They're Not Gonna Get Us

The sun was shinning brightly through the very window I had escaped through only hours ago. I groaned into my pillow as I tried to hide from the taunting rays of light. I swear, Mother Nature needs to learn when to make it rain and when to make it shine. Today was not a sunny kind of day.

Zacky poked his head through my door, probably to see if I was awake, and then glanced over his shoulder before entering my room completely and closing the door behind him. “I know you’re awake, Taryn, so you might as well stop delaying the inevitable,” he sneered.

“I know you’re a selfish bastard, Zacky, so you might as well stop denying the inevitable,” I mocked, sitting up so I could glare at him.

“Things are going to be so nice around here once you’re out of the picture.”

“Try not to miss me too much, bro, I won’t be gone very long.”

He laughed, “I’m sorry, but since when did a whole semester turn into ‘not a long time?’”

“Since I said so; it’s not that hard to change your act on the outside.”

“Mom and Dad aren’t gonna just waste all that cash on you to bring you back prematurely.”

I gasped, “Did Zacky just use a big word?”

He flipped me off before pressing the button on the intercom saying, “Taryn’s up now.”

“Ok thanks Zee, we’ll get the van ready.”

Did he really just make this shit happen quicker? I’m going to kill him once I’m freed from that prison, I really will.

I struggled to get up out of bed, and as I walked over to my lovely walk-in closet, I noticed something different. All of my drawers were empty and my electronics had disappeared. The intercom buzzed. “Oh, by the way Taryn, we already packed up the amount of clothes you’ll need and all your CD’s and such,” my mom informed me. How kind of her.

I chose to not respond. Not exactly feeling tempted to impress the people at the new hell hole I was heading for, I just picked up whatever clothes were scattered on my floor and put them on. I didn’t bother with make-up, or hair-straightening.

After taking one last look at my beloved bedroom, I closed the door behind me and took the walk of shame out to the car, avoiding any and all eye contact. Of course, I’d be stuck next to Zacky for the entire 30 minute drive to St. Angela’s, and damn was it going to be a fantastic time! Not.

Staring out the window during a long car ride always seemed to be the best way to pass the time, and ignore everyone else around you. It was practically like watching TV!

The show I had been watching was on the Travel Channel, specifically a show about how the ‘good side’ of downtown quickly progresses into the ‘bad side’ of town. If this school is anywhere near a bad neighborhood, then I would never recommend my parents for ‘best parents of the year.’

Zacky, apparently unaware of the marvelous TV show playing outside his window, decided to get his kicks from me, quite literally. His foot extended past both of our armrests and into my range. Without further hesitation, he kicked forward, making direct contact with my shin. He began snickering over in his corner.

Want to see something funny? I bet if I retaliate, I’ll be the one who will be frowned upon. While the comedian was busy basking in his hilarity, I reached over and punched his arm. And I know that couldn’t have possibly hurt him that much because it’s all chubby. He can’t feel a thing past his fat.

He immediately stopped laughing, and instead, chose to make an obnoxious whining noise. Damn, and he thinks he’s the oldest child? I beg to differ. My mom turned around with a stern expression. “Taryn, don’t be mean to your brother. I swear, you two were more mature when you were five and four!”

See, what did I tell you? It’s always my fault. At first thought, maybe it will be a good thing that I’ll get a vacation from my family and all their selectiveness. But then again, I’d have to consider what I’d be losing…my friends.

The car came to an eventual stop right in front of a looming four story building, with an even higher one behind it. That stiff from the other day, Ms. Karnes, was waiting outside near a statue. I can’t believe this is really happening to me. Obviously, this was the time when goodbyes were supposed to be issued and my new rehab-like journey was supposed to begin. Neither of those would be the case.

Zacky followed me out the door, which made it all too easy to trip him on his way out sending him flying onto the ground. “Consider us remotely even,” I whispered.

My parents gasped. “Taryn, say you’re sorry! That was very mean.”

I rolled my eyes, “Sorry.” It was an apology that held no honesty whatsoever.

My mom then came over and had the nerve to look me in the eye and say that she loves me. I turned the other way and didn’t hug back. It was the same way with my dad. I chose to carry all five of my bags in by myself. I didn’t need nor want their help.

