Let the Blood Pool, Dollface

“Fuck. Off.” I hissed to the giant jock hovering over me.

He cocked an eyebrow and looked back at his friends, “Ooo, little miss tough girl huh?” he swung his fist back and crashed it against my gut. I bent over in pain and yelped. “Stand up slut.” He spat.

I looked up at him through my eyelashes and listened to his directions, “Please don’t.” I pleaded when his fist took flight again. He swung it down low…

“Rise and shine, sunshine! First day of your new school!” my mom’s cheery voice filled the air. I grumbled and opened my eyes slowly, but retracted from the sunlight pouring into my room by burying my head in my pillow. “Jayne, don’t be difficult.”

“Go away.” I mumbled tired. I am not going to get up today. I refuse today.

I heard my mother mutter something under her breath but couldn’t make it out. It was silent for about a minute, so I gained up the courage to poke my head out of safety of my black comforter. Nothing was in my room, except for 4 unpacked boxes. I sat up and looked around stretching, “Hurry up and get ready,” my mom ordered coming back into my room, “I have a job interview and 8 o’clock, and I need you to take your brother to school.”

“But mom!”

“No butts!” she came and sat on my bed placing a hand on the back of my head, “I’m leaving in a couple minutes, so I won’t be able to see you before you leave for school all dolled up.”

“Okay, go away.” I shoved her a little playfully getting up out of bed and strolled over to my walk-in closet. I rummaged through my shirts deciding on what to wear.

“You should wear that black tank top with the little skulls on it with your white shorts.” My mom chimed.

“You mean the shirt with the lace kind of like a corset?”

“Yep.” Mom got up off my bed and left the room. I found the shirt she had bought for me as a moving away gift. Yep, nice gift for moving from Chicago to Hunnington Beach in sunny all the damn fucking time California. I stripped from my pajamas and put a robe on, and then happily skipped my way to the bathroom down the hall.

I turned on the shower to a very steamy heat and jumped in. The shock from the heat sent my body on a paint easel. My skin turned red and numb, just how I liked it. I washed my body with Black Amethyst and washed my hair…you know…the usual routine? I also shaved my legs…big whoop. I turned off the water and stepped out cautiously: I’m not the most stable person. I dried myself off and slipped into my robe again, then left the bathroom for another wonderful adventure down the hallway, to the left, and into my room.

“Jaynie, when are you gonna be done?” my very annoying brother was sitting on my bed watching me apply my eyeliner.

“Soon, just let me finish this eye okay?”

He giggled when I turned my back to him looking at my reflection.

“What’s so funny, Pheonix?”

“You look like a porcupine!” he laughed more pointing at my hair.

I was beginning to grow irritated, “Shut up, or I’ll shove my foot up your ass so hard you won’t be able to remember your 8th birthday!”

“Oh! You cussed! I’m telling on you!”

“Yeah, whatever.” I watched him leave my room and bound down the stairs. “Thank you.” I whispered to myself. I finished up with my eyeliner and ran a tube of lip gloss over my lips. Now, I’m finally ready. I moved from my vanity mirror to my full length one hanging on the wall next to the door. Black skull tank? Check. White shorts with rainbow studded belt? Check. Yellow low top Converse? Check. And finally, short choppy hair? Check. I looked good. I smiled at myself and picked up my book bag on the floor by my bed and made my way downstairs.

“Jayne?” did my mom just call me? I rounded the corner into the kitchen and saw her sitting at the table with my brother by her side.

“I thought you left.”

“I will be in a moment. I don’t like your use of language.”

I acted coy, “What type of language mommy?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, I heard you yell at your brother.”

“Maybe it was the neighbors.” I shrugged grabbing an orange and peeling it.

She rolled her eyes and stood up, “Jayne, our neighbors are old people. I hardly doubt they have an 8 year old little boy sleeping under their roof.”

“Ah, but they could be baby-sitting their grandchildren. Like you said, ‘I hardly doubt they have an 8 year old little boy sleeping under their roof’.” I mocked her voice sarcastically.

She glared at me, but then smiled while flipping her blonde hair behind her, “I’m leaving now, and so should you or you two will be late.” She got up and pecked us both on the forehead, “Be nice,” she told Phoenix: he has a tendency to hit people, “And, your eyeliner is a little messy, looks almost as if you just woke up from a hang-over.” She licked her thumb and attempted to clean it off.

“Okay, bye mom!” I dodged it.

“See you two when you get home.” She called back leaving the house. My mom was always like this: warm, bubbly, and never really mad at anything. I can’t get why though; I mean she is a single mother raising a senior in high school and 2nd grader. I used to be like her. Long blonde hair. Talkative. Nice. But all of that dissolved when a member of the 4 Corner Hustlers decided to rape me. I moved to California because I was raped in Chicago, and that destroyed everything about me. Now instead of wearing pink and having massive sleepovers, I wear keep to myself and I could care less if I had any friends.

I sighed and looked over at Phoenix, “Ready to go, Nix?” he nodded his head and ran out the door with his backpack bouncing on his back. I chuckled and downed the rest of my orange and followed him out.

I arrived in front of my new high school with butterflies performing somersaults in my stomach. Okay, now where do I go? I walked up to the front doors of Hunnington High School absolutely nervous. But I walked in taking a deep breath and saw the new faces of my fellow classmates. I was shorter than every single one of them. Hey, I’m only 5’3”…get over it! But everyone else here were...like…giants compared to me. I saw glass doors so I headed over to them, and thankfully those doors belonged to the office. I walked inside and up to the big lady decked in pink and pearls sitting happily behind the counter.

