Bite My Tongue

Chapter 1 - Excluded

Hey guys! @SecretCrowdsAVA here. This is our first attempt at a joint story so you are obligated to give us your opinion! Okay? Leave a comment and let us know what you think! :D

Thank you @ValerieLawson for the cover!

Picture: Dakota ----> 

*

The day had started off just as I had expected.

The radio stations still insisted on playing Rihanna so I woke up in a foul mood. Seven o’clock was early enough without bad music filling the room. Then, not only had I missed the bus, but whilst walking the wretched length to school I stood in somebody’s chewed gum and my left shoe was still slightly sticky even though I had picked it off with a stick. As I turned the corner, the prison-like building I called school came into view.

Even from fifty metres I could hear the melodic laugh of teenagers having fun. I rolled my eyes at their fortunate and happy lives as I approached the school door. The wooden slabs were propped open as people meandered in and out, some even knocked into me as I took the steps two at a time.

As my scuffed Converses hit the grubby tiled floor the corridor fell silent. I felt like Moses parting the Red Sea as people rushed to the walls to let me through. Some kids whispered, some pointed and the rest did their best to avoid eye contact. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and ran my tongue across my lips whilst fronting a fake smile to fool those who thought I liked being here.

I carried on walking through the corridor whilst scowling at some of the passing kids. I mean, it’s not like I’m anyone famous, like Katy Perry. Sure I had the hair for it, but I wasn’t. I was just Dakota Parker.

I reached Amber and Lucas who looked amused by my bad mood and greeted me with cheesy grins.

“Hey, you,” Lucas said, wrapping his arm around my neck and squeezing me close to him. I could smell his body spray – vanilla and musk – as he released me. Amber pulled a piece of paper off the bulletin board we were stood in front of. She held it in front of me so I could read it. ‘Grease – the Musical: auditions at lunch.’

“I’m auditioning for Sandy,” she said, as if I hadn’t already guessed.

“What about you, Luc?” I asked. “Trying out for Sandy, too?”

He punched my arm playfully whilst Amber stared at the ripped piece of paper. She began to hum ‘Summer Nights’ and due to the silence in the corridor people began to look at us. Lucas turned and pulled me by the wrist and I took this as a cue to do the same to Amber. Mrs Thomas was sat with her feet wedged on the corner of her desk flicking through a magazine when the three of us fell through the door and into our form room.

“Bit eager this morning,” she commented, her eyes never lifting from the article she was reading.

“You know us,” Lucas lied. “Nothing like getting to form ten minutes before school starts to kick­-start your day.”

This comment made her look at us through narrow eyes.

“Dakota, before I forget. Mr Taylor wants to see you in his office,” she said, her voice was flat and rehearsed. She passed me a piece of paper that was nothing but the rushed and ripped corner of what was probably Mr Taylor’s diary. His handwriting was rough and almost illegible but I took it from her and shrugged to Amber and Lucas.

“Okie dokes.”

The volume in the corridor had risen again when I walked down the second time. Kids still made the effort to dodge me but there was less whispering and pointing than before. At the end of the hallway was the school secretary office. I pushed the door open to see a small, cheap wooden desk facing me. The woman sat behind it had dark hair but her parting was crawling with lose greys she had forgotten to pull out that morning. She spotted my shoes from the corner of her eyes and looked up unenthusiastically.