Chapter 10 :: Rebellion, Mark of a Townie

Classes were continuing on despite the lousy past few weeks I've endured with the fan club girls giving me a death sentence in their books. Francis continued with classes as if I wasn't even there and Lucien blatantly avoided me with every chance he could find. I hate this. I started skipping classes because I couldn't concentrate on lectures. My head was full of things that I wanted to right with everyone, but I was too much of a child to do anything about it. I was letting my selfishness get the best of me, even my attendance record fell to a point where I had to falsify an excuse letter from my dad saying that I was still enrolled but would take my studies outside of school. This would at least guarantee my room stayed in my possession.

I was angrier at myself than I thought I would have been since I just had a fall out with two of my closest friends. Alex would tell me that things would get better, but I knew that it wouldn't be the case this time. I never told her that I left because I knew she'd get worried. Other than Ms. Danvers and Kani-san, no one else knew where I was. I had left without telling anybody where I was going or what I was doing.

I sat on the railing of the bridge hovering over the waters of Bullworth. It was the same bridge that I could access near my dad's house. I was dangling my legs over the edge as I thought about what my future had in store for me.

I felt a small tug around my waist as people past by ignoring me, but someone saw me looking down into the water and held me so that I wouldn't take a dive. "You're not going to jump are you?" Zoe said trying to prevent me from plummeting into the darkened liquid. In all reality, she startled me. If she hadn't held onto me, I may have fallen in.

"No." I couldn't bring myself to smile so instead I sighed as I felt dazed staring at the waves crash against the columns of the bridge.

"Are you alright? You seem like you've got a lot on your mind kiddo." She tried to comfort me as she settled onto the railing with her forearms placed on it in thought.

"I do...I don't know what I want to do anymore. I want to cry, but I can't. I don't feel self-pity, I just feel at a loss for words. I feel nothing. You can laugh at me if you want." I sighed again as I swished my legs in the air.

"…Sounds to me like you could use a bit of soul-searching. I'm not going to laugh at you, not today anyway." She huffed as well feeling a bit brought down. "I liked it better when you were all smiley, now this is just disconcerting."

"Maybe. I don't want to go back to school anymore. I can't think straight when I'm over there." I hopped off the railing back onto the sidewalk.

"I hear ya. With all the corrupt teachers and misguided students…I stopped taking crap from that place months ago." She rotated her body so that her elbows were now pressed against the bar. "Oh, yeah. So, I talked about it with my boss and he said he wanted to see you now."

"Boss? Are you talking about that 'Edgar' person?" I asked with a slight incline of shock.

"Yup, that's Ed, he's waiting for us in the chem-plant. That scar-faced kid is starting up some trouble before we get to take over that god-forsaken academy." She lends her hand out to me. "If you don't want to go back, why not crash at my place? My parents are never home, so I think it'll be alright if you stayed until you figured out what you want to do from here."

Since I had been feeling down lately, my mind was elsewhere. I took Zoe up on her offer and I moved some things into her house. Zoe reminded me so much of my mother, she was beautiful, calm, and collected just like her. Zoe had a special aura I could feel just by being near her. She was so thin and had a pretty face. I wanted to be just like her.

"I can't believe some middle school kid like you actually wants to drop out." Zoe drank some beam cola as I held a small bag I carried with me for sleepovers, this time it had a lot more clothes though. Is she referencing my age based off my height. I twitched slightly.

"I'm not in middle school! I'm 15, well 16, if you count my age in South Korea…"I felt a slight sweat drop since I was kind of nervous to be in a new place again. I had barely settled into my dorm room before coming here, but it had to be done.

"What? Hahahaha! I never would have guessed you were a year younger than me!" Zoe laughed as she drew her beverage away from her mouth. She's so cute when she laughs too, just like Alex…

I point to her in disbelief, "No way! You've gotta be kidding me, there's no way you're just a year older! There's just no way, the way you called me a 'middle school' kid makes you seem like you're a lot older!" I laughed too as Zoe swirled the fluid inside the can by moving her wrist slowly, in a circular motion and laughing with me.

Our laughter died down after a few minutes passed and we resumed our solemn solitude. Zoe helped me moved my things into the room across from hers in her house. She didn't have any siblings so it was just a plain room mainly used for storage. "Got a boyfriend kiddo?" She placed down my duffel bag and ran a hand over her forehead to push some hairs back. "Just makin' small talk since we never really hung out before."

"No, not really." I blushed when I answered her because the first thing that came to mind was Lucien. We were never really official though.

