The Old Park Bench on Lee Street

Chapter One: Old Beginnings

I was dying.

Not really, but the dreaded noise of my phone alarm clock jolted a severe shock of absolute pain in every inch of my body. Groggily opening my eyes, I sat up and silenced the alarm as quickly as I could- the noise was triggering some sort of PTSD that only highschool kids suffer from.

"Hell is empty and the devils are here." I quoted softly, standing up on shaky legs. It was a little tradition of mine to speak a line or two of Shakespeare whenever I woke up- it eased the transition. Walking to the mirror, I brushed away an eye booger and ran a hand through my messy blonde locks in a vain effort to straighten them- they were impossible to tame. Grabbing the clothes I had set aside from last night, I changed into a white blouse and skinny jeans, putting my unruly hair in a pink scrunchie. My style was far from unique- as soon as I entered the school building there would most likely be three other girls in the same style outfit. Then again, it was the first day of school. Maybe they would wear something special.

I would be lying if I said I was glad to be going back. The first year of highschool was absolute crap- I was stuck in some stupid drama with my former (and only) friend Suzanna. At least I was rid of her- all she did was tease me about my interests.

Entering my bathroom, I quickly brushed my teeth, paying special attention to the back ones. I had recently gotten my first cavity on one of my molars and had been less than pleased with the sensation of the numbing shot. Splashing water on my face and caking on some makeup, I considered my reflection in the mirror, glaring at my widow's peak harline. Ever since someone had said it looked like the McDonalds logo, I had been super self concious about it and always tried my hardest to hide it.

Striking a pose, I snapped a mirror selfie and sent my streaks on Snapchat, my head cocked. It was quite ironic- on social media I was a star. Whenever I posted anything the girls at my school would immediately comment things like 'QUEEN!' or 'OML SLAYYY'. In real life, however, they totally ignored me, some even sending disgusted looks my way.

Leaving my room, I trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. Immediately, a small bundle of fur launched itself at me and I caught the mini schnauzer before it hit the ground. Picking up my dog, I gave him a little kiss on his nose. "Hey Puck," I whispered so as not to disturb the rest of the house.

Setting Puck on the floor and turning to the cabinets, I grabbed a packet of strawberry poptarts, popping the plate and the pastry into the microwave. This was a process I had gone through for at least five years now- ever since fifth grade. If I had to, I could do it with my eyes closed. Exactly two seconds before the microwave beeped, I turned it off. That part was the most stressful part of any morning- the sudden rush of adrenaline I got proved that.

Grabbing a napkin, I sat down at the kitchen table and choked down the dry and artifical food. After years of eating this on a regular basis, it got incredibly boring. I ate it anyway and washed the plate before grabbing my backpack from the hook on the backdoor and checking my phone clock. It was 6:52, perfect timing.

Giving Puck one last kiss, I grabbed my house keys and left for the bus stop, running down the street as fast as I could. The bus stop was about seven minutes away if I walked, so I had to hurry in case I missed it.

I got there literally thirty seconds before the bus, still panting slightly as I took my seat. Everyone was pretty much silent besides the distant and distorted noises of loud music in people's headphones. Taking out my own pair of AirPods, I began listening to some late sixties music.

As Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' blared into my ears, I stared sullenly outside of my window, watching the sun climb into the sky. It was rather peaceful, besides the eighth grade girl in front of me complaining about some stupid guy she had broken up with.

I supressed a chuckle of mocking laughter, instead clearing my throat quietly and trying to distract myself. It seemed that middle schoolers that were eager to date went through half of the school in less than two weeks. They were maturing- if you could call it that- faster and faster. The complaining girl was wearing a shirt that would get her dresscoded before she could say 'Danielle Cohn'. Her shorts were another story. They were a normal length, but she had pulled them up to the point where you could pretty much see half of her ass. It was both sad and funny, as she probably thought she looked quite cute.

Right then, our ride jerked to a stop and the highschoolers began to file off. I was one of the first ones to leave, eager to get out of the shithole that was a school bus and into a larger shithole. Highschoolers were already running towards there friends with a new joke and a hug, or yelling at the freshmen who were hustling into the building with a terrified expression.

It was, in short, utter chaos.

Sneaking around a pair of girls making out aggresively by the fountain, I arrived at the office, quietly asking for my locker number and schedule. It was handed to me by the secratary and I nodded in thanks, leaving as quickly as possible and heading to my new locker.

Sighing as I unloaded my belongings and walked to homeroom, I glanced around me for someone, anyone, to talk to. It was nothing short of depressing, coming to a 'reunion' with no one to reunite with.

When I stepped into the classroom, I was glad to see that Suzanna wasn't here and sat down in a mildly cheerful manner, scanning the room for recognizable faces. I knew everyone- apparently there weren't any new students in this homeroom. Instead it was simply a group of over aggresive soccer girls, a singular gamer boy, and a scattering of males and females that didn't really have a clique and instead hung around the room in lost looking clumps.

Half-heartedly, I wondered where the teacher was as I redid my unruly hair and put my head on my desk. It was the same as last year, besides the fact that everyone had grown two inches. I didn't really know what I had expected, but maybe I had hoped for something more interesting than this.

"Amy?"

I looked up at the mildly familiar voice, cocking my eyebrow at the pony-tailed girl before me.

"The Principal wants to see you."