"Fuck off you shitbag," Em spat, shoving the burly senior who'd just decided it was a good idea to sneak behind her while she was getting a drink from the shiny new water fountains at her shiny new school in Battle Creek. All in all, she hated it there. Well, no more than she hated it in Little Rock but... Hey, it would do. At least she'd be mixed in with boys too. Although that in itself could be a challenge.
Something inside her held that spark of hope that by moving here, things might be just a little bit better. That her dad might lighten up, that she'd wake up from the nightmare that was the first seventeen years of her life.
...It was a nice thought, anyways.
Life had never been easy for Em. Never. Any pleasant memories she may have had were generally blocked out by the searing pain of her father's brutal beatings. A kick to the stomach for a broken glass. 20 solid punches for leaving her toothbrush on the sink. ...The unspeakable for being seen with a boy her age, for being seen on a date.
And now this girl with hair dyed raven black, cropped short and choppy, with pale skin, cold hazel eyes and peircings which stood out on her angular face stalked the halls of Battle Creek high school, looking feral and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. It was hard to tell if she was a fighter or a runner, but one thing was certain; Em Andrews was a force to be reckoned with.
It didn't take long for the girl to find her homeroom class. Mr. Becker. It also didn't help the impression she was making that she was ten minutes late. Muttering a raspy apology under her breath she took a seat and glanced around the room, as if she were analyzing every single person who surrounded her. The blonde girl in the front row had a nervous habit of chewing on her fingernails. The chubby boy beside her with glasses was obviously stoned off his ass. There was someone too, who wouldn't stop smiling.
It was strange. He smiled so much, seemed so kind that immediately Em didn't want to trust him. Most of the time that meant he wanted something, wanted her to trust him just so he could manipulate her, use her trust against her. Hell no, that wasn't going to happen again. No way was that going to happen again. And then, he smiled in her direction.
That was a smile that could probably melt frozen butter. Em wasn't frozen butter. She was the very definition of frost. Her expression remained stony and cold. He almost seemed like a fluffy puppy, to be honest. Warm, dark brown curls, big brown eyes, a friendly smile and innocent face. Mystery boy waved to her. She didn't wave back. Oddly enough he didn't seem to disappointed. He just sort of shrugged and gave her one last shining smile before turning to talk to what she assumed was his posse. Oh great, she thought. A groupie boy. I don't need this.
That boy kept smiling at her all through homeroom. And she was unlucky enough in her mind to have him in her first period class. Math. With a groan Em kept her head down, not even attempting to listen for role call. She didn't really care at this point. All she was focused on was getting through the day in one piece without getting detention and hopefully being spared at home today. No such luck. The friendly boy turned to her, that smile ever present. "Hey, you're new, right?" he asked. "I'm Ben. Ben Braeden. Welcome to Battle Creek."
"Oh um... Thanks, I guess," was Em's cold reply. Before Ben could say anything more, the teacher was calling her to the front of the class.
"Emily-Rose? Could you please come here and let me introduce you?"
Em hesitated, eyes fixed on her desk. After a moment of silence she hauled herself up and stalked to the front of the class.
"Class, this is Emily-Rose Andrews. She's a new student here. Is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?"
She fixed everyone with a cold glare. "No." Her boots thudded softly against the linoleum floors as she made her way back to her seat.
It was going to be a long day.