“Hello, can I help you?” her voice was smooth and girly.

“Uh, yeah,” my tongue dripped of Chicago slack, “I’m new here, and today is my first day.”

Her eyes brightened and she smiled warmly, “Oh! You must be Jayne Hudson!”

I cringed from the pierce of her tone, “Yep, that’s me.”

“I have your schedule right here and…” she looked around, “Where is that Valery?”

“Excuse me?” I asked, kind of rude when you’re talking to someone and then start looking fro someone else.

“Oh, not you dear, Valery was suppose to show you around today.”

I nodded and bit my bottom lip…this is kind of awkward, “I’m sure I can find myself around the school. It can’t be that b-.”

“Oh, here she is.”

I turned around and faced a girl a couple inches taller than me; she had black and small features…but very pretty.

“Jayne, this is Valery. Valery…Jayne.” The lady introduced us.

“So you’re new, eh?” Valery asked it a hoarse voice.

“Yeah.”

“Ooo, nice accent! Where ya from?” she asked locking her arm into mine and leading me outta the office.

“Have a nice day Jayne!” I heard the lady in the office call out. I waved my hand back to her and tried to keep up with Valery.

“So, Jay…I can call you that right.” She asked walking into the hallways, “Where did you get that nice little accent from?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. And I’m from Chicago.”

“Very cool, you can call me Val. So what’s your first class?”

I looked down at the schedule in my hands, “Erm, trig. Gross.” I mumbled.

“Ha-ha! You got that class with me silly girl.”

“Sweet, at least I know someone now.”

She smiled and took my paper examining it, “Hmm, you have trig with me, science with Matt, English with Zacky and Brian again, and Music with Jimmy!”

“Uh, and these guys are?”

“Oh, you’ll meet them at lunch.” She explained and then started running ahead of me. My arm was still linked with hers, so I was in for a ride. “Matt!” she hollered.

“Val, baby!” this so-called Matt greeted loudly. Val let me loose and kissed Matt hello. So their dating? Suckish…he’s hot. “Who’s the shorty?” he asked noticing my presence. I scowled and glared.

“Matt be nice, this is Jay, and she’s from Chicago. It’s the new girl.”

He scoffed and walked towards me, challenging me. “You have a guy’s name?”

I stood my ground, “It’s Jayne.”

He backed off looking behind me smiling, “Hey Brian.” I turned to see who he was talking to and came face to face with a very, very, hot guy.

“Hey Matt, Val, and pretty little thing,” he sized me up and then furrowed his eyebrows, “Wow, you are little! Look she only comes to the middle of my biceps!”

“Stop talking through your muscles Brian,” Val stood next to me, “This is Jayne, but we call her Jay.”

“Well then, Jay,” he smirked, “I’m Brian.”

“Hi.” I said weakly.

I finally trudged into my last class of the day: Music. I knew this is the right place for me, I adore music. I’m a composer and have a full scholarship to Julliard. And I can’t wait to start writing my own music in this class. I sat down in the last open seat in the back row. The teacher wasn’t in the room yet and class started 5 minutes ago, so I wasn’t late. I set my bag down and stared at the guitars hanging on the walls: they were so pretty. I looked at the clock again; the teacher was now 7 minutes late.

“Get out of my seat.” I heard someone order. I didn’t know who this person was or who he was talking to so I kept to myself. “Hello? Or you deaf midget?” he snapped. I pulled out my note sheets and began filling my head with a tune and writing the notes on the paper. But then, out of nowhere, it was snatched from me. “I’m talking to you!” I looked up to see a very tall skinny guy staring down at me. I felt my eyes widen and my breathing staggered, “Get out of my seat.”

“Give me my paper back.”

“Get out of my seat.” He growled.

“Not until you give me my music back.” I stood up courage building inside of me. This boy maybe is totally cute, but I can take him down. My nose skimmed the bottom of his collarbone.

He looked at the paper and scoffed, “You have no talent.” And then shoved the paper into my chest while taking my seat.

“Hey!”

“What’s going on back there Jimmy?” both of us looked at the front of the room to see the teacher standing with his arms folded, “Jimmy, are you terrorizing the new girl?”

I looked back at Jimmy, who was smiling innocently, “No sir, she’s the one who came onto me. I said no many times, but, I guess some people just don’t know the meaning of no.”

Ouch, that hit me hard. I know the meaning of no dammit. I screamed it on the top of my lungs one night before I ever knew your sorry ass, “Oh cut the bullshit Jimmy Sullivan, give the girl her seat back and you can take a nice comfy one up here.” The teacher suggested motioning over to his desk.

“Fine.” Jimmy mumbled and got up. He shoved past me and made his way past all the other kids. I took my seat and smiled to myself inside my head.

“Thank you, Jimmy. And, now..Miss Jayne,” he called to me looking at his attendance, “At the beginning of this semester every kid in here told the class what their musical talent is, what’s yours?”

All eyes were set on me.

“C’mon dollface! Don’t be shy!” Jimmy shouted. He sat back in his chair scratching his head. I hope he has lice, that stupid dude.

“I...erm…I compose music.” I stated. The teachers eyes lit up.

“Very good, we haven’t had one of you composers at this school for a very long time.” He turned his back to the class and started the lesson. I tried to focus, but my eyes kept wondering back over to Jimmy: for he too was staring at me. So this is the Jimmy Val was talking about? Well, I bet he would have been nicer if he met me at lunch. But, I didn’t sit next to anyone…I sat by myself.