An Empty Insight

Prologue

I can't stand it when people ask me questions. I don't like to answer them. I do anyways. Not many people ask them, though; not anymore. I'm usually left alone; left to my own thoughts and sometimes my writings. I love writing. I write stories about how my life would be if I had friends…If I hadn't taken a turn for the worst…How my life would be if I weren't me. When I'm at school, I am usually alone. The only friend I have lives in New York and she can only visit every blue moon. Her name is Trista Anderson. If I'm not alone at school then people are only there to abuse or pick on me. They usually ask me lots of questions. I try to ignore them, but I usually answer just to get them to leave me alone, but inside I am screaming, "I don't like answering questions!"

Chapter One

I walk slowly down the hallways of my school, dragging my feet and adjusting the headphones that are hanging around my neck. My backpack was tugging slightly on my shaggy, un-brushed, mid-back length hair as I walked. I walk into my Journalism class. It is still 30 minutes until the bell rings to go to first period, but my teacher, Ms. Denise, is nice, and we talk about articles that I or she has read recently before I have to leave for class. I pull out a newspaper from my backpack and toss it down on her desk, while pulling one of the student desks closer to hers and sitting on it. "Page 12, Memories" was all I said.

Ms. Denise sat silently and read the article without even looking up at me. When she had finished she gave a sort of "Psshhht" sound and looked up at me, "That was horrible! The grammar was shot, and there were even a few spelling mistakes.

"I know! I was horrified! I am definitely never going there to get published!" I reply.

My teacher and I sit and talk for another 20 minutes or so before I say goodbye and head in the direction of my locker. I open my locker and…just my luck…my shelf breaks and everything falls out. I am hit with a waterfall of books, papers, folders, and notepads. I feel a rather large book hit me on the side of the head, that one will leave a bruise. I bend down and start to pick up all of my books and things, when someone starts helping me. No one has ever helped me…with anything…I look up and see the most beautiful person I've ever seen bent over my homework. "Umm…I saw that you dropped your things…I thought you might need help." He said with a crisp British accent, handing my homework to me.

"Thanks," I said, staring at him with a shy smile on my face.

"Your Welcome," he said as he finished helping me and stood up,

"I guess I'll see you later." He said as he waved and turned in the direction that I had just come from.

I finished putting my papers and backpack into my locker just as the bell rang for me to leave for class. I grabbed my Geometry book and the homework that the boy had just given me and started toward my class when I ran into Jake Thomas.

"Hiya Harry, How've you been these past few days?"

"Fine," I say, while trying to get past him; He blocks me every time.

"I've missed…hanging out…with you…I've been sick, but now we can make up for the time we've spent apart." He says meaningfully.

Jake doesn't really want to 'spend time with me' he more like wants to 'rip my face off of me.' I'm not sure why he hates me, but he does. He has every since 4th grade and I've never known why. I just usually try to avoid him as much as possible, but since we came to high school and he has made loads of new friends, it's kind of hard to do anything without him knowing when and where I'll be.

"I've got to get to class, Jake, I'm going to be late." I say, hoping it will work, but knowing it won't.

"Oh, c'mon Harry, didn't you miss me while I was gone? Even a little?" Jake says, grabbing my face tightly and squishing my cheeks together like a little kid. He'll do anything to get to me.

"No, Jake, I really just want to get to class before I'm late," I say, like he doesn't already know this.

"Well, you're not going to, I want you to spend time with me." He says, bringing his face closer to mine and making a kissy face.

"Mr. Thomas!" We hear, Jake jerks his head towards the owner, but I am unable to as he still holds my face.

"I think that is quite enough, let go of Mr. Potter." Mrs. McGonagall says to him and he releases my face, just as the bell rings. I take off running until I reach my class.

My teacher barely even noticed me walk in, much less acknowledged it. I walk to the back of the classroom where there is no one sitting and sit down quietly. My teacher is making everyone take notes. Notes that she knows I won't take because I already know everything about this class. I pull my headphones over my ears and turn the volume on low so I won't disturb the class. I listen to White Zombie for the entire class while reading my book.

After Geometry I leave to go to break. We have a twenty-minute break between our first and second hour. I pull out my money and buy myself a soda and a candy bar. I sit down in our commons area in the closest corner and sat and watched people interact with each other. As I sit watching and eating my candy bar, I notice the boy who helped me clean up my mess this morning. He is standing beside a group of boys awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He must have been invited to hang out with them. He looks around him and his eyes catch mine. I look away before he sees the blush creeping up my neck. I open my soda as my cousin comes up to me and sits down.

"Hi, Dudley, How are you?" I ask.

"Fine, I heard about what happened with you and Thomas," He says, plunging right into the point, "Do you want me to punch his face in?" His face turns red with anticipation at the thought.

"No, that's fine, I can take care of it myself." I say, waving my hand and taking a drink of my soda.

"Are you sure? Because I will." Dudley says, with a hopeful look on his face.

"I'm sure." I say before waving him away.

I sit for a few more minutes before standing up and throwing away my soda after taking one last drink. I walk to my locker and put my Geometry book inside. I take out my notebook for Journalism out since I won't have time to stop at my locker before hand. I also pull out my Junior English book. I start to close my locker when a hand reaches out and grabs the door. I look up to see Jake.

"You got me a week's detention," He said angrily, "and you're gonna pay for it."

He grabs me by my shirt and throws me up against the lockers before looking around and realizing that this is to public for a beating. He drags me to the bathroom across the hall.

"I didn't do anything!" I defend.

"You should've just done what I asked." He says, as he throws his first punch. I try to block it, but he hits my face anyway. He lands another after another varying places sometimes…sometimes not…finally he stops and is standing in front of me out of breath. He releases my shirt and I slide down the wall into a sitting position. He looks down at his fist and I see that he bruised his knuckles while he was hitting me. He kicks me in the stomach and I feel the breath knocked out of me, I fall over clutching my stomach and gasping for air. I close my eyes and hope that he will just walk away.

"Maybe next time you'll just listen to what you're told and you won't go squealing to a teacher!" He says, kicking me in the chest while he holds his bruised hand. The bell rings signaling that break is over and we should go to class. Jake Kicks me in the chest one last time before walking out of the bathroom and leaving me in the floor, being thankful that guys don't use the bathroom as much as girls.