What Goes Down

Settling in

The next couple of weeks were all in a similar pattern, except with out all of the introductions. I had aced that test in English and apparently was now on an 'A'. The only reason I was was the fact that they were kinda stupid questions. My average grade was a 'B' but a high 'B' at that. The weakest subject now was not English but American History. Was it not good enough that I knew loads of dates and things for British history? Did they not think that my brain was going to explode with so much new knowledge?

Of course not. They didn't care about my mental health only that they taught us the stuff they thought we would need to know so that they get paid. I coped though. Just took it all as it came. I quickly learnt that the American civil war started because of America not wanting to be part of the British Empire. Then the north and south started fighting which was the civil war. I knew the basics around it but not why. The first thing the teacher asked me was when was the civil war. Being British I said 1642 between parliament and King Charles I, which was the year of the British Civil War. Everyone including the teacher laughed at me. The teacher then asked me when was the American Civil war to which I had no clue and said so. So four hours into my life at an American school I had already made myself a laughing stock. Typical really. I was always laughed at for one reason or another so it was just typical of me to do. American civil war question and I say the British civil war. How stupid could I have been?

Throughout these few weeks I tried to keep in contact with Miss Starlight. I mean she was there for me when I needed her the most and put a roof over my head for a while. She could be called a friend to me not just an old teacher.

Honestly, I did not know how housewives or working women or who ever did the food shop find time to do it. I had school, homework, housework and a weekend job before doing the food shop. I could have just order pizza or take-away food every night but I liked and still do a variety in meals and loved a good home cooked meal. A good home cooked meal as far as food goes kicks ass. While on the topic of food, I also had to find time to cook my meal and prepare for my lunch the following day. I suppose I could have tried to add getting my drivers licence into the bundle since in America the age to drive is 16, but by the time the day came to a close I was just too tired. Literally the only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that the weekend was closer and there was much less time that was absorbed by such boring chores. I also didn't have to work until the afternoon so I could sleep that bit much longer.

I had managed to secure a Saturday job at the local MacDonald's. I knew it was humiliating when my fellow classmates saw me working there and would tease me, but hey the pay was good and it was not like I was rolling in money like the stuck up bitches they were.

My income was £500 a month in rent off my childhood home and $2 an hours at MacDonald's. So if I did the maths correctly. That was approximately $564 a month, on the basis that £1 was equal to $1. I knew it wasn't so it was accurate, but what other 16 years olds could say they got that much. However saying that I had to pay bills; that were quite low since I was at school all day during the week and was not in the house most of the afternoon on weekends. Also I was not a big one for watching television so the price an average person pays on bills when they live on their own was considerably higher than what I paid. I was not, repeat not, going to complain. A typical bill total at the end of the month was a mere $100 due to the things I mentioned above.

I loved the independence I had gained by this move. I could eat what I please so the first thing that was drop kicked out of my life was meat and I became a vegetarian – I would have became a vegan but I love ice cream far too much to give that up. If I was a certain type of person I could have had parties every Friday night and spent the weekend recovering from a hangover. I could have had a sleepover when ever I wanted to. It was amazing. Only I didn't do any of these things because I was the school joke and who wants to be friends with someone who moved to America, didn't research into key facts on the country and refuses to be called by their real name.

Because of my lack of friends no one knew that I was an orphan or that I lived on my own. I behaved no phone call home was ever needed. Any letter sent home was given to me to 'give to a parent' or was address to 'Miss M Smith' which all of the teacher assumed was my mother. Which could not have been more false.

I wanted to do something exciting. Something to make my mum proud yet so originally me. Something that I had always wanted to do since I was very very little. For as far back as I could remember. I didn't know that the opportunity was only around the corner in my life. Waiting. Just waiting for me to reach out and grab it.