Try Me!

It was always just me, by myself. I mean, I wanted to make friends, but the problem was nobody wanted to be friends with me.

On my own, all the time. I was independent. But I was also lonely. It is lonely being by yourself all the time. I mean, I spoke to my Mum, but that was hardly a thrill-a-thon, was it?

There were girls who I could be friends to, girls who actually acknowledged my face, that I was there, not just a face in the background. . . but they hung out with girls who hated me. . . girls who tormented and teased me all the time.

I spent my first term at school doodling and writing elaborate poems by myself (which nobody aside from me actually like) and wore grey pants and blue sweatshirts so that I'd fit in. I also wore black gloves that came to my elbows and shoes that made me look like everyone else. I wore the gloves to minimise the amount of skin in view - I was tormented enough.

The teachers definitely knew I had no friends, but did they do anything about it?

No.

Like the students the teachers didn't want to know me. And you know what?

That kind of sucked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mrs. Bass saw Lilli put that pin on my chair, saw her trace 'LOSER' on my bag in red Sharpie. . . but she didn't do anything.

Neither did Miss Kay when she saw my eyes fill with tears after Lilli punched me, hard, in the eye. I had a black eye for a week after that.

And Ms. Abshalt. . . you would have thought the headmistress would have done something, but she just told me that there were always haters, told me to keep my chin up. . . but she didn't stop Lilli from spilling her Coke in my bag, cutting my hair in Art class. . .

And Mr. Kannk was even worse! He mocked me too, told me that I was good for nothing. . . but he wasn't as bad as Lilli.

No-one was as bad as Lilli.

I mean, school was okay, especially when things happened that were super funny. . . like the time Miss Kay lit a Bunsen Burner and Lilli's hair (the stupid girl - she hadn't tied it up) caught fire. And when Mrs. Bass' false teeth flew out of her mouth and hit the fire alarm, causing it to ring.

But I hated school usually, when Lilli teased and mocked me.

Then I hated school.

My Mum didn't believe me when I told her about Lilli. And my Dad left ages ago.

But it was annoying. I was being bullied and my Mum didn't even care!

"You're so over-dramatic, Kelli! Of course you're not being bullied, your friends are just teasing you."

Oh sure. Like I even have friends!

Once one of the teacher's cracked. "God, leave her alone!"

Two days later the teacher was dead.

His wife, Rosy, was blamed.

As if the little dunderhead could do anything! Rosy was annoying, short and hysterical. . . but she was not a killer.

Lilli was.

************************************************************************

I searched through the drawers frantically.

Yes!

The serrated edge glints in the sunlight. My Mum calls it 'The Devil's Knife'.

"It could cut through stone, that one." She said.

It was perfect.

I was going to use it.