supernova

Atlas: Chapter 1

I was going to be late on my first day of junior year.

I shouldn't be here.

I should be back home. I should be with Carli.

No.

Carli should be here with me. We should be back home. Together.

But instead I was here. I should be back home with Aleksandra, my ex, but I'd take a new damn town over the puppy dog pity face she gave me every time she looked at me.

She dumped me. I was glad. She deserved better.

I wanted to be home, but I didn't want to be there right now; everyone talked to me like I was a two year old. I couldn't handle the way they treated me. I was the charity case everyone felt obliged too because they didn't notice Carli wanted to die.

The worst part was that I looked up to her. I thought Carli and I were best friends, but I couldn't even see that she was so deeply hurt.

"Here," I called out as I walked into my AP Chemistry class in the middle of attendance. I didn't even care that she had just called a random chick's name.

I wanted people to see me: I wanted them to know I was here. I wanted them to dislike that I walk in late with a bad attitude I wanted them to leave me alone.

"Arabella?" The woman calling attendance, who I assumed was Mrs. Raj because it said so on my schedule, asked as she looked at me with her head tilted.

"Here," I said, not really paying any attention. The teacher looked back and forth between us in confusion.

"I'm Arabella," A voice called. It wasn't soft; it wasn't loud.  It was affirmative, but it wasn't stern.

"And I'm late," I said as I saw Mrs. Raj mark down her attendance sheet.

"That's him!" The dark skinned girl next to the girl named Arabella whispered. I could hear them. I didn't know I was already famous.

"And that's a study guide. Girl, you know if you start the year with a bad grade your mom is going to murder you." It seemed that Arabella had her own, and other's priorities set straight.

None of my business.

As Mrs. Raj handed out the test, I let her know I just moved here and she gave me the study sheet the other students completed over the summer.

I had a two week period to take the test.

Nice.

First day of school and I'm already behind.

While the others spent the period taking the test, I glanced over the study guide. It wasn't necessarily hard, it was just a lot of material.

The one and a half period long class felt like a boring eternity. I nearly rushed out of the class to gym.

"If you have A-3 on your schedule, over here!" I looked at my schedule. A-3.  Apparently I football coach for gym. This class was either going to be a breeze or I would actually have to work.

"Taking attendance." Mr. Donovan nearly yelled as he went down the list of kids in our class.

"Arabella Turner!" He called her name.

"Here," She answered half bored.

"This is gym, speak up!" Her voice was fine. The guy was just dramatic.

"Here," She called a bit louder. She rolled her eyes, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Atlas Phoenix!" Why my name was at the end of the roster, which was written in alphabetical order, I didn't know. Actually, it was probably because I was enrolled late.