Treasured Gifts of Many

Chapter 2
Chapter One

Chapter Description: May Bridges would notice some strange thing happening to her, but her best friend would semi-convince her that she's just tired from finals. May would reluctantly agree, but secretly feel that something is happening to her.

Treasured Gifts of May:

Chapter One The halls of Amber Ridge High School were ablaze as students ran about, collecting their belongings. It was the last day of the school year, and for one person, it was the day that marked a massive milestone. Over the loudspeaker, the principal was delivering his last speech of the year. “...And for the seniors leaving us this year, we wish you the best of luck in the coming months. And remember…the June heat is expected to jump up in the coming days, so be prepared.” May Bridges took the last of her belongings from her locker, eyes sharp with an intense focus. With school over, she was about to take the first big step into claiming her adulthood. With a sigh, May finished emptying her locker and looked at the door. Hanging on the door, in a pristine, gold frame, was a picture of May and her best friend, taken during Senior skip day. A nostalgic smile tugged at the girl’s lip as she gingerly took the frame into her hands. May stared at the picture for a long moment, taking in the dynamic between herself and her friend. May saw that she was leaning slightly against her friend, earning a slight chuckle from her. May turned to her bag and gently set the picture onto the top of her belongings. She frowned as she felt the shoulder of her shirt slip. May fixed the shoulder, then looked at her outfit, her frown turning curious. Unlike most teenagers her age, May had forgone popular teen fashion for a more mature attire. She’s currently wearing a pair of gray khakis and brown loafers, which she painstakingly polished every night. To complete her look, May chose to start wearing button-down dress shirts, usually in basic colors, to mark her entry into adulthood. May had even cut her bright red hair into a short, mature cut. May continued to stare at her attire, her frown growing slightly. She gingerly took the waist of her pants in both hands and stuck her thumbs in between the fabric and her waist. There was a space between May’s pants. It wasn’t a large gap, but still wide enough that May could easily poke her thumbs through without resistance. May took her hands away from her pants. Normally, her khakis were form-fitting, pressing comfortably to her legs without issue. Curious, May ran a hand down her right pants leg. She stopped at the knee and gently, almost hesitantly, bunched the fabric in her hands. The pants pulled away effortlessly when May moved her hand away from her legs. May gently pushed the fabric against her knee, her mouth moving as she analyzed this strange development. “... Could have really lost that much weight during the week?” the redhead muttered to herself. During her mad studying for finals, May hadn’t had time for a proper meal. In the end, she went with microwavable meals and leftovers from family dinners. The redhead patted her stomach, frowning. Before May’s self-analysis could go any further, she heard the sounds of approaching footsteps, followed by a familiar bubbly voice. “Sorry for taking forever! I went to turn in the AV Room’s keys, and Mister Goldison wouldn’t stop talking my head off.” May smiled and closed her locker, looking at her best friend since second grade, Bethany Winters. The girl came rushing up to her best friend, panting slightly as she leaned against the lockers to catch her breath. May, to distract herself from her attire malfunction, studied her best friend lightly. Bethany, or Besty as she insists May call her no matter how old they get, was the opposite of May in terms of appearances. Besty wore a pair of rolled-up denim shorts and a pair of tan sandals. Besty had on a peach-colored tank top with a sleeveless denim jacket over it. To complete her look, Besty wore two silver bracelets on her left wrist and a necklace with a scarlet stone woven in it. Even Besty’s hair was the opposite of her best friend's. Besty wore her strawberry-blonde hair down past her neck. Finally, she tied some of her hair into a braid that framed her right eye and had a hair clip on her left side. Next to May, who has been trying to project a mature aura, Bethany “Besty” Winters looked like your typical eighteen-year-old teenager. May, letting some of her defenses down, leaned against the locker, a soft smile gracing her face. “Can you blame him or any teacher, for that matter?” the redhead teased casually. “You’re the darling of the entire school! Even I’m a little jealous of how close you are to half of the teaching staff.” Besty would laugh lightheartedly at her friend teasing. She pushed off the lockers and rose to her full height, taking a moment to fix her jacket. “Oh, please,” Besty replied lightly, “You’re the real 'darling' of Amber Ridge High School!” In a moment of childish energy that caused May to roll her eyes, Besty waved her hands in a gesture of mock admiration. She even bowed slightly, causing a stray giggle to escape May’s mouth. Besty lifted her head to look at her friend, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Not a lot here could toot their own horn about being valedictorian throughout all of high school,” Besty praised with actual admiration for her friend. “Even Mouse is jealous that you earned a full scholarship to Harvard!” May couldn’t help but blush slightly at her friend’s praise. She tried to hide her bashfulness by throwing a retort at her friend. May’s smile faded as Besty stood up to her full height, and May noticed something odd about her best