Our Differences (Unedited)

Chapter 1: Sleeps Around

As the 16 year-old girl sat with her knees pulled to her chest, and her back pressed against the ominous brick building, she was only thinking of three things.

1. She was pretty sure the way she was sitting showed her blue underwear under her skirt.

2. She hated her parents for making her come to this group therapy. And for making her be the first one to arrive, thus being locked out of the building.

3. It was way too hot.

She impatiently tapped her black kitten heel clad foot checking her pink watch. 4:00. When the whole meet and greet was supposed to start. She let her arm drop to the ground. Examining her new light pink skirt she had just bought, she noticed a spot on her leg she had missed with the razor.

"Fan-freaking-tastic." she muttered absent-mindedly pulling up her white frill sock for the hundredth time.

As she readjusted her pink headband sitting in her brown hair that fell just below her jaw, the distinct sound of high heels clicking grow louder. She looked up trying to identify where the sound was coming from. A woman, maybe forty, was fast walking towards her.

"I am so sorry. I spilled my coffee, and it got all over my white blouse. I had to change. Now, I'm late." she tells the younger girl. She begins rummaging through her purse. "Where'd I put that dang key?"

As she continued digging in her purse, a boy with greasy black hair slowly makes his way up to the building.

"Aha found it." the woman exclaims. Quickly unlocking the door after readjusting her glasses. "Follow me." she tells the young girl.

"I'm Claire, by the way." she says, the woman leading her down a poorly lit hallway. If this were a scary movie, I would be about to die. She tells herself. Oh. Shut up Claire.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Linda." she tells her stopping at a door and throwing it open to reveal a classroom. A desk is pushed up against the wall at the front of the room. Where the desks should be a huge wooden table has taken it's place. "Sit wherever you like."

Claire sits at a chair facing the door to get a good look at people arriving. She pulls her powder blue sweater vest down where it had rode up to expose her white button up shirt.

Linda begins humming as the boy from outside enters the room.

"Welcome. Sit anywhere you like. I'm Linda." she says cheerfully.

"Mark." he tells her, his voice coming out hoarse.

He sees a girl sitting at the table already. He quickly looks away and sits at the other end of the table.

"Hi Mark. I'm Claire." she waves.

"Hi." he waves back. He suddenly remembers that he forgot to comb his hair. He desperately tries to smooth it out. He gives ul and lays his head on the table. I must loom like a total idiot. He groans to himself.

"Welcome! I'm Linda. Sit anywhere you want." he hears her say.

He looks up to see a boy, who looks a little younger than him, enter the room. He sits two seats away from Claire running a hand through his brown hair.

"Hi. I'm Claire." she tells him.

"I'm Sam." he smiles, glad someone is actually talking to him.

Claire is about to say something when a young girl walks in. Her green eyes meet Sam's blue eyes. She feels something click.

"Sit anywhere you like." Linda says.

She sits by Sam.

"Hi. I'm Natalie." she says nervously.