"You're gonna be late to school Ali bear" Claire shouts in a calm tone.
I walk into the room rolling my eyes, "don't call me that, and stop acting like you care."
"don't speak to me that way" she grabs my wrist forcing our eyes to meet. I break my wrist free with a hint of anger in my eyes and she just goes back to eating her breakfast.
"make some friends, you need em" she speaks again with her mouth full of froot loops.
"I don't need anybody and close you're mouth, it's fucking disgusting" I respond before leaving the house and shutting the door.
Portola middle school is not the school you would want to be at. It's like you're typical California school, there's the hot popular kids, the losers, and the kids that don't speak enough to have a label.
I'm the no label kid, I go to school and do my own thing and leave. I plan on keeping it that way.
-
I'm walking in the halls with my headphones in, but they're low enough just incase somebody decided to talk to me, which someone did but they called me a bitch because I accidentally hit them with my shoulder. Like I said this schools a shit show.
I continue to walk but my eyes stop on this blonde haired blue eyed boy, 'he's pretty cute' I think to myself but that doesn't stop me from what my plans are. It wouldn't matter anyways I heard him and his friends talking about the infamous Evie Zamora, I mean I don't blame them though she's hot.
~ lunch
I'm sitting alone, the usual. Until a blonde girl comes and sits down in front of me and just stares.
"um, hi?" I'm the first one to speak.
"You're Like super pretty, and seem nice. Is it ok if me and a couple friends sit with you?" She asked, I furrow my eyebrows because of how familiar she looks.
"uhhh" is all I get to say before she interrupts me, "I'm not excepting a no by the way" with a smile on her face.
"yeah sure that's cool" I say knowing they probably won't plan on sitting with me again. She waves her two friends over and they all sit across from me.
"Sorry what is you're guys name?" I ask once again confused.
"Oh sorry, I'm Tracy, this is Noel, and this is Yumi." She points.
"Cool, I'm Ali"
"that's a pretty name" Noel speaks up.
"Sorry I just have to ask this, do you know Evie Zamora because you look like you belong in the group?" Yumi blurted out causing me to laugh.
"No, I know of her but we've never spoken."
"yeah us too"
-
I open my front door to see a lovely sight of my mom and one of her conquests. It's fine though I know he won't last.
"oh shit, hey Ali bear how was school?" She scurried to try and cover her self.
"quit it with the name, and we can talk when you're not in the middle of sleeping with some rando. Mkay?" I say in a very annoyed tone while grabbing a coke and walking into my bedroom.
I lock the door, jump onto my bed and light up a cigarette, I know they're gross but they help me calm down without getting high.
My mom doesn't know I smoke anything but it's easy when she's never home or when she is she's either drunk or in her room, maybe alone maybe not I don't care.
I start to think about Tracy, she seems super nice but I know not to get to excited. People have asked to sit with me at lunch before but it's usually only because I have the last free table. I always have to keep in the back of my mind that no one will every truly like me in any type of way, I mean I don't give them any reason too like me.
~ dinner
"Soooo, his names Mitch." My mom speaks up while setting our plates down.
"yeah I really don't care for the name, you and I both know he will either leave or you will get bored and drop him." I respond while poking my food with my fork.
"yeah whatever, how was school?" She continues to try and make small talk.
"it was the same as every other day, well these three girls decided to sit with me at lunch but that's all that really happened" I huff out trying to just make her happy so I can be left alone.
"ohhh well that's great, see I told you, you would make new friends." She cheers with a huge smile on her face.
"They're not friends I barely even know them."
"Well get to know them Ali. Seriously I'm not kidding when I say you need friends." She begins to start talking in a low 'serious' tone.
"yeah were not doing this, sorry I'm going to bed, oh and Michael is waiting in yours." I taunted her, she just looks at me with rage but stops herself from blowing up, but don't be fooled she just doesn't want to embarrass herself.
-
"Hey Ali!" Tracy waves to me while walking to my table.
I nod my head at her thinking she was gonna walk right past me but no, her and her friends sit across from me once again except Tracy she takes a seat next to me. So maybe these are supposed to be my friends.
We eat in silence for a minute until Nora completely breaks it once Evie walks by us. "She has really pretty skin"
"I've heard she's got a scar on her back from when she tried to save her baby brother from a fire" Yumi beamed with excitement to talk about her.
"Guys she's not Wonder Woman" Tracy says looking at us.
"Hey don't look at me with that face, I completely agree." I say putting my hands up, causing the three to laugh.
"Hey I'll catch you guys later" Tracy announces, getting up from the lunch table and walking away.
I look up and see Evie's little squad talking to Tracy and laughing, I can't hear what they're saying but by the blondes body language it wasn't very nice. But I don't say a word, I promised myself no drama so I'm keeping it that way.
"Ali?" Nora speaks up and looks at me.
"that's me, what?" I respond back putting on a smile so my resting bitch face doesn't shine threw.
"what's you're secret? I mean you're super pretty you're style's amazing and I don't know you just always look good" she babbled out, Yumi nodding her head in agreement.
I begin to feel a smile appear on my face, but not a fake smile a real genuine one.
"aw oh my god, thank you but I don't really know. I just learned to not care what other people think and just do my own thing even if people don't like it." I smile and shrug my shoulders.
-
"MOM GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" I scream at my mother.
"Ali bear please calm down, it's nothing, seriously." She says with bruised face and tears all over her.
"Really me coming home from school and walking into him punching you in the face is nothing?! You seriously need help!" I yell once again completely ignoring the ignorant nickname she gave me.
"Don't yell at you're mom like that." He begins to try and scold me.
"listen Michael you're just another dirt bag from off the street, you mean absolutely nothing to me. I look at you and quite literally see nothing. Oh and before you try and tell me how to speak to my mom, maybe I should scold you on how not to punch her in the face." I get up in his face as much as I can.
