As I walk into high school for the first time I notice the thousands of people pouring in at all angles. Today is one of those days I wish my parents just let me go to public school with all of my friends. I never really had friends with a name like Primila most people stay their distance. Fine by me I never really liked people I have very short temper most of the time and I can’t stand most of the immature idiots in my class. I was always known as ‘Fire Chick’. I wouldn’t really care it’s not really my choice, nothing has lately. I’m not even sure the gardens make choices anymore. Who’s to say what we do every day, from what we have for breakfast to when we dream. People never really liked me, oh well.
I’m not sure why people enjoy making fun of me. I always thought it was the gardens fault. My parents toke off when I was little. My dad was supposedly murdered and no one even knows who my mom is other than the fact that not only did no one knows she was pregnant but she left the day I was born. I don’t even know this woman’s name. Not that I care, she abandoned me. I couldn’t care less if the woman was dead or alive. My gardens haven’t been the worse I guess, they awaked cared for me and made sure I knew someone cared for me. Maybe I’m a selfish brat but it always seemed they wished they got little preppy cheerleader but they got stuck with me but would never admit it.
I was forced to leave the town of East Bridgewater. It’s a small town with nothing to do but I had my best friends Christina and Bruce. I miss them so much but I never get to talk to them anymore. Bruce’s parents don’t trust him with a phone or computer, with good reason but it still sucks, and Christina decided I wasn’t worth her time now that we were middle school. I don’t even know what there is in such a small town. One park that was the center, with a signal band stand with a different high school wanna-be band every week. Nothing to do but slowly waste away. But hey at least I knew everybody and had a couple of friends.
So as I walk into a new school first day of middle school I knew nobody, I was a no body. I was starting school in January and that sucked majorly. First time all year the kids had a fire drill that was later announced that it wasn’t a drill. Even though I didn’t start the fire they started calling me ’Fire Chick’. Three years later high schools starting and I’m no longer with the public school jerks, I’m with the private school preps. And I’m not happy about it. I’d rather be called ‘Fire Chick’.
I’m not sure of my ranting are different from any of the kids here but I was different. I mean I wore black in a sea of pink chicks. I knew I had to find someone like me before I went mad. I’ve always liked purples and blacks, my parents think I’m emo or something; but to be honest I just like the colors. Purple always made me feel safe and according to the gardens I’ve never been afraid of the dark. And they think that’s why I like black. I think there on crack.
“Watch it newbie” some idiot in a football jersey shouts. I roll my eyes and go to walk away when he stops me. I almost roll my eyes, this isn’t what I needed the first day, but then I toke in the size of this man and thought better of it.
I look him in the eyes having to strain my head back and stare him down; “Move” I thought about it for a second and said threw pinched teeth “Please.”
He almost started laughing. I had to work real hard on not rolling my eyes.
“Yo, Chad lets go she’s not worth it.” Says this kid in a black leather jacket with some petite girl clinging to his side. I almost started laughing and was about to say ‘thanks but I can take care of myself” when I hear a sound that made me think of nails on a chalkboard and I cringed.
Chad laughs hard and pushes the kid back and walks away. I nod to the kid and turn around before I start laughing, looking in the sea of students and buildings for student services and head off. Some kid comes behind me and grabs my arm, “So you got a name?” I don’t respond and he laughs “you’re going to make me guess then? Megan?” I turn to look at him and this time I can’t help it, I roll my eyes and sigh. I nod my head no. “Brianna?” I nod my head no again. “Sara?”
I nod my head no mumbling “You’ll never guess it.” Hopping he would give up and let me be.
He looks at me and shacks his head “Your problem right I was never a good guesser.”
“Primila.”
“And what would that be?”
The girl on his arm laughs and hits him playfully “It’s her name Nicholas.” She laughed harder as he got mad. “That’s nick, I’m Val.” I noticed him start to calm down when she spoke, as if they were one.
As I surveyed the couple I revised they were just like my old friends. So I look the girl named Val in the eyes “Do you know where student information is?”
The kid Nick laughed “Behind the pool.”
Val slapped him harder when I give her a weird look she explains plainly “don’t listen to him. There’s no pool at Pintart. I have to go there anyways to get my schedule, I’ll bring you.” She kissed nick on the cheek and started walking the opposite way. “You coming?”
“Umm yeah.” As I start to fallow her I notice something off about her. As we continue down the twist and turns of the school I start to see familiar face laughing and I wonder why.
“Fire chick and sister death. Perfect couple” says some blond chick in my old school, never thought I’d have to see her again. I was going to ask Val about the Sister Death thing, but by the look on Val’s face I decide to ask her later. As we walked I thought about it for a minute and thought the chicks name was Emily or something.
