I've never been good at introductions, so I'll start with the basics. My name is Indie. I'm a student at Wicked High. The first thing in you need to know about me is that I am most certainly, very definitely, extremely not cool. I am not a popular. Instead, I'm the kind of girl who reads books and gets good grades. And, by the way, I'm fine with that. I'm happy. I guess you also need to know what I look like. I have dark brown hair that hangs by my waist, brown eyes, freckles, and a plain face which is nothing special. I don't even have glasses or braces. The only thing unusual about me is my height - super tall. It's not like I'm sassy or confident, outgoing or interesting. I'm just me.
Also, I'm not popular among boys. In fact, they usually just walk straight past me as if I don't exist. Not once has a single male who's not related to me or meant to look at me so much as noticed me. This is annoying, I guess. There are some pretty hot boys at my school. For example, you have Thomas - a natural athlete with a cute personality; Minho - too cocky for my liking, but still painfully hot; Ben - the fit dude who's always cracking jokes; Aris - the sweet one who seems so caring; Alby, the authoritative one with a brooding face; George, the funny and totally wrong minded one; and Newt - the sweetheart ladies man with an English accent and those chocolate eyes... But it's not like I care. I certainly don't mind how every single day I sit in class with them, noticing them, while they just ignore my existence. Also, they mostly already have girlfriends. Thomas has Teresa, Ben has Harriet, Aris has Rachel, Newt has Kizzi and Minho always has someone. All of them are perfectly happy. And I'm perfectly happy too. I mean, I've got great friends, like Brenda, Frypan, Winston and Lex. They're who I'm sitting with right now.
"Hello? You still alive?" Brenda yells, waving her hand in front of my face. Her coffee coloured eyes are lit with humour.
I roll my eyes. "No, I'm dead. This is my ghost you're speaking to." I say sarcastically.
"Ooh, really? What a shame. I was really starting to like ya." Lex jokes, sea green eyes lit with humour. Casually, she flicks locks of her blazing auburn hair behind her ear.
"Shut up, Alexandriana." I tease, knowing how much her full name annoys her.
Kris laughs and flicks her coal black hair cockily. Her ice blue eyes glint. "It's rude to make fun of people's names, Indabelle!"
"Oh, really, Kristil?" I pull her black hood down over her eyes.
"You guys and your stupid names. Kris, your parents can't even spell! At least I have a normal name." Brenda says haughtily.
"Ladies, ladies! Slim it! We're all friends, not food." Frypan cuts in, holding his hands up.
Brenda laughs. "Just 'cause your brother is a Finding Nemo fan does not give you permission to quote it every hour."
Winston sniggers. Before anyone can say anything else, the bell rings. A horde of students rush to the lockers. Doctor Paige is super strict about punctuality, God forbid anyone should be late for anything. Paige has loads of rules that will apparently train us in etiquette and discipline that were created by the founder of Wicked High, Sir Alistair Stephen Wicked. Unfortunately this means that you get crushed by waves of people as soon as the bell goes. Luckily I'm tall, so I can just push my way through the crowds and get to wherever I want to go. Lex and Brenda use this as a fast pass to get to their own lockers by standing behind me and walking through the space I make. When I get to mine, I pull out my biology books. I'm pretty good at science, if I do say so myself. Sadly that means I'm Janson's star pupil - he teaches every science class I'm in - and because everyone hates Janson, no one likes me. It's not my fault the Rat-Man likes me, it's just...actually, maybe it is my fault for being me.
I start walking towards the biology lab. None of my friends are in the same biology class as me, so I guess I'll just have to sit on my own at the front of the class. Again.
When I enter the room, I can see Rat-Man placing sheets of paper on each desk. A new assignment. He refers to our projects as secret missions, totally private operations for the greater good. He's weird like that.
