The girl in the mirror blinks back at me blankly. This time she has her thick auburn hair down and brushed. Amber eyes glare at me and she pushes her glasses up her nose. She wore makeup today and had a cardigan and black skinny jeans with dark red Converse.

I notice a red bump next to my nose but I do nothing to cover it up. I play with my silver nose ring in between my fingers, idling and hoping that stalling will hold off going to school. But I'm far from stupid. I know it's not going to help anything. I slip my arms through the straps of my backpack and leave the bathroom.

✩ ✩ ✩

The whispers start the minute I walk in, as expected. Two girls who were leaning against the wall and chatting have stopped for a second to gawk at me.

"Isn't that the new girl?"
"Yeah, she must be the one who's gotten expelled from every school she's been in."
"I heard that she's a complete drug addict."
"Same, I also heard that she went to jail for a couple years, and they even threatened to take her to a mental hospital!"
"Damn she's insane."

These people really need to learn to speak quieter. And not to believe everything they hear. To play with them, I make eye contact and show my teeth and the girls jump back, looking terrified.

Oh, this is too fun.

Looks like gossip has spread around here pretty quickly. I walk through the hallways, kids stopping to look at me every once and a while. With the exception of a few wrong turns, I make it to the office without too much trouble. I go up to the desk where a lady probably in her sixties sits, clicking her long painted fingernails on her keyboard. She has caked tons of makeup on her face and dyed blonde hair to make herself appear younger. She doesn't look up even when I'm standing right in front of her.

I clear my throat. Her expression turns into an annoyed one and she slowly looks up at me. "Is there something I can help you with?" she practically snarls.

"Well, yeah, your job is to help students, isn't that right?" I sneer, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't appreciate your attitude," she chides me, pursing her red lips.

"Anyways, I'm new here and I need a schedule and stuff. My name's Jax Clark." The harpy lady clicks her nails on her keyboard again. "Sorry, no new Jax Clark is coming to this school today. What about Jackson Clark?" she says, peering her beady eyes over her glasses.

"Jax," I blurt. "Jax, please just call me Jax."

She can tell she's hit a nerve. "Here's everything you'll need... Jax." She coughs uncomfortably. I snatch them out of her hand and mutter "thanks" before I can have a mini-meltdown.

I take a look at my paper saying my locker number and combination quietly to myself. I turn down one hallway, then another, until I've taken so many turns I have no idea where the hell I am.

Well, this is just great, I think sourly.

Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder. A girl my age with a half-shaved head, the other side long and dark, stands in front of me. She's short compared to me and she wears a floral sweater and blue jeans.

"You lost?" Her voice is high and sounds like a singer's voice. I can't help but notice a couple freckles scattered on her nose. I shrug, not wanting to show any weakness or emotion. "You could say that." I show her the paper. "Head upstairs, take a left, and another left then you'll find the hallway with your locker in it." She gives me a bright smile. The girl extends her hand. "I'm Fallon." I take it and nod. "Jax."

Fallon's face lights up. "Oh, let me just grab a pen out of my bag real quick."

"What-- why do you--"

Before I can continue she's pulled a Sharpie out of her bag and she's grabbed my arm. I exclaim loudly, surprised that she's touching me and I almost hit her but as soon as she grabbed my arm, she isn't touching me anymore. I observe it and see that she has written a number on there. Her phone number.

"Um, w-what," I stutter but she cuts me off with a wink. "See ya!" Shocked, I stand perplexed for a couple seconds, watching her dark-haired head bob as she walks away. That was strange. I shake my head and follow her directions. It takes me to a long skinny hallway, and I can tell that it'll be cramped when class changes come around. I'm searching for my locker number but instead what I find is a couple making out.

I shrink a little bit. I hate people kissing or anything in public. It makes me so uncomfortable. They're shoved up against the lockers and it looks like they're eating each others' faces. Gag. It's a girl with wavy platinum blonde locks and dark clothes and she has her hands all in her boyfriend's inky black hair.

Wait a second.

Inky black hair, long body, grey shirt. The boy from next door. 

Oh, hell no.

For some reason, It hadn't occurred to me that he could be going to my school, besides the fact that he lives right next to me. I hadn't thought about the chance of him having a girlfriend either, which makes me feel the slightest twinge of betrayal for some reason. As though I'd known him my whole life and he'd been keeping a secret from me all this time. But that's not how it is. I've never had an actual conversation with the guy.

Wow, even worse... they were making out on my locker. I shiver, thinking about all those germs infecting my locker. How the hell am I supposed to get to it anyway? Politely ask them to move? Yeah, right. I plant myself right in front of where my locker is until the two get uncomfortable and look at me. "Do you need something?" she snaps, turning her head, light waves bobbing. "Locker," I say through gritted teeth. She squints at me like I'm stupid. She must realize she's the dumb one when she finally gets what I'm saying. Grumpily, she shifts away. I fiddle with the lock.

Blondie locks her arms around the boy's neck. "See you later, babe, k?" I roll my eyes. She looks straight at me then starts another shorter, unnecessary makeout session before sauntering off. My hands slip and I skip the last number on accident. "Shit". I only realize  I say it out loud a split second later. The boy notices and I can see the smirk from the corner of my eye but I don't want to make eye contact again, especially considering the weird effect it's had on me. "New?"

I answer without taking my eyes off my locker. "Yep."

"You don't have to be scared of me you know."

"I'm not afraid of anyone," I reply simply. My locker pops open, blocking him from my view. Thank God, because his gaze fixated on me gives me anxiety, the strange pressing feeling inside your chest. "Don't you have Blondie to get back to?"

I can't entirely see him, but his shoulders come up in a shrug. "She doesn't care about me," he stated easily. "And I don't care about her. It's just the way it is."

"I don't think that's how love works," I point out.

"Who said anything about love?"

"Well, that's what a relationship's supposed to have right? From what I've heard, relationships are built on love."

I can't really stall much longer so I close my locker. He cocks an eyebrow. "'From what you've heard?' You never been in a relationship, huh?" I really look at him and I can't help imagining how I saw him yesterday, bruises laced across his body and turn my head away to my locker so I have something else to put my attention on. "And that matters to you, why?" I say.

He shrugs again which is starting to annoy me. "Just being friendly."

"Mmm, okay," I say. With all my materials for class in my arms, I leave my locker.

"Hey!" the boy calls out. Reluctantly, I turn my head. "What's your name?" There's a small smile on his face, not just a smirk this time. "Don't worry about it," I grin back.