From a young age, I have always been different. My teachers use to say I was unique. Eccentric. That I marched to the beat of my own drum. I was weird, awkward. I was different, and for a child in human society, this was an unforgivable flaw.
Growing up, I learned to hide myself away from the eyes of others as much as possible. I didnt play with the other children. I didnt raise my hand to ask questions, or to give answers. I tried to be as non-existent as possible to protect myself. Hiding behind the shields of fear and loneliness, My only bonds were formed with worlds that were not my own. Books and stories were my only friends.
But deeply in my heart, I always thought there would be time to fix my relationships later. Tomorrow, I would say hello to my classmates. Tomorrow, I would be the one who bought everyone a drink or a dessert at lunch.
Tomorrow, I would be open and friendly. Tomorrow, they would notice me...
But I never realized that tomorrow...tomorrow never comes.
Monday, August 20th 7:30am
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Jenna Michelle groaned, rolling over and pawing at her nightstand blindly from beneath her comforter without much success at ending the blaring alarm clocks screeching. She squinted out at the offending thing from her blanket, the offending thing glowing in the sunlight from her window like some holy relic come to save her from herself, before slamming her palm down on the snooze button on the top of it.
It didnt take her long to remember why she had set the obnoxious thing in the first place. School.
She had spent all of yesterday out with her father, buying the requirements most students needed for the school year. New clothes, new binders, new pencils. Most girls liked getting new stuff. They enjoyed showing off their new sweaters and skirts, or bragging about their designer sneakers or brands. But not her. It had been a day that Jenna dreaded every year. The eve leading up to the worst time spand of her life.
And now it was D-Day.
Heaving a groan of resignation, the girl pushed her way out of her warm cocoon of comforters, grabbed her glasses, and drug herself across the hall to the bathroom. In the mirror, she stared at the sad reflected version of herself. Blonde hair matted from tossing and turning all night, her grey green eyes the lackluster color of fish scales. A nose with too high a bridge, and a jawline that was a bit too square. A face that looked older then her 17 years of age. Jenna sighed and lowered her gaze to her brush, grabbing it and starting her preparations.
Today was the day. This was the year she was going to make her father proud of her by some friends. Breaking out of her comfort zone and show them all how amazing she was. Jenna closed her eyes tightly and swallowed hard. She didnt feel amazing...She felt like throwing up.
It only took Jenna 20 minutes to get ready, less then half the time it took her younger sister. But then, Jenna wasnt one for styling her hair. She didnt add product to make it curl just so, or do 15 layers of make up that needed correct 'contouring' to look right. This gave her time in the kitchen alone to prepare breakfast for them all.
Unlike Elisa Mae, her sister younger by two years, Jenna took her household chores seriously. She usually made eggs, pancakes, and sausage for breakfast but given how queasy she felt, Jenna opted instead for oatmeal today. Her father came out of his room down the hall from the kitchen as Jenna was cutting up some strawberries.
"There's my girl!" He announced, giving her a kiss on the top of her cheek as he grabbed a bowl for himself. "Ready to blow your teachers away again, dear?"
Jenna gave her father a quivering smile, looking back down at the strawberries as she nodded. "S-sure thing, Dad." She tried to sound brave, but it was obvious she wasn't feeling it. She placed her own bowl and one for her sister on the table, scooping some of the oatmeal for herself while avoiding her father's stare.
"Jen-" He started, before his other daughter burst into the kitchen with a screech. "Daddy! I told you to get more mousse and moisturizer. Now I'm going to be dry all day!"
Jenna looked over the rim of her glasses at Elisa with a soft scoff, scooping a spoonful of her food into her mouth. Her sister was always talking about moisture. Too much made her hair frizz. Too little and her poor skin and pores.
Elisa glared at Jenna as she sat down, then completely ignored the oatmeal to instead pounce on her father again. Jenna ignored it, finishing her small bowl and rinsing it clean before she gave her father a kiss on his cheek. "Have a good day at work, dad."
Grabbing her Rick and Morty backpack, she scuttled out the front door before her father could escape Elisa to start in on friends and 'opening up'. Her school was only two miles away, which Jenna appreciated simply because she liked to ride her bike in. Elisa bummed rides with a friend from the neighborhood, but Jenna had always liked the feeling of the fresh morning air when she rode her bike.
She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply to calm her nerves as she relaxed into the feeling of her bike gliding along. But something felt...off. Reopening her eyes, Jenna looked around the street she was on, then glanced behind her. She heard the truck before she saw it, a large obnoxious orange thing with bull horns on the grill. Derrick Oftman, the loudest bully in school. Great. She rolled her eyes, staring straight ahead as she tried to ignore the music Derrick was blasting as it got closer and louder, ruining the momentary tranquility she had just had.
"Peddle faster, Bitch!" An open can of soda caught Jenna by surprise, slamming into her left shoulder as Derrick and his friends blew past her. With a cry of outrage and sorrow, Jenna stopped and shook her arm, trying to get the cola off her arm. She lowered her gaze to stare at the can a few feet from her, and felt her heart sink.