Chapter 1
Starting a new school year as a senior had to be one of the worst things life could throw at a teenager. It certainly felt like it in the moments before she was meant to head to the bus stop. Vivienne slipped on the last of her jewelry, a few chunky silver rings and a choker necklace. She looked herself up and down in the mirror. She wore some dark jeans, converse, and a black, well loved, iron maiden t-shirt. She certainly wasn't the prim little cheerleader she had once been. Not since before her dad had died and her mom started drinking to escape the pain.
Her dad's death had made her realize that life was too short to waste it being someone she wasn't. She had never liked cheerleading, never liked popular music. She just did what was expected of her, and tried to be perfect in everything which had just made her so tired and depressed all the time.
Her life had been better, even if her mom and her had to move out of their expensive Seattle home to save money and end up in some rinky dink town in Indiana. The homes were way cheaper here, and mom put away the extra money they made on the house into a fund for Vivienne to help with college.
She wasn't a bad mom really, she just wasn't coping well with the loss of her husband. She tried to be there for Viv, but she just couldn't always manage. She had promised to look for a therapist after they moved, but hadn't had much luck finding one specialized in grief, but she was trying.
Vivienne grabbed her red leather jacket off the chair in her room and booked it downstairs. It got cold early in Indiana and with it being nearly the end of September there was a slight chill in the air. It didn't rain nearly as much here as it did back home, but it certainly seemed to get colder.
Her mom was sat down at the kitchen counter wrapped in her robe, nursing a mug of dark coffee. The bags under her eyes had a bluish hue to them and she looked absolutely exhausted.
"Hey mom, I'm heading to the bus stop." She said, grabbing a poptart from the box on the counter.
"Oh right you start today." She mumbled, mild surprise in her voice. "Well have a good day baby. Make friends okay?" she said, her voice louder and reaching across the counter and gently grabbing Vivienne's hand. "I know it's been hard on you, this move. Please just try to make the best of it. For me." Her eyes were sad and defeated.
Viv, gently squeezed her mom's hand back in solidarity. "I'll try mom." She replied with a weak smile. "I gotta go. Can't miss the bus." She suddenly dropped her mother's hand and readjusted her backpack before snatching up her pop tarts and heading out the door.
The bus was loud, filled with all sorts of kids of different ages. Seemed like the middle school and highschool used the same buses since they were right next to each other.
Vivienne found an empty seat in the middle of the bus and took out her walkman, placing her headphones over her ears to block out everything.
She sighed and looked at the window as her favorite song started to play in her ears. She had nabbed the last copy of Number of the Beast Iron maiden's newest album before they had moved at her favorite record store Charlie's. The memories she had left behind there made a pit open in her stomach.
After she had quit cheer and started listening to new types of music her old friends dropped her like trash. They started saying she had gotten pregnant or something and couldn't cheer anymore. Which obviously wasn't true. She'd never even had sex with her boyfriend of 3 years, Jackson, even though he certainly tried to get her to. But when her dad died she realized he never actually loved her like he said. He'd just loved what she gave him in status as cheer captain.
She was grateful she had had her realization before she'd given in to him. It probably would have killed her to lose her virginity to that asshole and find out later he never cared. Not that virginity mattered to her. It was such a stupid concept to find a lack of having sex desireable. Surely it was better that a girl knew what she liked. Should make it better for everyone involved right?
She shook away the thoughts and looked over the seats in front of her toward the front of the bus, the highschool coming into view down the road.
Vivienne sighed and prepared herself for what was to come. She knew this town was small and religious and expected people to start talking as soon as she walked on to campus. 'Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed' she thought to herself as she stood to get off the bus, following the mass of kids piling out.
The school itself wasn't very big. Probably only a school of 300 students. She adjusted the strap of her bag and walked towards the administration office while keeping her eyes straight ahead.
Upon entering the office a woman with graying brown hair and reading glasses glanced up at her. "Hello dear. Can I help you?" she asked, pulling her glasses down here nose to look at
Vivienne .
"Uh yeah. I need to pick up my schedule." She replied, walking up to the counter.
"Oh you must be the new student transferring over from Seattle!" she replied excitedly and pushed her glasses back up her nose, typing furiously on the computer.
"That'd be me." She replied, her mouth flattening into an awkward smile.
"Let's see here…" She trailed off as she squinted at the screen. "Ah here we are! Vivienne Farrow. I have you right here." She pointed at the screen that Vivienne couldn't see.
Vivienne simply nodded and gripped her backpack strap tighter. She really just wanted to get out of this office.
"Let me get this printed out for you." She said hitting a button with a clack, the printer suddenly whirring to life. It spat out a paper and the woman at the desk rolled over in the chair to nab it.
"Here we are hun." She said, taking a look at the paper. "Looks like first period is room 116 with Mr. Andrews. Should be down this hall to the right." She said pointing out the door of the office and handing the paper over to Viv.
She nodded her thanks and peeled out of the office to find her locker.
She found it a few minutes later, near the bathrooms which was kinda nice for days where she needed to drop off and pee before class. She input the combination into her locker and stuffed a few textbooks in it before closing the door. She jumped back as a boy's face greeted her, leaning against the lockers next to her.
"What the fuck dude!" she exclaimed, already mildly annoyed. The boy wore a letterman jacket and had short blond hair, combed into a slight quaff. He wore a letterman jacket of green and white, probably the school colors.
"Well well. Look what the cat dragged in." He asked in a mocking voice. "Looks like a rocker slut found her way to Hawkins." He said, glancing behind him to two boys wearing matching jackets who chuckled.
"Ooh burn." Viv replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice, going back to zipping her bag with disinterest. "Get some better material jock. Your jokes are stale already." She threw her bag over her shoulder and turned back to face the boy. He was only an inch or so taller than her and she smirked as she stood to her full height and met his eyes. "If you're gonna try and bully me, at least make it worth my while and be entertaining." She rolled her eyes and started walking past the group of boys. The main boy whipped his hand out and grabbed her wrist.
"Listen here you dirty little cow, this is my school. When I say jump you better say 'how high'." He smirked, thinking that he was just sooooo intimidating. Vivienne glanced down at her wrist and raised her brow in amusement.
"Oh I'll jump alright…" She said feigning a sultry voice and leaning towards the boy's face. His smirk widened like he had won. "And drop kick you in the dick." She finished with a quick elbow to his wrist, breaking his hold on her arm. She raised her knee and kicked him in the abdomen, his back smacking into the lockers behind him.
"Oooh." came a few voices as people around them watched the air get knocked out of the Jock.
She smiled and turned on her heels, walking quickly down the hall towards her first period classroom. 'Fuck couldn't even make it one day huh Viv?' she thought to herself and she found a seat in the classroom of her first period.