Above All

Alison

Chemistry. Alisons favourite subject. She'd love this day if it weren't for Spanish class, where she always had to sit next to a popular girl named Tessa.

She didn't understand why Tessa couldn't stop bothering her.
Right before class, Tessa asked her why she always looked at her like she wanted to kill her. So, that might've been it. But Alison didn't think her hatred for Tessa was that obvious, especially to Tessa. She thought Tessa'd be too stupid to even notice.

Truth was, Alison did dislike Tessa. Tessa hadn't known Alison for long, and they weren't even friends. But Alison had known Tessa for as long as she'd been gaining popularity. Tessa was one of the most popular girls in school. It was hard not to notice her and her mischief. And let's just say, Tessa wasn't the most quiet person in Spanish class... Or really anywhere for that matter.

Alison had seen a lot of the things Tessa did. Things that Tessa felt were justified when they really weren't. Tessa treated her friends like servants. She never paid attention to the lectures and went on bothering others who were actually trying to listen. Tessa didn't have a problem arguing with the teacher, and then there was that annoying phrase.
'I always win'.

Tessa thought of herself highly, as more valuable than others. While, Alison thought she was just like everyone else, sometimes even lower. Those two mindsets colliding could not end well. It just started a silent war between the two girls.

Alison couldn't stand Tessa pretending some guy liked her just to see her reaction.

She wasn't even interested in boys. Tessa was hyper interested in boys.

Every week, she'd get a new boyfriend. All while presumably having the same crush on a guy named Lorcan.

Lorcan was a little younger than Tessa, but just as old as Alison. She knew that because they went to the same class.

He hung out with the trouble makers, but was a little less extreme than them. He was ass, no doubt. But at least he wouldn't disrupt the lecture during class.

Tessa made a big deal out of him. She made it sound like they were head over heels in love. Yet, they haven't gone on a single date, and they didn't talk during breaks. Only lectures, and probably through online chats.

Alison felt relieved she was able to calm herself now because Spanish class was over, and she probably wouldn't see Tessa during break, as Tessa always snuck off property anyway.

Chemistry went on flawlessly. The other students were all nerds, like her. So, there were no students needlessly disrupting the class.

They did a little experiment and wrote a protocol to it. For the experiment, Alison partnered up with her friend Charlotte. They got along well, especially in chemistry or biology.

At recess, Alison left the classroom and went outside. The air was cool, not surprising for the approaching winter. Well, it was November. But it hadn't snowed yet, and it wasn't that cold. So winter didn't quite fit the bill. Alisons' grandmother said she could forget ever building a true snowman in this country ever again. She remembered the stories her grandparents would tell her about how they got a day off of school because it was just snowing so much. That sounded like a fairytale to her. But she really hadn't built a snowman in ages.

She was walking past a lot of students. Her goal: Her secret hideout. It might sound silly to have a hideout in grade nine. But she and her friends liked meeting there to hang out. It was a secluded corner behind the school. Not where the smoke and vape addicts always met, much more behind the trees. There was a wooden table with two wooden benches. It also had a flat roof for rain protection that was also wooden. She definitely wasn't supposed to go there, but who was going to find out? It was just a meeting place for her and her friends. They didn't do anything illegal, besides trespassing, probably. But nobody lived there anyway.