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Even though I took a shower the night before trying to wash away the shame of my actions, I still got up and took another one, hoping it would rid me of the intrusive thoughts swirling in my head.
I guess I should have felt lucky my parents let me drive to school. Yesterday they took me like it was my first day of kindergarten, only I knew why they led me inside. They thought I was going bail, and they were probably right, I might. Hell, I still might. I had a better reason today to skip school than I did yesterday. Still, I didn’t want Archer to know how much he affected me. I wouldn’t let him see how much his action had me rethinking the possibility of begging my parents to send me to military school or anyplace better than Saint Sebastian’s.
The parking lot was full as I tried to find a parking place, and yet no one was outside. I looked at the clock on my dashboard to see if I was late, but I still had twenty minutes before school started. Strange.
Opening the door, I found what seemed like the entire student body class piling out of a room. What the hell? Was there a class or assembly that I didn’t know about? Mentally, I went over my schedule in my head. No, school started at nine o’clock on the dot. So why was I the only one not included in on whatever was going on? If I knew anyone or had any friends, I would ask. Instead, I stood there watching everyone, trying to figure out what I had missed out on until the room was empty. Not that I cared. The least amount of time I spent with the students of Saint Sebastian’s, the better.
Making my way inside, I found it to be a chapel with a sign saying there was a seven thirty mass. If they thought I was going to get here that early, they had another thing coming. I was floundering as it was with the whole religion aspect here. My parents really must hate me to send me to a school where I was the lone student who wasn’t Catholic. Realistically, I knew I wasn’t the only one, but it sure as hell felt like it.
I needed to find all the others who started here because they were kicked out of their school, and make friends with them, or at least acquaintances. Only I had no idea how to find them. Was there a directory for all the students that didn’t belong? If I was lucky, maybe one of them would seek me out.
As if on queue, the door behind me opened, and two boys and one girl walked inside. They each wore the standard uniform, making them look like every other student here, but there was something different about them that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. All I knew was they were in the same situation as me.
“What’s up, new girl?” One of the boys asked. He was tall and lanky, with a mischievous smile spreading across his face. The light smell of pot coming off him.
“I was wondering what I missed.” I pointed to the room I just saw the entirety of the student body population come out of.
“Mass?” The girl laughed.
“Yeah, what’s up with that?”
“Nothing. You’re welcome to attend, but…” the girl looked to the guys and then back at me. “They’ll more than likely make you feel unwelcome.”
“Not everyone,” said the second guy, who was short with greasy hair and stubble on his cheeks. “Only The Order.”
My face pinched. Why did these three speak in riddles? “Who the hell is The Order?”
The lanky guy hushed me. “You shouldn’t be swearing. Especially in the halls.”
The girl looked left and then right before stepping toward me. “I don’t know what you know about this school or Catholic schools in general, but if they hear you swear depending on where you are, they’ll likely either hit you with a ruler or force you to wash your mouth out with soap.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. There was no way in hell that could happen here. It was against our rights.
“She’s not joking,” the short guy said while looking down the hall. “We should go. Uh… if you want, you can join us at lunch.”
“If you haven’t found a friend yet,” the girl added like she knew I hadn’t. Everyone probably saw me sitting alone the day before. “We know how difficult it can be being the new kid on the block and not Catholic.”
Was it that obvious?
“How do you know I’m not Catholic?”
Her eyes darted over my shoulder. “Because you have no idea what mass is.”
“I know… okay, I don’t know anything, but I’ve heard the word.”
“And I’ve heard the word cunnilingus, but that doesn’t mean I’m acquainted with it,” the short guy said.
The laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I wasn’t surprised he wasn’t associated with it. No girl would want him getting anywhere close to her neither region with him looking less than bathed.
Once I finally got myself together, I spoke with a light chuckle. “You’re funny. I like you.”
“Great, but we should be going. The nuns don’t like us being late to class. Find us at lunch and we’ll give you the lowdown on everyone here,” the girl said.
“I’m Payton,” I blurted out as they started to walk away.
The girl looked over her shoulder at me. “I’m Rebecca, and these two knuckleheads are Steve and Martin.”
I waved. “I’ll see you at lunch.” Only I never did. I looked all over the room for them, but couldn’t find them leaving me to eat lunch alone once again. It was depressing, but every time I ate, I always thought of my brother’s girlfriend, Harley. She moved here last year, and her mother tried to starve her. Luckily, she met my brother. There was no way we would have let her waste away at the hands of her mother. It made me grateful that my parents always kept our refrigerator and cabinets stocked full of the foods Slade and I loved. Even though I was pissed they sent me here, they still gave me money for lunch or had plenty of food for me to pack my lunch. Which was something I would likely be doing, so I didn’t look like such a loser walking around the cafeteria for a place to sit. I was sure everyone was laughing at me and my pathetic ways, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to make friends.
