You probably know them, every school has them.

The cliques.

The popular group of boys and girls that everyone knows, even if you don't have any lessons with them. For whom you step aside in the hallway, because you don't want to get in trouble? In this case, it's the cheerleading squad and the boys on the American football team. Our school is very sporty in that regard.

Then you have the misfits who are always bullied. Because of how they look, behave or because of their hobbies. Even if no one likes them and you are not the one bullying them, you still knows them. Usually they form a group together, in order to be somewhat protected against the bullies.

Then you have all the other regular cliques, the nerds, goths, barbies and a number of others, they have a fixed group and also stick to their own group.

And then there are the students you've been in class with for four years, but you don't even know their names. You know where they are, but you can't tell at the end of the day what their eye or hair color is. If you have to designate that person from a group, you will not succeed. The anonymous loners.

I belong to the latter group.

We've been at this school for two months, but nobody remembers that I'm in their class.

My grades are good enough. Not too high so that it stands out to the rest of the class and not so low that the teacher keeps an eye on me.

Had they done this, they would have noticed that I am never really alone. There is always someone around, and even though it rotates, they are always the same.

-Never alone....-

When the last bell rings that indicates the end of the school day, I quickly pick up my books with a smile and follow the rest to leave the classroom. Only one more day to go and it's weekend. And if everything goes according to plan, I can join my brothers' group afterward. The popular clique.

But as soon as I want to walk through the door, I'm pushed forward by the class bully. Of course he wants to get out of the class faster than the rest, imagine you wait a moment.

But at the same time, a football flies by and a couple of guys run blindly after it. Just before they hit me, I'm pulled aside. The bully who just pushed me into the hallway, however, gets a shove and lands in the middle of the running boys.

"Thank you," I whisper without looking back, before walking around the swearing and moaning battlefield towards the hallway where my locker is. But I know he heard it and he won't respond anyway.

It feels pointless to watch the tangle of arms and legs trying to stand up cursing. I'll leave that to the rest to enjoy themselves.

I walk around the last bend and arrive at the row of lockers where my own locker is situated.

I put back the books that I'm holding. Also most of the books in my bag can stay here. Looking through my schedule I see that I only have to read through some text for the English class tomorrow. That's the only book I take home.

The moment I pull my hand out of the locker to put the book in my bag, the door of my locker suddenly slams shut. My hand barely missed getting hit.

As I close my bag and sling it over my shoulder, I ignore the perpetrator's presence. However, he is not happy about this. As I'm about to walk away, he tugs at my bag causing me to stumble backwards and pushes me against the wall across the hall with my shoulder.

"You. I've been watching you for a week now. And every time something happens, you're around. The hypocritical silent bitch, but in the meantime you were the one who just pushed me into the hallway!" he shouts.

-Will he still push this hard with a knife in his shoulder?-

-No. Hold back.-

Jerry.

At the moment the bully of the school. Because even though everyone thinks that the popular boys are the biggest bullies, they are actually not that bad.

And Jerry just wants to be one of the popular boys. However, he does not dare to bully the misfits. He likes to stand out and is convinced that he will succeed if he terrorizes the loners.

The wimp.

After all, the loners don't have a group of friends who stay close to them, or ensure that he can never meet you alone. And then he even picks out a girl.

My only reaction to his outburst is a scornful smile. Because even though he tries to intimidate me, I'm used to worse. And besides, I know that he will never get a chance to really hurt me. In the worst case I'm left with a bruise from this encounter.

-If it's more, we make him bleed, right?-

-No..... Maybe. But not now.-

He only seems to get pissed off at my smile, though. But before he reacts, he is smart enough to look around to see where the rest of the students are.

A little further, almost at the end of the corridor, a girl is standing, who dumps her things in her locker as quickly as possible, in order to flee the corridor.

Halfway down the hall two boys are talking to each other. However, they don't seem interested in Jerry or me. At the end a group arrives, but the boys are too far away to intervene. Just like the teacher standing close to that group and looking our way.

Again Jerry pushes me against the wall. "What are you laughing at, do you think it's funny that I just got run over? Or are you going to deny that you had anything to do with it? You're not so tough now you are all alone, are you?" he growls, moving his fist back at my face to lunge.

So tough, the guys who punch girls in the face for no reason... with a fist.

-If I can't let him bleed, can I see if he has enough brains when we answer him?-

-Yes, for this time then.-

Sighing, I look straight at him and feel how my control is being taken over.

"Yes, yes and no," I just say.

He looks at me in surprise. "What?"

His fist drops slightly. Confused, he looks into my eyes, as if he's seeing something he can't quite grasp.

Or has that sucker really forgotten all his questions?

Perhaps the confusion went better than expected.

"Yes, it was funny, yes, I deny having anything to do with it. At least I had nothing to do with it directly. And finally, no, I'm never alone," I explain to him.

As if he didn't look ugly enough already, his face darkens even further. He raises his fist again and lunges, but just before he hits me another ball flies through the air, hitting him right in the face.

And when such a football is thrown well, it hits hard. Especially if he is normally thrown 40 meters with ease, and now hits full face from five meters away.

Jerry falls to the ground with a bang. He holds both hands in front of his nose. The blood runs underneath and drips onto the smooth floor.

-Aw, I have to behave, but they can make him bleed?-

-Exactly.-

I curve around him to the exit, right through the group that is now laughing at Jerry.

None of them reach out to him for help.

Just before I walk out of the main entrance, a teacher stops me. He was the one who saw everything happen.

His warm hand grips my shoulder. "Is everything okay? Did he hurt you?"

He studies my face intently, while I look at the ground as quickly as I can.

"Nothing happened sir," I say quickly, trying to shake his hand off my shoulder.

-Why do men always touch us without permission? May I..--

-No, stop. Calm down.-

However, his grip tightens and with his other hand, he lifts my chin so that I have to look at him.

My eyes quickly dart down the hallway, but there's no one else to be seen. All the other students are watching Jerry now, I can hear them laughing further down the hall.

As soon as I look at the teacher, a small smug smile appears on his lips.

"It is Lea, isn't it? You always walk home through the woods behind the school?" he asks, holding my gaze.

"Yes Sir."

"Are there any friends waiting for you to walk together?" he asks, letting go of my chin. I quickly look back at the floor.

-Haha, who needs friends when you have me. You, me and a sharp knife....-

"No Sir, I haven't made any friends yet. But I like the silence of the forest."

Then he finally lets go of my shoulder.

"Be careful then, you never know what's going on in the woods. See you tomorrow Lea."

-If they only knew...-

I quickly walk out the main entrance, all the while feeling his gaze burn on my back.