A Whole New Life; Book 2: Alone

Chapter 9

Aqua's POV

When we got there, I got out of the backseat with my bag over my shoulder with my iPod in my hand and my headphones on my head. When we walked in, there were three boys I recognize really well. Jackson, John and Joel. The same three boys who tried to exclude me at lunch on my first day at La Guardia High. They take notice of me and start pointing and whispering.

"Hey, Aqua," said Jackson. Jen and Josh take notice of the three boys and turn to me.

"Do you know them?" Josh asks. I show them the memory of what happened at lunch on my first day of school.

"Hey, Aqua. Come over here," called John.

"Coming," I said.

"I hope you're going to apologize for trying to exclude me at lunch the other day," I say with annoyance in my voice and my arms crossed.

"We thought you forgot that already," says Joel. The three boys stand up from their seats.

"Now sit," says Jackson sternly. I look over to Jen and Josh who are keeping a close eye on me.

"No," I said shaking my head.

"I said sit," says Jackson as he grabs me by my jacket forcing me to sit.

"What's with the earmuffs?" said John as he rips my headphones off my head. Suddenly I feel the need to fight. I lift up my foot and stomp on John's foot as hard as I can. He winces in pain as Jackson grabs my jacket pulling me closer to him. Knee jerk reaction. Yeah, I hit him in the nuts with my knee. Jackson lets go of my jacket and clutches his nuts in pain. Joel charges at me and tries to punch me but I dodge and grab his arm and twist it until I hear a crack. I must have I gave him a broken arm. I look at the three boys. One holding his foot, one holding his nuts and one holding his arm. I walk back to where Jen and Josh are sitting. Good thing nobody else saw. As I sit down, Jen and Josh look at me with and expression I can't read.

"What the hell, Aqua," says Jen.

"Oops," I said with sarcasm in my voice.

"You gave them a squashed foot, a knee in the nuts and a broken arm," Josh keeps yapping until my chance to speak came.

"Well you didn't seem to be coming over to help me. Besides. I can defend myself," I said.

"Didn't anyone teach you what to do if stuff like that happens, Aqua?" asks Jen with worry in her voice.

"I'm sorry. Is it my fault my parents abandoned me when I was four months old? Is it my fault they abandoned me because I was different?" I ask them flailing my arms around. Jen and Josh fall silent.

"All the employees at the orphanage were to busy with the other kids. Even Sherry was too busy for me. Nobody cared about the marked redhead. They called me stupid, they called worthless, mad, crazy, psychotic," I said as the memories came back.

"I was the orphanage freak. I was on my own. I was always alone. Just a loner who was abandoned for being different," I said. Jen and Josh continue to stare. But that's not all what happened back in the orphanage. No. They need to learn it all.

"Everything I learned, everything I know, nobody taught me. Reading, writing, all that was stuff I taught myself. I could barely eat with the other kids without them making a remark about me. I'd go down in the middle of the night almost every night to feed myself. Whenever an employee caught me, they forced me to bed before I could even look for food and I would end up hungry until Sherry had enough time to bring me something to eat," I said as I feel tears threatening to spill.

"I was alone. I've always been alone. And until Cameron comes back, I'll still be alone," I said as I feel hot tears run down my face.

"Aqua, you're not alone. You have us and You have Willow and Amandla," said Josh.

"But you guys don't understand. You haven't grown up in an orphanage where you had to entertain yourself, teach yourself and feed yourself. You haven't felt an empty space your whole life. You haven't had a feeling where nobody would care if you died. You haven't tried to kill yourself to escape the pain by cutting yourself," I said as I take off my jacket so they can see the scars on my arms.

"Aqua. I'm so sorry," says Jen as she pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around her and cry into her shoulder.

"I just want the pain to end. I just want Cameron," I sobbed into Jen's shoulder.

"I know, Aqua. I know. He will be back," says Jen as she rubs my back. When we pull away, I wipe my tears to make it less obvious I was crying. Suddenly, a doctor with a clipboard walks out.

"Aqua-Topaz-Windy-Flower Lawrence Hutcherson?" the doctor asks.

"Just call me Aqua," I said as I walked into the chilled room.