She had school that day- oh! how she hated it! It was full of stupid people who didn't understand her, and teachers that tried to make her do math. She abhorred English and drama even more- Mister Spencer had little patience with tales of the Labyrinth. He said her stories were cliched and her spelling was terrible. He also told her to stop writing stupid stories and start writing essays on stupid books she'd never bothered to read. Art was worse- she had to draw whatever the teacher told her to, and in whichever style she told her to. All hell would break loose if she dared sneak Hoggle in the background of Picasso's Sunflowers. She sighed, dressed and pulled on her rucksack. She kissed Toby's head before leaving, but didn't even look at her parents.
It was a Bad Day. Tuesdays generally were, since she had art, English, maths biology and chemistry, but today was even worse because Louise May was back.
Louise May looked like a barbie doll, and Sarah had wanted to make friends with her the minute she saw her on the first day in year seven. She'd asked to sit with her in the canteen, and Louise had merely given her a withering look, flicked back her golden hair and dropped her soup on Sarah's white skirt. She was a bitch.
Louise had been ill the past week, due to, Sarah suspected, the curses she had been putting on her since year seven. They'd been bound to work at some point. But no, here she was, glamorous and beautiful as ever, surrounded by a gaggle of blonde friends and 'hot' guys (but they would never hold the appeal the Goblin King did). Louise sat next to Sarah in most subjects because their school was a big fan of the seating plan. Sarah hated it.
"What is she wearing?" Louise stage whispered to the girl behind the two of them.
"I know!" The blonds collapsed into giggles. Sarah ignored them, continuing to draw Jareth in the back of her art book. but looked down briefly at her outfit. She was wearing tight fitting blue pants, a baggy navy shirt dotted with silver, and her white embroidered waistcoat. It gave her a distinctly Arabic look, and made her olive eyes stand out even more in her pale face. She knew she was different to the other girls, in their skinny jeans and tight-fitting shirts, but she didn't see how her clothes were funny. She didn't listen to them as they gossipped and sniggered, but carried on sketching Jareth's beautiful features. She didn't notice as the class fell silent, as Mrs Finch sharply called her name.
"Sarah!" Sarah drew his mismatched eyes in, colouring one blue, one green.
"Listen to me when I'm talking to you, Sarah!" All eyes were on her, but she didn't notice, smiling slightly as she outlined his face. In fact, she didn't notice anything at all until Mrs Finch lost patience and snatched the book from Sarah's hands. Sarah looked up like a rabbit in the headlights, bewildered.
"Miss?" The whole class fell about in laughter, even though nobody found it particularly funny.
"I asked you, Sarah, when the renaissance period was!"
"I don't know," said Sarah honestly. Miss Finch adjusted her glasses and looked at Sarah's book properly for the first time.
"What is this, Sarah?" she asked, lips pursed, holding the book up so everyone could see. Louise rolled her eyes, and whispers ran round the class.
"The Goblin King." said Sarah without thinking.
"Sarah, you weirdo." came a voice from the back of the class. Miss Finch didn't even reprimand him.
"Not during my lessons, you understand?"
"Yes miss."
At break the taunting began again. It had stopped when Louise had been ill.
"Is he your imaginary boyfriend, Sarah?"
"Are you the Goblin Queen, Sarah?"
"She looks like a goblin, that's for sure."
"Oooh, everyone, bow before the Goblin Queen, bow! Kiss her feet!"
"God, Sarah, you're such a weirdo."
The day continued in the same fashion. When Sarah got home, chocolate milkshake in her hair from some boy on the bus, she collapsed on her bed and cried herself to sleep.