"Why, if it isn't the wonderful Indie! Come to join me for another fun lesson? This week you've got a great mission that I've chosen. This one will really benefit you in the long term." Janson exclaims. His glasses slip down the narrow bridge of his nose until they rest on the pointy tip. Bunny rabbit teeth catch on his lower lip now he's grinning. More people are filing into the room. Suddenly a gaggle of people enter - the populars. Almost all of them are in this class. Minho, Ben, Newt, Thomas, Teresa, Kizzi and Minho's current girlfriend (I think she's called Miya). Noisily they find seats at the back of the room while Janson shoots them cold glares. He naturally hates those guys. I begin reading the sheets in front of me. The first line I read says you will work in groups of eight. That's interesting, it's usually groups of five at the most. This means that some poor soul will have to work with the populars. The boys I don't mind, but their girlfriends... Let's just say, apart from Harriet, they're not my type - and Harriet's not even in this class. If you're ever stuck alone in a room with the selection of populars in this class, I suggest you leave immediately. Kizzi, Minho and Teresa have a habit of picking on anyone they see as less important than themselves. Maybe if Newt's in the room you'll be safe from Kizzi, but if he's not, you're going to have a very bad time. Kizzi acts like a loving and bubbly angel around Newt, but when he's out of the picture she becomes the devil. I've known them since I was twelve, so I've learnt how cute she is around him and how evil she is when he's gone.
The Rat-Man takes shuffles the papers on his desk and clears his throat, commanding silence. I look up at him and watch as he begins to speak.
"Greetings, students. I am pleased to announce that we are going to be starting a new mission today. The subject is the brain. I want you to learn all about the different sections of your brain and their uses. You shall create presentations to show to the rest of the class which explain everything listed on your sheets. I'm not going to take long explaining this, because you have the sheets to do that. Now, I'm going to let you pick your own groups, but I'm only going to do one tiny thing. Indie, please come over here and join your fellow pupils at the back of the class. That makes eight of you! Your group is sorted. You have a week to complete this task." Janson declared. A series of disbelieving and infuriated whispers come from the populars. I can't believe this. I don't dare turn around, because I can already feel the daggers theatre being stared into my back. Instant death. This means instant death. Actually, no, this means a long and painful death is coming.
Minho speaks up first. "How come? I thought we get to choose!"
"I'm sorry, Mr Park, but last time you did an assignment... Well, there wasn't really an assignment in the end, was there? Miss Williams will make sure that this time you actually do the work I set you. Do you have a problem with that, Minho?" The Rat-Man sneers. When his back is turned I can hear a quiet 'yes' from Minho's direction. It's nice to know that I'm loved.
The rest of the lesson passes far to quickly. Janson teaches us about the brain and I worry about what's going to happen to me later. The Rat-Man keeps smiling at me as if he's given me the best gift ever. I really hate him right now. The bell rings and I grab my stuff, hurrying out of the classroom so I don't get confronted.
"Hey, wait!" Newt yells down the corridor, his accent thick.
Grimacing, I turn around to face him. "What do you want?"
"I want ya to meet us at Minho's house later so we can do the project - lets just get it over with. I'll text ya the time and address. What's your number?" Newt asks. I raise an eyebrow quizzically but recite my number to him.
Minho's new girlfriend snorts. "How come that dumb shank gets to go anywhere near his house? It's not like he wants her there," she sneers. She turns to look at me. "I hope you realise that we don't want anything to do with you. Like, anything. That slinthead the Rat-Man might be makin' us work together, but we so do not want you hangin' around us. Like, ever. Yeah?"
I laugh. "Well, I'm sorry, you're majesty. I obviously thought that since we're in a group together, I'd be your new BFF. I guess not, then. Excuse me while I cry in the corner. I just have one question: how do I look from up there on your high horse?"
Where did that come from? Shocked gasps come from the direction of the populars. Minho strides forward until he's stood directly in front of me. He doesn't have to look that far down to look straight into my eyes, I'm nearly as tall as him. "Excuse me?" he smirks. "What-"
"Slim it, Minho, and Miya, you can shut it too. Izzy is in our bloody group, after all. If you want her to do any of the work, you'll have to let her come over to your house when we meet up. Play fair, ya shank. After all, we need her to like us if we want her to do anythin' for us. That's not workin' out great so far, is it?" Newt interrupts. Thank god, someone here is not a complete klunkhead.
