by Amy Brown
I sigh. “Yes. But we didn’t really see much of each other the last ten years. Plus, you’re a girl, so odds are I’m going to have more in common with you than either of them.”
“True. Luke and Dirk spend a lot of time talking about farts and video games. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of those subjects, but sometimes it gets old.”
“Yeah, I’ve only been staying with Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe about a month now. I’ll admit I haven’t talked a lot with Luke. He’s in his room most of the time.” To be fair, I’m in my room a lot too because I feel like a stranger in the house. Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe are trying their best to make me feel at home, but it’s not my home.
“We can talk about the H&M sale that’s going on, while they drool over boobs and League of Legends.” She grins. “I have my eyes on a teal colored faux fur jacket that’s 40% off. Christmas is in four weeks and I’m trying to get my mom to buy it for me.”
Christmas.
I wince. This is going to be a really hard Christmas without Mom and Dad. To be honest, I’d forgotten it was almost Christmas. “The only thing I want for Christmas is my parents back.” My eyes sting when she pats my back. I hadn’t really intended to say anything that sentimental, but she’s so open, the words just sort of fell out of my mouth.
“That was thoughtless of me. I’m sorry. I wasn’t really thinking. Of course this is going to be a horrible year for you.” Her mouth droops.
“You don’t have to be sorry about being excited for Christmas.”
“It’s my favorite holiday, but I can see why you’re not in the mood this year.”
“I just wish I had something to look forward to.”
“I know.” She brightens suddenly. “Hey, you know what?”
“What?”
“There’s a party this Friday. We should go together.”
My stomach sinks. I don’t want to be a party pooper, but at the same time the idea of hanging out with all these kids in my free time gives me an ulcer. “Oh, I’m not huge on parties.”
She laughs. “Me neither. Why do you think I want to drag you with me?”
I can’t help but smile. “Why do you want to go if you don’t like parties?”
“Because this party is always epic. Everybody will be there, and they give away prizes. I don’t mean cheap crap prizes either, I mean things like iPads and iPhones.”
“Sounds like an unusual party.”
She smirks. “The cool kids put on the party for the uncool kids.”
I frown. “Why would they do that?”
“I think they’re bribing us. Once a year they treat us nice, and then we allow them to lord it over us for another year.”
“Does that mean Palmer and his gang will be there?”
“Yes. They’re the ones putting it on. But everyone in the school goes. I mean everyone.” She nudges my elbow with hers. “It will be so crowded you won’t see any of them. We can just drink and dance, and hopefully win the best prizes.” Her eyes glitter with excitement.
“I really just hate parties,” I murmur, feeling guilty.
“I’ll be right beside you. Seriously, Adalee, you need to go to this party. There are lots of nice kids at Harbor Academy. This is a good way to meet them. Everybody will be drinking and having a good time.”
I really don’t want to go to this party. However, I can see it means a lot to her, and she’s my only real friend. If I don’t go, she might stop hanging out with me because she’ll think I’m boring. I don’t think I can make it through the whole school year with no friends. Especially when the cool kids seem to have it in for me.
I sigh. “I guess I could go.”
“Yay!” She grins. “It’ll be great. This is a hard time for you. You need to keep busy and do fun stuff to take your mind off of things.”
Going to some party with a bunch of people I don’t know probably won’t take my mind off of my parent’s death, but I know she means well. How hard can it be? I’ll dress up, have a few drinks, maybe dance, and then go home. “What should I wear? I don’t have a lot of dressy stuff.”
“Oh, girl, I have you covered. I’ve got lots of dresses; some slutty and some sweet and wholesome. We’ll see what your mood is when the night arrives, and you can choose.” She laughs softly. “Personally, if I were you, I would dress as sexy as possible to show up Sabrina the Bitch. Make all the boys drool, and she’ll hate you even more.”
“Gee, just what I need; someone hating me more.”
She shrugs. “She already hates you. Might as well give her a reason.”
I laugh because she’s right. While I’m not looking forward to the party, I’m happy that I seem to be making a friend. Plus, I really like Emma. She’s cool.
