Just One More Minute

Chapter One: Not All That Wander Are Lost

They say your first day of school is always the best. I beg to differ. My first days of school have been only one thing: pure and utter Hell. I mean, it’s bad enough that I’m a) not a cheerleader, b) not pretty enough and c) antisocial. But of course, mommy dearest moving us all the time didn’t help either. And the divorce only made it worse.

I knew I’d seen it coming, but it was still a shock. I mean, mom and dad never really fought before my tenth birthday. First, they were scattered. Then, before I knew it, their battering just kept going back and forth for hours on end. About little things, like what I’d get for Christmas (which spoiled the whole “Santa” act) to big thing, like who would come to my graduation or how late i could stay out with my friends of the time. And then, the screaming ended last January in two simple words: “We’re over.”

I remember that day. Mom had said those words I dreaded, for I feared to move in the middle of a good school year. Eighth grade under the Seattle lights ended quickly, and mom rushed us to fucking Bayport, Long Island. Small city central. As is, my graduating class would only be about three hundred kids, whereas Seattle it’d be up to seven hundred. “It’ll be nice,” you had told me, “A change.” Well, I don’t want a fucking change! I want Tully’s and the music sensation of the ninety’s to be “in”!!

I gazed out the window mindlessly through this sunny day. That’s one thing I had to get used to: the sun. We didn’t have much sun in Seattle, for it rained tremendously. Not that it made much of a difference. I’m too pale to tan anyway.

Just then, mom pulled up to a small yellow house. I leaned back in the passenger seat. “We’re here,” she told me, turning off the ignition. I looked out the window to see the primly cut lawn and flower boxes in the windows. Daisies. Straight out of an episode of Leave It To Beaver.

“Hayley,” mom started. I didn’t turn, but occupied myself by playing with the window, making it go up and down. From children’s laughter to silence. Mom sighed. “I know you don’t like me for this. But I don’t want you to make me out to be the bad guy-”

“Then who exactly is the bad guy?” I interrupted. I stared her straight in the face, “Dad?”

“No sweety,” she replied. I leaned back in the seat, “This is no ones fault. And even if it was, it wouldn’t matter now. All that matters is we’re in a new place with new opportunities. Think about it. Tomorrow you start school and you’ll-”

“Tomorrow?!” I exclaimed, “Mom, that’s too soon!”

“Hun, we need to get you settled in quickly,” she cooed, reaching out to touch my exposed shoulder, “Don’t worry.” I’m not! “You’ll make tons of new friends. You’ll have a completely new start!”

“But mom,” I started, “I don’t want a new start. I want my life back.” And with that, I turned back to my window, leaning against the black door. Mom sighed again. Then silence.

“Get your stuff from the back,” she told me, opening the door, “Pick whichever room you like.” And on that note, she got out of the car and started grabbing her personal belongings from the trunk. I just sat there for another five minutes, contemplating if I should go out or not, and get this nightmare over with...
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The next day, I woke up on the floor, for the bed had not arrived yet. Oh well. I slept better last night than I have in months. Fucking insomnia....

I stretched my arms above me and got up off of the wooden floor. I looked around, sort of hoping something that reminded me of home would be there. But there was nothing. Only one, lone poster on the wall, left from the people who had moved out. The lettering of the red and black poster was in German, so all I could understand was the the guy ripping his jacket off was cute, and that’s all I knew of the old house.

I stood up after five minutes of just sitting on the floor staring at the blank walls. I stepped down the hallway, careful not to creak a floorboard and wake mom, who didn’t usually get up until after I went to school. I peaked through the crack of her door, as I passed it to go take a shower, only to find her sprawled out on the floor, murmuring in her sleep. And with that, I walked into the bathroom down the hall.

After jumping into the shower and letting it boil my skin raw, I couldn’t help but think about Bayport Junior High. What would the kids be like? Since they’re all small town kids, would they be like that assholes in Seattle, or Sacramento? Or would they be like the botox, tanner than fuck bitches i had come across in Tampa? I’m not sure. Who knows. Maybe this won’t be that bad.

After dressing in my Have A Gay Day T-shirt, black skinny jeans, plaid converse, and my neon hand warmers, I slipped my ice cream patterned bag over my slim shoulder and headed towards the main room. I glanced at the clock, only to see it read 6:27 am. Why the fuck was I up so fucking early? For school at that? That’s not like me at all.

Seeing as I had another hour until the bus came, I lay my bag down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to grab my leftover iced coffee from last night and an oversized cookie we had bought that the Seven Eleven down the road. Taking my very unhealthy breakfast into the living room, I flicked on the tv and watched a rerun of Maury. God, eating and watching tv should have never become a usual with me. I’m surprised I’m not already obese!

After finishing breakfast and watching the full show for once, the clock flicked to read 7:00 am. Seeing as the overly bright neon sign told me it was time to leave, I grabbed my bag from its spot between the cushions and headed off, not even saying goodbye to mom, who was probably still out cold.

