Monster

Rain pelted against the tin roof, making the sound even more annoying than it already was. As the rain began to fall harder, I had to keep tuning up my music, but no matter how loud it was, there was always background noise. Why had Aunt Kendra and Ally gotten a tin roof? I'd have to ask them about it, if I could remember to.

My cell phone started quacking like a dug, telling me that I had a text message. I paused my music and removed my head phones, gliding across the room to get it off of my dresser. It was from my mom, asking if I was settled in yet and asking how Kendra was, meaningfully leaving out Ally's name. I scoffed and threw my phone across the room, where it landed against the red painted wall, peeling a thin line of paint off.

The thought of my mother sitting at her corporate office job, typing that message with her manicured hand, deliberately trying not to think about her sisters wife. My mother never included Ally's name in the Christmas card to sent to Kendra and had never once in Kendra and Ally's five year marriage, so much as smiled in her direction.

A knock on my door brought me back to the spare bedroom I was in.

“Come in,” I said standing up to get my phone. The door opened and Kendra stuck her head in, her red hair was in a mess and she was wearing her snoopy pajamas. I bit my lip and my body vibrated with the laugh I was trying to suppress.

Kendra rolled her eyes and stepped into the room, closing the door. She wobbled across the room, to tired to walk strait. “What did you throw at the wall Kat? Whatever it was, it scared Ally to death.” I smiled apologetically and stooped down, grabbing my phone from where it landed, snugly nestled in the carpet.

“Sorry, I got a text I didn't like and took my annoyance out on my phone. Tell Ally I'm sorry, I'll try to be quieter.” I turned my phone off just in case Mom decided to send me anymore text messages. When I looked up, Kendra was leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest. “What?”

“Are you ready for your first of Forks high?” She smiled mischievously and it was then that I noticed her first was balled around something. I raised my eye brow questioningly and she broke into a smile, raising her hand and tossing something at me. I caught it and gasped, looking up and giving Kendra an amazed look. She shrugged. “Ally figured you wouldn't want to be driven to school by your aunt.”

In my hand, slid onto a key chain with my name on it, there were two keys. One was labeled car and the other house. A huge grin spread across my face and I tackled Kendra, giving her the best hug I could, slightly hyperventilating.

“Breathe Katrina and let me go so I can too,” Kendra laughed, patting my back softly. I let her go and rushed to finish getting ready and I threw my notebooks and crap into my backpack. Kendra left and I followed her out a couple of minutes later.

Ally and Kendra were sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in, Kendra drinking coffee and Ally having tea. I slid up behind Ally and put my arms around her neck, giving her a tight squeeze. “Thanks so much for thinking of getting me a car Ally, your the best!” I thanked her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She laughed when I pulled back. “Don't mention it Kat. I just figured you wouldn't want your freak aunts dropping you off at school. We're not very popular 'round these parts.” Ally sighed and took a sip of tea.

Frowning, I thought about the text I'd received from my mother and how, without her even trying, she'd displayed her dislike for Ally. I wondered if the people of Forks were open with their dislike or, like my mother, just hinted at it with little things, like casting disgusted looks their way when they went to church, as I knew they did.

I promised myself that if I heard someone say something about my aunts, I was going to bunch the sorry mother fucker in the face.

“You better get going Kitty Kat, it's almost seven thirty and you need to get there early,” Kendra reminded me of school and I groaned. I grabbed a banana from the fruit basket, said goodbye and left, grabbing my leather jacket and an umbrella from the hook and sliding it on on my way out.

My new car, a dark blue 2008 ford focus, was parked on the curb, just calling to me. I gritted my teeth together to keep from screaming my excitement. Hurriedly, I put up my umbrella and ran through the rain, sliding into the leather seat and closed the door. I took a moment to inspect the interior and loved what I saw. My mother had never gotten me a car. She hired a driver to take me everywhere.

Realizing I was just sitting there, I put the key in the ignition and turned the key. The engine came to life with a soothing rumble. I shifted the car into drive and took off down the street, much faster than the fifteen mile per hour speed limit.

….............................