I realized that for the first time that I and Emily were friends when we were kids. I don’t remember why we stopped but I had this funny feeling she wasn’t about to tell me.
I was deep in thought so I almost missed when Val toke a sharp left and approached the door to a petit looking building.
As we enter the smallest building so far that that I’ve seen we approach a small girl and a very old man. I walk in questionably as the small girl grabs Val's hand “Young Valerie YOUNG VALORIE!! Oh goodie so what can I do for you Mrs.Leftmen?” I almost started laughing. Val blushed and I bit my tongue and she surprised me when not even a minute later she acted like nothing had even fazed her.
“Just my schedule Mrs. Robinson.” Val laughed and whispered in my ear “Last names A-L Mr. Rogers Le-Z Mrs. Robinson.” I nod and head over to Mr. Rogers. An old man with a haircut from the 80’s and I almost smiled. That was until he looked sat me.
He looks at me as if I don’t belong and I go to speak and he holds a hand up. “I know who you are Mrs. Demmoncar’re lets go in my office and discus some options for you here.” I nod and look back to Val but she’s already left. I wonder where she went to but quickly remember she told me she would take me here and said nothing of staying to help. I take a deep breath and fallow him into his office.
“Sorry about the mess” he mumbles moving a burger king rapper off a pile of papers and books looking like they’re about to fall over. It reminded me of the leaning ‘tower of pizza’. The two awards on his wall and some collage certificate from community college and a high school diploma, from surprise Pintart. I wonder if any principals go to teach at a random school they didn’t go to. I don’t think so.
“Why can’t I just get my schedule and leave?” I mumble under my breath half wishing I never spoke up. And half wishing I faked flu and got out of going to school today. Then again would the gardens have believed me?
“Your anger has led to putting people in danger. It hasn’t happened yet but according to your parents...”
I sigh cutting him off “Gardens. They’re not my parents.”
“Of course not. So your gardens are worried that lately your anger hasn’t been handled right.” He was waiting for me to answer. Then he sighs and counties “We could either put you in anger management like classes and have therapy once a week or you could have therapy every day and have to report to a security guard twice a day.”
I sigh “What do you mean by anger management classes?” I keep thinking about Christina and Bruce, they both where there that night, they both helped, did they have to make the same decisions I did?
He almost laughed. “They’re just normal classes but they’re full of other students, such as yourself that need to be watched more closely.”
I close my eyes in hope to hear Bruce’s voice in my head. He always knew how to make me smile or help me make a decision I was afraid of. When I hear nothing I sigh and wish he was still around. “I'll do that.”
“Very good Mrs. Demonncar’re right this way.” He seemed a little too happy. I wonder if the other option was real or just there to make students feel like they could make decisions in their life. I don’t know but I just don’t trust him.
Somehow I made it through the day, Val was in two of my classes and Nick was in all of them. I was surprised he barley said a word to me, but every time I looked he was looking at me. It was sort of creepy. At least my ‘class buddy’ -as Mr. Rodgers put it- wasn’t a total jerk. Then again I really don’t know this kid. Although I don’t think most kids would try and help the new kid knowing they were going to pay for it at some point. He was still sketchy to me. Val on the other hand was pretty cool. We sit together in English and Science and today she invited me to sit with nick and her. It was a small table of just her, nick and I but it reminded me of Christina, Bruce and me.
When I got home I avoided the gardens and went straight up to my room. I felt at ease the moment I walked in the door. The purple walls and carpet and the black furniture with a constant black light haggling from the ceiling hasn’t changed much. Since I was little I’ve always had the purple walls and carpet. The only thing that’s changed is the furniture was once white, but when Bruce got a hold of some black spray paint, well we said goodbye to the white. Then once I moved Bruce and Christina pulled their money together and got me the black light as a goodbye gift. It was so sweet. It’s now my main functioning light. The gardens hate it.
My phone went off which was odd nobody but Bruce, Christina and the gardens even had the number. I listened for a moment hearing the gardens discussing some golf show that was on and couldn’t help but remember Christina hated me and Bruce has never had a phone for more than an hour.
‘Yo Prim guess what? That’s right my parents got me a phone –Big Bad Bruce’
I smiled I missed him so much I read the message five or six times before replying.
‘Bruce! Oh my god I missed you so much. The gardens set me up with a private school meant for ‘ANGRY TEENS’ –PRIMEDIA’
I smiled not even a minute later he replied and I couldn’t help thinking ‘that’s my Bruce.'
