The next morning when she awoke it was 7:25. Five minutes before the bus was to get there to take her to school. "shit not again" she mumbled. She crawled out of bed and quickly got dress and brushed her teeth and combed out her long black hair. Grabbed her backpack and ran to the end of her driveway. On the way out of the house she yelled "i'm going to school and get away from you!" although she knew her parents were at work. As the bus pulled up she thought " where would i rather be, here or school? i'll take the clearing. " She walked onto the bus and waited for the laughter to reside. But heard only silence. "Sit here." Kevin said to Maeryn. She looked at him like he was insane "what?" "sit here. don't ask just sit." So she sat without questioning kevins' request. She kept looking at him throughout the bus ride wondering what's the matter with him. " I heard about yesterday." " w-what about it?" Maeryn asked. " That Chris guy, who is he? fucked up kid" " i dont' know or care. Where did you hear?" " he's riding." "damn it. " "before you got on all he was talking about was some girl with long black hair that's amazing and he went on and on. wouldnt' shutup." " wonderful. i'm so overjoyed kevin" maeryn replied sarcastically. " So, did you finish the algebra homework? wait no let me guess, no?" " oh shutup you know i always do my homework." " did the world just end? when do you ever do your homework at home?" " haha, didnt' have enough time last night. take a guess why." " parents fighting again?" "yup" Kevin was one of Maeryn's few friends and oneof the few people who knew her parents fought. They met in algebra that year and loved talking to each other. Rode the bus together as they found out the first day. He knew of her problems at school. How the other kids ridiculed her. Most of them didn't even speak to him since he was a shy quiet type, until you got to know him. Their main difference was that he did fit in a group. Punks they were called for the music they listened to and the way they dress. Maeryn was just there. The punks considered her one of them though. She considered herself a nothing. Nobody. Maeryn was happy with that. Her point on popularity was that is wasnt' important during school. Where the hell was it going to get you after high school? Yeah you might be the prettiest girl or the biggest jock right now, but afterwards when the muscle's dissapear and the gut hangs out, or when wrinkles show up in her pretty little face. Where's the popularity then? It's left, no more. It can't get you anywhere. So why bother with it? Maeryn and Kevin sat in silence the rest of the way to school. When they reached the school, Maeryn asked Kevin if he felt any weird feelings when around Chris. He said he thought there was something weird about him but just that he was messed up prolly. Maeryn walked to her first class. Chris caught up with her in the hallway. "hey! how are ya?" He asked her " fine." she said emotionless. " Well umm... wanna met up later today? maybe?" " i'll have homework. " she replied knowing she wouldn't. " ok, i'll talk to you later i guess." He said walking off. As maeryn walked into her algebra class she heard laughter. " there it is once again. natural order is back in balance" she thought to herself. "heard you finally got a boyfriend." said some upperclassmen. " shutup little prick won't stop bugging me. " she retorted. She took her usuall seat behind kevin and opened up her book to finish yesterday's problems before class started. " I knew you didnt' do your homework." kevin said turning around to her. " yea yea yea. i couldn't" " did they get into yelling really bad last night or just mild?" " in between, only got a slap on the face for saying i'm sick of their fighting but it was pretty mild." She told him, not mentioning her dad's little fit afterwards. "you ok?" " yea, that's not the worst i've gotten. i'm good kevin don't worry." " i will though. it's got to be hard to have them fighting like that all the time." " you grow used to the screaming. it's no big deal. i'm sure all families fight once in awhile at least." "Ok class get out last nights homework. And let me take a guess who hasn't done theirs, Maeryn, Malcolm, and bart? I dont' know why i bother with you three sometimes." Mr. Worth said. Bart was the class goof off. never paid attention or did his homework. It was amazing he was even passing. Malcolm was a friend of Maeryn's and Kevin's. He usually didnt' do his homework, did sometimes when he felt like it. But unlike Bart he paid attention. " Umm Mr. Worth?" Malcolm weakly said. " what now?" He retorted " Maybe if you'd oh i dont' know give us a little bit less homework those of us that are busy or something could finish it. just an idea." " ok then, would you also like to teach the class while you're thinking of ideas?" Mr. Worth said. " I was kidding nevermind." Malcolm said, defeated. "I tried" he mouthed to Maeryn. Malcolm also knew of Maeryn's "busy" homelife. He used to know exactly just that life style. His parents fought constantly. Left him out, and when they brought him out of the dark they yelled and fought even more. His mom finally left. She was sick of all the fighting. Left one note saying how