Moving Forward

Chapter Two

"My name is Sandra Giles from Indiana. I am not interested in answering any questions about my personal life and I would like to not get bullied for my personality. Thank you."

My uninterested voice immobilized everyone in the room. As per usual. I sighed and walked to one of the empty seats towards the middle of the classroom and set my stuff down. I turned to the teacher with a weak smile.

"What is today's lesson, Ms. Hernandez?" Then I took a seat, pulling out my notebook and a pen. I ignored the judging stares from the others as the class went on. Same thing every time.

When class ended, however, I was greeted by some energetic people. Or rather annoying people. They wanted to get to know me to which I refused to spill any details other than my reason for the move and simple things like music. It's not that I have anything to hide. I'm just tired of retelling my story over and over and over again.

During lunch, a group of girls and guys wanted either me to sit with them or they came to the empty table I chose. I didn't shrug them off. They would only follow me or bully me. I'd rather avoid that dilemma.

One of the more popular topics was of some lesbian who dropped out of school for no apparent reason. The girls especially were criticizing her for this. I rolled my eyes mentally. I have an idea as to why she dropped out. Or rather she surely transferred schools.

"She is such a bad influence," I heard one of them say. "'The Fallen Kandy' should have just left from the beginning if she wasn't going to handle the stress and pressure this school forces you through."

I choked on my food, making those sitting at my table spin their heads in my direction. I gulped down the food and coughed, then lifted my head with a semi-smile and a raised eyebrow. It was evident I was trying not to laugh. "'The Fallen Candy'?"

"Uh, yeah," the blonde girl in front of me said. I forgot her name. "Why are you making such a funny face?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I let out with a light chuckle. "I'm just confused about the name."

"Well," another blondie started, "she used to be our role model. We looked up to Kandy so much, but then she just turned into the worst influence we could ever have. Especially when word got out."

Before I could ask if she meant about her sexual orientation, the lunch bell rung. Everyone stood up and left their trays on the table. I shook my head in disgust and picked up as many trays as I could and threw away the trash. Some nerdy-looking guy noticed me and helped me a bit. I gave him a smile of appreciation to which he replied with a shy smile.

Class went by uneventfully to my joy. Except every now and then I caught snips of conversations about this fallen idol. Honestly, are people this oblivious or are they simply snobs trying to look well in front of me? I have a feeling it's the latter. I shuddered. I especially hate it when people try to impress me. Unless they genuinely do it like that nerd guy. I've got to find out his name soon. At least to thank him since we both scurried off after lunch to avoid being late.

Today was a sunny day but I had heard from the weather news that there is a 90% possibility of rain. I don't doubt it. From the time I lived in Texas, the weather was very bipolar. One day sunny then the next lightning.

As soon as school ended, I slipped in my earbuds and played--or rather blasted--some music. I walked through downtown because I didn't live far away from the school and my dad is always working, leaving me no option other than to walk. My dad actually brought me down here yesterday so I could memorize the route and the way to the convenience store. Due to his job, I practically almost live alone. Almost. Whenever my dad gets days off, he always comes back to either spend it with me or in bed. I don't care honestly. As long as he's happy, I'm happy.