Do They Bother You? (Editing)

Chapter One

January

"Is that her?"

"Why is she here?"

"Do you think she's a transfer?"

"Shhh...here she comes."

I ducked my head, letting my dark hair create a curtain between the real world and my imaginary one. In my imaginary world, people didn't whisper about me. I'd never been to a Rehab center and my twin brother hadn't died. I didn't have scars. I'd never been raped, either.

Sweeping such thoughts under the rug of my mind, I quickly spun the dial on my new locker and prayed I'd remembered the combination correctly. I'd only arrived at Lincoln Prep High School last night after an hour drive from my home in Montville, Connecticut. LPHS was supposed to be my fresh start, my new beginning. So far, I didn't feel much different.

I opened my locker and slid my new books inside, looking out the window near it to catch a glimpse of the bustling streets of New Haven. It was strange, living in the city- I was used to small towns and quiet streets. I'd barely been able to sleep last night, not that the silence would have been any different.

A group of students who looked to be my age were standing off to the side, two boys and a girl. Naturally I fell into my old habits, listening quietly to their conversation as I stared at my schedule. Unsurprisingly, they were talking about me.

"Is that her?" The girl was asking.

"Yeah. Got in last night." One of the boys answered, the one on the left. "It's kind of weird, having her show up halfway through the school year."

"She's weird." The girl argued. She was tiny, closer to five feet than four, with bright red hair that had to have been dyed. It was heavy hair, with choppy bangs that fell into her eyes when she talked and brushed her elbows when she turned. Her brilliant blue eyes seemed to hold a million secrets, and her upturned nose gave her an air of haughtiness.

"Leave off, Kam." The second boy said, shaking his head and shifting his stance. He had his back to me, so all I could see was the mass of dark hair that brushed the collar of his dark blue blazer. It was part of the uniform: white button-up shirt with the school's crest embroidered on the breast, dark blue, grey, and white striped tie, grey or black slacks, and the optional blazer. The only freedom we had was our footwear- I'd opted for my grey, plaid high-top converse, though quite a few people seemed to be wearing dress shoes.

"What?" The redhead- Kam- asked, as if she had no idea what the boy was talking about.

"I'm sure her first day is hard enough without you spreading rumors, Kambri. I'm going to invite her to lunch." He said. My eyes widened as I stuffed the last text book into my locker and grabbed a notebook, slamming the door shut as I turned to go. But he was already coming toward me, and there was no pretending I'd not seen him.

"Hey." It was a casual, easy-going tone he used, almost soothing in it's inflections. It was like he was trying to calm a panicking animal.

I nodded shyly. "Hi." I murmured, my voice soft and high and gentle. I'd always been a quiet kid. "I'm Delena."

"I'm James. But everyone calls me LJ." He responded, holding out a hand. Timidly, I shook it.

"I didn't realize we were at nicknames already." I told him in an attempt at a lame joke or some illusion of confidence- I wasn't sure which.

He shrugged. "Course we are."

To my surprise, I cracked a smile. "In that case, call me Lena."

He smiled. "Lena." He tried out, rolling the syllables around in his mouth. "I like it. So, if you don't mind me asking, why'd you switch schools halfway through the school year? It takes a lot to get into Lincoln Prep."