"Oh, come on, you seem like the type to be all lovey-dovey." She saw me blushing and started to tease me, "Why didn't you move in with the guy, he dump you or something?" She was joking. I knew she was joking. However, she somehow managed to hit the nail on the head.

"I thought so too, but he – ", right as I was about to tell Zoe about my situation with Lucien, Omar broke into her house by picking the lock to the front door.

"Listen ladies, we're having a meeting right now, and there's no time for your nonsense…" He looked smug as the look Zoe and I had on our faced became grim.

In unison, we had both glared at him, "NONSENSE?"

I start clutching my hands to my skirt in a slightly joking manner, "I'm in pain, and he calls it nonsense?"

Zoe grabs his shirt and pulls him down to the floor with us, "OMAR! For Edgar's right hand man and the group manager, you sure don't have much tact! Would it kill you to be a little more sensitive?"

"Sensitive?" He said that as if it was a foreign concept to him. Then again, he didn't look like he'd be too much of a softy either. "So, is the new chick roomin' with you Zoe?" He whispers in her ear, but I can still hear him…barely. "She seems kind of annoying."

Her facial expression remained unchanged from her typical scowl, "…I disagree. Omar, you're a sad, sad, lonely little man." She walks back to me with her hand extended out for me to shake it. "Starting today, you and I will be roommates Mikki."

I stared from her hand to her face. She smiled and she had such an immaculate glow to her. I brought her hand in mine as I shook it. At that moment, I felt like I was going to cry. I don't really know how to explain it, but when I shook Zoe's hand, I felt warmth that went straight to my heart.

"Oh, by the way. If you're serious about joining us, you'll have to stop looking so adorable, but I do expect you to call me 'mommy'." Zoe smiled as she held a brush in her hand. She really was just like my mother.

I don't know what caused me to be so bitter when it came to relationships. I'd had a new guy every week since I couldn't accept the thought of love without the urge to purge my guts out. I dropped out of Bullworth when Burton hit on me. I was glad. I didn't want to see that fat fuck of a teacher who thought I'd be so easy. I'm not that kind of girl. I'd only had one serious relationship in my life and it ended mutually. I didn't care where that guy was now, or what he was doing. There were already a lot of guys in my life to make me happy. Edgar, Gurney, Leon, Otto, Omar, Henry, Duncan, and Jerry – They were all the guys I could need in my life. They're my family. My mom worked a lot and was often gone on business trips. My dad ditched us a long time ago to be with some other woman. I didn't care though. If he didn't want me in his life, then I didn't want him in mine either. My mom would definitely rip me a new one if she heard me say that though.

'If you laugh at love, love will make you cry.'

Some guy I slept with previously told me that. It wasn't really that I liked him, but what he said stuck with me for awhile. Then again, that's how I got mixed in with Edgar and Omar. The guy had introduced me to Ed were starting up a group and already had a few people in on their plans. Leon and Jerry worked like dogs since they got out of school, but what about Edgar? I'd never seen him before; he even claimed he never attended the place. Why was he trying to break the place down, you ask? Simple, Edgar loved the idea of being in control, but he also did it for the betterment of our clique. That's why when some scar-faced punk started mouthing off about how we could run the school together, Edgar jumped up for the opportunity. Other people joined us because of his decent people skills. He wasn't a bad guy all the time, nor was he always uptight or too lax, he balanced out his leadership among us. I didn't group up with him because of that though, in fact, I never joined up because of him at all. I joined for me. I always made my own decisions without the consent of others, and I always will.

"Hey Zoe, why don't ya come out for minute?" Edgar was always coming over to get me to meet new people. He said it'd be better that I fit in rather than stick out. My red hair was one thing, but I was actually still a bookworm despite the fact I had dropped out.

"I'm busy." I stated as he peeked into the open window.

"Busy with what? You ain't goin' to school anymore." He was so illiterate that it was almost appalling sometimes.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm reading a book. You should consider reading one yourself instead of all those comics you heckle from the nerds." I waved the book in his face.

He opened the screen of the window and took the book from me, "Alright, I'll read this, only if you stay." I was a little bit surprised he acted like I was actually important to his group. I'm not sure if it was the flattery, but I agreed with him. Because of that one deal, I sealed my fate to these people, and with it, I met Mikki. She was like the daughter I was looking forward to having in my future.

