New Kid in School

I arrived at my destination – the prison. I slammed the door of my clunker of an excuse of a car. People were staring as I got out, which made me feel uncomfortable. I heard people laughing as I walked toward the school with my head down not wanting to make any eye contact.

“Nice car you got there,” a voice sneered. There was a chorus of laughter as I looked up to see a Latino girl in a red and white cheer-leading outfit. She stood with her hands on her hips whispering to another cheerleader with blonde hair, who giggled at something she had said-probably about me.

I didn’t say anything, just kept walking.

She had a lot of determination to get my attention apparently, because she shrilled at me in a high pitched voice, “Hey, didn’t you hear me?” I still didn’t turn.

By this time, I was speed walking. I could tell by her air, she was one not to mess with. One thing I hate worse than tater tots is confrontation. This girl seemed to love confrontation almost as much as Jade. She was simply, in short a bully.

“You know you hear me, girl. Don’t just walk away.”

I don’t even pause to talk, I keep walking.

Then, it happened. Someone pulled me by the forearm. I try breaking their hold, but they have a vise grip on me. Finally, I am forced to come face to face with the Latino girl cheerleader. She practically was grinning at the sight of the horror on my face. All Lord Jesus Christ, I’m about to get punched in the face on the first day of school.

“When you’re spoken to by Santana Lopez, you listen.” By this time, I was mortified. I tried to pull away, but my attempts were futile. This cheerleader was strangely enough strong. “I’m going to show you what I do to people like you.” I didn’t like the nasty grin on her pump pink perfect lips.

Swallowing back my fear, I began to speak, but nothing came out, and this just makes Santana just smirk grow-if that’s possible.

“I’m going to enjoy this.”

Before, Santana could do anything to my precious face, there was screeching of tires coming to a halt from somewhere close behind us, and very, very loud glass shattering music blasting. The music could have been from any vehicle in the parking lot, but I had a feeling I knew who would be playing Five Finger Death Punch at maximum capacity.
Finally, there was a slam of a car door, and footsteps trudging in our general direction.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

I turned to see Jade

For the first time in my life relief washed over me at the sight of the pink haired punk rocker, which most of the time put me through living hell. I couldn’t tell if she was going to do anything, or let Santana claw my face off in ribbons, which I wouldn’t put it, pass her.

Santana turned to Jade. “I’m busy freak.”

“Who you calling a freak, Twig?” Jade approached, her black combat boots pounding on the asphalt as she did.

There was a wicked smirk on her pale porcelain skin at this point. Santana’s smirk matched equally. They keep staring at each other like two cats about to pounce. Looking from me to each other a couple times like Santana was daring her to make a move to defend me.

I got scared.

Still smirking, Jade took off her aviators to reveal her cold as ice blue eyes. I could tell by the glint in her eye that she was up to no good as she proceeded to turn like she was walking off.

But, to Santana’s and my surprise, she turned and shouted, “Boo!”

We both jumped almost out of our skins. Santana let go of my arm. Jade burst out laughing at both of us, pointing with a sinister sneer on her face. The crowd around us did as well. Santana gave them looks that could turn them to stone.

“Scared you, didn’t I?”

I glanced up to see a crowd had formed around us. Some were chanting for a fight and others were just standing around for entertainment reasons. Jade knew what would happen to her if she got into a fight at school the first day. I remember the last fight she got in. She was grounded for seven months with no privileges.

“You’ll pay for that, you freaks!” Santana said, but her voice fluttered. She looked embarrassed that she had been suckered in my by stepsister’s antics.

“Come on, Rayne,” Jade said aloofly as she was walking off in the direction of the school. “She’s starting to bore me.”

I followed without hesitation.

The rest of the school day went on by slowly.

Every chance I got I would avoid that Santana girl. I knew if she crossed my path again, I’d regret it. Sometimes, I’d stay close to Jade when there was a chance, but my stepsister looked annoyed every time I did so. Luckily for me, the hallways of the school were crowded during class changes.

So, to put it short, for the rest of the day, I was looking over my shoulder making every waking moment that she wasn’t anywhere around. I hadn’t seen her anymore since the parking lot incident, and I hoped it would stay like that. Fortunately for me, I had, had no other classes with her thus far. I prayed to God in Heaven above I wouldn’t have to run into that female Satan.

As I was scanning the crowd for any signs of her, I tripped over something and fell headfirst into a wall. My binder and purse flew out of my arms and onto the floor, and turns out that wall was a chest and the chest was attached to a dude. He looked down at me with a startled look on his face, but he quickly gained his composure, a smirk slowly graced his lips. I felt my face heat up.

His smirk grew wider.

“Hey babe, if you wanted some of the Puckerman, all you had to do was ask.” At that comment, I was pretty sure my face was beet red from embarrassment.

I looked away as I heard a snicker.

“You can’t seem to stop filling me up, can you?” I looked back to see him rise his eyebrows in a suggestive way to my hands on his chest. His hands were on my waist.

I pushed off of him with both hands. He just laughed. I crossed my arms as a guy in a wheelchair rolled up holding my binder and purse in his lap.

“Sorry about that,” He said as he held out them out for me to take. I took them with silent thanks and walked around the guy called “Puckerman” who decided to whistle as I walked by.

I picked up my pace.

Then, almost halfway down the hall, I came to the realization that I had no clue where my last class of the day was. I cussed under my breath, and went to dig in the dark depths of my purse to find my schedule. As I was doing so, I didn’t notice them coming up.

“Hey, this fell out of your binder.”

I looked over and then, down to see the guy in the wheelchair from earlier. He was holding out the green folded up piece of paper with my schedule on it. I stopped digging in my purse and took it thanking him.

Before I could open it, he spoke, pushing his glasses up his nose, “What class do you have next?”

“Spanish with Mr. Schuester,” I said, softly.

“What a coincidence. That’s my next class too.” He said with a huge smile as I began the walk to Spanish class with him rolling along beside me in his wheelchair.

We walked in silence until he decided to break the silence.

“By the way, my name is Artie Abrams, “He said, putting up a hand for me to shake as we stopped at the class door.

I smile softly. Took his hand and shook it, “Rayne Kelley.” He smiled back. It was warm smile that made me feel like everything would get better in time.

That feeling didn’t change even when Santana sneered at me and threw a wadded up piece of paper at me.

So, we decided to walk together with him rolling beside me as we made small talk. On the way to our seats, he told me that the object I had fallen over was in fact his wheelchair. He said he would have caught me, but since I was already falling into Puck (Puckerman), that it wasn’t any use for him to try.