"If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more." - Taylor Swift

                           ☆☆☆

The moment I opened the door to my apartment that evening after roaming around town in search for a new job, it hit me like a ton of bricks; why I was in such a foul mood the whole day. I had been in so much of a hurry in the morning that I'd forgotten to prepare Mer's meal. I felt awful, a sudden urge to cry settled in my throat as I watched my little kitty curled up sadly on the recliner.

As the door clicked shut, Meredith woke with a start. She slowly walked over to me, not even in her cheery mood like always.
I crouched down and picked her up, petting her fur. "Hey buddy," I whispered and kissed her face. Her stomach was very soft, empty. "Momma's so sorry!" I whispered again. Meredith lovingly licked my hand. She was a very forgiving girl, but that didn't make my mistake any better. This had never happened before and I hoped it wouldn't happen again. If school was going to keep me too busy I forgot her meals, I'd have to give Mer up for adoption. Thinking about it made my stomach turn. Not my baby. I put her on my arm and silently we walked to my small kitchen where with one hand I prepared a meal for her. Mer got so excited and jumped off my other arm, accidentally clawing at my jacket in the process. I giggled. "I'm so sorry baby," I said setting her bowl down, Meredith dug in with gusto. I sat down at the kitchen island and watched her as I scrolled through my new twitter account. A few minutes later,  when she was done, Mer meowed. "That's a good girl!" I petted her back and she burped. After which she took her bowl in her mouth and threw it in the sink before jumping off the island.

Making sure I made everything ready for her meal for the next day, I switched off the kitchen lights, tucked Mer in on the couch and made my way into my room.  Sighing, I stripped out of my clothes and took a shower. After which I went to bed.

                            ☆☆☆

Thanks to my evening ride of distraction the previous day, I was to spend another day in detention. The teachers in Centennial high seemed very generous when it came to handing out detention, even the detention teacher gave detention. That how generous. I parked my bike in the same spot it was yesterday and slid off it. 

Slinging my bag onto my shoulder, I started making my way to homeroom. And like a good ol' cliche moment, I bumped headfirst into someone. Except it was not Lamp Post, also known as Trey Summers. Why I was thinking about him this early was beyond me.

"Sorry!" I squeaked before glancing up at the person I'd run into.

"Hello Taylor Swift!" greeted the English teacher from yesterday with an intimidating grin. 

I gulped. Why was he looking at me like that? How did one even talk to a teacher out of class? "Um..hello...um..si--"

"Mr. Evanton," he interjected.

"Yeah..um..hello Mr. Evanton!" I repeated like the idiot I was. Mr Evanton sized me up. He had a look on him that seemed to say he hated my guts. It was my second day here. That totally made sense.

"You go to school on...on..that?" the nosy teacher exclaimed, his nose scrunching up in pure disgust as he glared at my bike. He didn't like me? Good. The feeling was certainly becoming mutual. Nobody looked at my bike like that. I nodded, and looked right into his dark black eyes, challenging him to say anything more. He was an attractive man to a person his age. But the bitterness that radiated off of him made his attractiveness not so attractive anymore. He didn't say anything and I took that as my cue.

"If you will excuse me sir," I said politely. "I have a class to get to." We wouldn't want me to be late again, would we? Are the words my well mannered self held back as I was leaving his sight. It was unfair for me to get detained on my first two days of school. And I didn't like the attention I already was receiving.

After homeroom, I dejectedly walked off slowly, making my way back to my detention. I hated how I hadn't attended any class on my first two days, but I liked how I was just another curly haired blonde girl in school. During homeroom, nobody seemed to notice or pay attention to me, not even Trey. Not that I was paying attention to him. Except Eve, and Stan who was looking forward to our tour. He'd looked disappointed when I told him it was to be postponed again, after which he chuckled and said, "man! Detention seems to be in love with you." We all chuckled at that. Even Eve, who for some reason got annoyed by Stan's mere existence.
Besides the two, nobody spared a glance my way. It felt weird, in a really good way though. Even after a whole year off, it still wasn't what I was used to. I was used to being noticed at school, even from miles away. I was used to getting fingers pointed at me and getting called names. I was used to getting shoved and jeered at. I was used to being looked at like an omen, crying in public, embarrassing myself even when I wanted to act strong.

I smiled to myself. Despite detention, it was going to be a good day.