Edgar the townie leader and I had never met him. I've heard rumors that he was pretty over-the-top, but I wasn't sure what to expect. Zoe had given me a bit of a make-over since she said I didn't look like I fit in quite yet. She had torn my sleeves off my blouse and given me some fishnet gloves. I replaced my oxford heels with some beige dockers I had worn in the past (they're like high-top sneakers). She straightened the majority of my hair, but left the ends in a curl. I told her not to cut it because I haven't cut it since my mom died. It was like my strange way of mourning. We tossed away my leather jacket and hid it back in my dresser.

"This is the new you, how do you feel?" She turned me around to face her vanity mirror. In my reflection, I could see a major difference, I didn't look like the baby-faced girl that smiled all the time, I looked more determined, more mature than I had been in the past. I gave Zoe a hug. Make-over's really do help you smile sometimes.

"This is her? She's actually pretty good-looking." Omar said giving me a once-over to see if I was the same person. I had already gotten general introductions from everyone since Zoe had shown me around. "She cleans up pretty well. Good job Zoe."

"Thanks, now where'd Edgar piss off to?" She searched around the room for him, but there was only Leon, Clint, Duncan, Jerry, Otto, and Gurney to be found.

"I said I'd be back. Hey, new girl." I guess this guy is the leader. Edgar spoke with confidence to the group that was huddled into the small room atop the chem. building. He barely noticed me since the musty place was pretty dimly lit.

"I have a name, you know!" I pouted and got his attention.

"Alright, feisty! That's the kind of attitude we like around here. What should we call you then?" He had this showmanship aura which made him fit the part of a leader. I can see why they follow him.

"Can I call you Eddie? My name is Mikki." I shook his hand. I felt really unlike myself with my sudden change in appearance courtesy of Zoe.

"Eddie? Sure, just make sure you know who the boss is though. I like your charisma Mikki." He addressed me and Zoe gave me an approving nod in the corner of my eye. She told me about what Eddie likes when he recruits people to join, so I followed her guideline. Right now, I knew that he accepted me, that he had allowed me in his circle of friends.

Mikki was finally allowed to join since I told Edgar she was a good friend of mine. It's not like it wasn't true either. She's a good kid. I remembered thinking that she left a good impression on me when I first met her. I don't know if it was because she smiled after being in this run-down part of town or if it was anything else, but she still made me feel close to her. She's probably the first girl other than me and Ms. Abby who would occasionally stop by talking about some nonsense. I think that poor woman was going senile. Mikki was definitely the closer friend I had now that I wasn't attending Bullworth. When I was still over at Bullworth, I was really close with Mandy before she became the school's airheaded cheerleading captain. Lola and I were close too; she and Johnny were really sweet to each other at the time when she was still faithful. Sometimes I'd wonder if she'd contracted an STD because of how many guys she did it with. Then again, I had no right to judge her since I was doing the same thing. The guys I was with were either working around the area or in college. I didn't like to keep up with them for long just because I felt like there was nothing really important about relationships.

People would just get hurt and there was no point in being in one for that purpose unless you were a masochist. You had to be an idiot to fall in love with someone who would just use you until they had enough. I never wanted to fall into that cycle. It was degrading and humiliating to people in general to be upset over another person. I was more strong-willed when it came to being with others. I hadn't really known Mikki until she started visiting me more. I told her my personal beliefs and she accepted them without judging me. I guess that was the reason why I could be open with her when I saw her. We'd talk on the phone time-through-time and I'd get to know her better. Even though she was like a daughter to me (actually more like a sister, but I like to think she'd be my ideal daughter), I couldn't help to think that she was so stupid to fall so hard over some guy.

"Why were you with someone as stupid as that?" Zoe asked me after the meeting with Edgar was over and we headed to her house so I could get acquainted with my new living quarters. We were talking about the reason why I left school and I had just finished explaining to her my situation with Lucien.

"Actually, I'm the stupid one." I laughed even though I was still beating myself up inside.

"Uh…Yeah!~ You both are." She said as she nodded her head with disbelief. She was the kind of person that didn't take any garbage from people. She didn't sugarcoat her feelings and told me what I needed to hear. She provided me with tough-love and I could respect that about her. It was almost admirable how she was like a cat. She's friendly and that's what made people drawn to her, but at the same time she had her own set of problems. She licked her own wounds to heal them. It was almost as if she had been living without companionship for most of her life.

"Is that why you don't believe in love?" I asked her with an indifferent tone. She said real love doesn't exist, she'd never seen proof of something somebody would deem is 'true love', here at Bullworth.

"Precisely." She folded her arms like before and leaned against the wall. "You're looking a bit thin lately, have you been eating?"