We enter the cafeteria and get in the shortest food line. The place is swarming, and I notice there’s definitely a seating hierarchy. As much as I don’t want to notice Palmer, I see him at a table with Sabrina and the other kids who were on the steps this morning razzing me. I try to memorize their faces so I can avoid them in the future. High school is hard enough without bullies coming after you. But for whatever reason Palmer and Sabrina have decided they hate me, there isn’t much I can do about it.
I get the chicken sandwich with baked fries, and iced tea. Emma has a beef burrito and Pepsi. Once I have my food, I scan the crowded space, looking for the green gate. It’s super crowded and a lot of the kids are standing, so I can’t really see Luke or Dirk. But it turns out it doesn’t matter because Emma knows exactly what table they’re sitting at. I follow her, making sure I don’t look anywhere near Palmer and Sabrina’s table. I get a lot of curious glances, but nothing malicious. I’m sure if I looked in the direction of Palmer, I’d get some dirty looks.
Luke waves at us, and Dirk smiles, looking pleased to see me. Emma sits across from Luke, and I sit across from Dirk.
“You made it.” Dirk grins.
“Yep.” I carefully unwrap my chicken sandwich.
Luke seems a bit stilted around Emma. I don’t think it’s my imagination that his cheeks look pink either. Does he have a little thing for her maybe? I notice he flicks his gaze toward her a lot when she isn’t looking. She’s really pretty; long black hair and light blue eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a crush on her. I consider whether or not I like the idea of Luke and Emma together. Not that it’s any of my business, but if Emma is going to be my friend, it might be awkward if she’s dating Luke.
“You shouldn’t have picked the chicken sandwich,” Luke says, eyeballing my food. “It’s rubbery.”
I scowl down at my sandwich. I haven’t taken a bite yet, but it smells and looks good. “Nobody warned me.”
Emma laughs. “I think it tastes fine. Luke only eats hamburgers, so you can’t take his word for it.”
Luke frowns. “I eat other things.”
“Like what?” Dirk asks, looking amused.
Emma grins. “See, even Dirk knows it’s true.”
I take a bite of my chicken sandwich as they playfully bicker. The chicken isn’t the best, but it’s not as bad as I was fearing either. The baked fries are good, salty and crisp. I sigh, and relax slightly. It’s nice to have three people around me who don’t hate me.
I eat fast because lunch is only forty-five minutes long, and we wasted twenty of those standing in line to get our food. It seems to me if you’re not going to have enough lines where the food can be handed out quickly, we should get a longer lunch. I’m sure the administrators don’t have to wait in line like we do. Although, I did see Mrs. Holstein in one of the lines. Makes sense, she’s one of those people who thinks everything should be fair.
“So, are you going to the big Christmas party on Friday?” Dirk watches me as he speaks.
I meet Emma’s triumphant gaze. “She’s making me go.”
“Oh, you’re going with Emma?” Dirk looks oddly disappointed. “Well, I’m glad you’ll be there.”
Luke doesn’t say anything, and I wonder if he plans on going. I h
ope to reconnect with Luke again. We always had great times together when we were young. But once I was in my teens mom and dad didn’t make any effort to come visit Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe too often. I was never sure if they had some kind of falling out, or if they were all just busy with adult life.
“I could drive us all,” Luke suddenly announces. “I don’t like to drink very much anyway.”
Emma tilts her head as if considering his offer. “You’d be willing to drive us?”
He nods. “Definitely.”
I guess that solves the question of whether or not Luke is going to the party.
“That would be great,” Dirk says cheerfully. “We can watch out for you girls.”
Emma frowns. “I’m sure we can look out for ourselves.”
“Yeah.” Dirk grimaces. “I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just that I’ve heard rumors of a few girls being drugged at this party over the years. I think it’s a good idea if the four of us watch out for each other.”
“Probably not a bad idea,” I say softly. Life is shitty enough right now. The last thing I need is for someone to slip something in my drink.
“Sure.” Emma smirks. “We’ll watch your backs, boys.”
I laugh at Luke’s puzzled expression.
