"So are you coming to Hannah's sleepover tomorrow night?" Startled by the voice my head jerked up to see my friend Tash leaning against the neighbouring one. I visibly relaxed, putting a hand to my beating chest, wondering how I didn't hear her approaching.
Her long brown hair was pulled into a messy braid; the end draping over her shoulder. She was wearing a black low cut, three-quarter sleeved tee that was tucked into her ripped at the knee, blue skinny jeans. Around her slim waist was her loosely tied red and black flannelette shirt. Her thick black eye liner along with her heavily applied mascara contrasted against her pale skin and sea green eyes. She accompanied her look with her hundred year old black converse-the dirty shoes were on the brink of death, but she refuses to wear anything else.
All she needed was a bandana or a pair of drum sticks in her back pocket to pull off the full garage band look.
"Ahhhhhhh? I don't know." I dragged out, pretending to think if I was free or not. I've been avoiding answering all day today, knowing my friends wouldn't like the only answer I had to give.
"Come on Chris, you never do anything fun with us anymore." She pleaded making me wince. Her words were all too true, stabbing me in the heart and making me feel even more guilty. I've ditched countless parties, shopping sprees, school events, and sleepovers in the past few months.
Each time I deny an invitation and see the dejected look on my friends faces, a piece of me breaks. "Hannah's already rescheduled twice so you can come." Tash reminded me.
"I know." I sighed turning back to my locker, not being able to maintain eye contact. I shuffled through my text books, making myself appear to be busy, but as I did so I felt Tash's burning gaze to the side of me. I tried my hardest to ignore it as I began stuffing today's homework into my backpack.
My persistent friend didn't, or rather refused to take the hint that I wanted to drop the subject as she continued to guilt trip me.
"We haven't had a sleepover with all four of us in ages." Tash whined. "I miss spending time with you freaks." She added, referring to our tight and intimate circle of friends, which consists of Tash, Hannah, Shanei and I. Sometimes I actually wonder how the hell we're friends, I mean we're all so different.
Tash has the whole misfit thing going on, not giving a shit about school. Tash actually just came from detention; she was caught setting off the smoke alarm again. I had some homework to do in the library so I said I would wait for her. She often does that sort of thing-ditching, not doing homework, back chatting teachers, vandalising school property. Even before Tash and I became friends, she was known for being rebellious and breaking rules.
When she was given the title 'bad girl' after spray painting male genitals on the hood of the principles car, the school seemed to outcast her in fear.
Fear that she would snap and use her street fight skills to bash them up. Fear that she would invite them into the world of gangs and drugs. Fear that she'll take you hostage and burn you with the tip of her lit cigarette until you agreed to do her homework for the rest of the year.
Just a few of the rumours floating around school.
I don't get it though. She's not actually a bad person. She's not mean, she's not mentally unstable and she doesn't have any anger issues. She's not involved in drugs or gangs or anything of the sort.
She's just a regular teenage girl that lives on the dangerous side and enjoys challenging societal values.
Who cares if Mr Rossland still doesn't know who gave his car a new paint job. Who cares if he now parks his car directly in front of his office window so he can personally watch his vehicle like a hawk.
