Not Good Enough

[Akane]

A/N: I was going to make this longer, but I thought it ended good there. Tell me what you think! No da! ( ~*~*= Flashback)

Not Good Enough

Chapter 1: These Thoughts Inside My Head

My head slumped on to the cold wooden desk in front of me, and my thoughts soon became unlimited as they swirled throughout my imagination.
I jerked up, moments later, to the hard whack! of the ruler across the back of my head. Oww...

"Claire! Were you even paying attention?! No high school will ever accept such a lazy student!" Ugh... Mr. Simons, my stupid cram school teacher. One of the many people out to get me.
Ignoring the last part, I repeated his boring, every-day speech before cram school. I knew I probably shouldn't have, because the ruler came smack-down hard... again.

Later that day, at a local fast-food joint, I turned to my best friend, Jenny. "I need to borrow your notes later." I told her, "I didn't finish the other day." Of course, she knew it was just one of my excuses for day-dreaming, or really falling asleep. But, as a best-friend should, she agreed, and didn't say anything about the fact that she knew it was an empty excuse.

My other two friends, Diane and Caitlin, were sitting across from us. Diane, shy as she was, suddenly popped the question I had been dreading since my parents' divorce.

"What school are you planning on going to? Yabura, right, with me and Cait?" I soon shoved a handful of fries in my mouth, hoping to avoid the question. But, as soon asI swallowed, which I had made sure took a long time, Diane sent me a questioning look. I knew I was stuck, so, glumfully, and almost ashamed, I bowed my head and pointed to a group of girls, all sporting the Aldate uniforms.

The three were silent, and I murmured, "I know..." Because I wasn't exactly the smartest girl in the world (I sometimes questioned if Jenny was, though), and the chance of me getting into the best high school in the country. Caitlin looked at me as if she pitied me.

"It's for you mom, isn't it?" I nodded slowly. My mom didn't care about me, or anything else as long as I got into Aldate. Being a single mom, she focused mainly on what other parents thought.

~*~*

"Hey, mom! Guess what?" I cried as I ran down the stairs, searching for my mom. "Jenny's going to submit to Aldate High, too!"

She gave me a cold, hurtful stare. "Claire, that's a bad thing! The more people who submit, the more your chance lessens!" Tears started to flood around my eyes, and the room around me got blurry. "You shouldn't be happy! Now, go upstairs and study!" Studying. All my life revolved around was studying.

~*~*

"Claire, are you okay?" Asked Diane. I shook my head, ridding the thought, and gave a soft nod. I started to think about all the times I had done everything my mother had asked, yet it wasn't good enough. It never was, and probably never would be.

[violet]

That was really godd
But is this going to be Harvest Moon?