Hard Times

Chapter 1

Clarkes POV
I heard my alarm clock go off and my blue eyes flickered open. I fell out of bed and ran into the bathroom which was down the hall from my room before my dad woke up and started yelling at me. I turned the knob in the shower to hot and got in.

I know this might sound weird, but the shower was always my favorite place. I felt the warm water on my skin and I could forget all my problems. I never wanted to leave but I knew eventually, I'd have to get back to reality.

So I quickly ran back to my room after showering and locked the door. My dad who must have just woken up started to pound on it. I just held my breath and stood still until he drunk himself back to sleep.

After the banging stopped I put on my glasses and clothes. I ran downstairs and grabbed a granola bar before heading out the door. Then I started my thirty minute walk to school.

I was so excited, this was the last day of junior year and then I would get three months off. Don't get me wrong I loved school I just hated the people in it.

Octavia was the mean girl in school and also the head cheerleader. Most days after school she would stop me from walking home and randomly start fights with me because she saw me looking at her boyfriend Finn, for two seconds.

Id always had a crush on him. He was really sweet and the only person who acted like I wasn't invisible.

She would hit me until Finn saw us and stopped her. I honesty didn't know how the teachers never saw us, or maybe they did and they just didnt care. It seemed like no one cared.

T

hen there was Murphy, Finn's best friend who honestly was a dick but I was never really bothered by him. He would call me a bunch of stupid names but he never bothered me.

Worst of all was Bellamy,
Octavias older brother and the schools fuck boy. Every girl drooled over him, except me.

Every day at lunch he would drop all of his food on my head and would trip me in the halls. He also spread rumors about me. He loved to see me suffer.

When I finally arrived at school, the class periods went by quickly. In what seemed like only minutes it was already time for lunch.

I grabbed an apple and wrote in my journal about Finn when Bellamy walked up to me and grabbed it.

"Please don't" I begged but he didn't care and began to read what I had written that day out loud.

"I think I might be in love with Finn Collins. Yes, I know its crazy to be in love with someone who I have only talked to a couple times in the three years but he is so sweet. I don't get why he's with Octavia, she is such a bitch."

He stopped reading, Octavia and Finn turned to look at me. Bellamy laughed. I grabbed my journal back and pushed him. "I hate you!" I yelled before running out of the cafeteria.

I wanted to go home but I knew it would be worse there, so I stayed. As the next two periods went by I could hear laughter all around me.

After what seemed like forever the last bell of the day rung and junior year was finally over. I tried to run before Octavia saw me, but I was too late.

Octavia grabbed my hair and pulled me to face her. "I knew you liked him, you little bitch!" she screamed. "I'm sorry" I replied.

Everyone gathered in a circle and watched as she started punching me. I fell to the floor.

Finn would always stop her but this time he didn't, he just watched in the crowd quietly.

While I was being kicked in the stomach I noticed Bellamy running toward his sister. I realized that he was never here when these fights happened.

Then to my surprise, Bellamy started yelling at his sister. "What the hell do you think you're doing O? Get the fuck away from her!" She rolled her eyes and walked over to Finn.

Bellamy rushed over to me and helped me up. "Are you ok?" he asked looking at my bleeding lip. His face was in shock. I didn't answer him and started running.

As I ran out of the school I began to wonder why Bellamy had helped me. He always took pleasure in seeing me suffer so why would he stop Octavia instead of watching, or even joining in.

All I knew now was I hated him with every fiber in my body and saving me didn't change that.

Somehow I ended up next to a hairdresser and spa. I grabbed the credit card from my backpack, that I had got when I started working to pay the bills, and walked in.

I needed a change. I didn't want to be a goodie two shoes anymore, I didn't want to get pushed around, and I was tired of people making fun of my appearance.

When I got there the lady working the front desk surprisingly didn't ask me about the dry blood on my chin, she just smiled. I checked in and the lady lead me to a chair where she did my eyebrows.

Then she put a face mask on for fifteen minutes. The lady then asked me what I wanted her to do with my hair. I told her to do whatever she wanted to. I just wanted something new, something different...