Keep on Living

I, like the majority of teenagers, hate school. Yes, I do work my ass off of in order to keep my grades up, but that just gives me all the more reason to hate it. The last school I went to was La Guardia, a school for the fine arts. I actually didn't mind it that much, as half of the classes I took pertained to the fine arts, so I actually looked forward some of them. Unfortunately, my new school doesn't even have a dance class. Gee, this is gonna be fun.
Lucy had to literally pull me out of bed Monday morning. I refused to move by my own accord, and according to her I clutched at the mattress as though it were the sinking Titanic. I think it's clear to say that I did not want to go to La Push High School.
The remainder of the weekend, needless to say, went by much too quickly. After the whole fiasco down at First Beach, I spent a majority of Sunday at home in bed, with a bag of ice pressed against my head. The pain's gone now, but there's a nice bump at the back of my head to prove that I survived being hit by a frisbee.
I sighed as I stumbled back into my room from the bathroom, a cream-colored towel wrapped tightly around my body. I fumbled through my closet, searching for something that would keep me warm. I settled on a pair of jeans, a black shirt, a pair of boots, and a plaid green sweater. Once I was dressed and my hair was up in a ponytail, I grabbed my backpack and keys and raced down the stairs.
"You've got fifteen minutes, honey!"
"Bye!" was the only thing I could manage as I flew out the door. I saw Tanner leaning against the red van, a bored expression on his face. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" I yelped as I slid into the passenger seat.
He shrugged indifferently as he got into his seat and backed out of the driveway. "I'm not gonna complain. The less time I've got to spend at school, the better."
Fortunately, George's vacation lasts until next week, Lucy doesn't start work until next Wednesday, and Jon doesn't go to school until Thursday, which means we can leave the house at a decent time. With a family of five who needs to go to a million different places at the same time, one car isn't going to fair very well. There was definitely one plus about moving in with George: getting my own car. This coming weekend, George would take us into town to take a look at the cars.
Until then... Well, we'd manage somehow.
Tanner pulled up in front of the school in a matter of five minutes. I had to stare at it for a while before I realized how... small it was. La Guardia only hosted a couple hundred students, as it's a fairly exclusive school, but the campus was still pretty big. This was like one of those small elementary schools you see on TV.
Tanner seemed to notice my hesitation because he reached over to nudge my shoulder. "Oi. We've only got ten minutes to get our schedules and go to class." I watched, blinking, as he got out of the car and waited for me.
My brother's always hated school, more so than most kids. He got into a lot of trouble last year at his old school, something having to do with being involved with a gang and then getting into fights. He's doing alright now, and he hasn't gotten into any trouble since third quarter last year, but school just isn't really his cup of tea. He'd probably drop out if it wouldn't absolutely kill Lucy.
I gradually slipped off of my seat and shut the door behind me, adjusting the green backpack on my shoulders. All eyes seemed to avert to us, and most conversations ceased. I flushed a brilliant shade of red and made sure to keep one step behind Tanner, who remained apathetic as usual. Well, this was probably great: big brother Tanner walking forward with little sister Themitra hiding behind him. What can I say, I'm easily embarrassed.
The office was on our immediate right when we walked into the brick building. He looked over our shoulder and we exchanged a quick look before he pushed open the door and walked in. A middle-aged woman sat behind the desk in the middle of the small room. Her dark hair, streaked with gray, was pulled up into a tight bun, she was dressed casually, and a pair of glasses sat perched on her nose. When Tanner approached the desk, she looked up from the computer she was typing at. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Tanner White, and this is my sister Themitra," he answered.
Her coal-colored eyes immediately lit up. "Oh! George's stepkids!" It's really creepy how everyone knows that. "Of course, of course! Here, let me get you your things." She swivelled around on her seat in order to file through the metal cabinet behind her.
I breathed a weary sigh as I stepped to the side, so that Tanner was no longer shielding me. Without a million eyes focused on me, I felt less... freaked out? Overwhelmed? Scared? Maybe a combination of the three.
"Here you go!" She handed both of us a small stack of papers. "You'll find your schedule on top, your locker number, locker combination, and a map of the school, just in case. If you ever get lost, feel free to talk to the students or stop by -- we all want you to feel at home." She smiled warmly, so much that I couldn't help but smile back.
"Thank you, Miss..."
"Jones. But feel free to call me Morgan."
"Thank you Miss Morgan." I nodded my head gratefully and stepped out of the office, just in time for the bell to ring. Before the halls could flood and I was trampled, I pulled out my schedule and searched for my first class. I groaned. "AP Pre-Calculus."
Tanner snorted as he pocketed his own information. "That's what you get for being smart." I glared at him, but he paid no mind to me. "Well, I'm off to English. Have fun."
I watched as he retreated down the hall with his hands shoved into his pockets. Soon enough, he melded in with the crowd of people, and I lost sight of him completely. I drooped my head and sighed. "See you at lunch," I mumbled.
"So you were born in an electrical storm,
took a bite out the sun,
saw your future in a machine built for two;
Now your rays make me kinda go crazy,
shocked and awe and amaze me,
just a ticker tape parade and me,
but something was wrong."

