SLUTS - S.White

chapter one

If you'd have tell me I would end up my year 11's second term smoke intoxicated while the school building goes up in flames, I would have laugh and call you stupid. Yet, this is exactly what's happening. And I might not even have the chance to call anyone stupid anymore because I can't find a way out. The smoke and bright flames are making what has been my personal hell for a few years now look like a labyrinth. I can't believe I'm going to die in this fucking place.
How ironic of you, life.
But for you to understand better on how I got myself rolled into this madness, let's start from the beginning. First day of term two at Hartley's High. After what had happened last term with the incest map, I was ready to put it all behind me. The drama, the rumors, SLTs classes and the one guy who I was dumb enough to let get in my pants. The only guy ever.
Which ultimately the whole school had find out about our brief night together. Never again am I getting humiliated like that. Because yes, people at school used it to make fun of me. But him, he didn't even got a single nasty look. People admired him and his long list of past conquests. Like I was nothing special for him while he was everything to me. My first.
Who cares now, first day back means new beginnings.

I wake up at half past six, my parents are already gone to work so I have to take care of my brother during school day mornings.
"Time to wake up, Archie." I knock three times on his bedroom door, hard enough to wake him up out of his slumber. I could throw a party downstairs and my twelve year old brother wouldn't even flutter his eyes open, he's the opposite of a light sleeper. No response to my knocks, he probably didn't hear his alarm. It's been irritatedly going off for the past ten minutes. I open the door and shake him. "Wake up, I don't want to be late for the first day of term."
He groans and turns on his back to give me a thumbs up, he heard me. I've done my job and now I have to go downstairs and make breakfast for the both of us. Eggs on toast, something quick and easy because I want to have the time to get ready this morning. After shoving the food in a ridiculous amount of seconds, Archie and I cross path as I go up and he goes down.
"Breakfast's on the counter."
"Thanks." He yawns, rubbing his still half closed eye.
"We leave in 40 minutes, don't be late." I shout from the top of the stairs.
"God Dani, it's way too early for you to be yelling."
I roll my eyes while I go sit on the floor in front of my mirror, at least he's heard me and can't say I didn't warn him. I start doing my skin care and makeup, something light with a lot of blush and little to no mascara. Something natural as if I had just come back from the most wonderful vacation. Except I was stuck here for most of the break. My parents were the ones out of town. They keep saying it was for business but their new tan tells me otherwise. I can't resent them though, they've been working their asses off since their new restaurant launched. Mum's a chef and Dad's an entrepreneur, some might say they're the dream team. And they are. But having successful parents also mean not having them much around home. The restaurant is their favorite child, it's the one they want to give all their attention to. And it's fine. When you get to look where we live, Archie and I will never lack anything. Thanks to our older and very much more talented non-existent sibling.

