Bruised and Beat Up

I honestly don’t see what the hell all of the fuss is about. I mean seriously people; it’s just a new kid. We get new kids all of the freaking time. It’s nothing new to have someone different walking down these God-forsaken halls. I hope that whoever this kid is knows that he just enter a living hell. Welcome to La Playa High School, a school filled with girls that have bleached hair and fake boobs. No one in the entire fucking place is real. These people aren’t nice. They make you or break you, but from what I’m hearing, this new kid is going to make it. Apparently he’s some brunette with gorgeous green eyes. At least he doesn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes, that’s all this school has to offer.
I carefully watched the clock go by as I tapped my nails on the desk loudly. I was currently sitting in math, and I didn’t want to be here. My next class was Art. Painting is one of the only hobbies I have that bring me joy. The class was my favorite, and I couldn’t wait to get there. I couldn’t wait to go to the beach, and relax with my guys either. That would be great right about now, but no. I have to stay in the never ending, soul sucking, messed up place called high school. Just one more year in this place. I can handle that…I think. As soon as the bell rang, I was out of my seat, and toward the door.
“Not so fast, Miss. Hensley.” Mr. Yates, my math teacher called.
I groaned loudly, throwing my head back.
“Yeah?”
“Raavi, your grades are dropping lower. Is there something wrong?”
“No, sir.” I lied.
Something was wrong, but it was nothing that he could help with.
“Why are your grades dropping then? Do you not understand the material?”
I nodded my head quickly. I just wanted to get out of here, and get to my paint class.
“Do you need a tutor?”
“NO!” I quickly stated. The old man raised an eyebrow at me. “I mean, I can do it. I’ve just gotten lazy.”
He nodded.
“Pick it up, or you will fail my class, Raavi. You do understand that, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Yeah…” I started toward the door. “I’ll go now.”
“Raavi?” He called as I was about to walk out of the door.
Ugh! He’s making it impossible to leave.
“Yes, Mr. Yates?” I asked as sweetly as I could without sounding like a complete bitch.
“Do you need a late pass for your next class?”
“That…um…would be nice, actually.” I replied.
Mr. Yates nodded, and took out a pink notepad. Once I got my note, I ran out of the door, and toward the Art room.
“Raavi, you’re late.” She stated.
“Sorry, Ms. Irvine.” I stated upon entering the large room. “I have a note.”
“Bring it here.” She held out her hand.
I sighed heavily, sitting my bags down at my canvas before taking the note up to her.
“I was talking to Mr. Yates. He asked to see me.”
“I can see that.” She stated. “Don’t let it happen again, okay? Now get to your project,”
I nodded before returning to my seat and canvas. Our project was to create a painting of how you see the world and how you see your world. It’s one of those ‘how my life is and how I want my life to be’ paintings. I personally didn’t want to do it, but I knew that I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t finish. Painting made me happy. Painting was something that I could rely on; it never failed me. Painting was much like the beach. The beach offered a safe haven for me, while painting offered an emotional escape from everything. I looked at my painting; only dark colors took up the canvas thus far.
“Hey.” Someone beside me stated.
I chose to ignore the voice. I don’t talk to people at this school, and people certainly do not talk to me.
“You know, it’s usually nice to say hello back when someone greets you.”
I let my eyes wonder up to see who actually had the nerve to talk to me. Staring back at me was a tall brown haired, green eyed boy.
“Um…okay?” I shrugged. “Hi.”
I turned back to my painting.
“ I’m Brydan. I’m new.”
“I know.” I replied, swirling more black and blue onto the canvas. “News travels fast in this school.”
“Then why haven’t I heard of you?”
“Look, can’t you just leave me alone? It really would be in your best interest.” I replied, clearly getting annoyed.
“Dude, chill. I just stated that I was new and my name. What’s your name?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it does.” He laughed. “Seriously, what’s your name?
I felt an odd feeling in my stomach when he laughed.
“I’m…Raavi,” I gave up and told Brydan my name.
“Ah, so you’re the girl that no one can seem to shut up about?”
I cocked my head slightly to the left.
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone I’ve met today has mentioned you,” Brydan replied.
“Great…” I trailed off, going back to my painting.
“They say that you’re some sort of bad ass.”
“Guess I am.” I shrugged.
“They also say that you have no friends.”
“That’s true.” I wasn’t going to deny it. “I have friends. They just don’t go to La Playa, lucky bastards.”
Brydan laughed again.
“You seem to just love this place.” He rolled his eyes.
“Oh yeah, Hollister zombies and football airheads. The best.”
“Okay, so what are your friends like?”
“Friends.” I replied.
This kid was prying too much in my life.
I turned back toward my painting, and added dark purple to the life side.
“Are you like depressed or something?”
“Can’t you just leave me alone for two seconds?!” I snapped. “I’d like to actually paint in Art class.”
“Whoa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, Raavi.”
“Look, Brayden-.”
“It’s Brydan.”
“Whatever.” I snapped again. “If you want to fit in around here, which looks like you already are, you don’t want to talk to me.”
“What if I don’t care about fitting in?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes.
“Then I don’t want you to talk to me, okay?” I looked at him right in his green eyes with my green/ blue ones. “Leave me alone, Brydan. I’m bad news.” I stated right before I got up to wash my brushes.
“You don’t seem like bad news.”
The voice made me jump.
I turned around, and placed a hand on my hip.
“I am. Leave me alone, got it? I don’t want anything to do with you. I want to be left alone. If I wanted friends, I would have made them years ago. I don’t want them, okay?”
“What about your friends that go to that other school?”
“I have two of them, and only because we live within walking distance,” I stated, turning around, and walking back to the canvas. I put up my canvas right as the bell rang. I grabbed my bags, and ran out of the classroom. I was dead set on getting away from him.
“Raavi, wait!” Brydan called after me, but I already lost myself in the crowed school hallways.
This kid isn’t easy to shake off.

*

“There you are!”
I whipped my head around to see Brydan jogging quickly toward me.
“Seriously?!” I muttered to myself. “What do you want, Brydan?”
“To eat lunch with you,” He laughed as if it was obvious. “Can I sit here?” He asked me.
I looked down at the empty spot next to me, but he didn’t give me a chance to answer before he sat down.
“Why are you bothering me?”
“You’re different.”
“Wow. Great pick up line. I bet you got all the girls with that one.” I replied sarcastically, eating my salad.
Brydan laughed again, and picked up his piece of meat lovers pizza.
“That’s so gross.” I turned my eyes away and back down to my salad.
“No it’s not.” He replied. “It’s good.”
“Maybe to you.”
“It’s the best food invented.”
“I beg to differ.” I remarked, eating one last bite of salad before getting up. I tossed my small plate into the trash can, and I grabbed my bags.
“Where are you going?”
“Next time, you might want to try not eating meat around me. I’m a vegetarian.” I replied, making my get away as fast as possible. As soon as I was far enough away, I took in a deep breath. I turned around to see a girl named Ashley quickly making her way to Brydan. He wasn’t paying any attention to her, but he was watching me walk away. A strange feeling overcame me. This was a feeling that I have never felt when I was in this school.
It felt like I had actually won against Ashley.
And that felt great.

I don’t think that I formally introduced myself. My name is Raavi Faye Hensley. I am sixteen years old, I go to La Playa High School, and I have two best friends. My home life is a living hell. I was born from a one night stand that my mom had with a Rock Star that she refused to talk about. I live in an okay part of town. My mom is a drunk, and barely takes care of me. I fend for myself on a daily basis, with the help of mom’s steady income, and daddy’s huge checks written out to me.
Hi, I’m Raavi Faye Hensley, and my mom abuses me.