Ignorance

I was woken up in the living room by my mother's hand on my shoulder. I looked up sleepily at her before blinking a few times and pulling myself up. I yawned violently before standing up and stretching. I walked over to a box of my clothes before pulling out a pair of black pants, a light green shirt, and some underwear and headed my way to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror sleepily as I brushed my teeth and combed my long hair out. I turned on the shower and tested the water before undressing and stepping into the water. After showering, dressing, and blow drying my hair, I exited the bathroom and carried my pajamas to the wash room. I went to the mirror that was by the front door and put on some black eyeliner and eye shadow that made my eyes seem to stand out more. I pulled on my rings and bracelets before heading back to the kitchen, where my parents were already dressed and eating breakfast.

"Eggs and bacon on the stove, honey," my mom said before taking a sip of her tea.

I nodded before pulling out a plate out of a box and piling both items onto my plate. I sat down next to my parents and silently began eating my breakfast. I barely finished my breakfast when I heard the doorbell ring. I stood up and walked to the front to open the door. I smiled up at Ricky who was smiling down at me.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just have to get my bag and put shoes on. Come on in," I said as I opened the door wider.

"Cool. Arik's not here, his friends picked him up already," he explained about his twin's absence.

I nodded as I walked across the room to grab a pair of dark green shoes and sat down on the floor. I pulled on my shoes before reaching over to grab my empty bag and began putting notebooks, pens, and pencils in it.

"What else do you think I'll need?" I asked him.

"What math do you have?" he asked.

"Trigonometry," I answered.

"Better take a graphing calculator then. They don't give you calculators you can borrow," he said.

"Okay. So are we going with your parents or something?" I asked.

"I usually walk," he shrugged."

"Yeah, no, that's like three miles away. While I'm used to it, I'm not doing it on this hot day," I shook my head before walking to the kitchen. "Dad, can Ricky and I have a ride to school?"

"Sure thing, princess. Let me just get my keys," he said before putting his coffee mug down.

"Oh, it's my baby's first day of school and I can't be there," my mom cried as she hugged my head.

"Mom, you've seen hundreds of First Days of School. This one will be no different."

"Yes, it will. This will be the school you'll be staying at. Officially. Until you graduate. Oh, I can't wait for graduation," she sighed dreamily.

"And think of all the things we'll pay for, Caroline. Senior photos, class ring, prom dress, cap and gown, graduation gift, and yearbooks," my dad said.

"And aren't you just excited?" she exclaimed.

"We better get going before your mom overworks herself," my dad smiled before guiding Ricky and I to the truck outside.

"Have a great day, kids!" I heard my mom yell out.

"I think your mom will be best friends with mine. Mom is the exact same way except she doesn't make food," Ricky said from the backseat as we headed to school.

"That's good. Mom will be excited. She's never had friends who weren't military wives before," I said as I twisted in my seat.

"Are they that much different?"

"Whiny. You know, because their husbands are always gone. Mom is an optimistic soul so she didn't care for it that much."

Ricky nodded and went silent for a few moments before saying, "I hope you'll like it here. The kids are jerks and the teachers don't care about us but sometimes it can be fine."

"I know I'll like it here. I mean, I have you," I smiled as he grinned up at me.

"I'll be nice to have a friend for once."

"What do you mean the teachers don't care about you?" my dad spoke up.

"They really couldn't care less if we fail or not. They don't exactly reach out to help," Ricky explained.

"Princess," was all my dad had to say before I cut him off.

"Dad, no way. I'm finally going to a school where I have a friend that goes there. If I have a problem with a teacher, I'll go straight to you, I promise."

"I just don't want careless idiots teaching my daughter after she's had some of the best teachers in the world."

"Dad, you were in the military. It's only obvious that I would have the chance to go to high schools in Japan and India. But I'm finally going to get the normal American experience. Don't worry about it. Besides, there's no chance I'll fail when I most likely have already done the things they're doing now."

"Okay," he said uncertainly as he pulled up to the school.

I looked out the window to view my new high school. All the buildings seemed to be made out of brick, which contrasted against the bright blue trimmings and roof tops. I could only see three buildings but I had a feeling that more building lied behind them. I glanced at all the students that were milling about on the front lawn and against the walls of the building before my eye caught a glance of a blue and white mural of a Spartan on one of the walls.

"So this is my school now."

"Welcome to Eisenhower High School," Ricky said as he patted the back of my seat.

I nodded once and made a move to get out of the car before my dad grabbed my arm. "Behave, Noelani," he said in a warning tone.

"Don't I always," I asked innocently.

"No fighting, Lolo," he said.

"Got it," I sighed before climbing out with Ricky. I knocked on the window, asking for my dad to roll it down. When he finally did, I leaned in and said, "No promises that I will defend myself though."

"Lolo!" he called out as I walked away laughing.

