Pretty Badass
Chapter 1: Freshman Year
Dear Diary:
My father let me and my younger brother and sister out at the park two blocks away from the new school we would be attending. I stood for a minute to get my bearing while my siblings walked on ahead. Ah, Miami. A part of the Sunshine State. Very different from North Carolina, where we’d moved from about a month ago. Now, we’d have to start at a new school weeks after classes already began. Shaking my head, I began to walk. What were the people like here? We certainly couldn’t blend in. My family’s blonde and blue eyed. Not much of that down here, an extension of Spain. Would there be anyone here that I could make my best friend? Could I trust anyone with anything like I’d entrusted in Ruby? If I told them the truth, would they believe me?
These questions and others rattled my mind as I continued my trek to Forest Pine Academy, a charter school. It was smaller than my old school, but that was a public school, anyway. There didn’t seem to be very many people alone besides me. I wanted to call my father and have him take me home. With minutes to kill, I decided to go to the school’s library and see if there were any titles I hadn’t read. Not likely- our library room at home was much more extensive than this.
Heading here proved to be a mistake. The library seemed like a hangout spot for the popular kids, which made me feel like a loner, even though I was new. They we all fair and good-looking, and none – I noticed – were blonde. About 12 of the people were hanging around on the couches and futons and around the tables. One taller, dark haired girl was sitting ON the table. She had red headphones around her neck, a black beanie and black boots. Her hands and body were wildly animated as she told her followers some story.
A small girl with long dark hair looked up at me and held eye contact as I passed the group. Self-consciously, I kept walking, ignoring the eerie feeling. I started eyeing the books on the shelves. When I started on the other side, I let out a small gasp when I saw the girl next to me. My hand went to my heart. “Oh gosh. You scared me.” I said. She leaned against a stack. “I’m Amanda. You?” She stuck out her hand. I welcomed the gesture. “Lillian. Hi.” Amanda nodded her head in the direction of the library’s exit. “Walk with me.” She said, turning away to get her things. I obeyed without question. That’s when I knew something was up.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Amanda asked, smiling up at me. I nodded. “How could you tell?” She smirked a bit. “The only people who go to the library in the mornings that don’t have anyone to meet are the newbs.” I blushed, and then cursed my pale skin, feeling my cheeks heat up. Amanda chuckled and placed a hand on my arm. The place where she touched burned. “Don’t worry, Lilly. Do you mind if I call you that? I’ll help you.” She smiled at me, but all my years of knowing what I know made me understand that there was more than just the hope of friendship behind that smile.
My father let me and my younger brother and sister out at the park two blocks away from the new school we would be attending. I stood for a minute to get my bearing while my siblings walked on ahead. Ah, Miami. A part of the Sunshine State. Very different from North Carolina, where we’d moved from about a month ago. Now, we’d have to start at a new school weeks after classes already began. Shaking my head, I began to walk. What were the people like here? We certainly couldn’t blend in. My family’s blonde and blue eyed. Not much of that down here, an extension of Spain. Would there be anyone here that I could make my best friend? Could I trust anyone with anything like I’d entrusted in Ruby? If I told them the truth, would they believe me?
These questions and others rattled my mind as I continued my trek to Forest Pine Academy, a charter school. It was smaller than my old school, but that was a public school, anyway. There didn’t seem to be very many people alone besides me. I wanted to call my father and have him take me home. With minutes to kill, I decided to go to the school’s library and see if there were any titles I hadn’t read. Not likely- our library room at home was much more extensive than this.
Heading here proved to be a mistake. The library seemed like a hangout spot for the popular kids, which made me feel like a loner, even though I was new. They we all fair and good-looking, and none – I noticed – were blonde. About 12 of the people were hanging around on the couches and futons and around the tables. One taller, dark haired girl was sitting ON the table. She had red headphones around her neck, a black beanie and black boots. Her hands and body were wildly animated as she told her followers some story.
A small girl with long dark hair looked up at me and held eye contact as I passed the group. Self-consciously, I kept walking, ignoring the eerie feeling. I started eyeing the books on the shelves. When I started on the other side, I let out a small gasp when I saw the girl next to me. My hand went to my heart. “Oh gosh. You scared me.” I said. She leaned against a stack. “I’m Amanda. You?” She stuck out her hand. I welcomed the gesture. “Lillian. Hi.” Amanda nodded her head in the direction of the library’s exit. “Walk with me.” She said, turning away to get her things. I obeyed without question. That’s when I knew something was up.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Amanda asked, smiling up at me. I nodded. “How could you tell?” She smirked a bit. “The only people who go to the library in the mornings that don’t have anyone to meet are the newbs.” I blushed, and then cursed my pale skin, feeling my cheeks heat up. Amanda chuckled and placed a hand on my arm. The place where she touched burned. “Don’t worry, Lilly. Do you mind if I call you that? I’ll help you.” She smiled at me, but all my years of knowing what I know made me understand that there was more than just the hope of friendship behind that smile.