Lessons Learned

I could say that I was a well adjusted, smart, popular teenage girl, but then I'd be lying. While there are many things I am, I am not a liar. So, I shouldn't have to tell you that the following story is completely true. Some facts I cannot remember, such as the color of clothing, or whatever was in the room at the time. It might have to be made up or ignored completely. Really, do such minute details matter? No they don't. Not to me anyway.

But perhaps, before I begin, I should introduce myself. My name is Alice Taylor, and while my current age doesn't matter, my age during this tale is approximately fourteen. Such a young age, a time when innocence was just beginning to slip away for most, yet for myself it was almost totally gone.

Right. Rambling. Sorry. Do forgive me, won't you? I promise I'll start my story very soon, but there is one more thing I should tell you, a warning if you will.

This story is not for the young, nor the faint of heart. It is filled with the things of nightmares, sadism and torture.

Now I can begin.

I groaned as I awoke, slamming my hand down on the alarm clock beside my bed. Only after hitting the 'snooze' button two more times did I actually get out of my warm cozy bed. Showering, and brushing my teeth, I still felt far to tired to attend school, and contemplated telling my mother that I was sick and couldn't go. Of course, as it was the first day back after a break I doubt my mother would believe me and blame my 'illness' on the fact that I'd been drinking the night before.

Squeezing my way into my baby blue v-neck that showed far too much, and an itty-bitty black leather-like mini-skirt, I was almost prepared for the day. All that remained was a fresh coating of make-up stolen from the nearby pharmacy. My parents were the type that didn't like to see their child grown up, wearing adult clothing, or caked in makeup or even dating before they turned twenty. But it's not as if other girls my age weren't doing the same thing, in fact, as I recall, five other girls showed up in outfits almost identical to mine that day.

The small apartment was silent as I ate, my father already having left for work and my mother no doubt had headed straight over to her Tennis lessons at the country club just half an hour away. Honestly, who planned tennis lessons for seven in the morning?

After finishing my toast, I grabbed my pink satchel, embroidered with flowers (filled with everything but school work), and was out the door for another overly long day at the local middle school.

As soon as I stepped off the bus, my 'friends' swarmed around me. Chatting rampantly about the latest celebrity scandal or couple, about who was now dating who and cheating on them with whomever, and which high schooler they hooked up with over the break.

That was who I used to be. Another mindless, ignorant done. The events of that day would change me, and never again would not painting my fingernails the right shade of green be the worst thing to ever happen.

"So Alice, have you see the newest Justin Beiber video?" asked Maria, I nodded and added a compliment about his dancing.

"Did you see the new teacher yet?" I turned to Kayla, curious about a new teacher. There had been no previous news about one retiring, so I'd had no idea that we were getting a new one. "Oh my god! You have to see hm! He is like, so totally hot. I'd so let him take my v-card!"

What a load of shit. Kayla lost her 'v-card' at thirteen to a high school senior. Not only was it creepy and disgusting, but he refused to talk to her again. In the end, she denied it ever happened and claimed she was still a virgin. Of course, this didn't stop her obsessing over him for another three months until another boy caught her eye.

But none-the-less, I laughed along with them. An incessant, mindless chatter only teen girls could produce.

Looking back, I can see why so many students hated us, why so many absolutely detested us. It wasn't even an 'oh, they're jealous and that's why they hate us', it was that we were the most annoying people on the planet. They suffered because of us, but we'd never admit it.

It didn't take long for the bell announcing the start of the day to ring. We stood in our circle, blocking an entrance and forcing students to push past us with sighs and "sorry". It took another ten minutes before we finally decided it was time for our big entrance.