Living Grim

Chapter 1

            "Shorty!" A boy shouted in my direction. "How do you live being so ugly?"

"Where'd you get those pants? Walmart?' A girl yelled and then snickered.

It was 8 o'clock AM. I continued to walk down the awful prison that us seventh graders call "school". I walked with my head down, trying to remain unnoticed. I pull my maroon hood over my head. Dark thoughts roll into my mind; suicidal ones...I push them out as I continue to hide my face.

Some girls laughed as I walk by, "Look, It's stupid Skylar" That's what all the bullies called me, a short boy, getting bad grades, it wasn't really my fault that I was new and didn't understand the schoolwork. My pace speeds up a little bit, until a boy stuck out his foot and I fall onto the dark tiles. My hand took most of the impact, my palm was bleeding.

"Have a nice trip?" The boy asked. I had the slight urge to punch him square in the face but I ignored it. I simply got back up and kept walking toward my favorite class, Science.

As I walked into the classroom, it looks like what you would expect a science room to look. Sinks line the pale, white walls. Above the sinks are cabinets with beakers filled with strange chemicals. There are six wooden tables with a granite countertop. At each table there are four chairs. At the front of the room, there is a huge whiteboard, covered in various equations. In front of the board there is another granite desk, about a foot taller than the rest. Sitting at the desk is a familiar face, Mr. Pennington. He was a tall white man with red hair and a stubbly red beard.

I walked in and sit at the seat nearest the door. Mr. Pennington smiles at me the moment he saw me. The other students filed in after me, each one glared at me, their faces dark and grim, as if planning their next attempt to hurt me.

At the far end of the room sits a beautiful girl. She raises her hand, "Excuse me"

"Yes, Sofia" Mr. Pennington replied.

"Can I move my seat, please?" Mr. Pennington nodded. Sofia stood, she had gorgeous long legs that made her stand tall. She slightly resembled a model. She had long brown hair, in a slick back braid. She had long strides, she walked away from the girls sitting next to her and sat down next to me. As she sat down, she blushed intensely.

Mr. Pennington began to speak about life science. He explained cells, plant cells and animal cells and the differences between them. He simply talked for twenty-five minutes.

But then six important words came out of his old lips, "I am assigning you a project" The entire class grinned when they heard him. "You will be working with the people at your table to make a model of a cell." My table only had three people at it. Me, the bullied kid who can't even walk through a hallway without getting pushed, or kicked, or punched; Sofia Roig, one of the most beautiful girls in our grade; and Craig, a fat kid who rebels at everything.

I sighed, looking at my group. This isn't going to be easy. "Let's get started" I say to the group. Sofia looks up at me, her face as red as a fire truck.

Craig started to draw something. I looked over at his notebook, at first it looked a little like a plant cell. Then he drew in some details, it was a skull and crossbones. He laughed his same corny, stupid laugh and spoke "Let's model this"

Sofia and I both sighed in synch. Sofia started to sketch a dog-looking thing. Then she drew a circle going off of it, inside the circle she drew an animal cell. She shrugged, "Okay?"

I shook my head no, unable to speak. "W-We need to sculpt it. And h-how can we m-make that?" She nodded and closed her notebook. My palms began to sweat, it made me so nervous to talk to her. She looked a little ashamed in herself.

"How about," I sketched a 3D plant cell. "This?"

Sofia grins, "Perfect!"

"Let's get to work then" Craig laughed again, the sound that I despised. And I couldn't focus on anything, but the terrible noise. It seemed louder than usual, more... if I can say... consuming...