Hi again! Second chapter, don't hesitate to lemme know what you think! :3 Sorry, it's a little late. :P
The bell sounded, telling Zariyah that she could finally leave the classroom. Making it into the hall, she pulled her hood on and stared at the ground while walking. Zariyah huffed, hoping to draw as little attention as possible. She thought of Newt to draw her mind off the constant snickering and loud whispering all around her as groups parted her path. Just ignore me, just ignore me, just ignore me...she chanted in her mind as she closed her eyes.
As her eyes were closed, she bumped into someone.
"Ah, well if it isn't the famous dragon girl! Boy, do we have a lot to learn from you!" a student sneered as kids around him snickered. She looked at the ground, trying to move around him. Students started to surround the group, attracting attention. Just as it seemed Zariyah was about to get hammered with another round of name-calling and insults, a teacher stepped in, scattering the students with a "Shoo, shoo! Nothing to see here."
Zariyah decided it was a good idea to quicken her pace as the bully growled at her. Pushing through the glass doors, she continued her way of walking out into the quad. She looked up for a split second as she felt something brush against her, and saw a glimpse of someone. He seemed new, his backpack looked as if it had been bought the day before. The second she felt it, he had felt it too, as he looked at her. Zariyah felt something click in her mind, but as the moment passed, decided to ignore it. She continued on her way, rubbing her head and shaking it in confusion.
Over the next few periods, her curiosity began to grow. Who was he? Was he new? Why was he...familiar..? She shuddered at the thought, and pushed it once again to the back of her mind.
Finally, the final bell rung. She jogged to the back entrance, taking the long way home, and walked down the sidewalk.
Once home, she went into her room. Closing her eyes, she remembered the events of two days ago.
All of the class knew she loved dragons. Even in every single class. She wore t-shirts with references, be they clear or hidden, to dragons every other day, and had dragon supplies. A backpack with a tail coming out, a binder with hand drawn scales, and of course, her dragon bike.
In science, she got assigned a new project. An animal report. Everyone chose an animal to draw and write about. The teacher said they had time to think about it after school. As the bell rang and the class hurried out, they began to chatter about their animals.
"I want a lion! A lion with a huge, soft, mane!" one boy yelled as he put his hands around his head in a mane motion.
"Well I want a cute little kitty cat! I can draw my kitten, Muffins!" a girl said in a sing song voice.
"What do you want, Zariyah?" a boy asked curiously.
"I want a...dragon!" she said honestly.
"No, I mean seriously. What real animal are you going to pick?" he asked.
"A dragon! I told you!"
"Dragons aren't real. Everybody knows that." he chuckled.
An eighth grader loomed over the conversation. "Hey, guys, this is rich! This kid wants to do a dragon for her animal report!"
His friends doubled over with pure glee. Zariyah frowned, beginning to regret her announcement.
"Dragon girl! Dragon girl!" they mused as she turned around, her backpack showing while she ran rubbing the tears out of her eyes. That day, she slammed the door to her room and scratched the posters off carelessly.
She lay in her bed, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she drifted to sleep.
