Sunday goes by quickly and next thing I know, it's Monday. I should be grateful because my first day happens to be the first of the school year. My mom refuses to drive me to school every day, and it's too far to walk every day, so I have to ride the bus. When I do get out, I try to keep to myself and I'm finding it hard and I'm learning that people in a small town are very obnoxious, opinionated, bored and easily amused. I'm relieved to get off of the bus and I'm ready to start the day, but I stand frozen and staring at this high school.
A part of me is worried because, from what I've seen, this has to be the best part of the whole town. The rest of the town is tiny and falling apart. There's barely anything to offer, but the school looks amazing! It doesn't take much to realize that I don't fit in. My clothes are too street. My hair style is wild and colored and my personality and views on life and everything differs from everyone else.
I quickly make my way to the bathroom. I sit on the toilet with the lid down until I hear the last bell ring, then I attempt to make my way towards the principal's office so that I can get my schedule. As I come around the corner, I see a familiar face. It's Irene, and she's being shoved inside a locker? I knew she was tiny, but is she tiny enough to actually fit inside a locker? She must be, because they definitely shoved her all the way in there.
The slam of the locker door quickly snaps me out of my thoughts. Now that I'm back to reality, I realize that the only person who I've met here so far that doesn't get on my nerves just got shoved into a locker. The two girls that did it are standing in front of the locker laughing at her as she screams for help.
I hear the bigger girl mocking her, "why don't you have Jesus save you! If God loves you so much, then where is he?"
I rolled my eyes because I am not a religious person, but that was cold and definitely a line that she crossed. I am making my way to the two girls and when I reach them, I shove the bigger girl into the locker and I push the tiny girl so hard that she glides across the floor and flies into the other lockers across the hall and I let out an angry warning.
It's kind of like a pit bull growl and it comes from deep in my gut, "If I ever see you come anywhere near Irene again, I will end you!"
The two girls have obviously had no one stand up to them because they are so scared that I don't even finish my sentence before they run off.
I open up the locker and I let Irene out and she smiles up at me, "thank you for that! Now let me see your schedule. Maybe I can help you? It's the least I can do to thank you for helping me!"
I shrug, "I haven't gotten that far yet. I haven't even been in the principal's office yet."
She laughs it off and takes me to the principal's office and then heads to her class. I watch as she walks away, and I can't help but wonder why she is so nice. She literally got herself handed to her by the girls, but acts like nothing happened. How can she just continue with her day? If I didn't show up, she'd still be in there...
The office lady cuts my thoughts off, giving me my schedule and asking another student to walk me to my class. Before I can agree, a boy, that's about my age, walks up to me and takes the paper from me and then heads into the hall. I follow behind him as he shows me to my class.
It takes all of me to not show my agitation as he attempts to make small talk saying, "I love your style. Where are you from?"
Rolling my eyes I answer, "The City."
He stops in front of a door and I match it with the numbers on my sheet. When I realize that he's still ranting on, I rush to head inside the classroom.
I hear him sarcastically and awkwardly saying,
"bye!"
I shake my head and roll my eyes as I walk in. Of course, every student in the classroom catches it and naturally thinks it's for them. The looks and Whispers show me I have now been labeled as the girl with attitude. The teacher smiles at me and holds out her hand for my paper. I quickly hand it to her and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
She looks over it and welcomes me, "Welcome to home room 101, Miss. Olivia. You may take a seat next to Trevor!"
I look over to where her hand is gesturing and find a guy that looks like the rockstar, rapper, bad boy type and it takes all of me not to smile. He gives me that one nod and a come and gets me to grin and I tell myself to stay away from him. Lastly, I need another bad boy in my life.
The last one is the reason that I now live in this tiny town. I sit next to Trevor and I try not to look at him. It's hard because I can see him staring and his eyes are taking in all of me and giving me that look, and it takes all of me to ignore him. He doesn't make it easy when he whispers to get my attention. I'm trying really hard to ignore him and that's why I am way too excited when the bell rings to dismiss the class.
I am the first to hop up and run out the door.
I literally bump into someone's chest and fall to the ground. I look up to an extremely toned and buff looking guy that is holding out his hand. He's apologizing, but Trevor and the other guys and a small group of girls are laughing. I'm not sure if I should take his hand or not.
Irene runs up and helps me up quickly and lectures the buff guy, "you need to be more careful Marco! You are far too big and she could have been hurt!"
Marco laughs,"I know Irene. I didn't mean too.."
He's attempting to stop when he asks, "Is this a friend of yours?"
She shrugs and then leans in and whispers to him, "Tina and Leah shoved me in a locker again.."
She nods her head at me and continues, "Olivia here saved me."
Marcos' whole demeanor changes and he rubs my arm, but it's in a grateful sort of way he says, "Thank you. That means a lot."
I look for Irene, but I notice she has run off again. Marco Informs me that this is normal behavior for her. He continues to help me to my next class.
Continuing to thank me, "Thank you really. Irene is a friend of the family. I do my best to keep the men away from her, but you know I can't touch a girl."
I can see he cares for Irene and I can't help but to ask, "Do you like Irene?"
He smiles and nods, "Irene is the Wifey type. One day she will make a man happy and until then I will fight off every man to keep them away from her."
I give him a curious look and he shakes his head, "I had to fight my own friends because they wanted to make taking her virginity a game.."
I gasp, "No!"
He nods, "They do that all the time but not with Irene."
He puffs up his chest, "Over my dead body."
I can't help but wonder, "Why do you care so much?"
He smiles big, "Her family and my family are close. Almost every day after practice, I go to Irene's house and hang out with her and her parents."
I smile and a part of me hopes that Irene and I can be that close one day. I freeze when I see Irene happily walking past those girls and they are walking too close behind her for my comfort. The little one catches my gaze, and she stops the bigger one by grabbing her arm. The bigger one doesn't look happy about it until the little one whispers and points in my direction. I make direct eye contact with the big one and I cross my arms as a silent warning and she seems to have toughened up because she no longer looks scared until I walk towards her. I hear Marco calling out to me, but I ignore him.
It's Irene that catches my attention she excitedly asks me, "Want to walk to practice with me?"
I growl, "I guess.."
she's surprised, "you're not quitting?"
I grunt and admit, "My mom is making me!"
Irene laughs, "I'll be there to help you as much as possible!"
I take a deep breath and nod. She intertwines her arm in mine and walks me to my next class before heading off to her class.