much she loved Malcolm and was sorry for the trouble, and things would be better, blah blah blah. He once knew of that life and sypathized with Maeryn. You could see remains of that life in his deep brown eyes. Malcolm usually rebelled against his dad and dyed his hair a deep purple. His face usually went unshaven for days at a time. So there was usually this pale, dark circled brisly looking punk staring back at you. It surprised a lot of people that Malcolm and Kevin were best friends. Kevin never went without shaving unless his band played late taht night before or such. A little shorter than Maeryn who was 5'7. Cute kid, but shy. Until you got to know him. The quiet ones usually are the ones who once you get to know them, dont' shutup. Blond hair that he usually kept shaggy and when he got it cut it was spiked for a few weeks after. Beautiful blue eyes that glowed when he got excited or nervouse. Kevin usually was the one listening to Maeryn. He found out quickly that she liked to talk. She could talk and talk until the day and night went by. After algebra, Maeryn ran out of the classroom to catch up with her friend Adrienne. " You look a little tired. " Adrienne commented as she saw Maeryn come out. " you're begining to get dark circles again." " i know i know. they were fighting again. A few of us got yelled at for not having our homework done. Well if he'd stop giving out so m uch maybe i'd be able do finish it all. Malcolm suggested less homework to Worth but only got yelled at. That was sweet of him to try though." " he prolly likes you ya know. Always smiling when you say something to him or go near him. Trying to help you get less homework in that class, little things like that." " Adrienne!! how many times do i have to tell you, guys just dont' like me. I'm to quiet at first then they get to know me and relieze i'm only friend material. Nothing more. " " inferiority complexe setting in again!!" Adriene said. " Yea so? i knwo who and what i'm capable of at least. I'm heading to lunch. starving after falling asleep in there." "see ya!' " talk to you after school!" Maeryn hollard going down the hallway. As Maeryn walked down to the lunch room with her head bowed down to keep from seeing the glances and hearing the ridicules, she thought about what Adrienne said about Malcolm. Could it be true, that Malcolm liked Maeryn? She just coulnd't believe that. There had never been a guy that had a crush on her that she knew of. They always just teased her. Sometimes when she was upset she'd think that all the guys who teased her really did like her. Just didnt' know how to show that they liked her. But reality would set in and she'd relieze that they hated her. She walked into the lunchroom to find that her friend Jamie wasn't there. "damn it just my luck" she thought sullenly to herself. Instead of eating she went to the library to write. " I wish school was over with. That i was out on my own and becoming rich and famouse. that would be great if i was a famouse actress after high school and come back at the reunion. everyone would be so jelouse and wish they'd been my friend instead of my enemy." As she wrote taht last line the bell rang for her to go to her next class. Her dreams of being an actress were real. She was in all the school plays, even down at the theater in the town she was in all the plays. Although most of the kids at her school didnt' like her they thought she was a great actress. That's why the girls hated her. The guys hated her because she was still a virgin and would remain one until she got married. Several of the guys had tried in the past to do somethign with her but she always refused them. Which made them look bad so they teased and tormented her for it. "great" she mumbled as she saw chris running up to her. " Hey!" he said in that annoying cheery voice of his. " what do you want?" Maeryn responded. " Just to talk. did you knwo this school is so big? i've never been at a big school like this!" he said " yea just so amazing" she said sarcastically. " i get the point. you dont' want me around. i thought i'd help you but i can see you dont' want it. " "what the hell do you mean by help? i dont' need help from you or anyone else." " you're alone, you need friends i thought i'd help you and be your friend." " i have friends, none of them are you so just deal with it." She said walking away. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- " Hey man what's wrong?" Bret asked chris. " you look upset." " Maeryn hates me. She's so pretty but hates me." chris replied. " Man she hates everyone and she's so damn prude." "i dont' care about her being prude. i can deal with that. It's just i feel something when i'm near her or thinking of her." " we all have at one point my man. Just give her up. She's not worth it really." replied the jock. " i think about all of my friends, including me, have gone out with her and found out she's extremely prude. oh she'll make out with you and all but that's about it. " " but i want her. " " whatever man, just dont' get your hopes to high. she'll never go out with you. i think there's something going on between her and Malcolm anyways." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------