Dirk looks past me, and his mouth tenses. “Speaking of watching our backs… here comes Sabrina the Bitch.”
My stomach sinks, and I shove in the last of my sandwich. I don’t want to turn around. I’d rather pretend it’s not happening. But I can almost feel her evil presence as she stands behind me. I don’t know if she’s alone, or if that asshole Palmer is with her. Either way, I just wish the ground would open up and swallow me.
“Hey, new girl. Are you sure you’re in the right school? The Poor Slob Academy is across town,” Sabrina says from behind me.
Anger spikes through me, and I cast her a frosty glance. “You need some new material, Sabrina.”
Her gaze flickers. I guess she forgot she already insulted me with that line earlier today. It must be hard to keep track when you’re as big a bitch as she is.
“I heard you’re making Palmer tutor you in math.” Her tone is snippy.
“That’s not what I said, Sabrina.” I hear Palmer say in a gritty voice.
I hadn’t seen him standing behind her, but obviously he was there now. I’m surprised he’s correcting her. I would’ve thought he’d love to float the theory that I begged him to tutor me. Anything to make me look pathetic.
“I don’t want Palmer anywhere near me. I certainly didn’t ask him to tutor me. That was all Mr. Glenn’s idea.” I sniff.
Emma twists around to face Sabrina and Palmer. “Why is this any of your business, Sabrina?”
Sabrina’s lip curls. “Why do you think?”
She seems to imply she’s Palmer’s girlfriend. I have no idea if that’s true or not, but from the little I know about both of them they deserve each other. I turn to face them too. Palmer’s gaze is emotionless. I hate that my pulse flutters when our eyes meet. I’m not sure why he has any effect on me at all, maybe my heart’s speeding up with hatred.
“I don’t want Palmer to tutor me.”
“And I have no interest in tutoring you, bitch,” he snaps.
Sabrina laughs. “Well I guess that settles it.”
“Sure. Except Mr. Glenn expects Palmer to teach Adalee math. He’s not going to be too pleased if Palmer just bails on her,” Emma says brightly.
I give her a curious look, wondering what she’s up to. Why is she pushing this? The last thing in the world I want is Palmer as my tutor. I know I need help or I’m going to fail math, but I’d rather fail math then spend any time alone with Palmer.
Palmer shifts uneasily. “I’m sure Adalee can find someone to help her.”
“Damn right I can,” I hiss.
He frowns, as if insulted, but then his usual cool mask descends. “It’s not my problem either way.”
“Although, Mr. Glenn will probably blame you, Palmer, if she fails.” Emma looks smug.
I give her a confused glance. “I’m not gonna fail because I’ll find a different tutor.”
“Sure. But that means if Mr. Glenn flat out asks you two how the tutoring is going, you’ll have to lie to him.” Emma shrugs.
“Not like Palmer hasn’t lied before.” Sabrina touches his cheek, and it’s not lost on me that he flinches. She looks annoyed, but she doesn’t say anything.
“I’m not gonna lie to Mr. Glenn. I’ll just tell him my aunt and uncle wanted me to have a better tutor.” I get great satisfaction in the disgruntled look on Palmer’s face. It takes a lot of self-control not to laugh.
“Bitch, you’d be lucky if I tutored you.” His cheeks are flushed.
I laugh because I can’t hold it in anymore. “Someone must be desperate to spend some alone time with me.”
His eyes glitter with anger. “Dream on.”
Sabrina laughs, but her laugh is brittle. She looks a little annoyed at the way Palmer and I are interacting. She doesn’t need to worry; I have no interest in him. He’s arrogant and mean spirited. I have no time for people like him in my life.
“Whatever I decide to do, you won’t be involved, Palmer. So don’t worry about it.” I turn my back on them.
“You think you’re dismissing us?” hisses Sabrina.
She takes hold of my hair and gives it a hard yank. I bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain. Who does she think she is putting her hands on me? I’ve never been in a physical fight with anyone, and I never planned on it either. But it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to turn around and claw her eyes out.
