The alarm buzzed like a vengeful mosquito at 6:30 AM.
Loe was the first to stir, groaning softly as she sat up and stretched. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, expecting the usual silence of a normal morning, but that hope was crushed two seconds later.
From the bathroom came the sounds of Cristina and Ana arguing at full volume.
"I called dibs on the shower last night!" Cristina whined.
"You were asleep when you said it; that doesn't count!" Ana shouted back.
Water splashed. Someone slipped. Something crashed. Cloe, still in her fluffy bunny pajamas, stormed toward the door and banged on it.
"I swear if you two don't stop acting like wild raccoons, I will dump cold water on both of you!"
Cristina shrieked from inside. "You wouldn't—"
A pause.
"You so would."
Meanwhile, Loe sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair slowly, sipping from a mug of tea she made herself in complete silence. She watched as Cloe yanked the bathroom door open like a gladiator entering the arena.
"Out. I'm doing my hair."
"But I haven't rinsed my—" Ana protested.
"Too bad. Frizz waits for no one."
Cristina stomped out, wrapped in a towel. "She used all the hot water!"
"I barely turned the tap on!" Ana yelled from inside.
As Cloe fired up the hairdryer with the smugness of a queen claiming her throne, Ana peeked out of the steamy bathroom.
Loe gave her a long, unimpressed look. "Y'all woke me up for this?"
"You woke up early, you weirdo," Cristina huffed, now trying to dry her hair with a towel and failing spectacularly. "Who wakes up cheerful at 6 AM?!"
"I'm not cheerful," Loe replied, sipping her tea. "I'm just not screaming about conditioner before sunrise."
Ana reappeared, fully dressed but wearing mismatched socks. "Has anyone seen my other sock? The pink one with sparkles?"
Cloe didn't even look up. "Check the fridge."
"Why would it be in the—?"
"I don't know, Cristina put her necklace in the freezer once, anything's possible."
Cristina gasped. "It was hot that day, okay?!"
Eventually, after a loud battle over the mirror, the discovery of a stolen sweater ("That's MY sweater, Ana!"), and Cloe spilling cereal on the floor and blaming "gravity," the four girls finally sat at the table, half-dressed and exhausted.
"Is anyone actually hungry?" Cloe asked, holding up a burnt piece of toast like it offended her ancestors.
"I'll eat it," Cristina said, already chewing something suspiciously crunchy.
"I'm gonna cry," Ana muttered, rubbing her temples.
Loe calmly took another bite of her cereal and glanced at the clock. "We're late."
They froze.
And then, chaos resumed.
Shoes were thrown. Bags were zipped. Cloe screamed about losing her lip gloss. Ana ran back upstairs to find a missing notebook. Cristina knocked over a juice box while trying to grab her earrings. Loe, ever composed, was already at the front door putting on her shoes.
"I'll meet you in the car," she said.
The others stormed out seconds later, still bickering as they separated into their rides. Cloe and Cristina climbed into Cloe's convertible, still arguing over who caused the delay.
Loe and Ana slid into Loe's car in silence.
Ana leaned back and sighed. "We are so getting detention."
Loe started the engine without a word.
Arrival at School
By the time they screeched into the school parking lot, the first period had already started. The bell had rung ten minutes ago. The front courtyard was deserted, the halls inside echoing faint whispers and the occasional sound of a door closing softly.
Cloe's car pulled up first, her convertible making a dramatic entrance like it was part of a reality show. Cristina hopped out, still adjusting her earrings, while Cloe muttered something about not getting enough parking space.
Loe's car rolled in a moment later—sleek, silent, and much less dramatic. She stepped out calmly, her bag already slung over her shoulder, hair perfectly in place, giving zero indication that her morning had included a shampoo war and a sock apocalypse.
The moment the girls entered the main hallway together, late slips in hand, all eyes turned to them.
Classroom doors were still open. Students inside whispered and pointed.
Cloe marched forward like she was walking a red carpet. Cristina trailed behind her, waving awkwardly at people she didn't even know. Ana kept fixing her hair and mouthing to Loe, "Is my mascara smudged?"
Loe didn't answer. She was already heading to class, expression unreadable. As usual.
"Honestly, this is your fault," Cloe hissed at Cristina.
"My fault?" Cristina gasped. "You spent twenty minutes looking for your lip gloss!"
Ana joined in, whisper-yelling, "We could've been on time if you hadn't fought over mirror space like it was a Hunger Games event!"
"I need space for my curls!" Cloe retorted.
Their voices echoed down the hallway, drawing more attention. A teacher poked their head out of a classroom, gave them a disapproving glare, and disappeared again.
Loe sighed and walked into her classroom without a word, letting the door swing shut behind her.
As she entered, the room fell dead silent.
Everyone turned to stare at her, then past her as Ana, Cloe, and Cristina arrived seconds later, still in mid-bicker.
"I'm just saying—"
"I don't wanna hear it, Cloe—"
"You literally said we had ten minutes when we had five!"
Their voices died when they noticed everyone watching them like a live soap opera.
The teacher cleared her throat.
"Nice of you four to join us."
Cristina gave a tiny wave. Ana giggled nervously. Cloe just tossed her hair like nothing happened and strolled to her seat.
Loe, already seated by the window, rested her chin on her hand and stared outside. The corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly in amusement. Just another day with the chaos trio.
And school had only just begun.