"Well good morning Aqua!" Came a voice from behind me. I winced at the nickname. "Though I doubt you're awake. You seem to be day dreaming," Trey continued as he matched up to my side.

I groaned. Couldn't one have a moment of reflecting on their happiness without being interrupted?

"Yeap," I said. "I want nothing more than to get back under my covers and sleep. It's what I'm us...um yeah you get the picture," Oh and apparently, I needed to work on not letting my tongue slip. If I told anyone that I spent a year without school, it meant questions. Questions I wasn't ready to answer. Or ever will be.

Trey tapped my shoulder thrice with a rhythm. I eyed him like he was dumb. "What was that?"

"That was me waking you up, duh!" He rolled his eyes. "Because I have a really fun idea!" Trey said.

Oh no! I thought. I bet this is where the cute boy from class asks that we sneak out of school or something. Why are the cute ones always so dumb? That's always their idea of fun. Not mine. Well, not anymore. "And what could that be?" I asked anyway, sardonically.

Trey grinned, flashing a set of snow white teeth as his sea coloured eyes glinted mischievously. "There's this place behind school..."

See?

Trey continued talking as we walked down the hall to detention, but I just shut him out. There was no way I was sneaking out of school. Even if I was still going to spend the day doing nothing. No, just no. I was so not getting another day of flipping detention!

Unlike the previous day, this time there was another girl in detention. She had the kind of beautiful that announced itself before any of her other features and had big grey eyes that looked strained but weren't. The moment Trey and I entered the room, she grinned. I wondered how someone could grin that widely at someone they don't even know.

"Candy," greeted Trey, answering my unvoiced questions.
"Trey, my man!" She jumped and launched herself at him. "Sup?" she asked as they did that bro-thing-hug or whatever, which didn't make any sense as she was a girl. I thought boys did that. She wore tight black jeans, a purple tank that barely covered her navel and her blonde hair flowed gracefully up to her butt.

Trey shook his head over her shoulder. "Nothin'," he said. "You feelin' better?"

Candy nodded. "Much better. Not that I was that sick anyway. The old man just fucking grounded me." Her face turned down in pure disgust.

"You know he's right Candytuft," Trey said gently, his expression serious. Candy-what? "You can't do none of that shit again, you know that right?"

She nodded. "Yeah," sighing, she crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward on her elbows. "Not the best experience out there anyway." she said then smiled at me. "Hello by the way, I'm Cadence."

"Hi Cadence," I leaned across Trey's seat and shook her hand. "I'm Taylor," I said.

Just then, three boys walked in. All around the same height, two of them had light brown hair that bordered on blonde and the other had black and wore glasses.

"Hey man," in unison, they all greeted Trey but their eyes never left me. It creeped me out but I stared right back. The one in glasses winked underneath. Ugh!

"Hey guys," he greeted back, a gleeful smirk on his lips. "What brings you into my domain?"

They ignored him. "Are you going to introduce us or should we do it ourselves?" One of them asked.

Trey dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Guys, this is Taylor Swift. Taylor this is guys." he drawled out boredly.

One of the brown haired guys, with bright blue eyes gasped. "Taylor Swift? As in the Taylor Swift?" he asked and I pursed my lips. "Hello," he continued with a suggestive grin. "I'm Pete, and I don't mind being a part of your long list of ex lovers."

Out of the corner of my eye, the other brown haired boy rolled his.

"Come on Pete!" Trey groaned, unimpressed. "Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

I winced at Pete's words. I wanted to grab a banana and shove it down his throat, make him choke on it.

Okay, that was a bit dramatic but I didn't like it one bit how people made fun of me for having the same name as my favourite musician, never mind how everyone acted like they knew her. But Pete here had done nothing but reference to a song lyric. I had to remind myself of that before unjustifiably snapping at him.

"Hi," I smiled. "Nice to meet you Pete, I could not show you incredible things."

The whole room, which consisted of seven of us burst out laughing. All except me, Pete who was blushing furiously, and the detention teacher that was just walking in.

"It's good to know that we're all ecstatic about spending a whole day in detention," announced the teacher, his face scrunched up in pure disdain. "Or two for some of us!" His pointed glare was directed at me, Trey, and the mute boy at the back.

I was totally getting on the teachers' best side. And it was just day two.

Yay!