Locked (l.h)

One

I can't decide what to where on my first day. What colour shirt, what shoes, how to do my hair, I don't know what this school will be like. Eventually I decide on a plain white T-shirt and jeans, it's basic but that's me. I shove my mousey hair into a ponytail and stick some trainers on my feet.

Skipping down the stairs to the kitchen I hear my mom call, "Jane! Your going to be late!"

I know I won't, I've never been late before, but she wants me to get there super early. I grab a freshly made cereal bar from the counter and my satchel from the cupboard before leaving the house.

"Bye mom!" I shout through the door.

"Bye honey, don't be late!" She calls back in a singsong voice.

I carefully shut the door and make my way to my new school. It's only a ten minute walk, so I'm fine walking. I take a quick look at my watch, I left ten minutes later than I wanted to, this means I'll get to school the same time as everyone else.

Including bullies.

Approaching the gate from the opposite direction as me, I notice four boys. All the kind of people I want to avoid. One with lilac dyed hair, one with tattoos, one with a lip ring and one who I simply dislike for hanging out with these kind of people. I'm too caught up in my own thoughts about if they're bullies or not, that I don't notice how close they're getting. The one with a lip ring, who I now notice has a blonde quiff the size of the Empire State Building, walks into me.

"Look where your going, jeez." He mutters as he pushes past me.

I ignore him and continue my way into the school building. It's a lot smaller than my last school, this means I have more of a chance of meeting the same people, and the same bullies.

I don't bother stopping outside school, everyone else is with their friends, only I don't have any. I make my way straight to my form room, which is unsurprisingly empty. After a few minutes of me waiting in boredom, the teacher enters the room.

"Good morning!" She smiles cheerfully.

"Morning." I reply.

"Are you our new student?" She asks. "What was your name?" She begins sorting through a pile of paper work on her desk.

"Jane." I answer.

"Ah, yes, hello Jane."

Then the bell sounds and more students fill the room. All of then talking to each other about their summer break, apart from me. I sit in silence waiting for the talk to die down. It finally does but only when a group of boys enter the room. Oh no. Not them. Anyone but them.

And to my horror when they sit down, they sit in the four seats behind me.

"Hey, what's your name?" The tattooed guy asks.

"Jane." I mumble.

"Jane? Hey look guys! It's plain Jane!" He calls over to his lilac haired friend, who had wondered over to a guy giving out donuts.

"Plain Jane!" He shouts as he walks over.

"You know." The boy with the quiff begins. "You still haven't apologised for this morning."

"Sorry." I mumble.

"Couldn't hear you."

"Sorry." I say louder.

"Wait... She talks?" The final guy exclaims.

"Well done Ashton, like many people she can talk." The tattooed guy says, elbowing Ashton.

"Sorry, we didn't introduce ourselves." Lilac boy begins. "I'm Michael, but most people call me Mikey, this is Luke." He says pointing to the guy with the lip ring. "This is Calum." He points to the tattooed guy. "And this, as you probably realised, is Ashton." He points to the last guy.

"Nice to meet you." I say politely to all of them.

"Nice to meet you too." Calum replies in a faked posh accent.

I turn away from them all, not wanting anymore attention.

My first lesson is math. As I wind through the groups of people blocking the corridors. The room is empty apart from the teacher so I wander in and find a seat.

"Cal! Why is your phone in my bag?" I hear Ashton shout from the corridor.

"It's not mine!" Calum shouts in reply.

"Where's my phone?" Luke shouts.

"Here!" Ashton replies as I hear the phone being thrown across the corridor.

Then to my horror I hear Michael.

"Morning sir!" He says with a salute.

The teacher laughs, "Good morning Michael."

The other three follow Michael into the room and all sit near me.

"Plainy!" Calum cheers.

"Plainy?" Ashton asks.

"It's a new nickname I'm trying out."

"Not working very well. I think we should stick to plain Jane." Michael adds.

"How come your in our set? You seem like you should be in top set, you look proper clever." Luke says.

I sigh, "All my work got stolen in my last school. If there's no math work, they can't give me any math grades."

They all laugh, "Who steals school work?"

"Bullies." I mutter.

"You had some weird bullies at your school the ones here are more...inventive." Ashton chuckles. The others join in.

"Bullies are all the same." I mumble.

"Right kids quiet down." The teacher yells over the noise that has erupted from the students over the past five minutes.

I get on with my work, but the whole lesson I'm tormented by the words of the boys.

"Plain jane."

"Nerd."

"Geek"

"Genius"

"How is genius offensive Luke?"

"I don't know... Brainy Janey"

The comments never end.