Chapter 2

Not too long ago I knew my place in this school. I was popular. Everyone knows what being popular gets you. It gets you status. It gets you friends and frienemies. It’s gets you noticed by boys who were on an exclusive list of guys you only talked to if they talked to you first. Most of all, it gets you remembered. No one ever forgets the popular crowd. No one.

            But now I hold a different position in the teenage masses of this school. My status is different. I’m no longer popular though I do have friends and frienemies, recognition by the Exclusive Boy Club and I am unforgettable. In place of popularity, I am now feared.

            This is evidence when I pull into the school parking lot and everyone stops what they’re doing to let my car drive through without me ever having to touch the breaks until I’m parking. Further evidence? When I leave the haven of my vehicle with Mike at my back, I walk through the previously mention crowd unceasingly. I am never touched. I don’t have to endure the histrionic stereotype of mistakenly having my books knocked from my hands or being tripped. There is always space for me to move about without opposition. Always.

            When we get to the door, Scooter is standing there. He’s one of the security guards and he never takes his eyes off me when I’m in the vicinity.

            “Good Morning, Grace.”

            “Good Morning, Scooter.”

            “Are you going to be trouble today?”

            “Scooter,” I laugh, “I can’t even spell trouble.”

            He shakes his head as I walk into the school.

            To my left I see Harley. Harley is sixteen and my best friend. I really couldn’t tell you how she got involved with me and my new lifestyle. All I can say is friends stick together and she has never not been there so I guess this is fitting. When I asked her why she was doing it, she said, “If this is what you need to do to help you deal, I’m with you. Now don’t ask me no more.”

She’s shorter than me at five foot three inches but she’s got the most intimidating nature. Her personality is much taller than her height. She’s not an indecisive person; however, she can be impulsive. She’s got a caramel skin tone, long jet brown hair with light brown streaks and almond colored eyes. She’s a gorgeous girl and I’ve seen first-hand what she can do to a guy’s heart. Her motto is “Get him before he gets me.” When I sum it all up all I can say is that I love her to death.

            “Harley!”

            She smiles at me when she sees me but frowns at the girl she was just talking to. She’s got on a khaki skirt today with red high top Chuck Taylors, a red button up that’s not tucked, and a black tie. Her blazer fits her nicely. And of course, she’s got a red sucker in her right hand. She’s never seen without one.

            “What were you doing?” I ask her with a smile.

            “Nu-thing,” she says in her sweet voice, breaking up the word.

            “That girl you were talking to looked very uncomfortable.”

            “Well, I would’ve been uncomfortable, too, if I wanted something the next day but couldn’t pay for it until next week.”

            “That just won’t do,” I say.

            She gives me a “See?” face. Her attention is no longer on me. She’s focused on Mike now.

            “Hey, Mike.”

            “Hey, Harley.”

            Harley’s had a thing for Mike since she met him when she was fourteen. He was sixteen and she didn’t even register to him. She was in eighth grade. Now that she’s in high school he thinks she’s “smokin’ hot” as he put it but he’s knows how she is with guys. She doesn’t sleep around but she gets what she needs or wants from them. He doesn’t like that she’s manipulative even though she’s never done anything to him in particular.

            “I called you yesterday night.”

            She’s determined.

            “I had a load of homework.”
            It’s amazing how far a few bucks to the janitor will go. Our lockers are right next to each other. Mike’s on my left, Harley’s on my right, and the twins are to her right.

            “Since when did homework become more important than girls? Especially this one?”

            “Since Georgia Tech.”

            “Alright you two. Calm down. Besides, you know I don’t allow internal fraternizing.”

            Harley rolls her eyes and leans against her locker as do I.

            “You could at least fake it, Grace,” Mike says indicating my lack of books.

            “That’s what she said,” Choice says walking past Mike.

            Chance laughs, of course.

            The twins are in the same grade as I am. They play basketball and are what some people would call funny. They’re pretty much identical but if you look really close you can tell them apart. I can automatically because they’re my boys and what kind of leader would I be if I couldn’t tell the difference?

            Most people think we’re related so I claim them as my brothers. We have the exact same color skin, my eyes are hazel green and theirs are hazel. I have braces and they just got theirs off last month. Our noses are shaped the same. It’s uncanny. The only real difference is that there isn’t he slightest bit of Brazilian in them. Other than that, I basically grew up with them. Mike’s technically the newbie in our dysfunctional family.

            “Yo, boss sister! You at school?” Choice asks loudly.

            “Clearly.”

            “Why?” Chance asks.

            “Had nothing else to do. What’s more, I know you guys missed me along with the staff and all the students who either lost their merchandise or finally made the decision to invest in some.”

            Chance shakes his head and laughs under his breath.

            “Grace?”

            When I see who calls my name I annoyingly lower my head.

            “Grace. I know you heard me. You haven’t been in school much lately.”

            The bell rings and all the other kids are hurrying off to class but my goonies stay put. Ms. Jaspers may not be a threat but until they know where I’m going to be for certain, they don’t like to let me out of their sight.

            “The rest of you can get to class.”

            “Ms. Jaspers, you know that’s not going to happen. And no, I haven’t been in school much because I don’t care about school.”

            “Did you ever think about how your behavior would look to your parents; about how they would feel about your currently lifestyle?”

            We all take a step toward her which she notices uneasily.

            “My lifestyle?” I inquire narrowing my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

            “I just mean the way you skip school without a second thought about your education and your fighting; your carelessness.”

            The tension eases after her explanation.

            “Some would call it carefree,” I say flashing my braces. People love the braces.

            “Not me. And I’ll bet certainly not your parents.”

            “You know what? My parents have no clue as to what is going on right now. I wonder why that is. Oh, yeah. They’re dead. They are unable to give an opinion. You want to help me, Ms. Jaspers? Stop reminding me of that fact. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to grieve. I don’t need to express myself. I don’t need closure. I need distance. And I need ignorance.”

            “It’s not my job to be ignorant of a student’s cry for help.”

            “Well, make it your job or-

            “She has us. She talks to us,” Mike interjects. “I assure you, she has improved. She’s just having a hard time showing it. We’re working on that,” he ensures her placing a hand on my shoulder.  

            “It’s good to know she has someone.”

            We watch her walk away. When she disappears I remove his hand from my shoulder and give him the coldest stare I can conjure up.

            “I can hold my own with her.”

            “True. But you were also about to threaten the school counselor and get yourself noticed by more than just the likes of Ms. Jaspers.”

            I know he’s right but I’m pissed and there’s no seeing reason for me just yet.

            “Whatever. Let’s go, Harley.”

            She turns her back on Mike very easily where I’m involved.

            “She’ll calm down,” I hear Chance say over my shoulder.

            He shadows me to class anyway to make sure I get there. Stupid Mike.