I'm Never Okay
New friends?
"So Hayley, how was school?"
Hayley silently speared a piece of broccoli with her chopsticks. She didn't answer her stepfather.
"Hayley," her mother said, "talk. And eat your meat. This vegetarian thing is stupid," she said, lapsing into Chinese. "You have to eat meat or you won't grow. Everyone eats meat."
"I'm not hungry," she said, sitting back. Her mother sighed in exasperation. "Alright, go to your room and do your homework then."
"It's the first day! I don't have any homework!"
"Then go practise your guitar or violin or something."
Seething, she went to her room and turned on her CD player. Throwing herself onto the messy bed, she sighed, thinking of the day. Gerard was nice. Mikey was shy but nice too. And Frank...Frank was the friendliest, most cheerful person she had ever met. Green eyes were pretty too.
"Snap out of it," she muttered to herself.
----------
"Hayley!"
She looked up. "Frank?"
He jumped off the sidewalk and walked over to her, hands in his pockets. "Hey, uhh, I wasn't sure if you were gonna walk to school."
"You waited here for me?" Hayley frowned.
"Oh, no! I just stopped to tie my shoelace," he said. "And then I saw you coming up the road. Wanna walk?"
"Sure...where are Mikey and Gerard?"
He pouted. "They had to go to school early for something. I dunno. But they left me all alone. Except for you of course!" he added, smiling. "Wanna walk?"
----------
"Hey, you wanna hang out this lunchtime?"
Hayley looked up. The period before lunch had just ended, and a gang of very pretty girls were standing in front of Frank's locker, smiling down at her.
"Uhh...I think I'm hanging out with Frank..."
One of the girls laughed. "Frank Iero? You have to be kidding me, that little runt? My boyfriend gave it to him yesterday." She looked pleased about it.
"Come on, it'll be fun," another girl with a long ponytail said. "We've got this spot on the benches where we hang out with the guys and we just mess around."
"A-alright..." Slightly bewildered, she allowed herself to be taken off with the group of girls.
Frank came running up. "Hayley, Gee and Mikes can't-" He noticed Hayley's absence. "Damn, she was meant to wait for me..." His eyes followed the group of girls progress down the hall. "Oh...oh, no."
Hayley silently speared a piece of broccoli with her chopsticks. She didn't answer her stepfather.
"Hayley," her mother said, "talk. And eat your meat. This vegetarian thing is stupid," she said, lapsing into Chinese. "You have to eat meat or you won't grow. Everyone eats meat."
"I'm not hungry," she said, sitting back. Her mother sighed in exasperation. "Alright, go to your room and do your homework then."
"It's the first day! I don't have any homework!"
"Then go practise your guitar or violin or something."
Seething, she went to her room and turned on her CD player. Throwing herself onto the messy bed, she sighed, thinking of the day. Gerard was nice. Mikey was shy but nice too. And Frank...Frank was the friendliest, most cheerful person she had ever met. Green eyes were pretty too.
"Snap out of it," she muttered to herself.
----------
"Hayley!"
She looked up. "Frank?"
He jumped off the sidewalk and walked over to her, hands in his pockets. "Hey, uhh, I wasn't sure if you were gonna walk to school."
"You waited here for me?" Hayley frowned.
"Oh, no! I just stopped to tie my shoelace," he said. "And then I saw you coming up the road. Wanna walk?"
"Sure...where are Mikey and Gerard?"
He pouted. "They had to go to school early for something. I dunno. But they left me all alone. Except for you of course!" he added, smiling. "Wanna walk?"
----------
"Hey, you wanna hang out this lunchtime?"
Hayley looked up. The period before lunch had just ended, and a gang of very pretty girls were standing in front of Frank's locker, smiling down at her.
"Uhh...I think I'm hanging out with Frank..."
One of the girls laughed. "Frank Iero? You have to be kidding me, that little runt? My boyfriend gave it to him yesterday." She looked pleased about it.
"Come on, it'll be fun," another girl with a long ponytail said. "We've got this spot on the benches where we hang out with the guys and we just mess around."
"A-alright..." Slightly bewildered, she allowed herself to be taken off with the group of girls.
Frank came running up. "Hayley, Gee and Mikes can't-" He noticed Hayley's absence. "Damn, she was meant to wait for me..." His eyes followed the group of girls progress down the hall. "Oh...oh, no."