I opened my eyes to total darkness.

The kind of darkness that'd make you wonder if your eyes were even open.

But I knew mine were.

I turned to the left and swung my legs out of bed. I took two full steps forward and found my dresser.

Reaching to the left, I felt on top of my dresser for the pill and the glass of water. I had migraines. The pill helped.

Once I was done, I started doing my exercise routine.

50 push-ups, 50 curl ups, run in place for 30 minutes.

Then, 50 curl ups, and 50 push-ups again.

When I was done, at 6:00am, the door opened.

I grabbed my clothes I laid out the night before on a chair and headed out.

"Good morning, Grandfather," I said blandly.

Like every day, I greeted him.

And like everyday, he said nothing.

I went to the bathroom, and took a shower. At 6:25am, I got out and dressed. Staring back at me in the mirror were my green eyes as I tried to fix my short, blonde hair, but it was no use. I didn't think it being "too soft" would ever be annoying.

It was.

And shaggy, too.

After I was done, I headed downstairs for breakfast.

This house was always dark.

Dusty.

Old.

The smell of mold was prominent, the dust in the air could make you sneeze. There were rooms in the house I'd never even been in, but I'm sure they were covered in dust, too.

I cut off the moldy pieces on the bread, threw them away, and toasted the rest.

At exactly 6:30am, Grandfather came down stairs. He opened the fridge and grunted at the lack of food.

"I need to go to the grocery store," he said. "If I'm not back by dark, you know the drill."

"Yes, Grandfather," I replied automatically.

I finished my breakfast and grabbed my bag.

At 7:00am, I left the house and walked towards the bus stop. There were several other kids waiting there. But none acknowledged me.

I was tall for a girl at 18. Standing at 5'11, I easily towered over many students. And apparently, my IQ is so high I could technically be in my senior year of college right now.

"Hey."

I turned to my left and found Carter standing next to me.

He was a senior.

Carter Johansson was 18 years old, 6'2, on the football AND basketball team, and very smart. He had dark blonde hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes.

So, yeah, obviously he's gonna be "popular".

He also liked to talk to me nonstop. I don't even know why. The only remarkable thing about me was my intelligence, but in this day and age… well, intelligence came second to beauty.

And beauty I most certainly did not have.

I wore baggy shirts, ripped jeans (not even on-purpose ripped - they're just old and ragged) and maybe a hoodie. I didn't wear makeup, I didn't wear jewelry, I didn't even have keychains…

There was nothing attractive about me at all. I was plain. Plain and ordinary. I didn't stand out, I blended in with the crowd.

I was invisible.

I was a shadow.

And that was how it was supposed to be.

Besides… I don't NEED friends. And I don't WANT friends. I'm not even allowed to HAVE friends.

So, what's his problem?

I glanced over at Carter. "Can I help you?"

He smiled at me, shrugging. "I just want to talk."

"Last I checked, you didn't ride the bus," I said, fixing my attention back at the bus coming down the road.

"You check up on things about me?" he asked smugly.

I rolled my eyes. "On the contrary, I make sure to do the opposite of whatever you're doing and be anywhere you're not."

He laughed lightly. "Do you hate me that much?"

"I hate everybody."

This time he laughed loudly, catching the attention if the rest of the kids.

I shifted uncomfortably as they stared at us.

Anxiety.

Thank God the bus rolled up.

I quickly boarded as people started to gravitate towards Carter.

"Wait, Nike!" Carter called after me.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the back of the bus. I set my stuff down before slumping so low Carter wouldn't be able to see me.

I heard a quiet sigh.

And then the bus rolled forward.

*sigh*

Today's gonna be FUN!

… She said sarcastically.