"Hey Amanda, you look tired. Long night?" I sit down, placing my backpack on my lap, and try not to wince as my arm hits the seat. "You could say that." She seems to notice that I don't want to talk so she just smiles at me, and looks at the window. For that I am thankful. After the other deviants file out, we walk up to the school. Kim is there, front and center, pouncing about like our life is just a piece of cherry pie, and I scowl. "Is that your sister?" I can almost taste the quizzical nature of Olivia's voice. Guess the cat's out of the bag, I was going to tell her anyways. What better time that the present? "Yeah, that's Kim alright. She's a freshman." I pause to look at Olivia, "we don't exactly have the same ideas about things."
"That's for certain, but if you don't mind me saying, I think you have more of a head on your shoulders." Olivia says this and looks over at me, like she is expecting retaliation from her words, but the only thing I can do is smile. "Couldn't have said it better myself Olivia, now let's go say hi to everybody before the bell rings." We lock arms and walk inside the building, giggling like a bunch of first graders, and for the time being, I forget the drama that is my house.
"You two look happy" Alex muses from beside Olivia's locker, putting up her books with a cheeky grin. Turning about to answer her, I notice Olivia has a bruise on the right side of her face. I've done the same thing, with the caked makeup and curled hair to hide behind. This leaves me frowning, but I don't want to ruin the mood, so I answer her. "Yep, Olivia and I ate some glitter for breakfast." My smile is sardonic, and infectious. Though quizzical about Olivia's bruise, I play around with Fin and Casey and Nick, and Alex, and Olivia and I wonder how I could have met such wonderful people and still have so much darkness in my life. We joke about until the bell rings, and Olivia and I head towards the wonderful word of Logic, we are both quiet. Lost in our thoughts, we don't notice the dude blocking the doorway. Or I don't at least. I run into him with an oof, and end up falling into Olivia. By the end of the week, I bet I'm going to have fallen, or hurt all my friends.
"You're blocking the doorway Chester." Olivia seems annoyed, and I am finding myself to be as well. He just smirks at her, and I notice a bit of hair gel he hasn't worked into his hair. Eww. "And who's this lovely little thing?" His eyes are the type I see on all my Mammas boyfriends, and I don't like it. Here's to hoping he doesn't meet Kim, Good Lord, who knows what could happen then. "Bell's about to ring, you need to move." "Not until you tell me your name baby doll." He won't stop smirking, and if I could get away with it, I'd gorge his eyes out. The looks he's giving Olivia and I. I notice she's not too keen on his attitude either. "Just move," I say attempting to push my way around him, there is now a crowd of people lined up behind us now. I was never one to deal with scumbags on a passive stance. He looks at me for a moment. "Cheeky little thing aren't you?" He grins, but finally moves. I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of 'Chester.'
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Mrs. Henry was someone who could provoke anyone to learn, even the strictest delinquent juvenile. If anyone ate glitter for breakfast it was her, or maybe she ate rays of Sunshine. Who knows. I ignored most of what she said, not intentionally of course, but my mind was just in other places. Alex seemed to notice my mood change from earlier in the morning, and when the teacher told us to talk over our novel project with our partners, she pounced on that.
"Are you alright Amanda" I heard about Chester from Casey. We both want to kick his ass too. He's a player." I looked at her for a moment, and smiled. "Word get's around here fast. I noticed." She looked concerned too. Ah hell. "Is Olivia ah okay?" "Yeah, I'm sure, we've been dealing with Chester since Junior High. Why do you ask?" Dammit I lost my nerve, "I was just curious." Maybe I'd ask her tomorrow, maybe I'd talk to Olivia myself. "You know, I haven't known you for long, I mean a day isn't long at all, but if you need to talk, about anything I'm around. We all are. I hope that's not too informal of me to have said." She looks worried for a moment, and the back of my throat hurts. "No, not at all, Thank you Alex. I'm so glad I ran into you. Literally." Giving her a smile, we turn back to the teacher who now wants a verbal summary of what we are doing. Guess we should have actually talked about what we are doing. I stand up nervous, and look over at Alex who is biting her lip. "Our project-..." I'm cut off by the bell and Mrs. Henry smiles. I think she knows we weren't paying attention. "Would you like to go to the library in town after school to study. Or we could go to my house? I'll invite Olivia and Casey over, and we can have a study game?" "Yes, that'd be great. See you at lunch." Initially I wasn't certain if this school would be fun or not, I was clearly running on nerves then. The only thing I had to worry about now, was telling Kim I wouldn't be home either.