The most annoying alarm clock noise on the face of the earth startled me awake. Its buzz angrily rang through my ears drums at a noise level that seemed much louder than it probably was. "Fuck," I complained and rolled over on my stomach, holding my pillow over my ears. It didn't help though, I could still hear it.
There was a loud banging at my door and I could hear my step dad yelling through the walls, "Get your ass up and turn off that noise!"
"What the fuck do you think I'm doing?!" I yelled backed, and stumbled over the piles of dirty clothes to get to the clock on my dresser. I slammed my hand down on the off button, and the silence was heaven. I could hear my step dad still yelling at me from out in the hallway but I blocked him out, falling to the floor- I felt exhausted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," I called back to him, and I heard him stomp away.
Pressing my fingers against my forehead, I groaned, feeling a pulsing headache behind my skull. Did I drink too much last night? I couldn't remember, so I guess that's a yes. I did my best to ignore it and grabbed what I figured to be clean clothes off my floor, and slid them on.
From the outside of my door, I could hear my parents arguing. It wasn't anything new, and it didn't concern me, but it did make my headache a little worse. My parents never got a long, and my step dad was always drunk and my mom was always high on something. I was lucky though- I was fortunate enough to gain the good genes from my dad. I was tall, and I was easily fit. If I were not, I knew that I would probably get pushed around, but instead, I was lucky enough to be able to take care of myself. However, I usually found reasons not to be home so I didn't have to put up with their bullshit.
I brushed my teeth quickly in the bathroom, and combed through my hair with my fingers before heading out the door, not bothering to tell my mom or step dad. They knew I was going to school, so what was the point? Even if I didn't show up, who the fuck cares?
As I walked down the road, a red car with the music cranked all the way up pulled over beside me, matching my walking pace. The window on the driver's side rolled down, and the face of Rylee Jennings appeared before me. I rolled my eyes instantly, and he gave a 'really?' look. "Why are you being such a bitch? I haven't spoken to you yet," he said, not even looking at the road ahead. The girl sitting beside him smiled and waved at me, and I guessed that was his new girlfriend of the week, or whatever they were to him. "Did you fight with your step dad again?"
"I just have a fucking headache, alright? And your music is making it worse," I barked. This just made him smile, which was something no one thought was attractive. He had big lips that were amplified by his small, snake-like eyes. Also, he had pricings along the bottom of his lip, but they were spaced weird, like the person that did them didn't know what they were doing. There was another piercing at the bridge on his nose, and several up the side of his ears, including a small set of gauges. His hair was the color of murky water, probably from being dyed so many times, and he had it cut in a way that looked like he had a little Mohawk. Basically, he looked like a strung-out punk rocker. I never understood how he got so much bed action. "I think I'm hung-over. Are you a part of this?"
Rylee just grinned. "You'll be so screwed when you find out," he said and then suddenly started to push down the gas. "I'll tell you later when you're not being bitchy!" he called back to me. I just shook my head. Whatever.
When I got to school, the halls were mostly empty, but the classroom was full. The moment I walked in, it got extremely quiet and everyone looked up at me. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes. For as long as I remember, everyone had always been afraid of me. I didn't do anything at first to deserve it; at least I don't think so.
Before my dad moved out, he would spend most of his time home with me. I grew up on hard rock music, and gothic movies, as my dad taught me everything I needed to know. To me, he was like a god, and I would have done anything to impress him. So of course, I had old band t-shirts, and skinny jeans with chains before it was cool. I also picked up the habit of smoking from my dad- something that I originally thought was cool. I didn't start fights though, and I wasn't a drop out. I didn't drink and I was way too young for parties, but everyone treated me like that was the person I was. It became my pet peeve.
But instead of saying, 'I'll prove them wrong by being a better person', instead I said, 'Well, fuck. If they're just going to assume it, then I get a free pass. Let's do this shit'. Since then, I've gotten into a few fights. I drink, I smoke, and I go to parties. I hang out with people like Rylee that don't give a shit about what a look like, and actually find it one of my better qualities. My music taste has expanded to newer rock, punk, and metal. I've never been alone though, and I've never been the loser. Luck of the draw, I guess.
I went to go sit down when I spotted a kid in the desk behind me. Intrigued, I sat sideways in my seat so I could look over him. He had a small frame and he was skinny; his clothes looked baggy on him, but not in a bad way. His brown hair arched over his eyes which were brown too- the type of brown that was almost warm. However, he was every pale, and there were thick, dark circles under his eyes. "Who are you?" I asked him. "And why are you sitting behind me?"
