It's a Monday morning and my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. like it usually does. I don't have one of those fancy alarm clocks that you can play a CD in so it just keeps blaring that annoying beep! beep! over and over until I get up to turn it off.

Ready for another boring day? I think to myself picking out a shirt and jeans to wear. Life is pretty boring when you don't have friends. But for me it's different because I chose for it to be boring. I don't want friends to pity me or "help" me, so I just leave them out of my life. I don't even talk to people anymore; I haven't, not in a long time that is.

After I get dressed I walked downstairs to gather my things for school. "Hey Rose," my sister, Lily greets me hoping I would respond. I don't know why she does this every morning and knows I won't respond, or even give her a small wave. I don't communicate with anyone anyway.

I finish putting all my things in my bag for school and grab a book on my way out the door. Lily grabs the car keys and closes the front door behind her. As usual, I get those people who stop and stare at me. Everyone thinks I'm stupid because I don't talk.
By the time I stop by my locker and pick out what I need for my first few classes there is still some time left until class starts, so I find myself a quiet space to go settle and read.

While I read, I'm suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming my way. I look up and notice a boy walking toward me.

"Hey," the boy says, "you're in my math class right?"

I stare at him wondering why on this earth he would talk to me. Then another boy comes over. I recognize him to be Mason, the main person that bully's me. "Hey, Max, why are you talking to her," he asks emphasizing the word 'her'. The boys walk away but I am able to hear a little more of their conversation.

"She's weird, if you hang out with her you're going to ruin your reputation," he says to Max.

Once I can't hear them anymore and make sure that Max isn't going to come back, I go back to reading. Or at least try. It's hard to go back to reading with the thought of someone other than Lily trying to talk to me.

It's getting close to time to go to my math class, so I decide to stop thinking about it and just go. I place my bookmark, pick up my things, and start towards class. On the way, I ignore the normal stares and crude comments. I walk in the door and notice that that boy, Max, follows only seconds after me.

Was he following me? I think to myself. I push the thought away and head to my normal seat in the back corner farthest to the door. I pull out my graphing calculator, notebook paper, algebra textbook, and a pencil before I realize who sits down next to me.

He sits there staring at me. What does this guy want from me I think to myself.

The bell rings and the teacher comes in. "Good morning, class" he says sitting at his computer taking attendance. The rest of math class is a blur because I couldn't get my mind off why Max talked to me and followed me.

I'm in the middle of my thoughts when the bell rings. All my things are still on my desk so I'm about to shove everything into my folders when I feel something I've never felt before on top of my hand. I look up to see what it is. It's Max's hand on top of mine.

"Here, I'll help. There is no need to make it look like a tornado went through your folder," he explains.

I silently groan at this. I really wish he would just leave me alone I think to myself.

As soon as I have everything stacked, I rush out of class to go to English. Thankfully I can have some space from the stalker Max. When I walk into my English classroom I realize that we have a substitute teacher because instead of the middle aged woman with brown hair, there was an elderly woman.

"Good morning boys and girls my name is Mrs. B and I will be your sub for today. Your teacher left me a note in the teaching plans and said that the only thing you guys will be doing today is a 20 minute free write and after that you will read silently for the rest of the period. But before we begin I need to take attendance. When I say your name please raise your hand so I can look and see who is here."

When she finishes attendance she brings the attendance slip to my desk and politely asks me to take it down to the office. I grab the slip and the hall pass and walk down to the office. Before I get to the office an all too familiar voice of today calls my name. At the sound of my name I begin walking faster.

"Rose, please," the voice begs suddenly. " Stop. Don't run away from me." I stop but don't turn around to face him. Why can't this guy just leave me alone like he has any other day? I ask myself.

"Rose, please I know you don't talk, but I know you aren't stupid. I want to help you but all you do is run from me." He says carefully.

If I wanted to talk I would have yelled at him asking what he thought I needed help with. With this question going through my head along with the words of him wanting 'to help me' I decide I would leave. I run the rest of the way to the office while Max isn't looking. I stop just before the office so I could catch my breath from running. When I catch my breath I walk into the office, give them the attendance slip, and head back to English as quickly as I can, so I wouldn't be seen by Max until the next class I have with him.

When I get to class I pull out my notebook and begin writing about the strange events that have happened so far today. I finish writing just in time to switch over to reading. I put my notebook away and pull out my book, a different one from earlier thought since I finished the other book.

Page by page the book gets even more interesting but then I am interrupted with Mrs. B telling us the bell is about to ring and that we should put our things away.

My next class is study hall. I go to my locker, put in my combination, and open my locker. I find my English notebook from my stack of books and notebooks and put it in my locker. I keep my math stuff in there since I am going to work on my math homework. If I finish my math homework, which I probably will, I will continue reading my book.

I walk into my study hall class and find my seat. Like all my other classes it was the same. Then other people begin coming in, and one of them is Max. He comes in and sits by me. The rest of the class comes in and the bell rings.

Max sits by me and moves the desk closer to mine to make it look like we are doing partner work. "Hey, Rose, what was the math homework for tonight?" He asks me. I open my math book to the page the homework is on and slide it over to his desk. "OK, thanks" he says," Can I use your book? I left mine in my locker. " he asks. I slide my desk over so we are farther apart and pull out my reading book. I pick up where I left off and read until the bell. I didn't see Max give me my math book back, but when I go to grab my things I find it under my desk. 

I pick up my textbook along with my other things and leave toward the lunchroom. I go to my normal table in the corner alone. As often as I can, I try to isolate myself from people. Especially in areas where a lot of people are.

Usually I don't eat lunch instead I read or do homework. Since Max was using my math book earlier today I decide to do mine now. I glance up to put something in my calculator when I see a pair of eyes just staring at me. Then this person is coming toward me. Once the person is 10 feet from the table I realize who it is. It is Max and he brought his food. What will it take for him to leave me alone I think to myself.

"Here." He says, "I noticed you weren't eating. Have the other half of my sandwich." He says warmly sliding half his sandwich over to me. I slide it back and move to another space in the cafeteria but all that happens is he keeps following me. Since he keeps following me I decide to go the one place he wouldn't follow me... The girl's bathroom. I go there and go into one of the stalls and stay there until the bell rings. When it does I walk out of the bathroom but notice that he is sitting out there. He still has the other half of the sandwich. He places it in my hands, forcing me to take it.

After lunch I have biology and history. Both of these classes I know for sure Max is not in them. I go to my biology class and we take notes on cells all period.

After biology I have history. In history we take a test on the Holocaust. Once history is over it was time to go home but just to make sure I don't run into Max I wait for the school to be empty. When the school is finally down to only a few kids left, I walk out towards my house.

When I get home I plan to take a nice long nap. Today was exhausting especially with Max practically stalking me.