The Boy on the Hill

Chapter 3

I woke up and looked at the time on my phone. ‘Of course,’ I thought. ‘The weekend went by way too quickly.’ I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes, but stopping when I felt the pain on my left eye. I sighed, quickly remembering what happened when I got home, what happened when my ripped school uniform was discovered. I hadn’t had any foundation to cover the black eye. Makeup was a girls thing, anyways, so I wasn’t allowed to use it, even if I knew there was some lying around that matched my skin well enough.

I made sure I had all my stuff ready to go, but I didn’t grab my gloves as the tattoos I usually had drawn on my hand were washed off. I hadn’t had enough time to redo them. Since I was only sixteen, I couldn’t get them as real tattoos but I couldn’t wait to be able to do that. I threw my backpack over my shoulder, grabbing a strawberry breakfast bar and making my way out, disregarding my dad’s angry glare as I walked by him. I assured my earbuds were in as I turned on music full blast, that way when I got to my bus stop, I didn’t have to listen to the other people chattering about me. I opened my breakfast bar and put the wrapper in my pocket, eating it as I walked down to my bus stop and finishing it just as I arrived. 

I stood at the stop, tapping my foot to the music coming through my earbuds as I waited for my bus to pull up. I couldn’t help but look around and notice a few others looking and pointing at me.I looked down at my feet, cheeks now rosie. I was relieved when the bus came a little earlier than usual. I got to go all the way back to the seat I sat in alone everyday and ignore the people in front of me as they chattered on about new conversations. I listened to the songs that got me through the day, even when they weren’t playing, as the bus drove and took the usual sharp turns to the school. 

When we arrived, I got off the bus, walked inside, and suddenly remembered about my uniform. The sleeves were still torn up and the rest of the tears on my shirt were crappily sewn up and the cuffs of my pants were ripped up as well. They were ripped enough that I might as well be wearing capris. I wasn’t able to wear my uniform jacket, it was too torn up to be revived at all. We couldn’t afford a new uniform, though. I had to stick with this for now, at least until the end of the year. The uniforms were significantly cheaper near the beginning of the school year so that was the time of the year I was able to buy a new one. 

I walked by the usual crowd of popular kids, my eyes picking out PB staring at me with sorrow and worry. I rolled my eyes. ‘I don’t need his pity,’ I thought. He was gone without a second glance. I didn’t need to look at his sad face again until the end of the day. That’s what I thought would be happening, at least. It’s what usually happened so I was prepared to avoid him when that came along. 

I walked to my classes and paid as much attention as I could, trying my best to blank out my ripped up clothes and black eye again, just like I’d done this morning before the bus came and on the bus. When lunch came around, I found it particularly hard to do my thing as usual, though. I’d forgotten that PB was in my lunch period. He always sat with the popular kids across the room from me. 

I sat down in my usual seat, pulling an apple out of the paper bag I’d brought to school. I was caught off guard, though, when PB scared me from behind. “Adrian,” He said. I jumped a little and turned around to look at him. “What happened to your uniform and your eye?” He looked genuinely worried but I didn’t want him to know what was up.

“I just fell off my bike on my way home,” I said. “That’s all.”

“Okay, can I buy you another uniform?” He asked, touching the end of my sleeve, where a large tear had come up to my elbow.

“No, I’m fine with this one.”

“Are you sure? It’s getting super cold outside.”

“I don’t need your pity, Mr. Rich-Boy.” I swiped PB’s hand off of my sleeve and started putting my food back in my bag so I could move somewhere else when a small girl runs up to me and PB. She had a big bright smile on her face. She had hazelnut brown eyes and bright blonde hair. She looked nothing like PB, who had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and was tall. ‘Fucker,’ I thought. ‘Of course he has a girlfriend. I was just his toy.’

“Hello,” She said to me as I attempted to walk away. “I’m Ava, Ponyboy’s sister!”

I held my hand over my mouth as a small chuckle came out. I looked back over at PB, ignoring my false thoughts for a short second. “Your full name is Ponyboy?” 

PB looked at Ava, seemingly angry. “Why would you do that?!” He asked, very angrily. “You know I hate being called Ponyboy!”

“I’m sorry I just thought since he’s your new friend and all that he knew…”

“New friend?” I interrupted.

“Yeah!” Ava said, excitedly. “PB talks a lot about you at home! You’re really cool.” I smiled, looking at PB, who stood scratching his head, unsure of what to say. Ava’s expression changed when she noticed my black eye and torn up uniform. “What happened?!” She asked, surprised.

“It's nothing,” I told her. “It happened a few days ago, anyway. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Ava bonked PB on the head. “And you didn’t offer to help?” She lectured him.

“I did, sis! He just refused!”

That’s when it clicked in my head, the idea I thought was so genius. “Hey, Ava,” I interrupted the siblings that looked nothing alike again. “Do you want to go on a date with me?” Both Ava and PB stood dumbfounded, unsure of where the question came from.