He pushes me back into a wall and try's to lunge at me but before he gets the chance my mom pushes him away and gives me a look telling me to go into my room and stay there.
I run straight into my room and can't help but think about where I can go. I can't stay here I just can't. Then a blonde pops into my head, Tracy. She had given me her number one time when we were sitting at lunch but I never ended up using it, I don't want to but I think I need to.
"Hey is this Tracy?" I say in a low tone almost like I was embarrassed.
"Yeah it is, and this is?" She questioned.
"Hey Tracy, it's Ali I was just calling wondering if I could possibly come over for a little bit. I know we just met and everything but"- she cuts me off completely.
"come over right now" she's says, she gives me her address and hangs up the phone just like that.
-
"Hey it's you! Finally" she greets me pulling on my wrist dragging me into the home.
As we're walking into her living room I see the blonde boy from school that one time. I know he doesn't know who I am but shit I don't even know his name.
"This is my brother Mason and this is my Mom" She introduces them to me.
"Hey Miss Freeland, hey Mason, I'm Ali." I wave at the two awkwardly.
"Hi Ali and please call me Mel" she replied, I nod my head in response.
"Hey Ali, have I seen you around school before?" Mason makes small talk, that causes the corner of my lips to form a smile.
"Yeah most likely, I mean I've seen you around" I blurted out immediately regretting it. He probably think I'm some sort of stalker now.
He smirks at me and just replies with "yeah probably" his little smirk makes me want to crawl into a whole and die. It's so perfect.
I smile back before Tracy pulls on my wrist again leading me to her room but we get stopped once again.
"Hey just incase, you're mom knows you're here right?" Mel asked.
"Yeah she does." I lie, I had to climb out of my window to get here. Didn't want to have to go through the trouble of walking out the front door.
We finally make it to Tracy's bedroom, she closes her door and asks, "so what made you want to come over?"
I didn't want to lie so I was completely honest, "well um to make this easier to explain me and my mom have never had the best relationship like at all. So today I walked in on some guy punching my mom in the face and I just couldn't be home, I'm sorry" I say putting my head down once again in embarrassment.
"Hey don't be sorry it's ok, let's get you're mind off of it and do something fun yeah?" She says with a look of excitement on her face.
"Yeah ok, oh and I promise I'm not just using you as a getaway or anything like that," I speak up but she cuts me off once again. I'm beginning to realize she does this a lot.
"stop, I don't care as long as we're hanging out it doesn't matter if you're using me." She grabs my hand.
"That's really sweet, but a terrible mind set to have" I laugh at the girl.
"Yeah I know" she giggles back.
"So what do you wanna do" I speak up breaking the silence. But it wasn't awkward silence.
"well I just got a bunch of new clothes, would you be so kind and let me model them to you?" Tracy asked.
"Hell yes give it to me, but I do have to pee" I once again laugh.
"Yeah of course I'll change into an outfit while you do that." Tracy responds.
I nod my head with a smile and walk out of the bedroom. As I'm walking down a random hall I realize I didn't ask her where it was.
I see a door at the end of the hall that looks like it could be a bathroom, well I hoped it was.
I open the door and the blonde who's name I have now learned to know is Mason.
"Shit sorry, I was looking for the bathroom and thought this was," I begin to babble in complete fear of him once again thinking I'm a stalker, But he cuts me off. Wow the Freeland's must have this in common I think to myself.
"Don't worry you're all good, I'll show it to you." He gets up from his bed with a smile.
"Yeah, thanks" i respond with a smile back.
He walks me to the bathroom and before he walks away I speak up, "hey sorry again"
"stop saying sorry. It's not you're fault you have no sense of direction, assuming Tracy gave em to you" He says sarcastically with a smirk.
"wow ok, and just so you know she didn't" I laugh at the boy so he knows I'm not being serious.
"she's an idiot, I'm sorry on her behalf" he laughs at me now.
"aw look who's saying sorry now" I say with a look of awe on my face.
he guffaws before turning around and saying "see you around Ali"
I smile and shut the door and you know use the bathroom. Once I'm finished I make my way back to Tracy's room this time I don't walk into her brothers room.
"Sorry i took so long" I say shutting the door.
"do you like?" she turns around with her arms out.
"oh yes, wear that to school tomorrow" I smile but i slowly realize it's not her style at all. It's more of my style or people like to call it Evies style.
"yay ok" she beams with excitement giving me a hug, I give her a hug back.
"there is more right?" I ask grabbing onto her waist and putting us face to face with a fake serious look on my face.
"Duh"
-
I'm eating my salad while Nora and Yumi talk about some J- lo project or something.
"hey Ali come to the bathroom with me really quick, yeah?" Tracy finally speaks up, I nod my head and we're on our way.
As we're walking I realize we're right behind Evie Zamora and almost on cue she says "cute shirt, both of you" without even turning around.
"Thanks, cute belt" Tracy responds back.
She looks Tracy and I up and down almost as if she was examining us.
"Call me after school we can all go shopping on Melrose" She speaks again but this time turned around.
Tracy looks at me and I nod my head agreeing to do this and the blonde gives her a pen and paper to write her number down.
Evie does so and walks away with a smile but doesn't say a word.
Tracy looks at me once again with a huge smile on her face. And starts doing a little dance.
I laugh at the girls dance moves and say "was this you're plan all along?"
"yup we can go back now!"
A/n:
Well here's the first chapter! I cant really tell if I'm making Ali seem like a pick me I swear she's not😭. I really hope you enjoy this book as much as I do writing it🤍 If you wanna see a little more of these characters go follow my tiktok (thirteenwp) for edits of the sober cast! Ok bye chapter 2 coming out tomorrow/maybe today.