To Do List: My Boss

Rough Times

"Um...Hi. My name is Theodora Jean Stewart, but you can call me TJ. I'm from Queens, which is a small bourough in Chicago, Illinois. My dad calls it Queenies and—"

"Look, Alex !! She still wears Reebok's, who does that ?" whisper shouted a girl, pointing her pink painted nail. She had long straight blonde hair that went down her back and pretty blue eyes, like a Barbie. She wore a mustard colored jacket with a matching top and pants. She wore white colored Crocs. Her tag on the desk read "Aubrey".

TJ stood tall and talked louder. "My favorite subject is History, and I hope one day I will own my own business." The teacher beamed in her direction. "Well, Theodora, those are some big shoes you hope to fill! I am sure you're more than capable." TJ grinned at her teacher and looked Aubrey right in her eyes. Aubrey's eyes seemed to bore holes right back into hers.

She stuck out her Croc as TJ went past and she went tumbling to the floor. The whole class erupted into laughter and Theodora just dropped her head and walked back to her seat . She didn't hear a single word the teacher said that day, she just stared at her shoes and at the back of the blonde girl's head who seemed to hate her for no real reason. Her shoes weren't exactly new, but her dad gave them to her before she left for Virginia.

When she got back home, she slid her shoes off, threw them into the overflowing trashcan and stomped off to her room. Finally home, she thought.

The little 2 room apartment was dingy and quiet, other than the regular arguments between her upstairs neighbors. She peered into the kitchen. Of course no dinner was made, so she ate an apple she had grabbed from the cafeteria earlier that day. She stopped in the hallway and stared at her reflection in the dirty mirror.

TJ was so tall, she had to duck her head a little to see her full body. She had bright green eyes and freckles all over her face. When she smiled, she had a little gap in the very middle.

She wore a blue and black flannel with her mom's baggy jeans. Her orange curls were in a dizzy array down her back. She looked at her socks, and remembered the Reebok's that were now in the corner next to the trashcan. She blinked back tears and sauntered to her room.

She plopped on the bed and grabbed her journal. I hate this school, she wrote in big red letters. I hate my looks, I hate high school, she continued to write. And then she remembered the girl that laughed at her. She made a big space and wrote, AND I HATE AUBREY! in all caps. Eventually, she calmed down because there was no point in sulking. No one would come to check on her.

Her mother had her own pity parties every night when her stepfather would stay out late. She hadn't even bothered to ask her daughter how her day went.

TJ missed Queens, where she stayed with her dad. He always checked on her and cared about her opinions. And her stepmom, who tucked her in every single night. She always grabbed her guitar and sang 'Blackbird' . TJ couldn't sleep without it so she recorded her singing one night, for nights like these.

She grabbed Dr. Tentaclaws, her stuffed octopus and switched her phone on. She put the recording on repeat and drifted off to sleep.

" Blackbird singing in the dead of night....."

First chapter ! I'm going to try to keep this one updated 😂 leave some comments !