"We don't need her to like us. We can make her do anything we want." Minho counters.
Newt snorts. "Really? Ya think? This is Rat-Man's favourite ever star pupil. Harm one hair on her body and he'll bloody kill ya."
Oh great. So that's what they think of me. "My name's Indie, by the way, not Izzy," I say.
"Sorry, Indie. I'm not great at names," sighs Newt.
"You expect me to let her in my house?" Minho asks, going back to the subject.
"No way am I going anywhere near his house." I announce.
Newt rolls his eyes. "Yes, you are."
I can't stand this anymore. All they're doing is making me feel bad about myself, reminding me how truly worthless I am. Shooting one last glare at my new enemies, I stalk off to my locker. That was the last class of the day which means that, if we want to finish this project, I'm going to have to go to Minho's house. It's also Friday, which means I'm going to spend the next two days trapped in a room with the populars.
It's been an hour since I got a text from Newt. The text annoyed me. It read meet us at Minho's, 5pm - perfect spellings, but absolutely no apology for making me feel like a worthless, unpopular piece of klunk. I'm standing outside Minho's house. Sunlight illuminates the porch of his massive house. His house is truly giant - white stone walls reach up to the sky, contrasting against the dusky sky. Huge glass windows are everywhere, everything is modern in every direction. A white Porsche and a black Lamborghini are on display in the driveway. Bubbling water from the fountain in the centre of the drive tinkles through the air. I rap the brass knocker and the door opens. Teresa is stood there, coal black hair draped over her shoulders like a scarf, sapphire eyes glinting. "Well, I guess you'd better come in then," she said, gesturing towards the doorway with a pale hand.
"Thanks." I reply flatly. Teresa leads me through the corridors to a lounge, where the populars are sprawled across cream sofas. Most of them have a beer in one hand. I'm a tea-total, I don't drink alcohol. I hate the idea of being drunk. Imagine not being able to even control what you're doing...just no.
"Look who decided to show up! It's the klunkhead from biology classes!" Minho exclaims unenthusiastically. His ebony hair is dark against the pale room, and his toned body shows through his white tee. Damn, how come the biggest assholes get the best looks?
One thing catches my eye. On a plumped up armchair in the corner of the room is a small pudgy boy with springs of curly brown hair. His chestnut eyes look alone and abandoned. The first thing I do is walk over to him and stick out my hand. "Hey," I say softly, "I'm Indie. Who're you?"
The boy's eyes light up, and a broad smile spreads across his face making his cheeks dimple. "I'm Chuck! I'm Thomas's brother. He made me come 'cause our parents are out, so he has to look after me." He shakes my outstretched hand.
I can feel eyes on the back of my neck like needle pricks. When I turn, everyone is staring at me with baffled expressions. Newt's mouth is quirked into a tiny smile, but Kizzi's face is disgusted. She snuggles closer into Newt when she catches my eye, as if to make a statement. I already know she's with Newt, she doesn't have to tell me that. I kneel down to nudge Chuck's shoulder and whisper, "What's with them?"
Chuck smiles smugly. "They always ignore me when I'm over here. Well, they never used to, but then Teresa and their other girlfriends came along, so now they just act like I don't exist. No one ever speaks to me before talking to them anymore. You're the first one in ages!"
I stand back up. "Ummmm... Hi?" I say awkwardly.
"So glad you could make it," Minho says sarcastically.
Newt rolls his eyes. "Shouldn't we actually do something now she's here? The project's due next week."
"Oh, sure," says Miya, turning to me. "Right this way. The computer's over there in the library. You can go do our project and we'll stay here."
Kizzi and Teresa laughed. Harriet frowned. "Surely if it's a group project the group should do it together."