friend. “Did…Did you have a sudden growth spurt, Besty?” May squeaked out, pushing off the locker. Besty, losing her mirth-filled demeanor, looked at her best friend. She noticed the look May had and, from experience, knew that May had seen something that nearly spooked her. “May,” Besty replied, keeping her voice calm, “I haven’t grown an inch since I was sixteen. My parents’ personal physician said so.” There was a sudden shift in Besty’s tone as she mentioned her family. The change was so subtle that only someone who had known Bethany Winter for so long, like May, would pick up on it. Tactfully, May chose to focus on the matter she was currently facing instead of letting her best friend dwell on family matters. May found she needed to fight to keep her voice from squeaking as she spoke. “Then how come I’m looking you in the eye? I have been three inches taller than you since sophomore year!” Besty narrowed her eyes slightly and closed the small gap between her best friend and herself. She studied May thoroughly, taking in May’s posture. “You’re probably just slouching,” Besty said dismissively. “You and I have been doing late-night cramming before finals began.” Besty’s eyes scanned May’s body once again. She could see the subtle shifts in her best friend’s outfit. “And my family doctor said stress could cause weight loss,” Besty continued. “I think you lost enough weight that you're unknowingly shifting your weight because of the changes in your outfit.” May twitched her mouth as she glanced at her outfit. After a moment, she stood to her full height and squared her shoulders. She took a moment to roll her shoulders to ensure they were loose, then looked at Besty. May looked over at her friend, frowning. She saw that she wasn’t looking Besty in the eyes anymore. May noted that she wasn’t looking at her friend like she had just a few nights ago. May looked down at her outfit. She once more saw the slight shifts in an outfit she had worn since senior year started. After a moment of study, Mat let out a reluctant sigh and looked at her friend. “...Maybe,” she admitted weakly. Besty, sensing her friend’s hesitation, smiled supportively and got beside her. She gave her friend a supportive pat on the shoulder, and offered May nothing but warmth that only such a long friendship the two share could foster. “Hey,” Besty said supportively, “You’re just a little burned out from everything. A few good nights' sleep, and some of your mom’s best cooking, and you'll be fighting right beside me as we take on the world!” May felt somewhat comforted by her friend’s encouragement and offered Besty a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Besty saw the look but decided not to dwell on it any longer. “Now come on,” Besty said, tugging on May’s shoulder. “Let's bolt before any of the teachers see us and pull a praise heaper on us.” May let out a small laugh at her friend's outdated pop culture usage and walked down the hallway. Soon, the oddity at the lockers was partially forgotten as the two best friends stepped through the doors of their school and into the bright, but unusually cold June day. “You still wanted that ride home?” Besty asked, turning toward the study parking lot. May frowned in thought. She looked up at the sky, taking note that there was barely a cloud in the sky. And with the air colder than normal, it gave May an easy feeling in her chest. May sighed in partial contentment and looked at her best friend. “Actually…I think I will walk,” she replied with a slight smile. Besty frowned at her friend. She looked at the bag on May’s shoulder, seeing how the item was pushing her friend’s shoulder down slightly. “...You sure?” Besty asked doubtfully, voice squeaking slightly. May saw the look on her friend’s face and offered an encouraging smile. She hitched up her bag, showing Besty things were good. “My bag isn’t that heavy!” May said, then hitched up her voice to a higher tone. “Besides, if anything happened, I could only call my “big sisie” Besty to come to my rescue.” Besty let out a hearty laugh at her best friend’s joke, shaking her head in good-natured mirth. “For someone who wants to be seen as an adult, you act too much like a kid at times,” she replied. “What can I say?” May asked playfully. “You bring out the kid in me.” Besty laughed again, got beside her best friend, and lightly bumped her against the hip. “Alright, alright,” Besty said lightheartedly. “ You made your point. Call me tonight; we have a lot of plans to make before we leave in the fall.” “You know it!” May replied energetically. The two best friends hugged for a long moment before Besty climbed into her car. May watched as her best friend rolled out of the school, waving lightheartedly with a smile on her face. When Besty’s car was out of sight, May’s smile slowly slipped from her face, and her hand slowly dropped to her side. Now alone, with only the sound of car engines roaring to life, the confusion that May felt in the halls of the school returned. She looked at her bag, frowning. Despite what she told her best friend, the bag felt different, slightly heavier than it did yesterday. And it wasn’t because of all the junk May had loaded into it. May let out a deep sigh, running a hand through her short red hair. She walked off the school grounds and towards her home. There was a strange heaviness entering May with each step she took. It made her feet feel glued to the ground, adding to the oddity of everything that had been happening to her. In the back of her mind, a feeling was whispering to May. It was telling her that something profound was happening to her. May ignored this feeling, thinking it was just stress and lack of sleep finally catching up to her.