It felt great to get out of the cafeteria and into the sunshine in the courtyard. It was so cold and noisy in there. Out here, it's only a dozen kids and the warmth from the sun. So pleasant. So peaceful.

I spoke too soon.

Sophia and her "minions" had seen me walk into the courtyard, and were already up on their feet and walking towards me when I noticed them.

I turned to walked back into the cafeteria when Sophia caught me on the shoulder.

Kill me.

I turned back to look at Sophia, putting on the cringiest smile. It was mainly made up of a lot of teeth.

"Hiiii, Katie! How was your summer?" She said in an unbearably fake enthusiastic tone of voice. Her minions surrounded me with equally fake grins on their faces.

"Oh, it was great. It was sooo great Sophia, you could hardly STAND to hear how amazing it was. Oh let me tell yeah, it was the best. Really, I must be honest. It was pretty grand." I said, my face hurting from my fake smile.

Sophia Higginson was your average preppy, prissy, and terrifying cheerleader. Blonde straight hair, blue eyes, and AMAZING legs. Like seriously, I have to admit, I was jealous. (But I don't think legs like her's are worth how much exercising she does on a daily basis.)

For the first day of school, she wore a pink skirt, shorter than my own shorts; a white V-neck shirt (and I mean V-neck. Boy, sometime's I wonder what would happen if there wasn't a dress code in this school not to follow. What would people do, come to school shirtless? I wouldn't be surprised. I'm telling ya, this school has a drug problem); red high heels; and maybe thirty gold and silver chains around her neck.

And I thought I was blingy. (Bling bling son.)

Sophia had arrived to our school in grade 10, and ever since then, she's wanted nothing but to prove she's better than everyone.

Seriously, I cannot stand this chick.

"Wow, Katie, you look so beautiful this year! Did you grow boobs over the summer or did your parent's just buy ya those?"

What did I tell ya.

"And those tattoos! Awwww!" She held my hands out. She made a pouty puppy face, looking back and forth between her two minions.

"Someone's so desperate for attention from the world she's willing to have some stranger inject ink into your arms to try and get it! No one will ever give you a job if your arms look like someone scribbled sharpie all over them. Good thing your parents can just buy you a house that you can live alone in for the rest of your sad, miserable existence."

I hate this school.

Grin and bare grin and bare.

"Oh Katie, when was the last time you exercised?! I mean, look at your thighs! I'm scared half to death about your health, you know that? Maybe you shouldn't eat that pizza, and then, starve yourself! And die in a hole!" She said in the highest voice she could register.

I'm not falling for her psychological games, trying to make me feel self conscious about my weight; which is such a horrible, wicked thing to do to anyone. That kills people. Every year. I'm really glad I can see past those insults, though. Hell, if anything, I'm TOO skinny. Like seriously, I should just sit at the computer EVEN MORE, not less. It's been like, three months since I've had my last period. Wait. Whoops, sorry. Was that too much detail?

Sophia grinned.

"You poor, poor thing. To bad you don't have my loving parent's that would make any sacrifice to make me happy, not throw money at the problem. You poor child. Too much to spend? Tattoos and plastic surgery? You need counseling for your problems? You know I'm always here for you, Katie."

Ok I swear to you I've never had a boob job. These girls of mine are all natch-ar-all.

"And poor Katie! Too bad you couldn't go to places like Paris like Sydney did this summer! As a matter of fact, this summer I went to Costa Rica. You ever been there? It was so beautiful. I went bungie jumping above a raging river, kaiaked through white water rapids, and even went zip lining through the tree tops of the jungle!"

Ok, I do really want to go to Costa Rica. I mean, come on, who wouldn't? Jurassic Park anyone? That's a trip of a life time.

"Oh Sophia, That is sooo fascinating. Oh, no, please, do go on. Should I take notes?"

She [insert female dog word] slapped me across the cheek. My face felt like like it was numb as the red streak spread across my face.

But I didn't care. I grinned my ass off, and this time it wasn't fake. She waved her minions off, and they walked past me, subtly elbowing me in the ribs as they brushed their bodies against me.

Sophia got up in my grill.

"I'll get you, you--"

"Fabulous? I'm sorry I just had to say that."

She stepped on my foot. Like that hurt, with these high tops on.

"This year, I'll be prom queen. And for once in your life, people won't be looking up at you and your money. So help me I'll kill you if I must!"

I grinned. "Simmer."

She kicked me in the stomach. I fell back as the feeling of my intestines being wrapped around someone's finger became my reality. I lied there on the concrete, accepting death, as Sophia looked over me with the smile of Satan on her lips.

"Oh, and here's your lunch." She said, setting it on the ground and kicking it across the courtyard. The bun and the majority of the fries flew off the tray and tumbled on the ground.

"You might not want to eat that, that is, if you want any chance of being thin enough to win this year."

And at that, she left me on the ground and strut back into the building to find her minions.

Sophia has entered the building. Everyone take cover.

I lied there, looking up at the sky. Pretending to contemplate life as one died, I gasped, and uttered those words, "What is life?" I laughed, shooting even more pain up and down my torso. It was funnier in my head.

And then, someone was suddenly blocking my view of the clouds.

It was the Muslim girl that Grubby had harassed earlier. She stood at my waist. She was leaning over me, her face directly above mine. Worry was written all over her face.

"Are you alright?" She said, the first time I've ever heard her speak. (Besides her screaming when Grubby tore off her hijab, of course.)

I smiled. "Ah yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Just eternally bleeding to death. The usual."

She giggled. "You need help up?"

"Actually, I would love that, thank you." She extended her hand out to me, and I took it, with all the strength I had. I mean, come on, Sophia was wearing heels. That hurt like crap.

The Muslim girl helped me stand on my own two feet. I dusted my shorts off, and ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to comb out the concrete look I had going on.

The Muslim girl walked over to where my tray was sitting on the ground. She picked up my tray and held it out in front of her. She came back over to me and presented my lunch to me. There was still a good amount that had survived Sophia. My pizza, my cookie, my chocolate milk, and a few fries.

I took the tray from her hands, smiling at her act of kindness. "Thank you."

She beamed back at me.

I cleared my throat. "So, uh, hey." I cleared it again. "Can I sit with you?"