" Blockhead!"
" Fatty!"
" Cry-baby!"
The other kids slung insults fast and furious at Dani as she attempted to separate herself form the crowd at recess.
Soon, the shouts were followed by clumps of grass and handfuls of gravel.
Dani threw her arms up over her face, knowing it did not good to plead with them.
Cowering back against the wall, she helplessly tried to shield herself from the attack.
After a bit, the kids grew bored with their cruel game, and after on of the bigger boys had kicked her to the ground and ripped her shirt, they left.
Sniffling softly, lest she attract more attention to herself, Dani slowly got to her feet and slunk back into the school.
The teacher was nowhere, as always, so she just slumped at her desk, laid her head in her arms, and cried until she heard the bell that signaled the end of recess.
Then she wiped her face and tried to appear normal as everyone came back inside.
The rest of the school day was spent in dread of when it was time to go home, as the 17-year-old girl knew her parents were going to be furious for the rip in her shirt.
Finally, the dreaded time came and she tried to slip from the schoolroom and hurry down to the bus before anyone noticed.
Unfortunately, a gang of girls was waiting outside for her, and pounced on her almost immediately.
Striping her backpack and books from her, two of them stole the rest of her lunch money for the week and scribbled in her books while the other three kicked her and pulled her hair, rubbing mud all over her face and calling her the Ugly Mud Princess.
They then tore her backpack in half, threw it into the street, and ran off laughing.
Sobbing, Dani picked herself up and trudged into the road to retrieve her destroyed backpack.
She then decided to walk home, as being on the bus was never any better.
She already was in for it at home; she may as well be late and have some peace on the way there.
A half an hour later, she slowly opened the door to her house and was met by an enraged mom.
" Where have you been, you useless girl?!" she screeched as she dragged the hapless girl into the house.
" And you ripped you shirt, mudded up your nice new jeans, spent all your money, scribbled in your books, and tore your backpack?!" her mom's voice rose to a fever pitch as she screamed at her.
" Mom, I-"
" Silence! I want none of your pitiful excuses! Get in here!"
Dani followed her without a choice, even though she knew what was coming next.
Her mom beat her with her own belt and then threw her into the garage for the night without anything to eat.
Dani was starving because her lunch had been spilled all over the floor at lunchtime today.
Closing her eyes, she curled into a tight ball in a corner of the garage and cried herself to sleep.
She woke up sometime during the night to her dad's car pulling in the garage.
He stomped into the house without even looking at her, which was a relief.
Dani crawled under the car for some warmth and fell back asleep again.
Luckily for her, this time it was not interrupted by nightmares and she slept peacefully the remainder of the night.