It was a dark and dreary February morning. Thick, heavy rain clouds hovered over the city like a nightmarish

blanket of impending doom. And speaking of which, Valentine's Day was drawing dangerously near. I couldn't help

dreading it and it wasn't just the fact that I had no significant other.

Really, that was my choice.

Okay...so it wasn't.

Let's just say that for some strange reason, boys have always seemed to avoid me, found me creepy, whatever, which over the years has lead to feelings of extreme

anti socialism and bitterness. Honestly, the apocalypse sounded much more appealing than just hanging out in the shadows, alone and unloved while everyone else

partook in a day of romance and heart shaped meat, which was perfectly fine since I was a vegan anyway.

Not to sound pessimistic, but the day I actually find love will most likely be the day aliens invade Earth and nuke us all. The tall cement building loomed over me like a

monstrous fortress threatening to engulf all humankind who dared enter it. I stood there, shaking my head at the sign out front. You would think that a place of

learning would have the decency to spell 'high school' correctly.

Hi Skool?

Wow, if that wasn't contradicting enough. Even though it was Friday, today was going to be my first since my previous school had lost my transcripts, so the paperwork

couldn't be processed until later in the week. One of the results of moving at the start of a new semester, I guess. I was wondering if I should even bother going

through with this or not, but I was already here, so there was no turning back now. Pulling my winter coat tightly around me, I took in a deep breath of frosty air and

headed for the double door entrance.

After picking up my schedule from the office, I finally located my first class and burst through the door. Suddenly all eyes were on me and the room fell silent. The

teacher was an old, intimidating snake of a woman with gray hair pulled into a perfectly tight bun. According to my schedule, her name was Ms. Bitters. I nearly

stumbled backward as she slithered over to me in one sweeping, Dracula like motion, drawing up to her full height of about eight feet. I admitted she was scary. If I

didn't know better I'd say she was some kind of shadow demon.

"Yes?" she sneered. "What do you want?"

I timidly handed her my slip of paper and she immediately snatched it away. "Class," she spat. "I would like to introduce the newest hopeless appendage to the

student body. Her name is Wendy," Wow. I was beginning to feel right at home already, knowing that one of my new teachers thought I was hopeless. "Hi Wendy."

the classed drawled unenthusiastically and I waved awkwardly at them. "Wendy!" the old woman said in a harsh tone that made me jump. "Before you take your seat,

let me remind you that in my classroom, tardiness is unacceptable! Now either you arrive on time or you will suffer greatly." Confused, I glanced at my watch. "But Ms.

Bitters," I argued "I was only two minutes late!"

"Exactly!" she hissed "Now take your seat and don't let it happen again!" At this point, I think it was safe to say the woman definitely lived up to her name.

I was hoping to find a seat near the back of the classroom but unfortunately, they were all packed with enough bodies to fill a morgue. I was guessing from the way

everyone huddled together that they wanted to stay out of Ms. Bitters' way just as much as I did.

Smart kids.

As I settled uncomfortably into a desk at the front row, Ms. Bitters' began a very dismal lecture about the rise of Armageddon or something or other. One could only

guess how many times she used the word 'doom'. Boredom getting the best of me, I began to avert my gaze elsewhere and it was then that I noticed the boy sitting

next to me. He had a goth like but intellectual nature about him from his alabaster skin to his large round glasses to the long black trench coat he wore draped around

the rest of his matching attire.

But it was his hair that I found the most mesmerizing. It was done up in a large jagged spike, like a bolt of jet black lightning or the comb of a foreboding peacock.

Whatever it was meant to resemble, I had to admit I found it strangely beautiful and_

Crap.

I was falling for him. That was not good. I was already starting to foresee this story's plot.

Girl meets boy.

Girl sprouts tentacles or some other unattractive feature.

Boy runs for his life.

If I backed out of this now, I could save myself the excruciating pain of having my heart ripped out and thrown into a meat grinder. But for some reason, I just couldn't

tear my eyes away from him. I was completely spellbound by not only his charming good looks, but the way he delved into the notes he had splayed all over his desk.

