Every Inch of Sanity

Waking up to the annoying shrill of my alarm clock, I groggily glanced at it.
7:30
I blinked furiously.

Shit on toast!
I'm late!

I forced myself out of the bed quickly, dashing into my bathroom.After a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I ran to my room again in a towel.
Quickly, I put on some underwear, a black Blink 182 T-shirt, and a pair of torn jeans.My hair was still dripping wet, so I rushed into my bathroom again, blow-drying it.Adding a little bit of eyeshadow and eyeliner, I ran downstairs.
I ran to the door, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table.I quickly slipped on my socks and my beat up converse ,picking up my messenger bag & jacket from beside the door.
Wet, red bangs in my face, I ran outside and to the bus stop.

I hate first days at school. I thought bitterly, running to catch the bus before it left.

So far, moving from New York to New Jersey was the worst of the many times I had to move.Mum's job required that she moved a lot, and we've been like this since I was ten.
Or to be more exact, since mum and dad got the divorce.
I have no idea how she can even keep a job.

The only time we stayed for a lengthy period, was the last time, when we were living in New York.It had been a very good year and a half.I lived everyday in fear my mum would say we had to move again.
She finally did.But I was prepared.
I had built a defense system, trying as hard as I can not to get attached to anyone.I didn't try making friends and I shunned any crush.
It would have been hard to part with them if I did.
Right?

I jumped up the steps, saying a quick good-morning to the driver.The bus was nearly empty, except for some seats at the very front.I headed toward the very back, taking the seat beside the window.

Bored, and knowing that it took at least 20 minutes to get to school plus the pick-ups, I dug out my iPod.I placed the buds in both my ears, and blasted it full volume, staring out the window.
About 3 minutes later, the bus made another stop in front of a fancy looking house.The door opened, and in walked a girl.
She was wearing - sorry, I meant not wearing - a tight white Polo tee, and a pink mini skirt that barely covered her crotch.
That a school girl could walk around in those clothes and not get reported as a runaway stripper was beyond me, and since it was none of my business, I looked away, out the window again.

After just a few moments, the light from the small bulb overhead was blocked.
I looked up, to see that same girl standing in front of me, hands on her hips in a peter pan-pose.She looked at me in disgust.Not knowing why, I pulled the headphone buds out of my ear.

"Can I help you?", I said, plastering a disgustingly sweet smile on my face.

"Don't you know you're sitting in my seat?", she said incredulously.

I cocked my eyebrow."I don't see your name on it!".

I plugged the headphones back into my ears, choosing to ignore her.
Suddenly, a manicured hand snatched the iPod from my lap - therefore pulling the headphones roughly from my ears, making them ache - and threw to the floor of the bus.
Next thing I knew, a smashing sound was heard as the iPod screen was shattered into a million pieces.
As I stared in shock at my ruined iPod, the girl drew back her leg , and delicately dusted off tiny pieces of glass of her 5 inch high heel, that was the tool of destruction.

Blood boiled inside of me as I stared at the tiny pieces of glass, not really seeing them.
I can't believe she actually did that.
I looked up to meet her devilish grin.

"That's what happens to anyone who pisses Reese off.", one of the girls standing beside her said snottily, clearly a member of her 'posse'.

It took me only a matter of seconds to think about it.I slowly rose, my hand clenching into a fist at my side.
My hand rose, punching her square in the face.
Taking the unexpected blow, Reese staggered back, her french-manicured hand clutching at her nose, blood seeping from between her fingers.
Tripping on someone's bag, she fell backwards on the floor of the bus.

A mischievous grin came over my face, satisfied with what I just did.Lots of people had boarded the bus in those few minutes, and they were all silent.
Everyone's eyes were on me.

Now for the finish line.

"And this is what happens when you piss Kendra off.", I simply said, a huge smirk on my face.

Stooping, I picked up the iPod, hoping that maybe I could get it fixed.I couldn't afford another one goddammit!

Stepping over Reese, I put on my best smile and said, "You can have your seat now."
I patted her on the head and went to find myself a seat at the front, hoping I'd find one.

Walking to the very front, I saw that there weren't any empty seats.
I huffed, getting ready to go take back my 'original' seat, but a hand clutching my wrist stopped me.

Swell! Another someone who thinks I took something of his?

I slowly looked to the hand that held my wrist.A small heart tattoo was etched into the inner wrist of the arm belonging to the hand, and my gaze followed the arm up to it's owner.
A black haired girl with bright eyes stared back at me.Her blue bangs fell on her face and she tucked them behind an ear, smiling eagerly.

"Yes...?", I asked rudely, kind of tired with all of this.

"I was just going to offer you a seat.", she smiled genuinely."What you did back there was...wow! No one ever stood up to Reese."

She sighed deeply, pointing to the two seats behind hers.One was full of bags that she was obviously going to move, and in the seat by the window sat a tiny, pale boy with nerdy glasses.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself", she jokingly slapped herself on the forehead, then extended her arm."I'm Eliza and this here beside me is my boyfriend ,Gerard."

Looking to the black haired boy next to her, I nodded and sent him an unsure smile, which he returned with a grin and a nod of acknowledgment.