Welcome back, Tigers!
There is something about those three words that makes my stomach drop and my heart fail at the same time. I peel my eyes away from the school brochure they send out to every student before the first day back.
First day back at school.
Those words are enough to make me want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head and try not to think about the hell hole the law forces me into five days of the week.
Summer break ended too quickly for my liking. For anyone's liking. Not like I spent it doing anything useful or productive. Unless you class sitting in my bed watching Netflix all day as productive.
Glancing one final time at the corny image on the front - the football team laughing and smiling out on the field while the school mascot (a tiger, duh) does a backflip in the background - I drop the brochure onto my desk without another glance. I mope around my room only to find myself staring outside my window which overlooks the garden.
Autumn has sent sprawls of orange leaves from the woods surrounding my back yard over the grass. The closest tree, a good twenty meters from the back door of the house, holds a swing, swaying lightly in the morning breeze. But its ruggedness reminds me that it hasn't been used in years. It was my dad's favourite spot.
I turn to the mirror beside the window, eyeing my black hair that falls in waves past my shoulders, and my big, gray eyes, the pupils outlined with distinct black rings. My dad's eyes and my mom's hair, that's what Grams always told me before she died a few years back. My pale skin which has always made me look slightly on edge, and those large, purple bags that I don't care enough to conceal. Not like any of that stuff matters - no one cares what I look like anyway.
After spending as long as I can getting ready, throwing on a pair of navy jeans, a grey sweatshirt, and white converse, I slump down the stairs with my shoulders hunched.
As I wander into the kitchen at the end of the hall, I notice my brother, Jace, sitting on a stool with his feet kicked up on the breakfast bar.
Jace is in college, but since he attends a college fairly close-by, he often drops by to check up on me. He has dark hair with streaks of a lighter brown shade, which is gelled up at the front. His eyes are a deep gray like mine, but are darker, verging on black.
When he sees me walking in, he smiles. But when he notices my dull expression, his smile turns into a teasing smirk. "Did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"
"Did someone not learn anything about table manners?" I retort, pointing to his sneakers on the countertop.
My reply only makes him smirk wider, but he plants his feet onto the wooden floor nevertheless.
"You get back last night?" I ask, beginning to pour myself some cereal into my bowl. I turn to the fridge to grab some milk, and then go to pour that in as well.
I see him nod in my peripheral vision. "Had some laundry to drop off. And I wanted to see my precious sister before her first day back at school."
I groan, bitter that he'd reminded me of what day it was.
"Come on, Lena, you're a junior now, these next two years are supposed to be the best of your life," he explains in his casual tone, swinging his arm around my shoulders.
I grab a spoon and scoop up a few Fruit Loops, shovelling them into my mouth. Speaking with my mouth full of cereal, I respond, "Being a junior just means I have to spend another two years being picked on by superficial kids that think the town library is a church."
He presses his lips together, frowning. His arm drops and he leans against the counter, scrutinising my disgruntled facade. Then his face softens, and he reminds me of how my mother used to look when smoothing out the worried crinkles in my forehead. "Look, I really think things are gonna be different this year. Trust me on this, okay?"
"The last time you asked me to trust you was when you were practising for your drivers test, and you nearly killed us both. And that old lady," I remark, unimpressed.
"That was one time."
Ignoring him, I dump my bowl into the sink, and begin to trudge into the hall. "I'll see you later, Jace," I call over my shoulder, grabbing my bag from beside the wooden door and slinging it over my shoulder.
He chases after me, beating me to the door. "I'm taking you to school today."
I smirk. "No way, you're a horrific driver who shouldn't be allowed on the road." I try to scoot around him so that I won't be late for the bus, but he blocks my path again.
"If I crash, you won't be able to go to school," he tempts, wiggling his eyebrows. A playful grin stretches across his lips.
Without missing a beat, I answer, "Okay cool. Let's go."
---
Unfortunately, Jace gets me to school in his jeep without so much as a scratch.
He waves teasingly with a mock smile on his face, after dumping me in the parking lot of my high school.
I can't help but smile at my brother. He has been like a dad to me since I was young, and seeing him goofing around to cheer me up makes me feel a little better.
When I was ten, my dad was diagnosed with leukaemia, and died not soon after. It impacted our family enormously. My mom started working extra hours at her firm, and then when Jace turned eighteen, she stopped coming home altogether after finding a better-paying job in Washington. So that was that. I didn't hold it against her. I didn't blame her, or anybody, for our family falling apart. Work is her coping mechanism, and I'm fine with that.
I'm mostly at home by myself, but I've grown accustomed to it. Other than his occasional drop-ins, Jace is rarely around, but he has college, he has responsibilities. However, since I'm only sixteen, he makes sure to come check on me since technically he's my legal guardian. Jace sometimes brings groceries or cleans the house, changes my bedding or fixes the TV.
But usually, it's just me.
Which makes this whole high school thing a lot harder.
As Jace's black jeep rounds the corner, out of sight, I turn for the steps, trying to stop my heart from beating out of my chest.
But before I can place one foot onto the first step, I'm stopped by someone speaking in a nasally voice close by, "Look who decided to show up for another year. It's Layla."
I spin around, clutching the strap of my bag tighter.
And just as I'd expected, it's Phoebe. Her corn blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and her face is caked in makeup. She has grown over the summer, as well as her group of shadows behind her, which makes me feel even more intimidated.
"It's Lena," I mumble, but she either doesn't hear, or doesn't care. My guess is the latter.
I try to walk away, but she grabs my bag and yanks me to a stop. "Where do you think you're going, freak?"
"Leave me alone," I squeak.
She bends down slightly, so her face is right up close to mine. "Well, you are a loner. I wouldn't expect anything more."
The girls behind her laugh, smirking down at me. Her big hazel eyes burn into mine, daring me to say something in return.
But I don't.
I stay quiet, just like I have every day since I was a freshman.
"Wait, what's that?" she asks, putting her hand to her ear and leaning close to me.
I don't say anything.
She steps back, sneering. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
She pushes me backwards, and I stumble a bit, before regaining myself and staying where I am. They giggle to each other and begin walking into the school.
It feels great to be back.
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Hi guys, this is only the first chapter, and I'd like to think it gets better. So, read on.
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