I was more apathetic and uncaring as of lately. I stopped eating meals periodically because I wanted to get thinner. "I figured the reason why I couldn't hold relationships was because I wasn't attractive enough so I decided to try a diet." Nah, that's a lie. It was actually because I couldn't get myself to eat anymore; my body was rejecting whatever I ate. I had gone to see Nurse McRae before I left only to have her tell me that she thought I was having an anxiety attack. What a load that was… I walked over to my bag on the floor of Zoe's living room to get some clothes out for the night here, and I felt so woozy I fell onto my knees.

"Mikki? Hey! Are you alright?" I propped myself up again after a staring match I was having with the floor, everything felt like it was moving. I really should have eaten something today.

"Mm-hm, I'm fine. Just peachy..." I saw a text message on my phone that fell out of my pocket. 'It's Pete, where are you?' I grabbed it and shattered it on the ground. Please don't think about me anymore. Please pretend I never existed. My hands were furiously shaking. I wanted to disappear, now's my chance.

Mikki…I saw her trying to hide it, but she was depressed. Her face showed it all. She had tears in her eyes, but she didn't release them. Her phone lay on the floor in its wreckage. "C'mon, let's get some sleep." I suggested it to her even though it was really early. It's probably just turning seven. She refused. I noticed that she had bags under her eyes as well. She must have been depriving herself of sleep. This is why I didn't want to be in love. I didn't want to fall in to a web that I couldn't escape from – the trap nest of a greedy man.

The next morning…

A chocolate cake with Beam Cola for breakfast, spaghetti with garlic bread toast for lunch, and for dinner, a microwavable TV dinner. These were all of Zoe's favorite things. I thought it was really cool since I was just someone who would never stop changing their mind. Zoe had her daily ritual figured out.

I started to be a bit more chipper since Zoe kept telling me, "You look like shit." Yup, she said it again.

"Well, excuse me for not being able to sleep with all the construction work going on!" I tried to stick out my tongue, but instead I fell forward onto her couch in the living room.

She laughed as she set down a plate for me and Edgar. She did her own cooking and Edgar often came over because they were pretty close. I thought he was like her boyfriend or something, but she completely denied it. He left after eating breakfast to see someone at the chem. plant again. Zoe and I stayed at her place since I told her that I didn't wanted to be spotted by anyone from the school in broad daylight.

"I just follow whatever Ed says because I've got nothing else to do." Zoe was handling some heavy boxes that came from her mom overseas. She was apparently working in Russia, thus leaving Zoe home with menial tasks. She didn't know Zoe didn't attend Bullworth anymore. "He's a pretty good guy once you get to know him. He's kinda like a big brother to me."

"Big brother, but didn't you mention earlier that he comes over every morning for breakfast and sometimes stops by for the other meals as well? He sounds like he's in love with you." I said as Zoe pulled out some dishes to dry. I helped her out with chores since I was pretty much imposing.

"Ed? In love? Hahahahahaha, he's like that with everyone. He likes looking after people, making sure they're okay. That's part of the reason we all follow him." She smacked my butt with the dish towel for being so nosy. We both had a laugh since she could tell I was at least smiling today.

She sighs, "Now I see what your boyfriend has to deal with."

Slightly offended, I look at her with a pout. "What do you mean?"

Zoe shrugs, "Well, you know…You're kinda like a…a puppy-dog."

"I am?" I smiled since I took it more as a compliment than an insult. What? Puppy-dogs are cute!

She laughs, "It's because you're super-friendly, obedient, but you need a lot of attention…" I'd disagree with her about the obedient part, mainly because I wouldn't be here if I was. "It works for me though, I was thinking of getting a pet anyway. Want some candy, kiddo?"

Zoe teases me dangling a chocolate candy in front of me. "Chocolate's bad for dogs, you want to kill me?"

She grins with happiness, "Not if you're a good girl. Now, let's do some good ol' bonding!" There was something about being around Zoe that made me feel at home.

An hour later…

Since we were still waiting for sunset, Zoe and I filled up her huge old fashioned bath tub and took a bubble bath together! It wasn't that weird for the two of us to be in the same tub completely barren, we were both straight girls who just loved taking bubble baths! She said it was about time she had a bonding thing going on with another girl. She could never take a bath with one of her friends like this, most likely, something else might be interpreted if she did.

"Zoe! Your boobs are huge!" I said pointing at her even though the frothy bath foam was starting to overflow, I could still see her.

