Beneath the Surface

"...2!...3!...4!...Other side!...1!....2!...3!...4!"

I huffed for air. Finally, it was 9th period. I guess having gym last was okay. Sure I was tired, but I was tired from the moment I hopped out of bed. And I kind of liked gym anyway. I had always wanted to be strong and powerful, not weak and girly, like almost everyone else my age. My eyes searched for the clock: only five minutes left! I can do this.

Another pop song started playing and its rhythm gave me some more energy. We were doing aerobics for the past month. I liked this unit of gym, but the teacher, not so much. She was one one of those diet obsessed women who cringes at pizza. Probably an airhead during her high school days. Of course, everything about her was perfect, even though she was jumping and kicking the air. She just screamed phoniness. Ugh.

Finally, the bell rang. A downside to having gym 9th was that you didn't have time to change before the bell rang. I practically ran to the locker room. My damned bus wouldn't wait for me, that was a fact. And of course, the locker room was in the basement and I had to go to my locker, several flights of stairs up. Did I mention that I hate school?

I had changed clothes at record speed before I briskly walkout out of the locker room. "Jane!" I head a voice say behind me. I wonder who Jane was...Oh, right, me. I turned around to be greeted by the smiling face of Karey. "Hey!" she said energetically, "How many classes do you have with the new kid? Do you know he's single?" New kid? Oh, she meant Aaron. "Uh, in total I have four classes with him. And lunch" I replied. Karey's chocolate eyes widened. "Lucky! What classes?" she said, sounding a little disappointed. Poor girl. "Photo, math, history, gym" I said. "So you get to see him all sweaty?" Karey asked with a giggle. I made a face.

We went our separate ways and I just barely managed to catch the bus. There was only one seat left and it was right next to my good ol' buddy buffster. The bus was unusually crowded this afternoon. I searched my mind for the day of the week. "Yo, Tim, pump it!" some senior from the back yelled. Tim was the bus driver's name. I think 'Scrooge' would've fit him better. He was a rather grumpy middle-aged man who clearly couldn't drive a school bus if his life depended on it. The volume of the music from the bus' speakers increased. "Thank god the week is done..." I heard a familiar male voice sing. Then I remembered that it was Friday. I smiled to myself as I sat down next to a Buffster, who was listening to his own music. It was a metal song. Eh, not my type of music, though I don't really have a type of music that I prefer. I listen to practically everything.

I stumbled into my house, locking the door behind me and taking off my shoes. I was kindly ignored by my mother. I walked up the stairs where I was welcomed by a door slamming shut in my face. I remembered that my sister didn't have class on Friday. I sighed. Her bedroom just had to have the desktop. I don't get what her need for it was; she had a laptop and a netbook. "C'mon, Lexi, lemme in!" I hollered. After a few minutes, she opened the door. My shoulder was ready to fall off. Stupid tote. 

I threw my beat up purple tote on the ground and fell atop her bed. "How was school?" she asked after she was seated in front of her laptop. Like she actually cared. Everything that came out of her mouth was bull. "Fine" I said. Why couldn't she have picked a college with dorming facilities? I reluctantly pulled a binder out of my bag and started to do my homework. I needed a calculator. I spotted one right next to Lexi's arm. "Could you pass me that calculator? Just toss it," I said. She turned her head and gave me a look. "You need it? Come get it" she snottily said. I rolled my eyes and got it myself.  

A few minutes later, Lexi said, "Hey could you give me my phone?" It was more of a command than it was a question. "I don't know where it is" I said, not looking up from my notebook. "It's here," she said, pointing to the carpet next to her. All she had to do to get it was bend down. I, on the other hand, would have to walk across the room. "It's closer to you" I said. "Yeah, but I'd have to bend over to get it," she whined. "Yeah, and I'd have to get up, walk over, and bend down" I said, attitude leaking into my voice. "Give it" she demanded. I smirked. "You need it? Go get it" I said.

She was silent for a few moments, glaring at me. I didn't even notice, for my attention was turned to an intricate math problem. "You're a bitch" she said. "Oh?' I said, raising en eyebrow, "And what does that make you?"

"I don't see what your problem is. You're such a little kid"

"I don't have a problem. But you seem to"

"Listen, Princess, you can't just sit on your ass all day"

Was she being serious? I'd tell her to go look in a mirror, but she already did that far too often. "And yet you're the one who can't bend down to pick up something that you need," I replied. "It's better than moping all day like you do. You live in your own sad little world and expect everyone to change things for you," she said. It sounded like she was talking about herself; everything needed to fit her schedule, and she wouldn't change her schedule for anything. "You don't know shit about me," I said clenching my fists. I was pissed. Out of all the people in the world, one would expect my sister to get me. Cause, ya know, we've kind of lived together our entire lives and whatnot. But of course not. She, like everyone else, never even tried to look past my exterior. She skimmed my surface, but never looked beneath it. At that moment, the door flew open. "What's going on?" my dad angrily demanded. Lexi pulled on her most innocent face, painted lips pouting, and freshly threaded eyebrows slanting in the most helpless way possible. "Jane was being disrespectful" she whined. "Jane, listen to your sister!" my dad said, giving me a disapproving look over the top of his spectacles. He shook his head and closed the door. Lexi smirked as soon as he did. It took everything in me not to walk over to her and bash her brains out. If she had any, that is.

Pretty soon, my homework was done and I was lying in the dark in my own bed, fist burning. I had to get my anger out somehow. Poor garage door. I closed my eyes in a half-hearted attempt at meditation. My cell phone suddenly rang, scaring the crap out of me. I grabbed it and squinted into the bright light. It was Ella! Ella as in my best friend who moved to Pennsylvania. I quickly answered the phone. "Hey El! I miss you so fucking much" She chuckled. "Me too Jane. You have no idea. My sister is driving me nuts," she said. "Word" I replied. Word was such a nice word. It described such perfect agreement, which is what I always felt with Ella. We talked for a while; Ella would be coming over to stay during mid-winter recess, which I realized, was now. Her plane would arrive on Wednesday. Then" I heard my mom's voice from downstairs: "Jane! You're only allowed to talk on the phone for ten minutes! It's been eleven so far, hang up this instant!" "But--", I started to protest before Ella cut me off. "It's okay, I'll call you later," she said. I forced myself to hang up before I headed down to dinner.

Turns out that they ordered take out. That brightened my spirits slightly. Though, of course, my happiness was short lived. I burped at one point and they all started going off about how unladylike and rebellious I was. One, I never said I was a lady, nor was I taught how to act like one. And two, the only place I was a rebel was in my head. I never acted upon my thoughts. Which I guess contributes to why no one really knows me, minus Ella. How I wish she were here. Which reminds me, "Ella's coming to New York on Wednesday" I said. My sister rolled her eyes. My parents ignored me. Great.

I pulled on my favorite green beanie and went to bed.

****The story isn't in full swing yet, BUT it will be soon, hopefully. Please, comment. Don't be shy, you can tell me if it sucks, if you love it, could live without it, etc. I'm honestly curious as to what you people think :)