When it's almost time to go, Archie is no where in the house. It takes me a few seconds too long to recognize the sounds of dribbling coming from outside. I peak through the curtain and I should have known. Archie is in our neighbor's driveway, shooting hoops. Well, at least he's dressed. That's a win in my book. I grab his and my backpack and the keys on the counter before exiting through the garage door. I unlock the doors of my car and throw the bags on the backseat before leaning on the hood.
"Good job, little man. Maybe if you practice hard enough, you'll be as great as me once you reach puberty."
I hear a deeper, older voice approach from behind the basketball net, ball now in his filthy hands.
"Oi, stop messing with my brother, Spider."
His blue eyes meet mine, a smirk slowly forming on his lips once he reads my expression. He's always loved messing with the Bennett's, it started with me when we were five right up until we've entered high school. Once he was popular, we barely spoke which was fine by me but that was before I realized he still liked messing with me, just not at school.
"Archie and I are just playing, calm your tits."
"Yeah, Dani. Calm your tits." Archie repeats proudly, even more when Spider laughs and fist bumps him.
"Come on, we're going to be late. I have to drop you off on the other side of town." I wave for Archie to cross the yard to our driveway. The little shit doesn't budge, twelve year old boys are my nightmare. Can't they just listen for once. Instead, he takes the ball from Spider's hands and starts shooting again.
"Archie, I swear to god." I warn him but he doesn't even bat an eyelash. I sigh, defeated by this day and it's not even eight. Then the most unpredictable happens.
"Hey buddy, maybe you should listen to your sister before she turns into a PMS monster." I scoff.
What a fucking jerk.
"Here I'll make you a deal. If you go now, we'll play tonight after school." Spider crouches to my brother's height, slowly reaching for the ball in his hands. Archie is hesitant.
"Can you bring your dumb friend? He's funny."
Spider laughs. "You mean Ant?" Archie nods, smiling. "Yeah, I'll bring Ant if that's what closes the deal." Spider offers him his hand for them to shake on it and Archie drops the ball immediately to do it. I cross my arms, slowly walking to them in hope for my brother to see how disappointed I am. But every past feelings dissipate when I see that big stretched smile on his face.
"You have two minutes, go wash your hands and teeth." I shuffle his hair and give him a light push forward and he starts running inside.
"No thanks? No Spider you're my hero, I wouldn't have done it without you? Come on, Dani. It's the least you can do." Spider approaches, the ball in his hands is the only thing keeping me from jumping in his arms to give him the big slap I want to.
"You could have waited five more seconds before returning to being a jerk and you might have had the thanks you so want."
"Shame." He pouts.
"That's how your parents feel about you." I deadpan as if I'm a third grader in the quad trying to piss off the bully. I'm a new kind of pathetic.
Spider pathetic.
But that's the kind of annoying traits Spider brings out of me.
"Did you wrote this one down? Waiting for the day you'd get to say it to my face."
"Piss off." I walk away, back to my car as I hear him laughs. Probably thinking he's won whatever battle we've been going against for the past decade. I get into the driver seat, impatiently awaiting my brother's arrival.
"Watch out, the PMS is showing."
I flip him off through the opened window, not even glancing his way and Archie chooses this time to get out. He gets in the car and we drive off.
"I saw you do the middle finger to Spider."
"No, I didn't." My back straightens in my seat, uncomfortably trying to deny my brother's allegations. He's right but what kind of example do I set for him if I admit it. I'm supposed to teach him the good way of conflict resolution.
"You should be nice to Spider, I like him."
"Archie, Spider is a horrible person."
"Not when you get to know him."
"I've known him since before you were even born. Trust me on that one buddy, Spider is not friendly."
"Whatever. He's my friend so he must be friendly."
I round up by Archie's school's parking and park by the curb, a bit farther from the crowd of people. He doesn't want others to see me dropping him off. Typical teenager shit. I did the same to my nanny when I was twelve.
"There's some things you don't understand." I sigh, exhausted to have that same conversation every time I fight with Spider in front of Archie. "We'll talk about it later, okay?" I reach for him but he jerks back, quickly getting out of the car.
"Thanks for the ride." He mumbles before walking away.

Fucking Spider.
I am blaming him for this. He's a bad influence on Archie, he's probably putting misogynistic ideas in his head. God, I hope he doesn't seek dating help from him, that would definitely be the worst case scenario. The bell rings, startling me out of my thoughts, meaning the start of classes. Shit. I'm late.
First day back and I'm already fucking everything up. I drive so fast I'm surprised I didn't get a speeding ticket despite the horrible traffic. When I get to Hartley, the quad is empty. I run around school, trying to find an unlocked door and when I do, I sprint to my locker.
But I don't even have time to put my lunch in my locker that I hear footsteps.
The person clears their throat and for the second time today, I sigh in defeat.
"Miss Bennett, is this what to expect of you for the second term? An hour late on the first day."
Miss Woods is standing straight, arms crossed and foot angrily tapping.
"I'm sorry, Miss."
"Go on. SLT has already started but mind I say that this tardiness will be rewarded with detention."
"But I have to get–"
"No but. Now, go."
I nod, closing my locker and rapidly walk to the SLTs' classroom. It's empty.
Fucking hell.
Nothing is going like it's supposed to. Today was about new beginnings, a new era of my life where I can be free of humiliation, of gossip, of the high school experience I've lived so far. At least, I haven't see him yet. That's the one positive aspect of today so far, and if the bar is that low, I'm almost afraid of what to expect next. Because one thing I'm sure about, Hartley High attracts chaos and drama like flowers attract bees.
It's inevitable.