Chapter 2

August 12, 2012

I've always despised airports. They always seemed so cold and heartless. Now, that hate was growing, spreading into other areas. It sounds like I'm talking about a rash, another thing that I hate. Airports always meant leaving something behind, there was always something that you had to say goodbye to at an airport.

Today was no different. After a long and tearful goodbye with my mother and friends earlier, I wasn't about to make the best of it, as my mom always told me to do. This sucked. Plain and simple, there was no real way to describe it except to say that it sucked.

"Hi!" Squealed a short blonde girl as she slid into the seat next to me.

Just wonderful, I thought. I get stuck sitting next to the chick who has enough energy to power every light in New York City.

I hoped that my silence would discourage the bubbly blonde, but she didn't seem fazed at all.

She stuck out her hand, obviously expecting me to take it. She had a lot to learn.

"I'm Avery!"

"Marley," I muttered, obviously (or so I hoped) annoyed. I didn't even bother to return the friendly gesture, in hopes that she would leave me alone.

Avery shrunk back in her seat a little bit, in defeat or maybe even fear.

God, what was I becoming? I couldn't let my stupid dad turn me into a horrible person. I just couldn't.

"I'm sorry," I offered to the small girl next to me. "It's been a rough few days and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Hi, I'm Marley!"

She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry for whatever you're going through Marley."

As sweet as Avery was, I wasn't quite ready to spill my life story to a girl I'd met less than half an hour ago. So we just sat. In silence basically, until the plane was in the air. Then I had my ear buds in, and I was dead to the world.

-

"There's my little girl!"

I turned my head to the source of the irritating voice. There stood my father holding a cardboard sign that said my name, almost like a chauffeur. The tall woman next to him made no effort at all to look excited. A half scowl graced her face, half hidden by obviously bleached hair.

She looked even more bored than I did, if that was even possible.

"Father," I muttered back at him harshly.

He decided to ignore my tone of voice, chirping "What do you think of Lima so far, princess?"

"Do I really get an opinion?"

Sue chuckled. Maybe the step monster wouldn't be so... awful after all I thought. I can't even believe how wrong I was about that.

-

The car ride had been silent and awkward; it felt to me like the beginning of the end of my life. No more taxi cabs everywhere you looked. No more street performers and Broadway marquees on every corner. Just rows and rows of houses and shops lining the streets.

I'm what you'd call a city girl, so I am not a fan of boring, suburban life.

"We're here!" My father announced happily, though I'm not quite sure what he was so proud of.

Before the car had even fully stopped moving, I was out of that old Nissan and staring at my new house. It didn't deserve the title of home; much like my father didn't deserve to be called dad or daddy.

I stared a little bit longer before my father and Sue joined me.

"Do you always do that?" He shrieked.

"Do what?" I retorted, playing dumb. I knew he was talking about my habit of jumping out of a car before it stopped. I used to love scaring the crap out of cab drivers by jumping out before they stopped.

"You know what I mean young lady!"

Ooh, young lady! I was really scared now. Notice the sarcasm oozing from that comment.

"I don't like waiting for cars to park. Too mainstream." I shrugged passively.

He huffed and stormed in the house, closely followed by Sue.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," I muttered once they were inside.

-

I have this theory, a theory that has yet to be disproven. I believe that every blonde high school cheerleader is either a bimbo or a bitch. Guess who perfectly fits that description?

My two stepsisters did nothing to prove my theory wrong. In fact, I'm pretty sure that those two basically summed up the theory in two simple names. Kitty and Brittney.

Let's start with Brittney. She was the epitome of a dumb blonde. One of my many duties I held when my father wasn't around was that I had to help the girls with their homework. It usually consisted of Kitty bitching about me doing the work wrong and yet making no effort to pitch in, while Brittney just hummed quietly to herself, obviously not grasping the fact that the square root of four was not rainbows.

Then we have Kitty. Kitty is the smart twin, but she doesn't use it for good. She uses her smarts for evil and bullying, much of which has been directed at me. I like to call her Mega Bitch. That's her super hero- or should I say villain- name. She's the head cheerleader, a spot obviously secured for her because of her mother.

But whatever way you spun it, those two made my life a living hell. My life had become a mass of slushies and other various suckish things.

August 23, 2012

I have always hated the first day of school. It's not even the idea of school itself that bugs me so much. I don't really mind school. It's the awkwardness that surrounds the first day that I despise. The fact that I'm the new kid this year doesn't make things any better. At my old school, if you were new to the school, no one except those in your classes knew it. Actually, half of those kids didn't know it, and most of the time, they didn't care.

Here in Lima, however, everyone knew everyone else. I stuck out like a sore thumb with my loose white tank top and old blazer. I had dressed the way everyone dressed in New York. Stylish and simple. Kids in Lima though didn't seem to care. If you weren't wearing a cheerleading uniform or varsity jacket, you didn't even deserve a second glance.

Okay, I thought, then I should just slip under the radar, completely unnoticed.

Oh, how wrong I was. As soon as that thought was in my head, I was nearly blinded. My nose was numb and I could feel something cold running down my shirt. What the hell was going on?

"Welcome to McKinley, loser!" I heard a distinct voice yell. If it wasn't mega bitch herself, Kitty.

Once I regained my vision, I realized that she was still there, surrounded by chuckling jocks and giggling cheerleaders. I couldn't find Brittney though. I licked my lips and smirked at them.

"Thank you so much, sister dear. I always did think that this top was boring," I quipped sarcastically. I calmly turned on my heel, walking smoothly away from them.

Well, there goes that top I thought, a bit pissed. Not at the queen bee, but at myself. I grabbed my unused gym clothes out of my locker, slipping my tight red t shirt on and sliding my somewhat sticky but fairly unharmed blazer over top of it.

This was going to be a long and grueling school year. Mental note: always bring extra clothes. Always.

Hey people! So I got this up on Saturday, as promised. I got some requests to make the chapters longer, so do you guys like the length? Should I make them longer? Anyways, please review, and I will see you all next week

By the way, if any of you have not heard of the Youtube series MyMusic, I highly recommend checking it out. It's hilarious! Thanks to ReflectionsOfTwighlight for getting me hooked on that ;)

XOXO

-Lauren