I'd rather be me and you

The end of Sophomore year

The end of Sophomore year was... how do I put this? Utter torture. The kids from middle school who had tormented me and beat me were there, only this time they were bigger and meaner. It was like they had come back with a vengeance or something.

And then their was Regina George. The almightly bitch. She seemed to want to make my life a living hell even more now. I had expected a lot of things going into my first day at Northshore, but I hadn't expected the rumours to be worse then before.

I woke up to Obi licking my face as my alarm went off, apparently he wanted me to get up. It was mine and Damians first day at Northshore and to say I was nervous was an understatement, I was terrified.
We were both going in blind and to make matters worse, I had to take a massive dog with me too. I had had Obi for about a week and loved him dearly but I wasn't sure about taking him to school, I'd only get picked on more. I knew that.

"Ma says get up!" Damian said bursting through my door and leaping into the end of the bed, he was still in his PJs and his hair was dishevled giving him this adorable domestic look as he stroked Obi, "She's worried I'll eat all the pancakes if you don't come down soon."
My stomach lurched as a way to remind me that I needed to eat, even though I wasn't that hungry, "Tell Ma I'll be down in a sec!" I replied, kicking him jokingly off the bed and laughing as he lands hard on the carpeted floor.
"Okay, Ouch!" He moans as he stands and makes his way out of the room and into his own to get dressed.

We both picked each others outfits the night before and while I picked a blue flannel, a t-shirt and jeans for him, Damian decided to take extra time to pick what I would wear, eventually settling on a mustard yellow dress that stops just above my knees, some black fishnets and my DMs, pairing the outfit with my favourite leather jacket that had roses painted on it.
Once we were both dressed I clipped Obis harness on and picked up my already packed bag, making my way downstairs after brushing my teeth.
Ma Hubbard was stood at the stove, cooking pancakes and sliding them onto a dish in the centre of the table when she was done, she turns to smile at me as she does so.

"Morning Love, did you sleep well?" She asks, the motherly tone never leaving her voice.
"Yeah, I was up half the night with nerves but Obi gave me some snuggles and I soon fell asleep." I say patting the dogs head as I speak, sitting down at the table and pouring syrup onto my pancake, "Damian not dressed yet?"
"Not yet. He doesn't half dally."
I snigger into my food as Damian enters the kitchen and throws his mother a suspicious look, "I heard my name." He says, eyeing us both up.
"I don't know what you're talking about dear." Ma said without turning around. I snigger again and cover it with a cough as Damian side eyes me.

We arrive at the school quater of an hour early and head to the front office to pick up our timetables, me and Damian had been put on the same timetable so we should have the same lessons most of the time, a factor I am thankful for as some of the kids begin whispering as we walk past.
I can't really blame them, the massive dog at my side isn't really what you'd call incognito.
The woman at the desk is kind and hands us our timetables, giving us directions to our homeroom and calling the principal to come and meet us.

When Mr Duvall arrives I feel my nerves heighten for two reasons, 1. He knew exactly who I was and 2. He knew exactly what had gone down in middle school.
Instead of acknowledging this he shook both our hands and gave Obi a quick pet, "It's good to see you again Miss Sarkisisan and lovely to meet you Mr Hubbard, I hope you find your time at this school interesting."
We nodded along as he walked us down the hall to our homeroom, Obi on full lookout mode for potential threats and triggers the entire time.
"And this is your class, Mrs Norbury, she will be your homeroom and calculus teacher."
A woman with short brown hair and glasses came out of the class when her name was called, "Oh you must be the new students!" She said, looking us both up and down and pausing when she saw Obi, "And who might this fella be?"

"His names Obi," I mutter, looking down at my hands, "He's my service dog." I knot my fingers in his long, soft strands of fur and attempt to calm my nerves. There's no point looking to Damian for help when he's almost a nervous as I am.
"He's very sweet." Mrs Norbury says, ushuring us into the class and waving a hand around the room, "The two seats at the front of the class are the only free ones I'm afraid."
"Oh that's okay, we don't mind!" Damian says as we go and take a seat just as the bell rings, Obi somehow lays under my desk between my legs and watches alertly as kids begin to trickle in.
"Let the games commence!" I mumble to Damian, making him laugh as Mrs Norbury starts talking.

By lunchtime I'm a ball of anxiety waiting to explode, while Obi helps by pressing himself up against my legs and Damian holds my hand tightly in his unwavering loyalty, I can't help but feel ridiculed.
We find an empty table at the back end of the cafeteria and sit down with our trays, Obi once again laying under the table out of the way, surveying the room as groups of friends and the tightest cliques enter the room.
When a hush falls over the room I feel my stomach drop and try to ignore the way Obi whinnes and Damian looks at me like I might shatter. That hush is a telltale sign that the Plastics have enters the cafeteria.
I make eye contact with Damian and hiss, "Plastics!" Under my breath, relaxing slightly when his eyes harden and he prepares to defend me if need be. Not that we have a choice because the minute Regina George enters the room she spots me and her eyes light up like she just got a new chew toy.

Once the talking picks back up again she begins to make her way over to the table we're sat at and comes to a stop right in front of us, a menacing glint in her poison eyes.
"Oh you must be the new kid!" She says to Damian in a sickly sweet voice, holding out a hand for him to shake, "I'm Regina George."
Damian looks her up and down in a judgemental way, "Yes I'm aware of who you are. I've heard interesting things about you."
I snort into my water at his comment and then instantly regret it as Reginas attention is drawn to me once again.
"Something funny Space Dyke?" She sneers, placing both her hands on the table and leaning close to me. She jumps back when Obi begins growling at her and goes to smack his nose but Damian catches her wrist.
"Touch the dog and I'll have you arrested for animal cruelty, also if you would kindly not call her a Dyke I'd be so appreciative. Thanks!" His fake happy tone almost made me laugh again untill I remembered who I was dealing with.

She stood up straighter and sent me a withering glare, one that worked cause I felt myself sink further into my chair, and then turned back to Damian, "You better watch out pretty boy!" She sneered, "You hang around with the wrong people and you might not end up so popular. We wouldn't want that now would we?"
Damian levelled her glare and looked unimpressed, "If you're finished threatening me and my friend can you go please? I'd prefer to eat my lunch without an annoying blond looming over me."
Regina looked pissed, her cheeks flushed a bright red colour and she made an almost animalistic growling sound, "I could ruin your lives!"
I looked her dead in the eye, "You already did Blondi, I don't have a Service dog for no reason. Or are you just too thick to figure it out?" I sneered, standing and picking up my tray, Damian followed sweet and we binned the uneaten food, leaving the cafeteria, "Obi Come!" I called behind me not looking back.

The rest of Sophomore year went a lot like that. People began to figure out who I was and if they weren't teasing me for having Obi they were pushing, shoving and tripping me while chanting Space Dyke, an insult that still left a sour taste in my mouth.
People also caught on to the fact that Damian was gay pretty quickly, while some of the jocks picked on him too, most people left him alone, his infectious personality eventually causing them to just steer clear of us both.