Changing Harper

Chapter Two

Harper was seated in her classroom right next to the teacher's desk as she usually would and proceeded to take out the things she'd need. She sighed as her things were neatly placed on the table for two, but that was soon ruined as a girl flew onto the spot next to her. The quick gust of air blowing Harper's pencils around. Harper held a distraught face as she looked up at the girl who had sat next to her. It had surprisingly been the blue haired girl who had been beside her locker. Harper began to pick up her things as the late bell whistled. She realized it was too late to move and grudgingly sat down in her seat, quickly trying to rearrange her items. The small teacher walked in, gently leaning on a cane. Harper grew to know her as Miss Lainey. They had shared the same rule-following morals and Harper was grateful she knew somebody who was alike her. Nobody else at the school liked to even associate with her. The only time Harper was brought into conversations was jokingly. Miss Lainey stumbled over her feet and the blue haired girl snorted from beside her.

"Oh! Hello! It's good to see a few fresh faces in my eleventh grade class! I figured we could start out with a quick bubble letter sketch of your name. Each letter filled with something you like!" Miss Lainey spoke out. She handed Harper a set of big poster board and Harper began to hand out the poster to people, nobody uttered a "Thank you" or a "Hi Harper". It made Harper mildly upset, but she just smiled at her classmates and sat down, sketching out "HARPER" in bubble letters that reminded her of clouds. She wanted it to be perfect.

Riley from beside her drew her name in graffiti like letters. Honestly she hadn't wanted to be put in an art class, sure she was artistic but it always irritated her when art classes would try and limit her. It was always "draw a circle", "draw a square" and not once has anybody told her to do something that she wanted. School was hell for her, just as it was for everybody else. Harper began to hum from beside her. Riley took back what she had thought, it was hell for most everybody else. She peeked over onto Harper's paper to see her making a pattern of peace signs in the H of her name. Riley rolled her eyes and looked back at her paper. Well, if the teacher wanted to know what she liked...

"Uh.. I don't think that's appropriate.." Harper muttered to Riley, looking at her paper. Riley had been drawing guns and knives inside of the letter L.

"Nobody cares." Riley bluntly responded, continuing to draw the weapons.

"We have to show this to the whole class, Riley.. I'm just trying to help so you don't get in trouble.." Harper whispered back, as if they weren't supposed to be talking. Riley rolled her eyes at Harper's worry. Harper needed to let loose, or at the least sit far away from Riley. 

"I'm about to get in trouble for punching you in the mouth if you don't shut up." Riley told Harper loudly, glaring at her. Harper looked as if she was going to cry. Riley almost felt bad until her phone buzzed in her pocket. Riley glanced around to see that their teacher was busy reading a newspaper. She took out her phone to see the message she had gotten from Leah.

Leah: I'm kind of glad you moved Riley. Wouldn't want Mike to beat you up again. 

Riley frowned and moved to respond, but Harper's shrill voice pierced the air.

"Miss Lainey! Riley is texting!" She complained, eyes fixated on the teacher. Miss Lainey saw Riley holding her phone and held out her hand towards her. Riley was about to fight the girl next to her. She guessed she had mental issues because she was acting like a five year old. Riley responded by slipping her phone into her bag and high-fiving the teacher. Miss Lainey appeared way less than amused.

"Phone, now. Or I'll have to give you a referral." She demanded, keeping her hand held out.

"I already put it away, m'am!" Riley complained, glaring at Harper. Harper sank back in her seat.

"Misuse of technology or class disruption, Miss Knocker?" Miss Lainey raised her eyebrows, her hand still out. Riley let out a groan and noticed the rest of the class staring at her. She took her phone out of her bag and handed it to the teacher.

"Do I get it back end of class then?" Riley asked impatiently. There was no way in hell she could tell her parents she had her phone taken away on the first day. 

"No m'am. You get it back once your parent comes to collect it from the office." She answered. The bell rang, the students piled out of the classroom, Miss Lainey following, with the exception of Riley and Harper.

"I'm going to rip your fucking face off!!" Riley growled, pouncing across the table to grab Harper. Harper began to panic and plead.

"Please! I like my face! I'm just trying to be a good person!" She cried out, holding her hands in front of her as if it was going to stop Riley. She held her fist back and landed a single punch on Harper, who stopped crying as soon as she was hit. This seemed to flip Harper's persona completely, she began to hit Riley back. The two brawled and a crowd began to flood into the art classroom. Riley was too distracted trying to knock Harper unconscious, but Harper began to listen in on what everybody was whispering. Several phones were recording, Harper had felt like people actually liked her for once.

"Is that Harper White?!"

"That's the new girl, Riley! I told you she was a badass!"

"That cannot be Harper Whit!"

A final blow to Harper sent her falling to the ground, beaten and hurt she couldn't get up anymore.

"Tell anybody it was me and you have another thing coming for you." Riley growled as her eye throbbed. It was about the only damage Harper had really done. Teachers and security guys began to enter the room, everybody began to leave the room, Riley slipped into the crowd.

The school day seemed to end as soon as it started. Harper had sat in the nurse's office for the remainder of the day. It didn't surprise anybody that Harper had been attacked, and no justice was done as a result. Once the bell had rung, Harper made her way home. She usually walked, but as she made her way to the sidewalks, she realized Riley was making her way the same direction. Harper was envious of her. People already talked to her, and by the apparent way she was walking towards the direction of Matthew Lochland's house, she had already been invited to a party. She wanted to be like Riley, she wanted to have friends and go to parties. She wanted to be cool, but she didn't want to do the wrong thing. Harper thought a lot as she reached her plain beige house. She walked inside and saw her brother sitting at the kitchen table typing into a laptop. He had graduated last year, and was the only person that actually talked to Harper in school.

"Have a good time on the first day ba- whoa." He greeted, glancing at Harper and taking in the many bruises and a spot on her forehead that had obviously been bleeding. Harper felt his eyes scan her and the sores seemed to feel worse.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, taking off her flats and staring at her toes. She felt like she had disappointed him.

"Bruises and blood. Harper, this hasn't happened before. Did somebody beat you up?" He asked, worried. He had always worried about Harper getting attacked and beaten up. Even him himself admit that his sister was way to worried about rules. Harper broke down in her brother's arms.