The Outcasts

Chapter Seven

   I woke up the next morning to Star's face two inches from mine. I groaned and shoved her away, flipped over, and attempted to go back to sleep. The best part about suspensions: you get to sleep in. I loved how teachers thought they were punishments, but the reality was students loved them. Except those kids who loved school and were "model citizens". Those ones made me sick.

   "Leah, wake up!" Star said, a little too loudly for my still sleepy ears. She shook me harder than was necessary.

   "Alright, I'm up, I'm UP," I said, shoving her away with so much force she fell. I glared at her and threw off the covers. She sat on the ground, pure shock on her face.

   "Ow," she whimpered, tears already starting to swell in her eyes.

   I instantly felt guilty. I knelt beside her, my face softer. "Star, I'm sorry," I pleaded with her. When she refused to look at me, I sighed loudly and pushed her back. I climbed on top of her, pinned her arms down, and leaned in close. "I can make this very awkward for you," I said, giving her a suggestive look.

   Star giggled in spite of herself. "I know you can, you've done it before!" We laughed a little, remembering. "Can you get off me now?" She asked.

   "Are you gonna be mad at me?"

   "I will if you stay on top of me!" She exclaimed, trying to push me off.

   I laughed and jumped up. "So, you gotta go to school?"

   "Yeah," she said, like she didn't want to. I glanced at her. I knew she didn't like school, but something in her voice suggested something else was going on. Her face revealed nothing, though. She was just stony faced and grim.

   "Everything okay?" I asked her.

   She shook herself out of a thought. "Yeah," she said dismissively with a fake smile. "I gotta go get ready for school. You staying home?"

   "Don't have a choice," I said, shrugging.

   "Why not?" She asked. Oops. I forgot she didn't know.

   "Suspension," I shrugged again. I didn't want to go into detail right then. "Tell you when you get home after school."

   "Are you actually gonna be here or over there?" She asked, nodding in the direction of Soda's house.

   I hid a grin. "Probably neither. I'm probably just gonna end up walking around town, you know?"

   Star shook her head and walked out. I thought about going back to bed but decided to find something to eat. My stomach was rumbling like I hadn't eaten in months. I didn't understand that, seeing as how I ate just last night. Maybe it was because it was McDonald's food.

   Mom was in the kitchen when I walked in. I was surprised to see her up. By this time she was usually still in bed or already at work. She didn't notice me as she looked in the fridge, talking on her cell phone.

   "Yes, I'll be right there. You know I can't smoke on an empty stomach. You do have the stuff, don't you?" She paused, listening. "Good. Don't smoke it all before I get there. You did that last time and I ended up drinking. My daughter caught me," she rambled on for a little bit. I stepped back as quietly as I could, trying to keep myself hidden. I nearly ran into my room. I grabbed my socks and shoes and hurriedly pulled them on. Feeling hot tears starting to form, I grabbed my backpack and spilled my school work, replacing them with a change of clothes and my brush.

   I heard Mom walking out the front door. I opened my window and climbed out carefully. There wasn't a screen; come to think of it, there wasn't a screen on any window in the house. There was a very annoying voice in the back of my head saying I could of just used the front door, but I ignored it. I never really liked doing things the right way. Some call it stupid. I call it doing things my own way. It was more fun my way, anyway.