"Sombra you're a smart kid you don't belong here." Mr. Ashby shook his head as he spoke. He had been relentless trying to slide her into the high school on the other side of town. He was determined to get Sombra a proper education. Sombra sighed he had done so much work trying to get her into this school but she was resistant and he could tell. "In telling you if you stay here you won't get very far in life..." He trailed off Sombra studied his solemn expression, a man who clearly worked too hard, perhaps the only person who even cared about his job. "But over at OakWood, they have properly certified teachers!"
Sombra bit her lip given silence as a response he was winning her over.
"Your talent is worth so much to the world Sombra I can see your potential, don't let living here ruin that for you." His eyes pierced Sombra with desperation as if he wanted this for himself. Mr. Ashby reminded her of a grandad she never knew, his salt and pepper hair only reinforcing the age difference between him and her father, no one really believed he was in his sixties. Sombra thought for a moment, a change was usually good it was imperative she didn't hang around in one spot for too often.
"Fine, I'll go."
Mr. Ashby gleamed I'll send them the paperwork.
The bus to OakWood was pristine, Sombra had never seen a school bus so clean. The ones at her old school were usually covered in dirt it was hard to find a seat that didn't have old gum shoved into the fabric. She the first student to be picked up so she sat her self at the very back, hidden the way she preferred to be.
Unsurprisingly there weren't many people who took this bus, Leaving some breathing room for Sombra.
One girl who took it though sat close to Sombra, the seat in front, in fact, she had given Sombra a small smile when she had been picked up. She was short and had hair the colour of coffee. Her black boxy glasses somehow suited her. Sombra smiled back lightly before turning back to face the window watching the sun lazily makes its way above the mountains.
Mr. Ashby was right about the teachers at Oak, they were a night and day difference from the ones back at her old school. her usual teachers who didn't seem anything different than unmotivated teenagers were now highly energetic focused adults who appeared to be serious about education. She had made it through English and biology before people started to notice her.
"Who is that?" She heard other girls hiss at each other. People seemed to be laughing at her as if she was the punchline of a joke she didn't know.
"I heard she's from...over there..." it felt as if she had appeared from another planet everyone was talking about her but not to her, she began to wish she stayed at home.
"Alright class settle down you may notice we have a new student here." The teacher began, he looked fairly old his blonde hair slowly making its way to white. Despite his age, he was in good shape.
"Would you like to come up here and introduce yourself?" His eyes locked onto Sombras'.
She could feel the sweat forming on her palms and forehead her stomach felt like it was performing the Cirque du Soleil.
"Yeah...not really." She shrugged.
The man sighed but didn't look away.
"Fine." She groaned standing up."Yo, I'm Sombra." She fake curtsied before taking her seat again.
He nodded before making his way back to the front of the class.
"Alright, I hope everyone did their homework." The entire class groaned at the remark bringing the attention away from Sombra.
By the time it was lunch Sombra was starving she pulled out her lunch which was pretty much leftover rice and chicken. She sat by herself in the cafeteria keeping her head down, there were two ways her being here could go she was hoping for the least dramatic outcome.
"Hey, can I sit with you?"
A small voice peeped. Sombra lifted her head to see the girl from the bus standing in front of her, tray in hand.
"Okay." Sombra offered a small smile.
"I'm Mei."
"Sombra."
"So you're new?"
"Is it that obvious? Sombra asked sarcastically." Mei laughed.
"How about you? Have you lived in this town your whole life?"
Sombra asked as she stuffed a mouthful of rice into her mouth.
"Mostly but I used to live a few towns over until middle school."
Sombra nodded.
"They don't like me for whatever reason, I'm too fat I'm too Chinese I'm too this or that," Mei answered noticing Sombra look across the cafeteria.
"I like to distance myself from fake ass people so they better stay away from me too."
Mei smiled and gave a nod. "Well if you keep sitting with me they should."
"Do you have any friends here?" She asked chewing at the end of her plastic fork.
"No, not really. I used to have a best friend of mine Jane..."
Sombra followed Mei's gaze to a blonde boy across the room, he sat on top of the table as he was describing so event with a series of complicated hand gestures. The boys around him blew up in a chorus of laughter.
"That's Jane?" Sombra squinted trying to get a better look."
"What? No! That's Jamison." Mei's cheeks grew with a blush.
"Ohhhh I see," Sombra smirked.
Having lunch with Mei became a regular thing for Sombra, although they didn't share many classes together they made it a point to meet for lunch. Despite the rules she had made for herself she couldn't help but break them for Mei, she had never truly had a friend before. She welcomed her with cautious optimism.
Sombra shoveled a pile of rice into her mouth as Mei was telling the story of how she had come to move to Oakwood when another girl approached them.
"Hey little piggy, maybe you shouldn't be eating that." Her voice condescending as she ripped Mei's sandwich out of her hands. The girl had waist length obviously dyed blonde hair held back in a sleek ponytail. Her features were so symmetrical they reminded Sombra of a robot.
The blonde held the sandwich between two fingers as if it were contagious.
"Ugh just holding it is making me get fat." She scoffed dropping it to the floor before bursting out in hysterics.
Mei lowered her head in embarrassment.
Sombra stood up and grabbed the sandwich off the floor.
"Ew are you gonna that?" The blonde remarked pulling her face into an unattractive curl.
"No... I'm not." Sombra trailed off.
"But you are." She finished shoving the opened faced tuna sandwich into the blonde's face.
"Oh my god! What the fuck are you crazy?" The blonde shrieked. "Ew! oh my god you're seriously fucked!"
Sombra smiled sinisterly.
Only now did she realize the group of people surrounding her staring at her as if she was some wild animal.
"Shows over, fuck off," Sombra grumbled sitting back down in front of Mei. The blonde still lingered fuming in front of Sombra.
"You want more tuna?" Sombra asked cocking her neck to the side.
"Ugh." The blonde grunted before storming off to the bathroom.
"Sombra, you really shouldn't have done that," Mei spoke finally her voice quivering.
"What? Why she was being a dick someone needed to put her in her place."
"Yeah but now she's going to target you." Meis voice dripping with worry.
"Hey, it's nothing I can't handle you should see my old school." Sombra smiled comforting Mei.
"Thanks."