Stronger Than You Think

Chapter 20: Year 11

*** 28th January ***

I walk into my new class and dump my bag onto a desk and Liv plonks hers next to me. I'm glad I don't have to spend another two years in the same class as Tara.

"Chose a locker bish" I say to Olive and she picks one in the corner on the top row. I grab my bag and open the one next to her.

I pull my books out and dump them inside then shut it at put my lock on it. The door opens and I turn my head. A teacher walks in and takes her hat off.

"Hey girls" she says and lifts her head and looks at Olive and then her eyes travel to my hair and then she looks me in the eye. "Yeah. Get over it" I say and pick up my bag and head outside.

Someone hits me in the back if the head with what feels like a textbook and I spin around my hand balled into a fist ready to swing.

When my eyes make contact with a makeup covered face I let my fist swing. Tara falls sideways and one of her posse catch her.

"Fuck off Onright" I say and walk back into the classroom and sit at my desk before I pick up City if Glass and read as other girls swarm into the room.

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"Iris Finnigan" the teacher calls and I raise my hand. "Here" I say and look back at my book just as the door slams open and a tangled mess of red hair flies through the door.

Wait? WHAT? Red hair? I snap my head up and see a very freckley red face standing in the door way. "JESUS CHRIST!" I yell and everyone including the mysterious red head turn and look at me.

I get up and walk to the doorway. "You must be Tanika" I say and hold out my hand. She takes it. "You must be Iris" she says and I nod before pulling her to the back of the class and take her bag.

"Everybody" the teacher says. "This is Tanika MacMillan. She's new. Make her welcome" she adds with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

"Oh god. I said get over it" I say and pull Tanika's books out of her bag and into the spare locker next to mine. I hand her back her bag and she takes it outside.

She comes back in and sits in the seat in front if me. She looks at the board and I smile to myself as the teacher finishes calling out the roll and starts handing out the timetables.

I grab mine and compare it to Liv's. We have History, English, Math, Home Ec and Science together. Tanika turns around with a huge smile on her face and hands her timetable to me.

We have nearly all the same classes except Japanese and Home Ec. I smile at her and the bell rings. I grab my school diary and slip my timetable into the back pocket.

I grab out my English book and my Japanese book and head off over the road where I find Eda, Zelda, Cara and Andy. "Mrs Johnson's English" I call and they all fist pump the air.

"Japanese?" Cara asks and now it's my turn to fist pump the air. Andy is looking behind me and I realize that Tanika is standing on the stairs. "Oh!" I say. "This is Tanika" I say and Eda snaps her head back to me.

"Yeah" Tanika says. "I got the letter too". They all look at her and she smiles "You can call me Tani" she says and links her arm in mine. I do the same to the others and we walk off to our English class.

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The bell rings. "YES!" I scream and my teacher raises an eyebrow at me. "No affence Miss Maddol" I quickly add and grab my books and run out the door.

I meet Tani and Liv at the door to the classroom and grab my lunch, an apple and a pear, before we head downstairs to the new spot that I found under some stairs. Keni is already there. "Hey!" I say and I hug her.

The others crawl into the space and Tanika sits down next to me. "Tani this is Kendall" I say. "Call me Keni" Kendall says and holds out her hand for Tani to shake.

She takes Keni's hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you" she says and then turns to me. "So" she says "What are we gonna do about this letter?". I almost choke on my apple and swallow before I turn to her.
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Heh! Sorry I didn't update sooner. Dad took my iPod off me earlier! Hope you enjoyed! Only 10 chapters left!!!! 😍🔫🐬