Given from the sketches of extraterrestrials and such, it looked like it had to do with something other than Ms. Bitters' teaching. Something involving paranormal study.

I hated falling victim to the whole 'love at first sight' stuff but there was no denying that these feelings were going to continuously grow like cancer cells.

"See something you like, new girl?" an obnoxious female voice suddenly whispered. I turned to the girl behind me.

She was wearing a large black headband over a purple spiked pixie cut. "What do you mean?" I whispered back. A mean little smirk played across her lips and her olive

doll eyes narrowed suspiciously as they shifted from me to the boy. "Don't play dumb," she said dangerously. "I see the way you've been drooling over that Dib freak

like a big dumb Saint Bernard."

Congratulations, Wendy you've just won an award for being the most obvious about who you're crushing on.

"Well," I retorted. "That's not very nice to call your boyfriend a freak." She recoiled, greatly offended by my remark. "Umm ewww? The kid is a freak! He's always raving

about aliens and vampires and how he's going to become a paranormal investigator and save the world, blah, blah, blah. Seriously! What are you seeing in him? He's

crazy and annoying!"

"He doesn't look crazy or annoying to me." I said, watching Dib again. This time, I noticed the green kid he kept taking cautious glances at in between the notes he

was taking. Hmm. Why was his skin green? Maybe Dib was onto something.

"Oh please!" the girl said, rolling her eyes. Then leaning over my shoulder, she whispered close to my ear, "A word of advice, you'll never fit in here so long as you hang

around crazies like Dib. Nobody likes him and neither should you." Suddenly Dib's big brown eyes locked onto mine. I averted my gaze to the floor and pretended to

play with my bunny necklace.

"Is there a problem, Zita?" Ms. Bitters asked, stopping the lecture.

"Oh Ms. Bitters," the girl called Zita replied in a voice as sickeningly sweet as a poison laced cupcake. "I was simply telling the new girl to stop interrupting your wonderful lesson plan. She's got an awfully big mouth."

Wow what a bitch. Trying to get me in deeper trouble to save her own ass. I turned to give her an angry scowl and she in return gave me that smirk I already hated so

much. Ms. Bitters lunged at me like a rattlesnake striking a mouse. "Are you going to keep your mouth shut and pay attention, Wendy or am I going to have to send

you to the underground classrooms?"

Normally, I would have argued that Zita had been the cause of disruption but it was all too apparent that this woman ruled the 'skool' with an iron fist and I was not

about to find out what she meant by underground classrooms.

"No Ms. Bitters," I sighed, sinking lower into my seat. "I'm fine." She continued to look daggers at me over her half mooned glasses. Then she said, "Well, then you

should do well to not interrupt my lecture again. Now sit down and be quiet. I don't want to hear another peep out of you for the remainder of the period or semester

for that matter!" And with that, she slithered back to her desk.

I really couldn't fathom how anyone this hostile ever became a school teacher. Ms. Bitters seemed to hate her job as much as she hated me.

For the rest of class, I struggled to focus on anything other than Dib, but every now and then, I still found myself stealing brief glances at him. That was until Zita

jabbed me in the back with her pencil.

Okay.

Now she was really starting to piss me off.

I whirled around, angrily whispering, "What the hell is your problem?"

"You!" she hissed back. "And your sick obsession! Not only is your constant ogling disturbing, it's disgusting! How about you grow some self respect and not go for

losers?"

"How about you mind your own business?"

"If it involves keeping the weirdoes out of my clique then it is my business! And if you choose Dib over the people who actually matter then consider yourself an outcast

by association." "I think I'll manage, thank you." I gave her one final glare before turning around again. It was obvious that Zita was antagonizing me because she

relished getting me in trouble, so I figured it was best not to give her that satisfaction. It was my first day of 'skool' and I already had a bully and a teacher from hell. I

could only hope that things would start looking up from here. But I couldn't guarantee it.