Invisible

Chapter 1: Not Alone

Jenny slouched in her chair at the back of the classroom.(That's me) I pulled at the red bird's nest of hair on my head. My hands were calloused and coated with a layer of mud from years of working and never washing. I had never wanted to go to school. I was content on the farm: reading with the pigs, walking the dogs, drawing the chickens, riding the horses. My father was the one who insisted that I go to school.
"Education is the key to unlocking the Door of Wisdom." He always said. "All proper women must first be taught at a school." My mother was a quiet woman. She didn't approve of me going to school, but she never said anything. So I was sent off to school every day, except Sunday.
As I was thinking bitterly about school, my teacher was blabbering on and on about the origins of milk. Mrs. Scaffiddi was a young woman who did her best to hide her face under globs and globs of makeup. I giggled at the thought.
"Do you have something to say, Miss McKinley." Mrs. Scaffidi said in her high, fluttering voice. I imagined her in a soap opera singing about her lost love. Then, I realized that I was still smiling, so I did my best to look like I was concentrating.
"No m'am. You can go back to teaching." I said quietly so only David, who was sitting next to me, could hear.
"I thought not. Now you had best not bother me again." I shrank even farther in my chair. David looked over at me and smiled reassuringly. I remembered the first time I had met David. It was in the hallway on the first day of school. Mary, the meanest girl in school, pushed me to the ground. No one else helped me but David. He picked up my books and walked me into the classroom. We both chose seats at the back of class. I considered him a very good friend.
"Hey Jenny, did your mama make you that shirt." Mary asked tauntingly.
I cowered like prey in my chair. Mary's words pelted me like ice. My shirt was actually made by my mother, but nobody had ever made fun of it before.
"Leave her alone!" David scolded Mary. Mary scowled and glared at me. I smiled, but not enough that anyone would notice. Mary had a crush on David and would do anything he said. David didn't feel the same way.
"Miss McKinley are you getting yourself into more trouble." Again, Mrs. Scaffiddi stared daggers at me. She softened her voice. "Mary dear, is Jennifer bothering you." If anyone could lie to a teacher, it was Mary.
"Yes, m'am, Jenny is making fun of my clothes." Mary then breaks down into a huge fake sobbing fit. She looked at me and smiled slyly. Suddenly, the school bell rang. I grabbed my books and was out the door before Mrs. Scaffiddi could say anything. David ran up behind me and gingerly touched my shoulder.
"Are you okay? No, don't answer that. Mary is a jerk." He slumped his arm around the back of my neck. We started walking off towards the buses."I want to get to know you, Jenny. Do you want to come to my house?" I froze. No boy had ever taken an interest in me. I ran away towards my bus.
"No thanks, David." I whispered so quietly that I couldn't even hear myself.
"Jenny, wait." David tried to run after me, but I had already swung myself onto the bus. I chose the second seat and slumped into it. Everyone around me got up and moved to the back of the bus. That was more like normal. The bus started up and backed out of the parking lot. I had about five minutes on the bus before I was dropped off, which was lucky for me. The rest of the kids had less time to make fun of me. Oh shoot, I thought. In my rush out of the classroom, I had forgotten to grab my backpack out of my locker. At least we had gotten no homework.
"Will Queen Jennifer please step off the bus." The bus driver announced. He was one of the only people who was ever nice to me. Harrison was his name. I giggled and stood up.
"See ya, Loser McKinley," someone shouted from the back of the bus. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I choked down a sob. The bus driver smiled at me as I climbed off the bus. I stood on the driveway and watched the bus roll away. I put my hands in my pockets and found something there. Inside was a note. It read, "You are beautiful. Hold your pretty head high. You are not as alone as you feel." Mr. Harrison must have slipped it into my pocket. I waved goodbye to the bus and ran past the chickens into the house. My mother was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. She smiled and nodded at me. She seemed to understand how I felt about school.
"Where are Gabe and Andrew?" I asked. Gabe and Andrew were the two best brothers I could ask for. They were twins and we're both in eighth grade.
"Out back riding the horses," she answered. I rushed out the back door and saw them. Gabe had the stupidest smile on his face. Andrew's floppy, red hair bounced behind him.
"Hey guys!" I shouted. Neither of them heard me. Gabe turned and saw me. Star galloped over to me, with Gabe just about flying off her back. Andrew flashed a wide-toothed smile.
"Sorry, Combo is getting wild over here." Andrew yelled. Combo threw Andrew off his back and trotted next to me. Gabe laughed and ran over to help Andrew. They came back grinning.
"You have a way with horses, sis." Andrew ruffled my hair and we led Star and Combo back to the stables. After we had locked the stable doors, Gabe and Andrew ran off to milk the cows. I giggled and sprinted back into the house.
"No running in the house, dear," my mother scolded.
"Sorry mom," I slowed to a jog as I went up the stairs and into my room. I pulled out the note and pinned it onto my billboard. Again, I read the note. "You are beautiful. Hold your pretty head high. You are not as alone as you feel," I smiled. At least someone cared about me other than my family.
"Jennifer, it's dinner time," my mother was an exceptional cook, but I needed to be alone with my thoughts.
"No thanks!" I collapsed tiredly on the bed and fell into a light sleep.