I mentally add this to my list of reasons to like Harriet. I'm soooo glad that Ben decided to fall in love with her.
Newt nods, but Ben shakes his head. "C'mon, Harri, we already let her in the shucking house. Let's just leave her to it for a while. Anyway, you're not even in our class, so what's it matter to you?"
I move to the computer anyway. I really can't be bothered with the populars right now. It'll be faster to do it in my own.
I've been working for an hour now. This library is huge. Dark oak bookshelves line every wall, and the floor is a contrasting white. Nothing's really happened yet, but I've learnt loads about the brain. It said in the booklet to study this part called the killzone, which is the most prone to disease and mental illness. I've had to listen to the stupid conversations from next door for ages. My conclusion: Teresa, Kizzi, and Miya are hell's angels sent to destroy us all. They are just so vain! Everything is about them. It makes me sick. Teresa used to be a nice girl, but then she became a popular and this is the result.
Miya walks through the door holding a glass of red wine. "Minho told me to be nice," she explains. I adjust my foot, and she trips over and drops the glass. It shatters, ringing through the air. Red wine bleeds across the white stone floor like a blossoming rose. "Shuck," she whispers.
The people next door hear the noise and start coming into the library. The urge to lie on the floor on the wine spill and pretend I've been shot is strong, but I decide I can make a fool of myself some other time. Miya's cheeks flush bright red and she looks like she might cry. Why? It's just a bit of wine. The stone isn't porous, so it will be easy to clean. Miya starts trembling, and I'm even more confused. She sniffs pitifully. Minho walks in and I realise why. He dumped his last girlfriend because she spilt food somewhere. I feel really guilty now.
"Miya," Minho says calmly. "Did you drop this?"
"I...I didn't mean... Like, I tripped and it slipped and... Please Minho, please. Don't dump me! I'm totes better than Amber! Honestly, it was an accident!" Miya begs. I'm such a horrible person. Wait, no, Minho's a horrible person if he just dumps girls whenever they spill drinks.
Minho raises an eyebrow. "If you have this much lack of trust, I should dump you anyway. You're getting boring now, anyway. I need someone new."
Wow. Wtf. I can't believe he just said that. This guy is fifty times more snooty than I thought.
"Only joking!" Minho laughs. Miya is already sobbing, black tears of mascara making lines down her face and dragging through her foundation.
Sticking her nose in the air, Miya takes one last attempt at respectability. "Yeah, like, whatevs, I'm dumping you. I found this dude called Nick and he's super hot so, like, I don't even care. Nick asked me out the other day and I said maybe," she says, dreamily fiddling with her dark blond hair. "So I think this thing between us is totes over. By the way, Nick has a Ferrari. It's red. And his house is bigger. See ya guys!"
With that, Miya stalks out of the house. Talk about a diva! Minho just looks a bit miffed, confused at the worst. I will never understand these relationships. I hear the familiar rumble of Lex's truck outside - she agreed to pick me up, because my parents dropped me off here. "That's my ride," I announce. Everyone is too dumbfounded to answer.
Minho takes me to the door, as if expecting me to get lost in the corridors from the library to the door. When we reach the front door, Lex is leaning against the black truck. Her Suberin hair rolls down her back like a wave of flames, flickering and dancing with colour. She's wearing her cute black skater dress with black, silver studded high heels. Trust her to take first impressions so seriously. I try not to laugh as I see Minho's eyes widen and his smirk disappear. Lex is blushing slightly, a pretty pink against porcelain skin. I look at Minho knowingly and hop into the truck. Glad to be away from the weird world of popularity, I nudge Lex to remind her that she has something to do. The sky is a colour wheel of pinks, blues and oranges above us. Waving my hands in the air through the sunroof above me, I trace the emerging stars with the tips of my fingertips. Then I start to tell Lex all about this evening, and how Minho is once again single. She smiles, and I know who'll be picking me up from Minho's for the rest of the week.