The bus ride wasn’t that bad. Hell, I’m sure it was loud enough, but I wouldn’t know since my ipod was blasting through my skull the entire time. Good thing the ride was only ten minutes. I would have gone crazy otherwise with the people staring at me like I was some circus act. If you wanna see some clowns, go look in a fucking mirror!

Eventually, they let us out of the vehicle and I was forced to put my ipod away (some kid told me it’d get taken away and I wouldn’t get it back for a while). As I walked up to the administrative building, I could feel the stares on my back. I didn’t even both to turn. I knew what they were looking at. Fresh Meat....

Once I reached the building, the secretary at the desk asked me, “Can I help you?”

“Um, yes,” I replied, sort of scared of her perky tone, “I’m new. I don’t know if you have my in your so called ‘system’ or not, but I thought I should come check-”

“Hayley Bhloo?” the woman asked. I nodded. “Well then, welcome to Bayport Middle! It’s a shame that you’ll only be here for a few short months, since you’ll be graduating soon, but I hope you do enjoy your stay.”

“Okay,” I replied aimlessly. The woman smiled.

“I’m Miss Danks by the way,” she exclaimed joyfully, “Now, here’s your schedule, locker combination and number, and ID tag. You don’t need to show it or anything past the first day, but please, do keep it handy.” She handed me a thin piece of paper and a small plastic card on a string. I grimaced at the Texas school picture, where my cheeks wear sunburned and my hair was cut so short, I looked like a man. I couldn’t help but hate my label already.

“Well, good luck Miss Bahaloo,” she exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. I stared at her blankly, then turned to the door. I sort of hated her for pronouncing my name wrong, but I looked past it quickly, only to think if that woman was on some sort of illegal substance.

After taking five minutes to find my locker that I’d never use, I headed to Algebra One, which was on the other side of the school. At some point, the hallway emptied, which only made me break out into my pansy run and just barely make it to my first class on time.

Mr. Drago seemed nice. He was definitely an interesting character, as we didn’t learn anything since he was making wise cracks to the French teacher across the hall. To one remark where he compared her to an out of tune guitar, I couldn’t help but chuckle. God, first period’s gonna be an adventure.

Sad to say, I had the French class across the hall next. And as the class wore on, I kept hearing remarks from the room next door, making me smile a little more. But what made me frown was the fact that this small group of girls were whispering and pointing at me, laughing to themselves. If they think I don’t notice, boy, are they in for a surprise this year!

Science went well the next period, and so did my US History class. But sad to say, I’ll be sort of lost, since in Seattle I was learning about World History, which was a helluva lot more interesting! But I digress...

Eventually, lunch rolled around and I had nowhere to sit, which I didn’t realize until I was halfway there. I thought maybe I could hide in the library that day, but alas, it was closed for a special class. As the clock about the arch ticked, I couldn’t help but start charging for the cafeteria. I knew, even though it was my first day, I’d get in trouble for being late, and I wasn’t up for that just yet. Problem was, I was so into my sprint, I didn’t notice someone coming around the corner...

“Ow!” I blurted as I fell the linoleum. The books I’d been carrying had splattered onto the floor, and my bag had slid to the other end of the hall. As I reached to pick up my French textbook, another hand grabbed it and handed it to me. A hand with pink nail polish.

“Sorry about that,” a voice said. I looked up, only to lock eyes with very dark ones. I stared blankly at him for a moment, before i realized he was still holding the book. I took it from him graciously, nodding my head. The boy, not much older than I, walked over to my bag and brought it over to me, picking up all of my books in the process. He handed the full bag to me. I smiled and got up.

“Thanks,” I told him, looking at his blonde hair with pink streaks throughout. What an interesting boy...

“No problem,” he told me. I noticed his slightly German accent. Is he foreign? “May I ask your name?”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, “I’m sorry! I’m Hayley. Hayley Bhloo.”

“Bhloo?” he asked, “Like the color?”

“Wow,” I replied, “Yeah. You’re the first to get it right all day.”

“I’m honored,” he told me, smiling. We stood there for a moment, looking at each other. He broke the silence. “What class do you have next Hayley?”

“Lunch.”

“Oh, me too. What a coincidence.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Silence.

“Well, shouldn’t we be going then?” he asked, “The bell’s about to ring.” I looked around, only to find the corridor empty. I nodded and smiled again.

“I guess so,” I replied. I thought for a moment. “Wait, are you asking me to sit with you?”

“Sure,” he said, “The table had plenty of empty seats. Very few sit there. Only my closest, and only, friends.”

“Friends?” I questioned, “But you barely know me!”

“Ah,” he inquired, “But I get a good vibe from you Hayley. Come on. You don’t want to be late your first day.”

I followed the boy to down the hallway, thinking. How does he know me so well? Have we met before? Has he heard rumors about me, but doesn’t believe what he hears? Oh, I’m so confused by this boy. Wait...

“Hey,” I called after him. He turned, cocking his head to the side, “What’s your name?”

“My name?” he asked, like he didn’t know what a ‘name’ was, “Oh, it’s Frankie. Frankie Parker.”