Mika

1.

A twist of the lock on a slammed door wasn't enough to hide away the yelling of her parents and the shattering of furniture. Sliding against the wall, she covered her ears and cried to herself, praying silently that all of this would be over. Her tears were hot and her hope was weak.

All Mika wanted was an escape from her family, if she can even describe them as family. The closest she can get to this meaningless abuse are naps and dreams, sleeping throughout the day avoiding that horrid screaming behind the door, and staying up at night, enjoying the silence. If only she could simply leave this house she can't call home.

Mika held her youth together and kept her mental state at a young age, in belief that since her childhood was the happiest moment in her life, she's hoping she can stay in that state forever to avoid the fear she has of growing up.

Make it stop, make it stop...

She kept repeating to herself, holding her head down and weeping onto her knees in a fetal position.

...

Morning awoken, and Mika was getting ready for her first day of junior high, entering the seventh grade. Not even a single drop of advice from her parents were given, so she studied others on how to dress and how to act. Unfortunately, her anxiety for social life was holding her back, so she decided to keep her mouth shut the entire day.

Mika propped her book bag on and secured it as she headed her way out. She turned around to her mother, who had been laying on the old creaking rocking chair, reading the news for the town. ".. Bye mom.." She gave a sheepish wave and grin to her, but all she got in response was a glare of irritation.

Reputation ruined. She walked down the steps on the porch and closed the door quietly behind her, wearing a frown and a pair of wrinkled eyebrows as she walked to her bus stop. She stared down at her mary janes as they clicked against the sidewalk pavement the entire time she headed to the stop. Once she made it, she leaned on the street pole and let out a deep sigh, ignoring the other kids who were playing behind her. This sucks, I've been homeschooled my entire life, she found herself thinking. I don't like socializing, and my parents know, and yet, they still send me out to a public middle school? I'm doomed.

It took time for her to realize that her frown was still on, and that's no way for first impressions. As she heard the wheels on the bus screech in front of her and the hissing of the self opening door, she mentally slapped herself on the cheek and adjusted her posture and fixed an upright neutral look on her face. She let the other kids line up and head their way into the bus and to the seats before she could go. She chose the far back of the seat and sat down there, alone, and with no one beside her. With the bus closing and slowly starting up, she sighed and rested her head on the window, watching her surroundings move as the bus made its way down the street.

Silently, she rehearsed a poem she had written.

"The world I see is colorless
For the suns empty dull,
The days don't progress
And nothing within its hull

The grass is grey and the sky is white,
The brightest color I won't see all night
Feet levitate off the ground
and I catch me in flight

I see the sky turn blue
and the trees grow green,
for my seeing you
made my life keen."

... Needs revising.

With the bus filling with peers, she scooted herself to an edge in a habitual way of being polite, despite not wanting anyone to sit next to her. Instead, she used this as a way of avoidance to strangers, but ironically, someone plopped beside her in the empty room she left. With the kid looking at her for a few seconds, Mika started to feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

A boy with messed brown hair that had been effortlessly pulled back, as if it were a bed head with no combing. He wore a maroon hoodie and he kept his hands stuffed in his pockets. With the complexion of a rebel, a cigarette hung from his lips, adding on to the danger of this character, and the little ember on the end of the stick was enough to frighten Mika. Nevertheless, she glared over at the window as the bus started up again, and there it was, a faint reflection of herself; Long, silky brunette hair with side bangs that were swept across, and hazy blue eyes that fluttered with tiredness, with her pale skin giving her the complexion of a baby.

The two kept their silence for the entire ride until the bus halted in front of a school building.

Shepherd Junior High.

Those were the letters that appeared across the windows of the vehicle, and with the hissing of the automatic door opening, Mika prepared herself to exit the bus, adjusting her book bag onto her shoulder and waiting for the boy to move. Fortunately, he did, but he pushed the nearby kids off to the side, and in a mere glance, he burnt his cigarette onto one of the seats.

As the line shortened, Mika hopped off the bus and followed her peers to the front door, presumably where they would start their day.

Mika pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her student ID and unfolded it. Within the paper was a map of the school, and on the other was her schedule and information for her locker and combo.

Student ID: 2000*****
Locker: 1397, West (A) Wing
Locker Combination: 03 - 29 - 16

Period 1 - Math (Ms. Lockhart, A127)
Period 2 - Language Arts/English (Mr. Davies, C238)
Period 3 - Science (Mrs. Kaur, A133)
Period 4 - History (Mrs, Lynsey, C239)
Period 5 - Lunch
Period 6 - Advanced Reading (Mr. Trotter, G102)
Period 7 - Art (Mrs. Grey, B222)
Period 8 - P. E. (Mr. Collins)

Mika walked to the stairs and leaned against the wall where the steps were supported. She kept her focus on the paper.

"The A, B, C, and D wings are downstairs, the other wings are upstairs," She muttered to herself. "so math is... this way?" The instant she looked up, several children were walking in front of her; footsteps were roaring across the halls, and conversations chattered unsettlingly across her ears. Joining the stampede of children, she followed the map and kept her eye on her first class, and before she knew it, she stood in front of a door, reading "A127." With no doubt in her mind, she opened the door and walked in, hearing the bell ring behind her in the halls.

—

The time went fast, for Mika was already finished with her fourth period, and her folders were starting to rack up with papers and assignments. She'd grown used to the loudness of the school and the children who are within it, and she swung the doors to the lunch room open, with the kids ruthlessly trying to shove their way through.

Finally, she found a seat from the far corner of the cafeteria, and she settled down. She took off her book bag and tiredly slammed it on the table, letting a grunted sigh squeeze out her mouth... until another thought decided to interrupt her momentary peace.

Maybe I can use this time to finish some assignments.

Mika pulled out her small pack of pencils and began to root through her folders, coming across her sketchbook she always carried around in case of boredom.

... Homework can wait, I guess.

She pulled her sketchbook out and opened it to a new fresh and clean page. Putting it down carefully on the table, she unwrapped her bento (lunch) and set that down as well. Carefully opening the lid of the container, it revealed three rice balls, tonkatsu, and other foods of her asian culture. On the side was a pair of chopsticks, and she picked up a rice ball with them and nibbled at it, not having the required appetite for the meal. With her other hand, she scribbled away on her sketchbook, getting a hasty sketch down onto the paper.

"Hey." Am unknown voice shot through her ears, as a shadow cast above and over her, towering her with no shame.

That instantly caught her attention. She shot her head up to see who it was, nearly choking on the small amount of rice she pocketed in her mouth. As her eyes examined who stood in front of her, she finally made it out.

It was that boy from the bus.