‘That sucks. Schools okay. I guess. Its still school. I’m moving to Derry. Nobody knows where that is I don’t even know. –Big bad Bruce’
I’m not sure what to say. I live in Derry but I don’t thing Bruce would like it. Then again why does he still have my number? After all these years.... I moved maybe six years ago. I had to catch my breath before replying my mind was working a mile a minute.
‘I know where it is. –PRIMEDIA’
‘Really how?-Big Bad Bruce’
‘I live there. -PRIMEDIA’
After that I went down stairs for a snack and started on my homework. Not sure what else to do until him texted me back. And all I knew was he wasn’t going to text me back. I finished with my homework and went to sleep. Even when I woke up in the morning he hadn’t replied. I hoped it was because his parents realized their mistake and not him avoiding me.
The next few days went without much happening. Val, nick and I were getting closer and we sat together at lunch. They defiantly had their secrets but for now I left it alone. Bruce hasn’t talked to me since that first week of school. I’m not sure if has still moving or what it just gets aggravating.
“Val, Val, VAL!” nick was resentful. I don’t think he likes how close Val and I have gotten over the last few weeks but its okay with me. I hope I don’t sound like a total jerk. It’s just weird never really had someone as close to me as Val, were like the same person.
“Nick she’ll be over a minute. She’s getting lunch.”
I never noticed how much he looks at her; he really seems to like her. “But then she’s just going to talk to you that are all she ever dose anymore.”
I looked into his sad little puppy like eyes. “I’ll try and include you.” I looked at him
“Don’t you get it? She was mine. I mean I’m glad we all have you as a friend and all but I just wish it was me and her. You know?”
I think about this for a minute “I have an idea.”
He looks at me and I counties “Make something special for somewhere and tell me an ill tell her to go and we’ll surprise her.”
He seemed to conceder this for a moment. He held his hand out “Deal.”
I shook his hand nodded as Val came and sat down. “Hey Val I totally forgot I have to make up a science test. I’ll talk to you later. Bye” as I left and turned around and saw nick mumble ‘thanks’.
I walked into the hall and thought about what my next step would be I didn’t have anything to do and if I get caught walking around campus without a pass I’m screwed, but what can I do? I look to my left and figure ill head to the library and hope no one notices me as I cross campus.
That’s when I saw him, a tall dark haired man staring at me. He looked away from me before I could see what he looked like, I looked around me trying to see if I was wrong, and if there was someone else he was trying to talk to. But no. It was only me, I was the only one out in the quad and he was just standing there.
I walked over to him trying to figure out if I knew him or not, when he takes off. I run to catch up but he’s gone, I can see him making his way for the science building and I think of the irony of it all, lying to Val to help nick about a science test and now as I walk into the main doors of the science building. I fallow him up the four flights of stairs, I see students packing up in the rooms that we pass. The bell is about too ringing; it’s been twenty minutes but how?
He stopped.
It was a used science classroom with the electricity off. I stared at him in the dark as the warning bell goes off. I was right, five minutes and I’ll be late to English. He expects me to move, run to class before I’m late; but I did not chase him here to leave without answers.
I look at his face to see if I know him from somewhere, but I can’t look away from the scare that travels down his left cheek. The scar is ragged but fading, he looks about my age but how? How can someone my age have such a battle scar, it looks fairly new but it already healing, pink around the edges.
He watches me, nothing more nothing less. This man was at least a foot taller than my 5’2”. I’m not sure how to describe such an odd man. He looked normal, like anyone else at school, but taller. Darker, somehow in his eyes I saw madness. As I stare into his eyes, I realized I didn’t want to leave, this man or boy however you say him intrigued me I felt like I knew him, like I’ve known him my whole life but how? Who is this and why is there a weird felling in the air. I didn’t know what to think of this man. All I knew was I did not want to be in that room with him, even if I couldn’t leave. There was a pull I couldn’t walk away from, not yet.
He looks at me like he knows me, like he understands me, but something about this man worries me. He takes a step towards me.
“Hello, I’m Aidan.” I watch him for a moment and lean forward shaking his hand.
Hesitentely I say “Primala, nice to meet you.”
He looks at me with a dark look in his eyes his voices is deep “I know.” I look at him confused as he laughs “you don’t know you truly don’t know do you?”
I just stare at him “know… what?”
He looks at me and hand me a necklace small with a stone in the middle. I big red beautiful red stone and says “look into your soul I’ll be back” and with that he left and I ran to the English building taking my seat as the bell goes off. It seemed like an eternity could it have only been five minutes? How is that possible?
I sit beside nick like any other day but I don’t talk to him, I stare ahead, I don’t even take notes. What is happening to me?