Ms. Karnes greeted me at the door with a plastic grin. “Welcome to St. Angela’s. Here is your room key and a map of the building,” she said, holding out a couple pieces of paper and an envelope.

Couldn’t she see that my hands were slightly preoccupied? I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth, indicating that that was just about the only area where I could hold something at this time. She looked completely disgusted, but complied anyway.

The taller building behind the school had eight floors, two for each grade. I found the elevator and made my way up to the third floor, since I’m only a junior still. The room number was 311, just like the band. That brought a very faint smile to my face.

It went away as soon as I entered a large room filled with chatter. Ugh, that’s right…I’d be with all girls now. Once I set my bags down, their talking ceased and all four of them stared at me like I was an alien from another planet. Granted, I didn’t exactly look presentable right about now, I don’t think I look that bad.

I almost felt like I was some animal in the wild, being stared down by all the other animals, both of us suspicious of the other and unwilling to make a first move. This was going to be a long ass day.

*Brian’s POV*

Wow, talk about a series of unfortunate events. I had a crazy dream that Taryn was being sent away for real after Zacky turned her over to their parents.

I stretched a little as I woke up, when suddenly a brilliant idea popped in my head. We were still on winter break, so that meant we still had time to do some fun shit. Surfing was something we hadn’t done in forever, and today was the perfect day to do it! I reached for my phone and began to send a text to everyone on the list: Zacky, Juelz, Matt, Jimmy, Johnny, and Taryn. Everyone responded instantly, agreeing it was a great idea.

But the odd thing was, Taryn never responded. Usually, she was the first person to do so. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already noon, so there’s no way she’d still be asleep. Could that dream I had last night actually of happened? Did Taryn get sent away for good?

Reality seemed to hit me in the harshest way as I sat back down on my bed in shock. Taryn was gone. Sure, we had sex and all…but I had still always assumed that we were just really close friends, aiding each other’s sexual desires. Could there be something more, I mean why else would I suddenly miss her so much?

Even though it was bright and sunny outside, the ideal day for surfing, except it felt like it should be dark and stormy. Taryn was gone.

*Normal POV*

The stare-down continued, as each side began to observe the features of the other. Each of the four girls seemed to be distinct in their own way. There was one girl, on the far left, who had been watching You Tube videos on her laptop. She was short, about 5 ft even, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The girl next to her was sitting in a large, comfy looking chair and reading a book. She had short, choppy black hair, vibrant blue eyes, and freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks.

Another girl, lying on her bed with headphones in, had choppy brown hair with black layers underneath and hazel eyes.

And last but not least, the final fourth girl, who was eating what looked like leftovers, was pretty short with blonde hair and green eyes.

The first girl I saw, the one on the computer, finally broke the barrier of silence. “You must be our new roommate!” she exclaimed.

“Uh, yeah, that would be me,” I said, a noticeably smaller amount of enthusiasm.

“I’m Audrey.”

“I’m Taryn. Um, nice to meet you,” I said, at least attempting to be nice.

The girl with the book then said, “Ello, I’m Megan.” Huh, she had a British accent.

“Are you from –?”

“England? Why, yes I am. London to be specific. Did the accent give me away?”

“Just a little bit.”

The girl with the headphones lazily took them out and said, “Shannen.”

And the last girl, finishing the final bite of her sandwich, smiled, “And I’m Sabrina.” I nodded in response.

Anxious to just settle in and keep my privacy close in hand, I had to find out where I’d be staying. “So, where should I put my things?”

Since Sabrina was the one standing, she volunteered to show me around. There were 3 sets of bunk beds lined up near the window, and across from them were three closets, each with two sides. Clearly, this room was meant for six girls.

“You’re lucky, you get this set of bunks to yourself till another girl comes in. Hmm, the bathroom’s over there. Everyone has to share the three desks and the TV. The kitchen is down the hall, and it’s for the entire floor to use, so keep that in mind.”

“Ok, got it,” I said briefly, heading straight to the bunk area, incredibly thrilled to have my own set of bunks to myself.

Now all I have to do is keep to myself and pretend to clean up my act. I’ll be home in no time. Well, too bad I never took into account the crazy possibility of making friends…