The only reason why I bear with the stress of school, especially on Mondays, is that I have to go to the book shop afterwards. Today, of course, is no exception.

Classes seem to be a lot slower than usual; to make matters worse, it looks like today's Maths mock quiz is an excuse for many of my classmates to drag other people down, especially me. I try hard to keep my head low and focus on my studies as much as I can, but what can I do if I manage to gain attention for all the wrong reasons?

Plus, would anyone really side with me over the popular kids? The answer is obvious.

***

I'm starving. I've never thought the idea of a low carbohydrates meal at school would turn out so bad. Usually, cutting down on carbs works, provided we're actually served delicious meals.

We had a chicken salad, nothing else. Worst still, we were only allowed to have a single portion. I love chicken salad, but I don't usually eat it on its own. Plus, I wish there were a little more chicken in my portion...

Never mind. I shouldn't ramble about food right now. Books don't sell on their own.

***

I'm surprised to see that not many customers have passed by today. And, no, it's not solely because it's Monday. I don't know why, though. I guess I'll have to ask around as soon as my shift is over.

Before I start losing hope, a young girl, probably in her twenties, approaches the counter with a small pile of books and a mischievous frown plastered on her face. She turns at me, making me unconfortable. I don't know why I'm catching her attention; still, I don't think she's familiar.

I'm tempted to ask her what her name is, but I just stick on doing my job. "Thirty dollars, please," I say as I carefully put the books in a brown paper bag. "Have you got our customers' card?"

She shakes her head, before handing me a fifty dollar bill. I take it and give her back twenty dollars as change. After picking her bag, she gives me a weak smile and leaves.

I don't know what's up with that girl, but she's not like the other customers I've met so far. She has such a mysterious aura, as if she's hiding something painful from her past... While I'm really into getting to know her better, I shouldn't push my luck.

I'll wait for her to open up to me. It's obvious that I have to treat her as a customer while here, nothing else.

***

Mom immediately notices I'm immersed in my thoughts and tries to force me into having conversation with her, but I don't feel like it. I just want to stay on my own and read a book, or maybe think of that girl who stole my heart at the store.

Maybe I'll never see her again, and that's it. I have to accept reality as it is. It's harsh, but I can't really do much to defy it.

Oh, why do I have to keep wrapping myself up in trouble? Why can't things be easier for once? Why can't I just live my life in peace without having to worry about anything?

I guess I'm in for a load shit of sufferance, as always.

***

I'm not ready for my Geography class. That one is basically hell on Earth. The teacher does anything but her job, instead giving us random group projects to work on to justify her lack of effort in teaching. I know, I should keep my head down and not complain; yet, that woman has the power of irritating me every time she opens her mouth to announce another project.

Today is no exception, unfortunately. It also seems that, this time, things are going to look a lot worse than usual. Miss Lanier is not going to let us choose our own partner, which sucks. This means my chances of working again with Jenna are greatly reduced.

I try to look at the bright side—maybe a new partner might motivate me to do better, and I'd focus far better than with Jenna. That is, if I'm not paired with Marietta or her friend Bree, the school's cheer squad captain. The idea of working with either of them makes me cringe.

I try hard to repress my rage when Miss Lanier announces the pairings. "Jenna Bales and Cato Walter." Poor Jenna. Cato isn't really the best person to work with, especially for a school assignment. He has the tendency to boss around most of the time instead of doing his actual job properly. This is so going to end in disaster.

"Allie Combs and Robin Ames, Marietta Vale and Harry Hale." To be honest, I didn't really expect Marietta to end up with anyone but me. I had this gut feeling until now that I'd end up with her—fortunately it didn't happen, but what if it had? Okay, Cathy, stop rambling!

Still, if I were Harry, I wouldn't completely trust her. She can either be helpful or fuck everything up. He needs to be careful and make sure to do his part at his very best.

Okay, I should really focus on myself. After all, avoiding Marietta doesn't mean I'm out of trouble, right?

"Chance Fay and June Elkins..." Oh, God, when is she going to call my name? Why is she taking ages?

"Catherine Hazell and Breanna Abeyta." Okay, I called it. Why can't I just keep my thoughts for myself? Now, how am I going to handle Bree? I'm sure she'll expect me to do her part of the project because, hey, she can't accept to be ordered around by me. It'd be humiliating for her.

Well, I don't care. It takes two to tango. The same applies to a fucking school assignment. Take it or leave it.

***

As I expected, Bree is anything but enthusiast about working with me. Even though our task isn't as hard as other pairs', I still have no hope for it to succeed. To add insult to injury, I also have to bear Bree's comments on my social life, as if they were relevant.

"When was the last time you went to a party?" she asks indeed. We're supposed to focus on the project, though.

I give her a snide reply. "Well, does never count as an answer?"

She glares at me out of disgust. Predictable. She can't really let go of her prejudice and is even willing to take the extra mile to show her clear dislike of me. I mean, I haven't done anything wrong to her, save for misspelling and mispronouncing her name when we first crossed paths back in ninth grade.

Needless to say, even after I apologized to her for that incident, she still believes it's okay to resent me and call me names. I do call her out sometimes, but to no avail. She's dead set on hating me. Fine. I hate her as well.

Back to the project itself, when the bell rings, I realize that we haven't started planning anything. I know she has her obligations with the squad, but I hope this doesn't mean she can slack off as we work on the assignment.

If only Bree Abeyta were something easier to deal with...