The parking lot was fairly crowded when I reached the school and I nearly ran over several students. All the closest parking spots to the front were full and I had to settle for one near the exit. At least I'd be able to get out of there faster, that was the only upside I decided.

While I'd been driving, the rain had let up a little, which meant that as I walked through the parking lot and past students idly chatting with each other, I could see all the looks I was receiving. I couldn't tell, though, if they were because I was the new girl or living with a couple of homosexuals. I had a feeling it was for both.

I found the front office easily, it was labeled “Front Office” in big letters on the glass door. The woman inside looked up when I opened the door and I saw a spark of recognition and then she was judging me. I could tell by the way she avoided looking into my eyes and began playing with her watch. She was scared of me, which meant, she'd read my record and knew all about the kind of things I'd done.

“Hey, I'm Katrina Robin. I'm here for my time table and crap,” I said stepping up to the counter. The woman jumped and her eyes filled with terror. Poor lady, I hope she didn't just have a heart attack.

“Ye-yes Ms. Robin, here they are.” She threw the papers onto the counter, my timetable, a map and a paper that needed my teachers signatures. “Have a great first day.” I nodded my head, not paying attention to the woman anymore, and left the office.

My first class was AP English and it started at eight, giving me five minutes to find my class. It was in room number twelve and the teacher was Mrs. Bucks She was going to be a strict teacher, I knew that just from her name. Only the mean, awful teachers have stupid last names. Like, I once had a teacher named Mr. Worst and he was an evil man, having tests every other day and pop quizzes every day.

The class room I stepped into, room twelve, went deathly silent when I stepped in. All of the students were facing forward, not looking at anyone. Whoa, what the hell?

“Um, is this Mrs. Bucks AP English class?” I asked sceptically, looking around the room.

“Oh God, we thought you were her,” a girl sitting in the front sighed and, as if that were the single, everyone went back to talking, but I could feel their gazes drift to me. “Yeah, your in the right class new girl. Here, come sit. I'm Mandy.”

I took an empty seat beside Mandy, dropping my bag and umbrella at my feet. “Hey, I'm Kat.” She nodded and pulled out a pack of gum, offering me a piece. I took it, needing something to chew on. That banana hadn’t filled me up much.

“So, is it true that you set a teacher on fire?” Mandy asked, crumbling up her gum wrapper and tossing it across the room, hitting a boy in the face. He turned his head, trying to figure out who'd just thrown something at him. I began to laugh, covering it with a cough when the boy looked my way.

“Not exactly. You see, I was smoking in class and with retarded teacher, Mr. Decker, told me to put it out and I refused. So he tried to take it and I pulled my lighter out. How was I supposed to know that his hair gel was flammable.” I shrugged chewing the mint flavored piece of gum. Mandy laughed, so I smiled. “And I don't understand how you knows this, Mr. Decker dropped the charges.”

Before either one of us could say anything, an extremely large built woman wobbled into the class room. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her glasses were at the bridge of her nose, her lips were puckered out like she was tasting something sour. This had to be Mrs. Bucks, I'd bet my life savings on it. My suspicions were confirmed by the behavior of the class, straitening up like they'd done when I came in.

“Good morning students,” Mrs. Bucks said in a stern voice, like she didn't think it really was a good morning. Her eyes zeroed in on me and then narrowed. She walked toured my desk and stopped in front of me. “Katrina Robin.” It wasn't a question. She leaned down and here face was so close to mine, I could smell her breath. And, God, was it nasty. She brought up her hand and pulled out the sheet of paper that teachers had to sign and singed it with a pen I didn't even know she had.

With it signed, she stood up and turned, walking back to her desk. She then proceeded to do roll. I looked over at Mandy and she was doing an intimidation of Mrs. Bucks, making snort. Mrs. Bucks looked up at the sound and her eyes bore holes into Mandy's head. She smiled innocently and when Mrs. Bucks eyes looked away, she winked at me.

I smiled under my hand. In my first ten minutes at Forks high, I'd already made a friend just like me. Maybe this punishment wouldn't be so bad after all.