All Along

001

It was a dark, nasty day in Louisiana, as always. The clouds filled with a hideous gray color, looking as if droplets of water could spew from them at any given moment.

I slip out of my comfortable bed, hearing birds chirping outside, which is highly unusual because gray skies usually call for heavy thunderstorms; smarter birds would have flew away to find shelter.

"Tessa!"

My name echoes through the hallways and throughout my room.

"Tessa, your going to be late for school again!" my mothers drunken voice slurs once again.

I snap my eyes in the direction of my alarm clock. Seven thirty. Crap, that will be the second time this week.

"Okay, Tessa! You have fifteen minutes to get ready and five minutes to walk to school," I say to myself.

I quickly run my brush through my short, brown  hair and decide to leave it down. By the time I am dressed and have brushed my teeth and hair, it's seven forty seven. Perfect.

I slip on my cheaply made backpack and walk outside. I almost fall to the floor and cry when I look at the sky. Just with my luck; its pouring down rain.

It's only about a three minute walk to school, but its raining hard enough for my outfit to get drenched in water. I run down the sidewalk trying to navigate where I'm going.

Just great; I'm going to be soaking wet when I get to school. Fantastic.

I try to walk a little slower so I don't actually run into the street. The rain is now falling harder and I can barely see straight.

After a couple minutes of walking, I'm finally at school; late, but hey, at least I'm here at all. I run to the office and grab a tardy slip and scurry through my backpack to find my science book when I remember that I left it on my bed last night when I was studying. Well I'm having a great day so far.

I'll just have to do without it today. Once I've gathered all my books for first and second period, I'm off to class. I pull the door open to Mr. Montgomery's classroom.

"Late again I see, Tessa?" He scoffed and I cringe at the thought that everyone looking at me and my sopping wet clothes. "What's the excuse this time? Was mom to drunk to drive you to school?" He spat and the whole class laughs as he walks over and snatches the tardy slip from my hands.

Its kind of unfair the way he treats me. No one else, just me. It's moments like these when I wish I was 16 and had a car. That way I wouldn't be late; I wouldn't put the class behind; Maybe Mr. Montgomery might even like me more. But I'm stuck with being 15 for another 4 months.

"Alright class, take out your science text book and turn to page 481," Mr. Montgomery announces and my heart races.

I don't have my book... What am I gonna do? Maybe Mr. Montgomery won't notice if I pull out my math book and set into on my desk. That way it looks like I have my book. I pull out the blue text book flipping random pages to make it seem like I am actually looking. After flipping random pages back and forth, I set the book on my desk. Mr. Montgomery starts telling us about the importance of the ozone layer and I practically fall asleep in his nauseatingly boring lesson. That doesn't last for long though; Mr. Montgomery starts to walk around the classroom while he is speaking and I slide my book onto my lap.

'Please don't notice the math book, please don't notice the math book' the voice in my head repeats. I cringe once he walks by my desk.

"You know I hate that, get the book off your lap," Mr. Montgomery points out and all eyes are on me. I obey his command and put it back on my desk and he let's out a horrendous laugh-no cackle.

"That's funny because last time I checked we were in science class... Why are there math problems in your book?" He asks, picking up my book looking at the cover letting out another wave of laughter and my heart sinks "Tessa, this is a math book. Do you suppose that I am that stupid?"

"No, sir!" I sigh, knowing what will come next.

"Tessa, Tessa, Tessa," he smirks, "detention!" He announces, kneeling down to my height for a split second, before getting back up.

By the end of class, I want to wrip my hair out- no, I want to wrip the small patch of probably fake hair off his stupid little wallnut head.

Lunch time rolls around and I end up sitting alone again. I used to be upset about always sitting alone at lunch. I never wanted to be that girl who had no friends. Sure, I get a few 'hi's' and 'Hello's in the hallways but that's pretty much it.

I don't eat school food because I'm really not asking for food poisoning, but the growls and rumbling noises forming in my stomach pursue me to think twice about my choice.

I decide on a bag of chips from the vending machine. I walk over to the over crowded area and squeeze my way through hormonal teens and book worms, like myself. Once I have payed and selected what I want, I turn around to see a face that I really dreaded seeing. Mandy Williams. A practical spawn of the devil.

She takes one look at me and a smirk spreads across her face that has probally a pound of makeup smeared across it. None the less, boys practically drool at the sight of her.

"Tessa, so nice to see you!" She says with the most sarcastic voice I have ever heard.

The smile on her face is so fake that I want to laugh at how ridiculous she looks, but I wouldn't do that because I'm not in the mood to get a beating from her boyfriend, Liam today.

"You know what? Since your already fat enough, why don't you let me do you a favor and just take these," she laughs, taking my bag of chips and smashing the bag with her freshly manicured nails.

I expected her to just walk off but I guess she was feeling extra cruel today and decide to open the bag and dump the crumbs over my head. All eyes are on me as I gasp and try not to let out the tears that are threatening to fall from my eyes.

I've had enough. She wants to fight dirty, I fight dirtier...