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"Oh look, it's Lennie. Talking to your imaginary friends outside?" Clara teased, giving me an obvious once over as her mouth twisted in disgust. I didn't bother saying anything back; instead, I just rolled my eyes and walked directly into a wall of muscle. Cue her evil twin, Alistair. Clearly, their parents were into super pompous names. They were also clearly raised with no manners or morals.
"Don't touch me, I don't want your pariah germs rubbing off on me," he said as he jumped back, letting me fall hard on my knees. I just glared at him, picking myself up and heading for the stairs.
"Going to go cry, Lennie?" Clara called after me, her whole body shaking in laughter as she whispered back and forth with Alistair. They were like two dark haired, green-eyed demons, intent on making me break.
"I don't cry over assholes anymore," I called back as I flipped her off over my shoulder. They used to be able to break me, leaving me sobbing and running through the halls on more than one occasion, but not now. I'd gained a backbone since freshman year, I no longer cry and pity myself, but I also choose not to fight back. Having violence on my record wasn’t the way to get into a good college. Instead, I kept my head down and my record clean, so I could escape as soon as I had that diploma in hand. "Man, I can't wait to leave this hell hole," I muttered the last part to myself, but the laughter following me meant they heard. I continued up the stairs, letting my mind wander to all of the places I'd go when I graduated.
"Move," a random girl huffed out as she hurried past me, knocking me into the wall. It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't so small, but my five foot petite frame didn't give me much in the way of strength. I should probably start some kind of martial arts training or something. Maybe it would help me stay on my feet more.
The way everyone treated me... it was almost as if Alistair and Clara went around to every student and said 'hate Lennox Malia, or else'. It honestly wouldn't surprise me anymore. The teachers and faculty didn't bully me themselves, but they openly ignored it, never putting a stop to it. It was like they were just waiting for me to snap.
Cierra, my roommate, just glared at me with a huff, before slipping her headphones over her ears and drowning me out with her music. It was so loud I could hear the faint melody from across the room.
My side of the room was pristine since I was too afraid to make a mess and have her do something ridiculous to my stuff. It honestly felt like I was walking on eggshells. The only positive part of my year was going home for Christmas and summer break. It wasn’t that my family was exactly inviting; in fact, my parents were older and stern, not bothering to show much love or even basic interest in me. But the beautiful silence and not being constantly bullied was pure bliss. Plus the cook never failed to slip me extra dessert.
I flipped on the dim desk lamp and started on my math homework. At least my grades were fantastic. With no time spent on anything else, I tended to bury myself in my studies in hopes that when I was ready for college, I could go to a good one. The idea of being in a place where nobody recognized me, and I could have a real fresh start, was so appealing. Do they have good colleges in Alaska?
Eventually, the lights overhead flicked off without a word of warning from my roommate, because why use common decency? Sighing, I went to my closet and changed into pajamas, before I clicked off my light and snuggled under the covers.
Only three months left until I graduate, and only one until I'm eighteen.
It can't come fast enough.
February 20
Afternoon
Lennox
Something happened today, and since I wasn’t exactly in the loop, I spent most of the day wondering what it was. All day, everyone had been huddled together, whispering hurriedly and not giving me a second glance. Not even Clara or Alistair bothered to taunt me. It was a welcome change, but my ridiculous brain was unsettled, assuming it was just a new tactic to put me on edge, or the calm before the storm.
"Did you see them?"
"We never get new kids, now we get five?!"
"They don't look the same, but I hear they're supposed to be brothers."
"I don't care who they are, I just know they're gorgeous."
The whispers surrounded me the entire walk down the hall, and my interest was piqued. I couldn't help but scan the halls, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever the talk of the school was. Things would go back to normal soon enough, so I figured I may as well enjoy being able to look around in peace while it lasted.
No matter how hard I tried to focus in class, the constant passing of notes and gossiping whispers wouldn't stop. Even the teachers seemed to get frustrated and give up on teaching, assigning us busy work instead. I'd never been more excited for the lunch bell to ring, needing a break from the constant whispers. I already dislike them, and I haven’t even met them.
I practically ran to the cafeteria and through the lunch lines, before taking my usual seat in the back corner. I claimed that spot so my back was against the wall, never wanting to leave myself vulnerable or unable to see who was coming up to berate me. Needing an escape, I pulled out my tablet and started reading my latest book. Fantasy worlds and exciting plot twists were my favorite form of distraction.
"Mind if we sit here?" a deep voice rang out. I didn't bother to look up, knowing it wasn't for me.
"Do you think she's deaf?" a smooth, honeyed voice whispered back.
"I don't want to tap her and scare her," a melodic, cheerful voice said with a chuckle.
"This is ridiculous," another smokey voice chimed in with a huff. I finally decided to glance up, jumping when I found five tall and very intimidating guys looking down at me.
"Ah, there she is," the last teased, his gravelly voice full of laughter, not malice. My cheeks flared at the attention, no words coming out of my mouth. So, in true Lennox fashion, I simply turned back to my book and completely ignored them.
"Did that just happen?" the deep voice asked, his words laced with shock and amusement. I gave a small shrug as I shook my brown hair out from over my shoulder so it cascaded around my face, giving me a sense of privacy. With one last snort my way, they all sat down and drifted into an easy conversation. I felt weird listening in, so I did my best to tune them out, refusing to take in their faces. Besides, I knew I'd get caught; after all these years of being friendless, I wasn’t the most smooth when it came to social situations . My chest tightened as Clara's fake, sugary tone interrupted them. I guess it was nice not being ostracized while it lasted.
"Hey! I'm Clara," she started, giving each of them her thousand watt smile. A grimace flickered over her face as her gaze drifted past me. "I'm sorry nobody invited you to sit with them, how rude of us. Why don't you come join us at our table? We'll make room for you guys. You don’t want to sit with Lennox."
