Fern:
They all think I'm crazy.
Well, maybe I am.
I can hear them. They whisper about me sometimes, when I walk past. They mock me, because I don't have any friends and I don't have any friends because they mock me. High school is one fun cycle isn't it? Nothing ever changes.
But I don't need them anyway.
It's snowing this morning as I trudge down to school. The street lights are still feebly shining through the dawn. My boots have a hole somewhere and I can feel the slush seeping through. I wriggle my toes in a futile attempt to keep them warm.
"How's it going?" A solemn girl, with a ski jacket and a big cashmere wooly scarf, appears at my side and joins me, step for step.
"Same as always, Amie," I shrug nonchalantly as possible.
"How's the painting? You were doing a Harry Potter set, right?"
I smile sadly, "I didn't get very far. My parents say I should study rather paint. Apparently it's a waste of time."
"Bitches," she frowns. I laugh at this uncharacteristic phrase of hers.
"By the way, I found the old sledge from a few years ago. Want to give it a shot after school up on Drunnie Hill?" We're just getting to the school gate.
"Looking forward to-"
"Hi, excuse me," I freeze. Okay, hi. Hello. Person talking to me. This can't be good.
I take a breath and turn around slowly. A boy I've never seen before stands, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Or maybe he's just cold.
"Um, are you okay? Can you hear me? The office?" I realise I'm still staring at him blankly.
"Office...right. This way." I love how I'm incapable of saying or acting like anything remotely normally. But just give me a second, I've got to force myself on the fact he said something to me (obviously new kid).
The office really isn't hard to find, so I don't know what his problem is. We line up behind a girl waving a form at the office lady's face. The bell rings and a few people hurry past. He looks warily at the various people that pass, "There's quite a lot of people at this school isn't there?" I can't tell if he's being sarcastic. I look at him quizzically but he still looks a bit scared. Oh goodness. It'll be like having a tall, attractive fifth year being pushed about in the corridor, with a first year in his mind. I'd show him around but...yeah, he'd be targeted as someone to be avoided from the start.
"Where are you from?" A small town or village? Probably. A local, community school. Most definitely.
"A little village up north. In the Highlands. You wouldn't know it."
"Ah..." I am at a loss of anything else to say.
"What's wrong with that?" He looks a little worried. Clearly my concern for his well being here is showing.
"Nothing, nothing. You'll get used to it," I smile but I'm pretty sure it turned out more like a grimace.
The girl in front of us finally budges and we get to the office. I say as brightly as I can, "Well, have fun and good luck!" I'm not really sure what you say to people in these situations?
"Wait, what's your name?" The office lady beckons me back, like a cat beckons a mouse into its jaws.
"Fern," I say along with the second bell. "I really should be getting to registration. The last stragglers go sautering past. They get slower as the time goes by because these are the ones that don't care.
"I'll make sure you're registered. Will you take..." she quickly scans the computer screen and the boy raises his eyebrows, "Mister Lithgow around today. We're a bit short of staff today because there's an awful flu going around. We can't have someone having to, well I'm sure you know the school better anyway."
"Yeah sure," I nod, sighing. "Come on, you're in the class opposite mine first. Registration is just about to finish." I resignedly slump my shoulders and start walking away.
"Hey, I'm not that bad really. Well only on Tuesdays," he grins. "Oh no, wait! It is Tuesday! You'll just have to find a way to make it through the day, I really give my sincerest apologies."
I round on him. Suddenly he's so much more confident, huh? "Look, it's not you okay? I'm just not very popular and you really don't want to hang out with me." And I whirl around again and stride off. He follows like a lost puppy.
