That Girl And her Tiger Tattoo

ch. 2- new town

So, basically, after the whole crazy thing, I'd turned into pretty much a bad ass. No one around town would give me a job so I created one for myself. I kept things in order. I'd become accustomed to the cold because exactly 1 year ago I had gotten lost. So obviously if it was exactly 1 year ago, it would've been kind of winter then, too. After realizing I couldn't frickin' get a job, I stole some money and stayed wherever I could. I paid some bad people off and worked at a hotel as a servant pretty much to stay there for awhile. Eventually, the dew on the ground turned to frost and I was running out of money so I stole more. I was okay for the winter. But, unfortunately, I was actually a semi-pretty girl. I'd always thought of myself as pretty much average with my small, round nose, wide gray eyes, and thick wavy brown hair, but now I knew I had something that apparently a couple guys wanted. I was a bad girl, average, not bad looking, and in need of a place to sleep. Soo, you can imagine how that went down. But, yeah, West Woodlands was a little more bigger than East Woodlands and kinda dangerous. I didn't like it. Not one bit. Plus, my family and other people I used to know were always coming and going for their shopping needs. See, East Woodlands was a smaller town without a Wal-Mart, all we had there was a small supermarket with prices slightly higher than Wal-Mart.
So, I was ready to split the scene pretty quick. Being a streetwise girl, I acquired a knife from one of my new "friends" and was able to hitch a ride on a school bus going out of town. It read, "Sarah Marshall Academy."
I wasn't sure where this town was considering instead of saying blah blah blah area schools it was an academy, but hey, I'd take it. Only problem was, the people here were guys. And I was obviously a girl.
I had seen my family recently in town and was happy to get out so I figured I'd somehow make it out. I went into a store, unnoticed and bought a plain blue and white baseball cap. I had noticed the boys' jerseys were blue and white so I might get on the bus kind of unnoticed. I took my hat up to the front. I was unfazed by the clerk staring at me because by now I knew no one would care if some teen age girl walked in. I had seen every one talking about the mental patient and no one thought it would be a 16 year old female. All it said in the papers was escaped mental patient. The town used it for publicity, the tourists ate it up. All the T shirts had a big burly bald guy with scars and sharp teeth. No one expected a petite 17 year old girl. And no one asked.
Was I mad about this? The clerk took the hat and rung it up. He gave it back. I paid him and walked out. Nope. Definitely not mad. In fact, I thought it was hilarious. Call me crazy, but people misinterpreting something that badly, oh my God. I even wear a T shirt beneath the plaid flannel. It says, "the town's heritage. Then there's a picture of the burly guy with scars running around and stomping on the main library downtown.
I laughed every time I saw it. That guy was supposed to be me???
I walked out and as I was heading past an anime store I saw a boy from the bus walking outside. He was... pacing? Hmm, must not be into anime I thought with a laugh.
The boy finally turned a corner and began walking down the street.
I followed him. I should know what kind of town know was getting into. What better way then to stalk a citizen? Especially one that is my peer. Wait a second! What the heck is his problem? He walked right into the path of moving car. With no better way to help I ran and knocked him down. He hit the ground kinda hard and was startled. It was strange though. He looked up at me and asked if I was cold I replied something like I run hot and ran for it. When I got back the bus was open and people were boarding. I hopped on and took a seat in the back. I hid beneath the seat and pulled back my hair, sliding the baseball cap on a again.
That's when they came. Only two people sat in the back. One of them was the kid I saved. He sat in the seat in front of me and he and his friend were talking and laughing. I slid lower beneath the seat, the one all the way in the back. I sat on the floor between the seats and rested my forehead against the back of the seat in front of me. And then, I went to sleep.
I woke up just as the bus lurched to a stop in the school parking lot. At first I felt groggy and confused. My head rang. As the others began to get up, I stood unsteadily and walked behind them to the front of the bus. I followed them down the stairs and while they went to their parents' cars I ran out across the football field and hurriedly made my way up town. I was soon out on a country road. If my memory served correctly, this was the same town my parents once brought me through when I was little. There were many old houses, abandoned. If there was a broken window I could crawl through that would work.
Finally I found one in decent condition but with windows broken. I ran to the small,  shack like house and hoisted myself up onto the window ledge. I carefully crawled through the window, some of the jagged glass edges slashed my skin.
I wearily made my way through the house. It was small, I found, with just the kitchen and then a bed room and a bathroom. The bedroom didn't even have a door, just a curtain hanging from a low bar suspended by the ceiling with rope in either end.
I stumbled into the bedroom and my knees hit the bed. I was falling, falling onto the bed and into a state of unconsciousness at the same time.
I awoke early in the morning and stood quickly, almost hitting my head on the ceiling because it sagged so low from water damage.
I remembered that I had stowed away on a school bus and hitch hiked a ride into this new town. My first stop was at the store. I bought some new clothes that didn't cost much and I went to school. I didn't know when it opened but I knew I'd still better hurry. I asked the cashier after paying them where the school was in town. I wasn't sure how to get back since I had been tired last night. They told me it was in the center of town. So, as soon as I left the store I could take any road I felt like as long as it went to the right.
I thanked her and left. I hurried to the center of town on a road to my right and found it. I was a little off from the office entrance but I didn't mind so much. I just jogged towards the double doors in the middle of what I assumed was the front of the school.
I threw open the doors and all the kids stared long and hard. I made my way down the halls and some of the slightly younger kids backed away in terror. My worn black combat boots made echoes down the hall as they hit the floor.
I found the office right away and went in. It was nice and peaceful. Just little old ladies playing elevator music to while away their day.
I came up to the desk and actually became nervous. It made me feel short and I nearly peeled up over the top. "Hello," I say, praying I sound cheerful.
"Hello, dear. Is there an issue? Did anyone call you up?"
"Actually, ma'am," I reply. "I'm new here. I just moved from one of the twin towns last night and boy your kids did fine at the track competition."
"Thank you," a blonde intern said as she stepped up. She had long red nails and glowing blue eyes. She looked like a frickin' Barbie doll.
"Uh... yeah." I turned back to the older woman. "Would you sign me up? Is there any paperwork?"
"I'm sure the government already has it, sweets," Blondie replies before the woman can open her mouth. "You might as well get to class before you're late."
She seemed kind of mean actually so I started out of the office.
"Wait," the older woman said. She asked me my age and printed me out a schedule. I took it and rushed out of there.
I found my first class after like seven tries. Mr. Star. He was apparently a old washed up actor from Hollywood and he altered between drawling on and on about our lessons and drawling about his past career.
The next class was strange as well. Ms. Mary... she was a published writer and had a way with words. But, she was an artist. She taught us art. So as she layered us with rules, she taught us how to "be free." I liked art, it made me think a lot. Like how I'd never truly been free. I missed a full year of my life. Surviving the winter and keeping yourself breathing was so different than truly living, having fun, hanging with friends, etc.
Right now, I didn't have friends...