Ricky grabbed my arm and began guiding me to the center building. We uncomfortably pushed past the few kids who refused to move out of our way before he guided me into the front office. We stood there in silence as the various women behind the desks chattered among themselves before a Hispanic woman looked up at us. She walked up to us with a small smile on her face.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, I just registered here and I need my schedule," I said as I stepped up to the counter.

"Okay, sweetie, what's your name," she asked as she turned to look at the computer next to her.

"Noelani Lennon."

"Beautiful name. One moment, it's printing. And here you go. Do you need a map?" she asked.

"That would be nice, thank you," I smiled as Ricky took my schedule.

"You have almost all your classes with me except fourth period. But we still have the same lunch, so that's good," he said.

"Sweet. Thank you for your help," I smiled to the secretary before following Ricky out of the room.

He led me to our first class and opened the door for me. The teacher paused in the middle of his roll call to look up at his. He grinned up at Ricky before looking up at him as he leaned back in his seat. He looked like a nice teacher, one who was laid back but knew when kids had to draw the line. He looked Asian and had black hair, dark eyes, and dark stubble on his chin. He was wearing a dark red button up shirt that was tucked into his black dress pants.

"Hey, Barlett, what's happening?" he said.

"Nothing much, Mr. Moorman. This is Noelani, she's new."

"Hi," I smiled.

"That's a cool name. You're not on my attendance sheet yet so I'll have to write you in. I don't have a seating chart so just sit where you can," he said as he gestured around the room.

I nodded once before following Ricky to his seat and sat next to him. The other kids turned in their seats to stare over at us. I raised an eyebrow at them before looking towards Ricky. Mr. Moorman stood up and walked to the board. The class went quiet as he began writing.

"So Noelani, tell us about yourself."

"Um, what would you like to know?" I asked.

"Everything. Anything."

"Okay. My name is Noelani Lennon. Only my parents are allowed to call me Lolo. Other than that, I don't really have a nickname. I'm fifteen years old. My dad is in the military and I just moved here from Japan. When I'm older, I want to be a songwriter but I'll be satisfied with anything else I can get."

"Military, huh? What branch?"

"Navy. He's a first lieutenant."

"First lieutenant? Wow, your dad is a very important guy. I was in the Army myself."

"Rough. My dad took me to a boot camp with him once and made me do the drills. Hardest day of my life," I said.

"Yeah, how old were you then?"

"I was eleven," I said, ignoring the incredulous looks on the faces of the people around me.

"Eleven?" he exclaimed.

"My dad likes to train me in self-defense. He's been doing it since I was around seven."

"So basically, nobody should mess with you," he laughed.

"Seriously," I laughed along with him.

After that class, all the other classes seemed to go my quickly. All the teachers allowed me to sit next to Ricky so I could get accustomed to each class. It wasn't until fourth period that Ricky and I had separate. Granted, our classes were only a few classrooms apart from each other but I felt a little anxious being the classroom away from him. I got through choir as quickly as possible before exiting the room to meet Ricky outside. I looked around for him but couldn't find anything but walking students and huge gathering a few feet away. I cautiously approached the crowd, pushing through all the people before gasping at the sight I saw.

One boy was holding Ricky down by his shoulder while continuously throwing punches into his stomach as two other boys were laughing in the background. I glared at them all before pushing the boy off Ricky. I leaned down to push Ricky's hair back before standing up to face the boy.

"Leave him alone. What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked.

"Hey, Barlett has a girlfriend. Stay out of this, girlie," he said.

"Noelani, just leave," Ricky said in a forced voice from the ground.

"What? Hell no," I said incredulously.

"Stay out of this," the boy said as he gripped my shoulder.

I glanced at his hand before grabbing his wrist and twisting it around his back as he yelled out in pain. "What the hell did Ricky ever do to you, huh? Do you get hot and bothered by seeing boys writhe around in pain beneath you? You're even more disgusting than you look," I spat out as I pushed him away from me.

He gripped his wrist in shock as he looked up at me. "You asked for it, you little bitch."

He stomped towards me in a manner that I suppose he believed was menacing. He was only a couple feet away from me before I reeled back and threw a punch to his face. I felt the slight sting in my fist as I heard the murmurs of all the people around me as the guy fell back. I took a few simple steps toward him before pushing him to the ground and placing my heel on his neck. I lightly stepped against his throat, but not enough to make him choke.

"You listen to me, asshole. If you ever mess around with Ricky again, I'll fucking kick your ass. For real this time," I said.

He nodded frantically before I lifted my foot. He coughed violently as his friends helped him up and led him away. I kneeled next to Ricky and pushed his hair out of his face before helping him up off the ground. I put his arm around my neck so he could balance his weight against me. The crowd parted for us as I led him to a table that sat underneath the shade of the tree.

"You shouldn't have done that," he whispered.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Because," he trailed.

"Richard, I swear, if you do that whole 'I'm-a-man-I-can-take-care-of-myself' bullshit, I'll hit you, too," I said.

