Lennox held her head a bit higher the next day. She met a smiling Faith at her locker. For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel revulsion looking at another human being. For the first time in a while, she felt proud and happy to be in the company of someone else. She hurriedly exchanged her books while Faith waited patiently, fingers tapping against her thigh.

The girls walks side-by-side towards class. Looking to her new friend, Lennox could see a new sparkle in her eyes. She could see that Faith held her own head a little higher, that the whispers echoing around her didn't seem to tear her apart. This caused Lennox's lips to tilt upwards as she walked towards her first class. Faith followed her towards the back, where they sat next to each other.

Faith glared at Isla, who sat a little too close for comfort. Lennox noticed and waved a dismissive hand.

"Let her be for now. She can't hurt you if you don't let her, Faith."

Faith slowly shook her head. You can't ignore the whole human population either, Lennox.

Her gaze hardened, and she tightened her hands into fists in her lap. She knew she couldn't, but this transition was hard for her. Everything seemed to be difficult for her lately, and she didn't want to have to deal with Isla again. If anything, that thought scared her a bit. Her nails dug into her palm as the teacher entered the classroom. She'd put a target on her forehead once again, and now someone else had to suffer with her. 

Lennox jumped as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She met Faith's concerned gaze, but simply shook her head. She gazed down at her lap as the teacher took role, forcing her emotions back into the box in her mind. She'd locked them up so long ago. She knew she needed Faith. She knew she was bound to crack if it was just her against the world. Still, this had opened up a whole river of emotions, and she'd spent so long trying not to feel anything at all.

The teacher began to do her job, and Lennox tried her hardest to pay attention. Usually, math was her escape. Today, nothing would save her from her relentless thoughts. Her nails continuously dug into her palms, and she refused to look in Faith's direction. She didn't need Faith to worry about her; she needed to worry about herself now that she was Isla's new target. A few times, Isla's gaze flicked back to Lennox. Her friend, Candice, also offered her a few looks. Lennox ignored them, finally helping Faith with the math. If only Faith didn't suck at math, Lennox could've stayed in her drowning thoughts.

The bell rang, and they left. Isla stuck a foot in Lennox's way, and it took all Lennox had not to retaliate. She would've a few days ago, but she didn't need the principle involved. She didn't need any more attention drawn to herself. She didn't need to give Isla another reason to hate her or Faith. So, she kept walking, chomping down on her cheek to control herself. She tasted blood, but she ignored it.

Faith and her parted ways to go to their respective classes. All of Lennox's next class, she worried about Faith. She worried about herself. She worried about everything and anything a person could worry about. She was on edge, on the verge of breaking down completely. She nearly jumped as someone sat down next to her. She recognized Brandi, Isla's doe-eyed friend. She remembered Brandi as being smart, completely putting the blonde stereotypes to shame. However, she became an enemy the minute things went south between Lennox and Isla.

Brandi smiled softly. "Hey, Lennox."

Lennox nearly growled. She nearly punched Brandi, nearly screamed until blood flooded out of her mouth. Instead, she glared into Brandi's honey-brown eyes. "What, Brandi?"

Brandi sighed. "I'm glad you found a friend. Faith seemed really nice."

Lennox wanted to smack her. "Too bad you still have poor taste in friends."

Brandi grimaced. "Lennox, everyone isn't as bad as you make them out to be. Everyone's just scared of talking to you because they think you're out of you mind!"

The redhead laughed, which turned a few heads. "Me? Out of my mind? Who knows what you people have done to my mind. I don't need you to tell me how insane I may or may not be."

Her ex-friend held up a hand. "That's not what I'm here to do, Lennox. I just wanted to tell you that not everyone is against you. I liked you as a friend, but you thought just because I was Isla's friend that I was evil."

Lennox scoffed. "Please. Who says you're not like her?"

Brandi huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "I just wanted to be nice, but you know what? Forget it. Now I see why everyone hates you, Lennox! You've just doomed that poor girl by associating with her!"

Brandi hopped out of her seat and rushed away from Lennox. The redhead stared after her, a mixture of frustration and shock welling up inside of her. She didn't understand why Brandi would want to be nice to her after all this time, then just walk away and insult her! Sure, she wasn't well liked. But she wasn't liked before she turned sour. She shook her head as anger boiled within her. If only people still stayed away from her. If only she didn't need to deal with anyone.

Soon enough, she walked out of class without further interacting with her peers. The hallways filled, and lockers slammed against one another. Feet slapped against the floor, and that was the rhythm Lennox marched to. It felt more difficult to hold her head high this time. However, when a smiling Faith rushing up to her, she plastered on a fake smile of her own. One thing Brandi spat at her stuck out. She couldn't bring Faith down with her. If she went down, it would be on her own terms. It would be just her, not anyone willing to associate themselves with someone like herself.

Faith began walking alongside Lennox, her eyes shining and her dimples showing. Someone else talked to me, Lennox! And they weren't mean!

Lennox was glad not everyone seemed to hate the girl. Still, she felt suspicious. Her suspicion wouldn't fade anytime soon, that was for sure.

His name is Trey, and he started writing notes to me!

Lennox hadn't heard of him, and that was probably a good thing. She only remembered people she should avoid. "Well, that's great, Faith. I'm glad you're making friends." Something twisted in her gut. She meant the words, but a part of her wished the same would happen to herself. 

He even told off the bullies! If you could squeal in sign language, Lennox would've thought Faith was squealing. 

Lennox kept smiling. It wasn't as strained as before; she was happy for Faith. She was happy that at least she could be happy. "You should keep him around, then." Lennox thought that, if he was trustworthy, he could help Faith more than she could. Faith needed more friends, and she needed friends better than Lennox herself.

Faith's head bobbed up and down. Then, she and Lennox headed to the next class that they had together. Faith signed so rapidly Lennox sometimes had trouble keeping up. Faith was excited, and it made Lennox a tid bit excited as well. It seemed to thaw the ice that had settled around her heart. It made her believe in people a bit more. Of course, she knew things wouldn't be great forever. She knew that she couldn't just pretend that everything was perfect. Lennox labelled herself a realist. Or maybe she was pessimistic. She didn't really care in that moment.

As Lennox walked into her next class, Brandi shot her a glare. She simply rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep replaying the girl's words in her mind. As she sat down, she could feel eyes on her. As Faith kept smiling, she had to hide her frown with her palm.

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Thoughts? I really need feedback on this story! Also, guess who's learning how to drive?

-Sarah