I hate school. If it isn't bad enough that I'm socially retarded and unable to make new friends on my own, I now have three hours of homework to look forward tonight -- and I've only had four classes! God, I must have been a real retard in a past life.
I walked into the cafeteria, brown lunch bag in hand (because Lord knows that any kind of cafeteria food is disgusting) and searched for Tanner. Unable to find him after a good two minutes (and because I felt like a moron just standing there), I slipped away, outside.
I settled myself under a tree and pulled out a sandwich. I shoved it into my mouth before pulled out my Sidekick and checking my texts. After replying to Whittier, I put it away in my backpack, and finished up my sandwich. Since I probably had a good thirty minutes, I figured I'd just check my schedule and head off to the library.
Reaching over to the small pocket of my backpack, I pulled out the folded up piece of paper. Before I could unfold it completely, however, a convenient gust of wind blew by, catching my schedule with it. "Shit!" I yelped as I lurched forward in an attempt to catch it.
"Just my luck..." I grumbled I stumbled after it, only to trip over my own feet and fall to the ground in a 'thunk'. "Oof!" I glared at the fluttering paper in front of me -- when a large hand caught it. I raised my eyes slowly, half of me already knowing who it was.
"We have to stop meeting like this." Jacob chuckled, probably at the incredulous look on my face. I clambered to my feet, brushing off my clothes, and made a move to snatch back the paper, but he held it out of my grasp. "Geez, I always thought you looked smart, but this is crazy! AP Pre-Calc, Honors French III, AP Literature, AP Biology, Home Economics, Drama, Study Hall?"
I scowled as I retrieved my schedule. Yes, I'm a freaky genius girl. But I'm a freaky genius girl with no life outside of school and dance. I'll just keep that to myself, though.
"Why is it that everytime I'm in pain and misery, I see you?" He blinked at me. "At the river, you freaked the hell out of me. At the beach, I think I lost half of my brain cells. And here..." I made a move to attempt to dust away the grass stains on my jeans.
"Hey now, the beach incident wasn't my fault! I can't help it if Quil has no aim!" he defended.
"Yes, but you were still there." I flicked off a piece of grass on my sweater. I forced myself to look up at him, and realized the significant difference in height. He was about 6' 7", and I'm about 5' 7". And here I thought my height was pretty good.
"Or maybe you're just a walking target," he teased.
I opened my mouth, but found nothing to say. I made a face and turned on my heel before stomping towards my backpack. He easily caught up to me with long strides, and kept up with me with no problem. "I was just kidding! I didn't mean to offend you."
I kept going, undoubtedly flushed, and grabbed my backpack, swinging it over my shoulder. Before I could get away, he clamped a hand on my shoulder and shifted my body so that I was facing him. "Hey, are you alright?"
God, what was wrong with this guy? I see him everywhere, and he won't leave me alone! I stepped out of his grasp, stumbling backwards. "I-I gotta go." I quickly spun on my feet and moved towards the building -- only to trip over my shaking feet. I fell to the ground, yet again, in front of dozens of La Push residents.
I groaned as I dropped my head to the ground, and laughter engulfed me.
My life sucks.
"Til you tap danced on the air, in the night,
screamin' at the top of your lungs, you said,
Come on, come on,
do what you want,
what could wrong?"

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!