Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of the alarm sliced through the silence, jolting Rosalie from her bed. She stumbled across the room to her desk, silencing her phone. A heavy sleeper, she kept it far from her bed to avoid the temptation of snoozing. Exhaustion clung to her like a second skin - her obsession with binge-watching TV shows had led to another near all-nighter. "One more episode," she always told herself, knowing it was a lie.
Ugh, why do I do this to myself?
She dragged herself to the bathroom. Her reflection was grim - pale skin, dark circles.
I look like a freaking zombie.
Coffee had to pull her through the first day of her senior year. A few splashes of cold water stirred a flicker of life in her reflection.
She made her way downstairs, brewed some French press coffee, added a splash of almond milk and made oatmeal for breakfast. Diego, her cat, leaped onto the counter with a "meow," startling her. "Hey, buddy, you scared me, you sneaky little monster," she said, petting him as he purred. She loved these quiet moments with Diego - it was like he knew exactly when she needed a pick-me-up.
She called her mom, Evelyn, to check if Diego was fed, but got no answer - she was likely swamped at the hospital; Evelyn was her hero, a single mom who'd raised her alone since her father vanished before she was born. To Rosalie, he was as good as dead. She didn't even remember him, anyway.
Catching the time, Rosalie realized she had to get ready. She hated being late, especially for school. She slipped into her pre-planned outfit: a dark blue knee-high dress, black cardigan, and high-top black Converse. She brushed her teeth, her long dark hair, grabbed her bag, keys, and wallet, kissed Diego goodbye, and rushed to her bike.
The ride to school was her sanctuary - music in her ears, wind on her face. School itself? A means to an end. Her dreams lay elsewhere: traveling, photography, and her baking blog, which she'd started over the summer. It was already earning ad money, a step toward being her own boss. She loved the feeling of freedom that came with creating something of her own.
Today, not running late, she took a longer route, savoring the extra minutes. She stopped at a red light, "Summer Wine," one of her favorite songs, started playing. She smiled and began humming along.
"Strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss in spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things..."
She closed her eyes for a second, totally immersed, singing softly.
"Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time-
And I will give to you..."
Beeeeeep. A car horn blared behind her, yanking her out of the moment. She jumped, realizing the light had turned green. "Oh my god - sorry!" she shouted, pedaling off, embarrassed, as the driver muttered curses.
Nice start to the day, Rosie.
A few minutes later, she pulled into the school parking lot and locked her bike. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Her mom calling.
"Hey, Mom. Good morning," Rosalie answered, still catching her breath.
"Good morning, honey. You called earlier. Everything okay?" Evelyn sounded concerned, like she was already bracing for the worse.
"Yeah, don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you fed Diego."
"I did. Your little monster is fi-''
"Ahhh!" she wasn't watching where she was going. She stumbled, nearly falling, bumping into someone.
"Crap - sorry," she said quickly, looking up.
The man she bumped into was tall, dark-haired, and dressed in all black. He stared at her. Intently.
She looks like an angel. So beautiful.
No smile. No words. Just this weird, still, heavy kind of look that made her feel... exposed.
What the hell is his problem?
She turned away fast, practically running to class. "What happened, honey?" Evelyn asked through the phone.
"Nothing - just, uh, bumped into someone. I gotta go. Love you," she said, heart racing from the encounter.
Inside, she settled into her favorite spot in English Literature class - last desk by the window, as always.
"Rosieee!" She turned with a big smile.
Tess!
Her best friend crashed into her for a hug. "I missed you soooo much!"
"Me too, Tessie! How was Paris?"
"Beautiful. I have a thousand photos to show you. You're gonna die," Tess said, taking the seat in front of her.
Rosalie's smile quickly vanished as their teacher entered the classroom.
It's him! The man from the parking lot.
She dropped into her seat like she was trying to hide from his gaze.
He walked to the front of the room, calm and collected, but something about him felt off. Not wrong exactly - just... intense.
Fuuuuuck. Please don't look at me!
Her inner voice was screaming what she couldn't say out loud. Her chest tightened.
"Hello, class. I'll be your English Literature professor for the year. My name is Jack Sullivan." His voice was smooth, deep, controlled.
He probably doesn't even remember me from the parking lot. Right?
His eyes swept across the room, then stopped. On her.
My angel. It's fate.