She got a bit embarrassed that I pointed it out so openly, "Me?! Look at yourself, we've got the same bra size!" I peered down to my chest to compare and I saw that she was right. How odd. I guess it's the perpective.

Mikki and I were taking a bath together. Big deal. Even though she was happy right now, I knew it wasn't meant to last, just like my own. We were both like strays abandoned out in the big, scary, and cold world. We were free and full of pride. That's how the new Mikki was, but we could see the wounds in our hearts so clearly. She probably didn't understand at the time that we were alike. It must have been another thing she thought was, 'cool' about me. Little did she know…I thought she was pretty rad herself. One thing I didn't know was how deep the cut was inside her and me. She had so many scrapes, scars, and bruises…I couldn't ask her what caused them. I only hoped that one day she'd tell me.

At Bullworth Academy…

"Kliesen. Kliesen? Mikkio Kliesen? My, my, she's been absent for weeks now." Ms. Phillips called roll and Mikki wasn't here in art again. I texted Mikki last night to see where she's been. She's been missing a lot of classes lately and when I went to visit her in the girls' dorm (by sneaking in through the attic with Alex) her bed had been made and she was nowhere to found. I called her again, but her phone gave me that pre-recorded message, 'The person you're trying to contact is not available.' I thought maybe her phone had died and she just forgot to charge it, but it was like that the entire day and even this morning when I tried…still…no answer.

I met with Alex and Lucien in the lunchroom. Lucien's apparently Paige's half-brother, they're nothing alike, but then again they were raised separately. Paige always seems to be staring at me whenever I sit near her table in the cafeteria. Alex was really worried about Mikki since she was dropping her calls too. Where has she been? Lucien's been the same since the last time he saw her. He may be pretending to be okay, but what if something really did happen to her?

"Has she shown up to one of your classes?" I asked Alex since she was eating her lunch across from me.

Alex shook her head tiredly, "No, not today either. How many days has it been?"

"17 days…" Lucien whispered so low that I almost didn't hear him.

"She's been gone for almost a month? Are you sure she didn't say anything to you Alex?" I asked her because I knew they had hung out a few days before she completely was wiped from the attendance list.

I looked over to Lucien again as he ate silently, he didn't have to say it, but I saw that he was really worried about her too. Why did you have to say those things to her? He was cruel to her for awhile preceding her leave of absence from school. We all knew she wouldn't go home; she didn't have any where else to go to besides with one of us. She had a small amount of friends that we knew about and none of them had seen her.

"Did something happen other than…" Alex looked at Lucien and he choked on his food.

"What are you implying?" He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked directly back to Alex.

"Guys, we don't have time for you to argue. Shouldn't we be figuring out how to find her?" I said scratching the back of my head hoping Lucien would be a bit more cooperative today.

"Why? She left on her own." The face he made was grim and I knew he was thinking about her.

I ignored Lucien to talk to Alex since she was at least willing to help out a bit more. I whispered to her since Lucien didn't know she was talking to a certain sociopath, "Alex, did Gary ever mention seeing Mikki before he left?" She seemed distraught by the sound of his name, "No, no he hasn't. I'm sorry femme-boy, but can we just focus on Mikki. Jimmy's out and about lately, maybe he'd know something?"

I nodded. She's probably right, Jimmy does leave campus a lot more often than we do, so maybe he saw her pass by. I get up from the table as I tell Alex and Lucien I'm leaving to look for him. Jimmy, I need your help.

A/N: Yup, don't even mention it, I know some people don't like Mikki which does make me feel bad, but I can't please everyone :P Mikki is a character I hold pretty dear to myself, so there's no way I'm dropping her! I hope those of you reading this series can bear with it a bit longer as she undergoes more of a transformation to her personality. She's still the same Mikki, but she's toughening up to the point that she'll be able to accept what happened and move on from it. However, what if what happened to her 'then' wasn't the end of it? I can't emphasize enough how you MUST READ "My Roommate Is A Sociopath" by PurebloodPrincess09!~ If you haven't seen him yet, there is a picture I drew of Francis on my tumblr!

PurebloodPrincess09 – Thank you for your encouragement through all this :D I don't think I'd be able to continue without it.

OfTheHuntandMoon – I'm not sure where it is either XD, but for sure there is one near Santa Monica! Thanks also for your support!

V4mp – Lols, sorry I never got to your tumblr message in time. Luckily, things panned out well!

Immortal37 – Thank you for sticking up for Mikki you brave soul, you!~ *hugs* I really needed to hear that after seeing what was said XD