Misery Blues

Chapter 2 - I like your tattoos

I slump against my chair as our teacher, Mr.Green, passes out the book that we will be reading this semester. He practically slams the book on every desk, or at least only the ones who have people putting their heads down. Once he gets to me, I hold out my hand, excited. I could tell what book it was from when he started. Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorite historic books. I am a huge fan of history, especially anything having to do with Japan.

"We got a live one over here." He chuckles, handing the book to me. I smile back and press the book to my chest. I know that I am probably going to finish this book before Mr.Green expects anyone to have even read the first chapter - but that doesn't matter.

Someone sighs loudly to my left and I turn to look at a girl who is using the book as a pillow and a boy who is rubbing her back with a silly smirk on his lips. The girl notices me staring and looks at me, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I don't recognize you," She says, sitting up. The boy looks me over once and sits in the desk in front of me, throwing me questioning glances.

"I just started at this school today." I admit, smiling sheepishly.

"Fresh meat," The boy smiles, with a glint in his eye. He holds out his hand "I'm Alek." I shake his hand and then he points to his friend. "That is Cassadee, she thinks she is a princess, watch out!"

I giggle and turn to Cassadee. "I'm Veronica, but you guys can call me Roni."

"Awesome." Cassadee smiles after flipping Alek the bird. "Can I see your schedule, maybe we have more classes together."

I slide my schedule over to her desk, where she and Alek decide to study it. Cassadee gasps, and turns to me.

"First off, You have lunch with Alek and I. Gym too, I think, yeah. You do." She nods before turning back to me. "Second, your last name...is Blues?"

"Yeah?" I nod, knowing that I questioned why she asks.

"Like.....Denton Blues?" She asks again, scooting closer to me. I see Alek's eyes grow smaller, squinting them in annoyance at the sound of my brother's name.

"Yeah, he is my older brother." I shrug. "We came here together."

She turns to Alek before looking at me once more with a surprised expression. "Alek, I think I found my new girl best friend."

"Yeah. Me too." He grumbles, I chuckle as Cassadee throws him a glare before turning back to me. We start to chat for a few minutes, until the bell rings. They show me which way to go, to my science class. I have never heard of Environmental studies, but I'm hoping it isn't boring. Once I get there the teacher, Mrs.Kindly smiles at me and asks for my last name. After giving it to her, she sends me to a seat in the front of the classroom.

Once everyone is settled in she starts to take attendance.

"Avery?"

"Present." A boy with red hair and freckles raises his hand, he smiles, showing off his braces. He is wearing a Pokemon related shirt. I smile a little bit and turn back to the teacher as my name is being called.

"Blues?"

"Here." I raise my hand, some people give me a once over, but ignore me otherwise.

"Bacus?"

"Hi." A chubby girl with pink and blue hair with a lip ring smiles at the teacher. She turns in my direction and sees me staring at her and winks. I blush and turn around.

"Dean?"

No answer, so Mrs.Kindly tried again. "Dean...?"

"Sorry, I'm late. I'm here."

"You're Roxas Dean." Mrs.Kindly doesn't form it into a question, it was more of her trying to push it inside her head. "Sit over here in the front by miss Blues."

She points to me and I watch as boy with blue eyes and black hair walks over to me. I notice only one of his ears have a piercing, and it's large, creating a huge hole in his ear. Gauges, I think they are called? His fingers have tattoos on them and even more go up his arm. His shirt is white, and I can see even more outlines of in on his chest. I look up and we meet eyes for a second, before I force my attention back to the teacher. She is just finishing up the attendance and starting on explaining the class to us.

Basically all this class is about - is nature. We will be going on nature walks and watching movies all the time. Movies about the environment and all types of animals. Mrs.Kindly goes on explaining about a big project that will be due at the end of the year, though we don't have to worry about it now - but she will be picking who we are working with later on in the month. A group project. I'm horrible at group projects, either I usually do all the work - or no body wants me to work at all. Well, that's what it was like in my old school. Maybe here it will be different. Maybe this entire year will be different, no body knows me here. I can be a different person, I can change. I smile to myself and look at Mrs.Kindly.

She decides to give us free time, I guess she wants us to get to know each other. Everyone is already in groups by the time she says this and I realize that everyone has known each other forever, I'm the new kid, the person no one knows. I let my face lay on the cool science table, but not without noticing the Dean boy looking at me. I think Mrs.Kindly said his name was Roxas. How unique.

"You have pretty eyes." He says, looking down at me. I blush a little. I mentioned before that I got my looks from my mother, but my eyes were all because of my father. He was an Irish man, I thank him every day for my blue eyes. My mother she was darker skinned, her mother was from Egypt while her father was from England. My skin is really light, but no matter what it looks like outside, I always have a tan. My hair is just like my mothers, light brown and curly, though I usually straighten it. I feel that I'm just as unique as this guy next to me.

"Thank you." I say, smiling. "Uh, I like your tattoos."

He chuckles at that and shakes his head. "It scares most people off." He admits with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Not me." I say, sighing. "I think that a body is a canvas and ink can be someone's own personal paint. I don't have any, but it's just my opinion."

He blinks, his eyes wide as he looks at me his mouth open the slightest bit. I chuckle awkwardly, wondering If I said something wrong. "Uh, what?"

He shakes his head and regains his smile. "I mean, that's exactly as I see it too!"

"Really?" I let out a sigh of relief. "That's great, I thought I messed up and said something stupid."

"Nope." He pops the 'p' and smiles at me he opens his mouth to say more, but is cut off by the bell. We all get up and I start to leave but he grabs my arm to stop me. I try not to wince as his hand connects with one of my newer bruises. I turn around and he looks as if he wants to say something.

"Yes?"

"I never caught your first name," He says awkwardly.

"Veronica, but call me Roni." I say with a smile before walking out of the classroom. It seems like there is a permanent smile attached to my face as I walk through the halls.

So far so good, it's only second period and I think I've already made three new friends. I smile to myself as I get to my pre calculus class. I settle into a seat in the front and pull my math notebook from my back pack. The teacher already has things we should know on the board, so I jot them down quickly before the late bell rings. Once our teacher walks back in he goes into this outrageous explanation on how different calculus is different from Algebra and starts ticking off the functions. I tune him out, not really caring about things I already know and look out the window.

I have a really good feeling about this school, I might not fit in like my brother does...But I've never been unpopular either. I've never been at the top of the food chain, or anywhere near the bottom. I wouldn't mind if I was, I just want some friends - someone I can talk to. No, actually... I just want to find my hero.

Someone who would take me away from my trouble, someone who can save me from David....and much more than that, someone who can save me from myself.