Skin & Bones

“Hey princess where are you off to?” I called out after Mia who I caught up to the following day in the school hall.

“Gym,” she smiled shyly she had these amazing blue eyes I hadn’t noticed the first time.

“Hey me too.” I followed her to the building I was still a little lost.

“Boys change rooms are there.” She pointed out walking into the girl’s room.

Getting changed was awkward not because we were all guys getting changed it wasn’t some male orgy. It was just that the grey shorts and white wife beater that the school had us wear showed off all my tattoos and to these Abercrombie and Finch models looked at me as though I was going to steal their shit and kill them.

I didn’t fit in here, I didn’t wear pink polo’s and cream coloured three quarter shorts, I wasn’t going to attend church on Sunday and I sure as hell wasn’t going to make friends with any of these losers.

They avoided me like the plague.

Walking back out into the gym I had everyone staring at me, looking me up and down whispering about my tattoos, and a new rumor that had started this morning.

That I was fresh out of juvie, that I had killed my friend back in Chicago. Did they know how ridiculous that sounded, how did I get out of juvie if I had killed someone? Did they realize how stupid they sounded?

I was the last person picked for dodge ball; I was up against Mia who I found much more entertaining to call princess. She ran out of the way of the balls, not trying to pick any up and throw them back as long as she got out of the way of the ball she was happy.

I got a few people out before I lined the ball up at her. She knew it was coming, she was looking directly at me our eyes focused in on each other and although she was paying attention to me she wasn’t paying attention to the ball. And that was it she was out. She pouted, her big pink lips that I wandered what they tasted like, before she stomped off the court.

Our team won and I had played a large role in that but that didn’t stop people from talking.

‘Yea that new kid…Noah I think it is have you seen him, he has tattoos and piercings and its gross. I heard he killed a kid. Nah he is just totally into drugs. Either way I heard he is fresh out of juvie. Wow maybe he did kill his friend.’

Did they realize how much they hurt?