monday blues, I was looking forward to this senior year. I was looking forward to the acknowledgement and respect associated with it, plus the incoming Olympic games that would seal my scholarship.Being a final-year student was no joke. According to our our principal, "You have to be the motivation of the junior students by being charismatic and confident and excelling in your SATs and Final Exams. Above all, be a student that Malibu Horizon High would be proud of."Being charismatic and confident was never a problem for me, but excelling in my SATs was something I wasn't sure of. I hadn't been reading, and my previous SATs weren't encouraging, same as Audrey and Shannon. Alex and Cassandra were the only ones that had been scoring high on their SATs, and I was sure Berkeley would gladly accept them."Skylar, don't tell me you are still in the shower!" My mom shouted from downstairs.I rushed out of the bathroom into my closet to wear my clothes. If my mom left me behind, I would have to take a taxi because I'm still restricted from driving, as I'm not yet old enough to get my driver's license.I rushed downstairs in my well-ironed school uniform, my backpack strapped on one side of my shoulders, and my hoodie slung on the other side.The smell of fried eggs filled my nostrils. My mom had always been a wonder in the kitchen, unlike me."You are ten minutes late, Skylar. Just how many minutes are you going to spend under the shower?" She asked me as soon as I got to the dining table."What are we having for breakfast?" I asked instead, purposely ignoring her question."You don't have eyes to see what's on the table, and are you trying to pretend you didn't hear my question?"I chuckled. "Oh! Coffee with bread and fried eggs, yummy."She rolled her eyes, and I burst into laughter."I can see you are determined not to answer my question. Well, suit yourself. I'm almost late for work. Sit down; let's eat."I smiled at her as I dragged out the chair and sat down for breakfast. "I'm sorry for being late, mummy." I apologized with a pleading look, and she nodded.My mom had already laid my cup of coffee and a plate of fried eggs and a few loaves of bread. My mom knew that the only way to make my Monday a good one was by making me a breakfast of fried eggs, a cup of coffee, and a few loaves of bread.I sat down and dived into it with great relish, looking up at her from time to time. I looked up this time and found her staring at me. I narrowed my eyebrows at her, and she smiled."You are gradually becoming a young woman, and you need to start taking responsibility for yourself, starting with your academics. This is your last year in high school; I expect you to do well in your SATs, make good grades, and get accepted into Berkeley on a scholarship, yeah?""So you are saying you won't sponsor my college education, Mum?" I know that was not what she meant, but I wanted to toss it around a bit."I'm saying you should have to learn to take responsibility for yourself. With good grades, getting a scholarship into Berkeley won't be a herculean task.""I'm planning on applying for their athletic scholarship with my swimming skills.""And you think you will get it?"I nodded with a smug smile. "Mum, you seem to be underestimating my swimming skills a lot. I'm a star athlete in swimming, you know.""Well, I advise you not to pride too much in it. You could lose the position in a flick. That's why you need to work hard and make good grades so you will have enough grounds."I knew she meant well and that she was right in her assertions about having enough grounds to get the scholarship, but I didn't see myself studying that hard to make up for my previous SATs or ace my final exams. I was always lazy when it came to studying, no matter how much Cassandra and Alex wanted to make me. I would always find a way to wriggle out of their hold. Besides, who would I lose the spot to? None of the swimming athletes could beat me.All I needed to do was to focus and practice hard for the upcoming Olympics because winning it would be a boost to my scholarship application. I didn't know about studying; that wasn't for me, but I wasn't about to tell my mom that. Her angry face was the last thing I wanted to face right now. I always wanted to please her and do her bidding, since she was all I had, as my dad died when I was a baby and she was the only one that raised me. Practically, it was the two of us my whole life, so making her happy was what I needed to do. I knew that getting into Berkeley on a scholarship was going to make her happy, but since I couldn't do so with good grades, I would try my possible best to achieve that using my swimming skills. Finito!Soon, we were on our way to Malibu Horizon High; my mom needed to drop me off before heading to work. Though most times I followed Audrey, my best friend, in her car or Cassandra, but only when I felt like it. I enjoyed going with mom because she normally bought stuff for me on the way, apart from my daily allowances.The gigantic gate opened, revealing the most esteemed high school in Malibu—Malibu Horizon High. I couldn't wait to meet with my friends and discuss yesterday's events. God knows I wasn't looking forward to the day's lectures, but I was also looking forward to meeting my boyfriend, Elvin. My boyfriend was the principal's son, and that made me the queen of the whole school. I got attracted to him because of his charming looks, and fortunately, he was into me too, so we clicked.Right now, he would be waiting for me in front of my locker to give me my usual morning kiss and, of course, his daily love letter. I couldn't wait!

~KELLIE~I stared unblinkingly at my mum while my teeth dug furiously into my lower lip."Why are you coming in the way of my happiness?" I asked, trying hard not to yell at her because even though she was trying to come in the way of my happiness, she was still my mum, and I couldn't disrespect her."You call moving, coming in the way of your happiness?" She flipped her hair backward as she folded her arms across her chest. "I got a job that will better our lives, and you call that coming in the way of your happiness? Young lady, I beg to differ. You are the one that is coming in the way of our happiness. Doesn't that make you fucking selfish?" She asked, with a narrowed gaze."Language, mother. Why are you using the F-word?" I pointed out, and she rolled her eyes."Oh please. You are no longer a child.""That doesn't mean you can use it any way." I said