Chapter 3

School

We arrived at school almost late. When I got off the bus, we had two minutes to get to class. I just barely made it to my first class, PE. The teacher Miss Bronze was okay, I guess, but she didn’t really like me that much, and all of the rich fancy private school kids stared at me while whispering to their friends. I was going to have a hard time fitting in here. 

By the time lunch came, I was exhausted and loaded with homework. Then the challenge of finding where to sit came, since Autumn was older than me she had a different lunch period so I couldn’t sit with her and all the other kids just glared at me. Well, at least there was an empty table. When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, I ran straight into Clarisse and her gang, who I had immediately pinned as the popular girls A.K.A, the school bullies. Paige, Ruby, Lucy, and of course, Clarisse. 

“Watch where you are going, you little…” 

Clarisse started.

“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence Clarisse, fuck off bitch” 

The entire cafeteria was watching, and there were several ‘Ooohs’ to Adyson’s comment. Clarisse just snorted and muttered ‘whatever’ then strutted off with the rest of her gang. 

The only class I really liked was English because Ady sat with me. I liked her and the teacher, Mrs. Ava, who asked me to say something about myself. I didn’t like that part much, though, but I did it anyway. Suddenly, the temptation of oversharing so I made everyone uncomfortable took over me.

“Um, hi, my name is June West. My dad died when I was six, and we-my family was okay, but then my mom got killed so me and my sister got put in foster care. May, my sister, was taken by a couple named Lilly and Greg but I was left and after eight months I got taken by a woman named Maya Hazelle and her husband, Peter who died three months later and now I’m here.” 

Everybody stared at me with sympathy or the ‘You did NOT need to share that’ look. I didn’t care for the most part because Ady just glared at the people looking at me, and they would turn their heads to their work.

By the time school was out, I had way too much homework and way to0 little friends, but I was gonna be okay for the most part, I guess.

The bus came and was gone, leaving the school in the dust. On the bus, Fiona wasn’t there, so I sat in an empty seat because everyone just shifted uncomfortably when I neared them, and Ady wasn’t there to tell them off. She was staying at an after-school math tutoring thing. 

Maya wasn’t home when I got back, and even though I had a lot of homework to do, I flopped onto my bed. Who knew ninth grade was so exhausting, especially since I only know stuff from Autumn’s old textbooks, which I’d stolen a few years ago without her noticing. Oh well.