"The teacher asked me to sit here," he answered quietly. He looked so tired, and I was about to asked him why when the teacher start teaching. Forget it then.
I didn't pay attention while she talked because, frankly, I didn't care to. Most of the things she said were about her personal life, and I didn't want to have anything to do with that. I did listen though when she introduced the new kid. His name was Kace, I think, and he was homeschool. The hyper kid on the other side of the room knew him.
Half way through the class, I started itching for a smoke, and I got out a pack of cigarettes that I had on me. Smoking was a horrible habit, but I haven't had any of the side effects yet. My teeth were still clean and I wasn't coughing all the time, so why not? Most people ignored my habits, but when the smoke reached the teacher's nose, she demanded that I put it out and see her after class. I was already half way through it so I didn't care, and obeyed by smashing the end against the bottom of my seat.
When class finally ended, I went over to her desk, and she instantly started yelling at me. I just smirked and blocked her out. None of my teachers even did anything to stop me from smoking, so I had nothing to worry about.
Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned to see the new kid walking towards the door. He was looking at me out of curiosity, and I smiled and winked at him. Instantly, shock blew over him, and his face turned red. I resisted the urge to laugh.
"Kace, please wait," the teacher called after him. "You're new, right? Let Nixion show you to your next class."
I hate it when she calls me Nixion, but I loved the bitch's idea. Skipping class and poking around the new kid? I couldn't get a better deal. He didn't look so happy about it, though.
"T-that's okay. I can find it on my own," he insisted, but I knew she wasn't going to let this go that easily.
She turned to me instead and ordered that I go with him. I just smiled. "I'd be pleased to," I said, and stepped in front of new kid to hold the door open for him. Hesitantly, he stepped through- he looked nervous.
His nervousness multiplied once we were out in the hallway. He stared at the crowds of people like he was about to walk through a mine field. I couldn't have been more amused. "Hey new kid, give me your class list."
"My name is Kace," he snapped at me, but his anger instantly turned back into nervousness. "I-I mean… I'm sorry."
I just laughed, and relief washed over his body. He probably thought I was going to hit him, but I thought it was cute. I asked for the class list again, this time using his name, and he gave it to me. "Damn, you're on the other side of the building for this class. You might want to ask to switch later," I informed.
Kace shrugged. "I don't plan on stopping anywhere…"
What a weird kid, I thought, but I wouldn't want him any other way. This was going to be fun. I pointed out the direction of the class, and let him pick the pace to walk at, and then matched my own to his. As he walked, I noticed that he kept close to the wall, and kept his eyes glued on the people around him. If I didn't know he was new, I would say he was looking for someone.
"You don't have to come with me…" he mumbled quietly, but I just shrugged. I already knew that, but I wanted to toy with him more. That was probably considered mean to most people, but I wasn't most people. If you looked at it from my prospective, I could be punching him in the face right now. But I'm not. Am I nice, or what?
I waited for him to say something else, but he never did. He was either scared of me like everyone else, or he was just too nervous. Why was he so focused on the people like that? I wanted to ask, but I didn't think he would answer me. I was getting bored. Just fucking talk already…
Sighing to myself, I started to think about my next class. It was English so I could probably skip; I was never there anyways. To be honest, I knew that if should care more about my grades, but I just didn't know how. Every time I thought about the future, it was dark with no hope. Why should I waste all my time now? I wasn't going to be able to graduate next year, and if I kept up with what I was doing, I probably wouldn't be alive next year. I'm not suicidal; I just don't give a fuck.
Surprisingly, when I looked back over at Kace's face, it was full of disgust. What the hell? I looked over to see what he was looking at and saw a couple flirting to the side. The girl was standing close to the guy, rubbing his biceps with her fingers, and the guy had his arm around her waist. "Don't like love?" I asked Kace.
"Huh?" he said, coming back from whatever he was thinking about. "Oh… No. I just…"
"Just?" I couldn't keep from smirking.
He thought about it for a minute and said, "Never mind," in a quiet voice, and started to walk faster. I just quickly match my pace again with his.
"Jealous then? Don't worry, you can get girl. You're not that bad," I teased, and reached my arm out to rest on his opposite shoulder.
Suddenly, Kace jumped back hard- his back slamming against the wall. His eyes were wide with fear, and his breath was quick and panicked. I stood, frozen in shook for a minute, before becoming angry. "Are you really that scared of me…?" I asked.
His eyes welled with tears and I thought that he might cry. "Yes, I mean, no. I mean... Please, don't touch me…"
My anger deepened, and I struggled to keep myself from acting out of rage. "Whatever. Find your class by yourself."