“Touch me again and I’ll murder you,” I say through gritted teeth.
She laughs loudly, but she lets go of my hair. She’s probably no more eager to roll on the ground pulling hair and scratching each other that I am. Thank God at that moment the bell rings giving her an excuse to drop it, and still save face. Judging by how arrogant she is, I’m sure nobody has challenged her in years. I saw the same disbelief on Palmer’s face when I toss the crumpled paper back at him. These assholes have had control of the school for too long. They’ve forgotten how to behave like civilized people.
Sabrina leans down and whispers near my ear, “Stay away from Palmer, he’s mine.” She yanks my hair again, then straightens and stomps off toward the exit before I can retaliate.
Palmer hesitates, as if he’s not sure he wants to follow her. For a split second he almost looks apologetic. But then his jaw hardens, and he turns and heads in the same direction that Sabrina went. Although, he doesn’t actually walk with her. Trouble in paradise? It occurs to me that Sabrina must not be very sure of Palmer’s devotion if she feels the need to warn me off. Not that I need warning off.
“Holy shit.” Luke is grinning. “I had no idea you were such a bad-ass.”
Emma throws her arm around my shoulders. “She looked completely shocked that you weren’t peeing yourself in her presence. You’re fearless.”
“No I’m not.” I laugh. “But I think she’s all bark.”
Dirk raises his brows. “Just because she didn’t want to get in a fist fight, don’t underestimate her Adalee. She’s vindictive and cruel. That whole bunch will come after you if you piss them off.”
“They definitely looked pissed.” Emma murmurs.
Dirk grimaces. “That’s my point. If you get them mad, they won’t drop it.”
“I don’t know. They’ll probably leave Adalee alone because she’s not a pushover,” Luke says. “They’re used to everybody groveling.”
“You’re being naïve.” Dirks dark eyes are worried.
The churning of my gut tells me Dirk might be right. Sabrina will probably want revenge. I feel very tired all at once, and I stand to go to my next class which is history. We say our goodbyes and Emma and me leave the boys, heading toward our next classes. I’d have been thrilled if Emma was in the rest of my classes, but she’s not. We wave goodbye, and each set of
f in opposite directions.
My history and science classes are fine. The teachers seem nice, and at least Palmer and Sabrina aren’t in them. When the bell rings I mentally prepare for my final class of the day which is PE. Yippee. I can’t wait. The only other class I hate more than math is PE.
I need to stop at my locker on the way to get my gym clothes, before PE. I’m deep in thought as I approach my locker. I know the smart thing to do would be to kiss Sabrina and Palmer’s ass. Maybe that way they’d leave me alone and I could just focus on school. But something inside of me just won’t let me do that. Maybe I’m letting my pride rule me, but I just can’t grovel to them.
I stop in front of my locker and my mouth falls open with shock. Someone has spray-painted the words WHORE, BITCH, SLUT in bright red paint. There’s also a photo of a fully naked woman, with enormous breasts, and someone has plastered a cut out of my face over hers. People are snickering as they walk by, and my face is hot. I rip down the picture, and shred it into little pieces. There isn’t much I can do about the words spray-painted on my locker.
I look up and notice there are security cameras in the hallway. They probably would’ve captured whoever did this, and if I go to the administration building, perhaps I can find out who vandalized my locker. Not that there’s anything I could really do about it, but the principal could punish the culprit. I’m just not sure if I want to drag the principal into this. If I do that, then Aunt Julie and Uncle Joe will know people are picking on me. Bullying me. Aunt Julie is already frazzled with grief, and overwhelmed at having another kid to take care of. Not that she’s complained, but I can imagine she feels an enormous amount of responsibility and pressure.
As I open my locker and grab my gym clothes, I decide I have to report the spray painting on my locker because it’s not something I can hide. The janitor will probably notice it anyway. But I won’t mention Sabrina or Palmer by name to the principal as possible suspects. As far as he’ll know it’s just some random person picking on the new kid. I can’t believe my first day of school has started like this. I look at my cell phone and notice the time. Cursing under my breath, I sprint toward the gymnasium.