The day bleeds

.2.

Throughout the rest of the class Toni was hooked in to the diary she found in my bag, flipping through the pages as the math teacher is explaining something from the year before. About ten minutes into the class I look over to see Toni tearing up gripping onto the pages reading faster like shes trying to get to the end of a novel. A tear falls out of her eyes while she reads the words in the pages, I look away focusing my attention to the window, I hear a book slam shut along with everyone else in the room, I look over to Toni who is having tears race down her face while her breathing is slightly heavier then before. She holds the book placing it under her notebook while everyone is looking at her. "Topaz are you alright?" the teacher asks looking away from the board he was writing on.

"Yes," she chokes out wiping away her tears from under her eyes. Everyone turns back around facing back to the front of the class while Toni tries to pull herself together resisting reaching for the journal. The bell rings while we all pack up our things, "Can I take this with me?" Toni asks holding up the book for me to see.

"Sure, I just need it back by after school." I say standing up from my seat,

"okay, you should sit with me at lunch. I'll introduce you to everyone and explain all the groups." she claims following me out the door.

"Okay." I mumble walking the opposite direction as her walking to the next class.

Lunch

As I'm walking out of the classroom Toni walks up next to me pulling me in the direction of the cafeteria. She pulls me in the direction of a table full of people who look like a misfits group, she sits down at the edge of the table pointing to the empty spot across from her. The guy next to me seems tall with black short hair and a snake tattoo on his neck. The two guys next to Toni stare at me, mainly looking at my clothes. "Okay Betty this is Sweetpea Kevin and Fangs." Toni says pointing to each one. She then looks around the room starting with the most empty of the tables. "Josie and the musicians other then Archie Andrews who is sitting at the jock table with assholes like Reggie Mantel and Chuck Clayton. Jughead Jones also sits at that table who is pretty decent but is the biggest player on campus." Toni explains pointing at the tables she is talking about. "The queen bees are next which consists of Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom also with their minions like Ginger and Tina." Toni continues looking at the table with well dressed girls who look very spoiled. "That's pretty much all you need to know."

"So give me the back story on your clothes." Kevin says making me chuckle a little. "I'm gay by the way." he adds waiting for my answer.

"Well my mother likes to make me seem like a perfect person and well this is her idea of perfect." I explain looking down at myself.

"Its cute it just doesn't seem like something you want to wear." he claims taking a bite of his salad.

"Cheryl alert." Fangs whispers looking down at the table.

"You're new right." Cheryl asks standing in front of me with everyone watching the scene.

"You can say that." I respond.

"Have you thought of any extracurriculars?" she asks again sliding next to Toni across from me.

"Not by choice." I admit to her making Toni and Kevin confused.

"Well you should join cheer leading, from the how fit you look you have to be good." she suggests gesturing to my body.

"Thanks but I don't think so.. cheer isn't really my thing." I reply watching the expression on her face change.

"How are you so skinny then." she asks laughing uncomfortably for some reason.

"Um, running, engineering, self defense." I state looking down at my body.

"Oh, anyway you should still totally try out. See you around new girl." she adds before strutting back to her table. I look back at the people I'm sitting with who seem shocked with me.

"What?" I ask staring at them.

"Why did you say no to cheer leading, that's like the pathway for fitting in this school." Fangs declares looking at me in awe.

"Like I said, not my thing." I repeat.

"So what is your thing?" Sweetpea asks raising one of his eyebrows at me. Before I get a chance to speak Toni beats me to it.

"Writing, and she's really good too." she exclaims taking out my book from her bag.

"How good?" Kevin asks intrigued with me again.

"Like as good as Jughead." Toni answers opening the book reading where she left off in my notes.

"Can I read?" Kevin asks reaching for the book."

"Um... Maybe I should give you something a little lighter then whats in the book." I suggest searching for anything else to give him in my bag. I hand him a note book with lighter thoughts in it, but is similar to the diary Toni has.

"So what did you mean when you said extracurriculars not by choice." Fangs asks looking over Kevin's shoulder reading with him.

"The office signed me up for the news paper because I ran it at my old school." I explain watching everyone at the table calm down staying silent for a minute.

"I'm the photographer so I'll stick with you." Toni says not looking up from the book. The bell rings signaling that lunch is over, everyone gets up still chatting about whatever. The next classes go by slowly nothing special with any of them. The end of the comes where I have to stay for the news paper, Toni grabs my arm and pulls me into a room full of desks and dusty printers. "I have a question, How do you know so much about the stuff you wrote about?" she asks holding the book in the air.

"Because it's not stories, it's my journal." I whisper grabbing the book from her pushing it in my bag.