Bully // l.h. // Book 1 of Bully Series

2. First Day in Hell

I let out a loud groan as the alarm on my phone woke me from my sleep. I hadn’t been able to get much sleep last night, but school wouldn’t wait for me to get over my jetlag. I’d just have to suffer through the day on less than three hours of sleep. I heard the floorboards creak overhead, alerting me to the fact that my parents were awake as well.

After a quick shower, I ran a brush through my hair and dried it. It took only about ten minutes to straighten my long brown locks, then it was on to makeup. I usually only put on a bit of foundation to even out my skin tone, but today I decided to add  thin layer of eyeliner as well. I smiled at my reflection before exiting my bathroom and running up the stairs.

Despite not wanting to move to Australia, I was excited to go to my new school. I knew it would never be the same as Rockford, where I used to live, but I was somewhat ready for a change in scenery. Especially since I’d just come from a state where sometimes the snow piles were taller than you. I got lost on the way to the kitchen; instead of turning left, I turned right and walked around the long way. My mom chuckled as I entered the tan-walled, white-floored room. I gave her a small smile and pointed to a random cupboard.

“Cereal in there?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Nope, those are the cups. Cereal is one over.” She explained. “But,” she continued as I moved to open the cupboard, “I’ve already made you a plate of toast and jelly. It’s on the table.” She said. I grinned.

“Thanks!” I exclaimed. She rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face.

“How you can get so excited over toast confuses me.” She quipped. I laughed and headed over to the table. Mornings like these were the best. My mom and I weren’t super close, but we loved each other, and small things like this seemed to be far and few between.

I was halfway through my second piece of toast when the sound of my dad’s footsteps entered the kitchen. I felt the tension in the room shoot up a few notches, and was about to make some silly comment when my mom turned around abruptly, looking at me.

“You all ready for school? I’ll drive you.” She said, a little too brightly. I nodded, gesturing to the stuffed navy and white backpack sitting in the corner of the kitchen.

“Just gotta go put on some normal clothes, and I’ll be all set.” I said, taking another bite of my toast. She nodded curtly.

“Well, I’ll be in the car.” She replied, turning around and exiting the kitchen. I looked at my dad. He was looking at the door to the garage. I could see the tension in his body, but decided not to make any comment on it. They must have fought last night. I was suddenly glad I chose the basement room. I hadn’t heard the fighting at all. Not like in my old house, where I slept in the room next to theirs and had to have Wyatt or Kendra come pick me up every other night just so I could sleep in peace.

 “That’s a cute outfit.” My mom commented as I threw my backpack in the back seat and climbed in on the passenger’s side. I smiled and glanced down at my outfit. I had chosen to be a bit conservative today, because, not only was it my first day here, but I was also as pale as snow. I’d put on some light greenish capris, a white flowy tank top, and covered it with a jean jacket. On my feet, I wore some white sandals, and I’d also slipped on a cute leaf bracelet to accessorize. I felt like it was a nice outfit, and though I may end up a bit warm by the end of the day, I didn’t care.

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 It was almost the end of spring break back in Michigan, but they were only just beginning to finish up their first term here. So, of course, I was a bit farther ahead in some areas than the students in my ‘year’. I was used to hearing it called a grade, but I caught on pretty quickly. The woman showing me around—a pretty brunette woman by the name of Mrs. Paynter—explained to me that the administration of the school had decided to let me into the classrooms for the remainder of the term, though I wouldn’t officially be starting to receive grades and such until the beginning of the next term. I understood that.