In Hope Of Release

Chapter 1

One

Danielle…

“Oi, Geek.” Great, Rick Turner is walking straight towards me with his group. Most girls at this point would be going berserk wondering whether their hairs right or how they could flirt their way into his posh Mercedes in the parking lot. This isn’t me, sure maybe a year ago it was, but not now, not since I found out what he really was like.

“Rick and followers…lovely to see you all so…” I pause sarcastically, “un-individual.” I’m please with this comment, especially as when you take a step back and study them you notice how all the boys look like little clones of Rick and the girls look like his newest girlfriend Melissa Clark.

He laughs his eyes gleaming; it’s a look I might’ve once died for.

“Oh Dani, knowing you you’re probably giving yourself a pat on the back for thinking of something to say…” Flinching I realised he had known a little about me. “Anyhow, it’s your birthday right.”

I nod.

“Happy birthday then…seventeen, big number.” This makes me uneasy, to add to the feeling I see the two boys behind him nudge each other in the ribs chuckling about something.

“What’s your point?” My eyebrow raise as I take in his surrounding followers smirking as they eyed me. Suddenly I find myself wishing I’d gone out to the over to eat instead of alone at a canteen table.

He shrugs looking at Melissa.

“I was just being nice…”

Instantly I realise as gooey, sticky, liquid covers me. It’s cold and horrible, I scream in rage as I can feel its glue. Through my clothes in my hair, I’m saturated in glue!

“You freak!” I scream so the whole canteen can hear, but sadly it has an opposite affect than I’d hoped for as the whole room begins to chant encouragement to the popular group.  

I can’t be sure but I think tears are mixing with the glue on my cheeks. I grab my knapsack and novel and take off out the glass door and across the oval. Still I can here the applause from the canteen. How could people be so cruel and heartless? How could people back them up and encourage them? What was wrong with the world? Through my tears I laugh as I remembered what my mother had told me the first time I’d been bullied in primary school. ‘Life isn’t fair’ she’d said. I could remember when I’d had my hair cut off in nap time by Rick’s sister Isabel.

Sneaking into the gym bathrooms I grab a towel and strip off my now drying glued clothes. Fortunately the glue hadn’t begun to dry in my hair; otherwise I’d have been in huge trouble. A shiver runs down as I imagine having to cut my hair. Once I’m done I slip out the shower wrapping the towel around me and find some clothes in the lost property box which sat in the corner.

The clothes I find aren’t wonderful, but at least they’re clothes and they’re clean; well not perfectly clean. Sighing, I slip the Elmo t-shirt over my head and pull on the board shorts. Not even bothering to look in the mirror I walk out with my bag over my shoulder and a fuming expression on my face. I’m burning with anger by now and ready for a fight, seriously I should have red hair my temper is so bad.

“You seem used to cleaning up…” Instantly I stop, spinning around I find a brown eyed boy with blonde hair watching me, his eyes gleaming.

“What do you want?” I glared at him shrugging my knap sack higher on my shoulder. He seemed taken aback with my angry words. Standing he stepped forward.

“I’m sorry; I just thought you might…”

“Need a shoulder to cry on? Someone to lead me away from this war zone they call a school?” he went to open his mouth in answer but I caught him off. “No I’m fine thanks…” With that I’m out into the sunshine. He was following though I hadn’t seen him, I could hear his gym shoes on the crunchy summer dried grass. I kept walking until I’d had enough. “Look what is it you want?!”