"I need my inhaler. Arik has it," he said.

"Why would he have it?"

"He's under the impression that he'll be there for me no matter what."

"Today shows how much he's wrong," I scoffed. "Where is he? I'll go get it for you."

Ricky sighed as he held his chest in pain before he nodded over to the other side of the campus. I squinted to see a group of four boys sitting underneath a tree as they laughed together. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of Arik. I looked back down at Ricky, who was wincing in pain as he moved slightly.

"Look, I'll be right back; I'm going to get your inhaler. Stay here," I said before I began to walk away.

I ignored the people who looked at me with wide eyes as they moved out of my way. I kept my eyes on Arik's form, who didn't seem to notice me as he laughed at whatever the boy with the blond hair was saying. The boy who Ricky called Ethan noticed me before the rest of them did. I kept an eye on him before tapping Arik on the shoulder. He turned around and gave me a wide grin.

"Hey, Noelani. These are my - "

"Yeah, whatever. Where's Ricky's inhaler?" I cut him off.

"Why does he need it?" he laughed.

"Well, gee, Mr. Best Brother Ever, he kind of got jumped right now and he can't breathe," I snapped.

"What do you mean he got jumped?" he asked seriously.

"Dude, do your friends make you stupid or is it an act? Richard, you know who he is right? Your twin? Yeah, well, he got beat up. And you weren't there. So give me his inhaler," I said as I held my hand out.

He wordlessly took out Ricky's inhaler from his pocket and delicately put it into my hand. I gripped it tightly and gave him a small glare before raising my eyebrows at his friends, who couldn't seem to stop staring at me. I quickly ran back to Ricky underneath the tree and handed him his inhaler. He took it from my hands frantically and took a few puffs from it as I rubbed his back. He exhaled a few times before nodding up at me.

"Ricky, no offense, but your brother is a retard," I said seriously.

"I know, right?" he laughed. "I don't know what makes him act that way."

"I think I have a clue," I muttered as a group of boys began walking towards us.

"Yo, bitch," the first boy called out.

I began looking around the area before looking up at Ricky. "Do you see a dog anywhere around? I don't see any bitches here."

The boys rolled the eyes before one stepped forward. "We're going to make you regret what you did to Carter."

"You mean that sadistic fag fucker who can't get it up. Please, I totally did him a favor," I scoffed.

"How can you call breaking his nose a favor?" another boy asked.

"He won't beat up any more people. He'll have a better chance of not getting suspended or expelled. Seems like a favor to me."

"I swear to fucking God, bitch, I'm getting tired of your sass," the first boy spat in my face as he pulled me up from the table by the front of my shirt.

"What, you're going to hit me?" I sneered. "Typical wife beating behavior. I think we can all tell how you're going to end up."

"Don't tempt me, bitch."

"Oh, please, don't you have any other slur to call me besides bitch? I guess that shows how seriously mentally challenged you really are," I laughed.

"That's fucking it," he yelled before lifting a fist to punch me in my stomach.

I let out a barely audible hiss of pain and was about to lift my own fist to hit him back when a large hand came slapping down on the boy's shoulder. We all looked up to see who the owner of the hand was only to find Mr. Moorman there. He was giving the boy a hard stare before he said, "Mr. Khaler, I do believe that is your last strike."

He looked over at me and said, "Are you okay, Lennon?"

"Fit like a horse, sir," I said I stood up straight.

"Nice to see you can take a punch."

"Like a true naval officer, sir. Got to make my dad proud."

"Mr. Khaler, I think you'd be interested to know that the father of the girl you just punched is a lieutenant in the Navy," Mr. Moorman said to Khaler, who now looked terrified.

"And hates women beaters with a passion, sir," I added.

"You're looking at expulsion, Khaler. Let's get to the principal, I'm sure she'd love to see you," Mr. Moorman said as he led Khaler away as his friends dispersed.

I sighed loudly and dramatically as I flipped my hair back before sitting down next to Ricky. He stared at me incredulously as I leaned back, placing my elbows on the edge of the table. I raised an eyebrow at him before asking, "What?"

"You just took a hit from Conner Khaler and you're fine," he said in awe.

"I told you, I've been training in all types of self-defense since I was seven. I've been to boot camp; I've trained with the best. And the best don't hold back, even if you're a little girl. I know how to take pain, trust me," I explained with a smile before putting my sunglasses on my face.

Ricky nodded slowly as he held his stomach before looking past me. I gave him a confused look when I noticed the expression on his face. I licked my lips before waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times before turning his head towards me. I shrugged once, a silent question. He looked past me once more before nodding in the direction. I turned my head and blinked once at the sight in front of me. I raised my sunglasses to see Arik and his friends slowly making their way towards us. I let out a small chuckle and smirked as I put the sunglasses back on the ridge of my nose as I waited for them to stand in front of us.