" I think the tiniest little thing can change the course of your day, which can change the course of your year, which can change who you are." --Taylor Swift

                                          ....

My visit to the Kutchers did not go as anticipated. Unlike Tom Cruise, mine was mission very much possible. In fact, accomplished.

I got to meet all of my siblings, who were seemingly ecstatic to see me. All except their brother that wasn't mine, I didn't even care enough to ask about him. My brothers weren't as complete of bumbags as were my sisters. They were more welcoming. Then again, they were boys. Girls tend to be...well girls.
Of course, I had drawn out a whole table in my notebook of everything that could go wrong. But nothing did.

Oh yes, if you doubt it, then I'll have you know that the next morning I'd been happily preparing myself for an interview with any school close to my humble apartment. However much I needed help, I wasn't moving in with my siblings. No, just no. That was out of the question. 
But I had talked to Mason about my reason for being there, which was to ask their mother for financial help with school. He had declined though, and decided that he'd be the one to pay for my fees. I didn't care who paid, all I needed was to finish school, find a good job and pay them back, down to the last single cent.

I'd plopped down on the small recliner in my small living room, sighing as I went through each of the brochures I'd managed to pick up from each school. There was one called St. Michaels high school, I'd liked it but it seemed a little too expensive for me. Then there was Lakewood Public. That was also the name of my town. Like hell I was going to a public school, not even in my dreams. So that had been crossed out. I'd been left with one option and I'd taken it. I was starting at Centennial High the coming Monday.

                              ...~...

"Stop!" I hissed but she wouldn't listen. Licking the back of my neck again, she purred softly in my ear. "I said flipping stop Mer! I don't have work today!" I groaned.

"Meow," said my alarm clock.

Seriously? What kind of cat doesn't understand English? I thought, hitting my head numerous times with my pillow in frustration.

"Oh wait," I remembered. "You're a cat." Meredith purred her approval. "You probably don't speak English do you?" I asked groggily, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. She jumped softly and settled beside my head on the pillow.

"Hmmm...So what language do you speak?"

Meredith bared her teeth in disapproval, probably reminding me that I'd been speaking to her for a year, I should've known better.

"Well I don't!" I hissed, sticking my tongue out and nudging her side until she fell off the bed. Bad cat mom I know. But I couldn't help it, and Mer's reaction was priceless. She regarded me with a distasteful gaze, turned around and swayed away while purring her complaints softly to herself until she was out of sight. I grinned as my mind went to my phone, picking it up and swiping at the screen, I checked the time. It was...oh crap!

"Meredith Grey!" I shouted, all but jumping out of bed. It was ten in the morning! I had to be at school at nine and Mer had thought to wake me up at ten! 

Talk about passive aggressive alarm clocks. 

Then again, she did wake me up. Unlike yours truly who had totally forgot about it. Going a year without school tends to have that effect.

"Crap crap crap!" I didn't shower. I couldn't. Picking up my toothbrush, I ran to the bathroom like a mad woman. Meredith right in tow at a pace that seemed to tell me how she did tell me but I wouldn't listen. After brushing my teeth, I pulled my hair up in its usual high ponytail, threw on the first blue jeans in sight, a close fitted T-shirt and ran my way out of the house.

Behind me Meredith meowed, I ignored her.

You had one job Mer!

Tapping my sneaker clad feet impatiently, I pressed the elevator button and after what seemed like forever, it opened. Getting in, it took me down to the parking lot. I hastily ran around the cars in there, swung my leg across my bike, and simultaneously thanked God for small mercies that came in the form of long legs. I put the key in the ignition and my baby roared to life. It was, besides Mer's annoying purr, the best and most calming sound in the world. As the wind blew my hair out of it's ponytail and everything passed me by, I forgot about how late I was, until I found myself in the parking space and entrance of Centennial High.
I sighed, knowing that I'd most definitely missed homeroom. What a first day impression! But at least I was here. It was better than nothing.

Smoothly swinging my leg off the bike, I ignored the Walking Lamp Post in the corner of my sight and focused on deciding which damned hallway I was to take to my English class. Said Lamp Post was eyeing my bike curiously, admiringly.

Yes, he's not yours. Now shoo...get a move on.

Fighting the urge to stick my tongue out at it, I shrugged my backpack over one shoulder. The Walking Lamp Post's eyes momentarily drifted to me. Again, I ignored it and walked down a hallway. Hopefully, it was going to lead me to my next class.

It didn't. Yay!

I found this out after walking in circles for a good ten minutes. Running a frustrated hand through my now wild hair, I turned back around. I had to walk back to the parking space so that I could find another hallway. The school was like a flipping maze.

I huffed as I walked back, only to find the Lamp Post still standing there leaning against a car and furiously typing away on its phone.
Good. I thought. It hadn't seen me looking like the dumb person I was so discreetly, I walked around its car to the hallway I wanted to take next but then I paused. I had no idea whether this one would lead to the English class, I was already approximately ten minutes late. I couldn't afford to be any later.

"Lost?" Asked the Lamp Post.

No shit! "Um...kinda," I stuttered. Lamp Post looked kinda too intimidating for me to voice my sass, besides, I wasn't one to swear verbally. Turning around, I was met with the sight of the cutest Lamp Post to ever exist. I was tall, at six feet one, but it towered over me. I looked up at its face. Spiked up hair that seemed to be naturally that way, angled jawline, like it spent hours exceptionally working on it, long blade sharp nose with cute little freckles dotting its bridge, and eyes that were too blue to be green but too green too be blue.

Its lips tilted up at the corner and it raised an eyebrow. Oh, it had perfect eyebrows too. Great. I was now assessing its facial features instead of going to class.

"I..um...do you know which one leads to the English class?" I finally got out. Lamp Post was too preoccupied he merely pointed, I squealed out a thank you and then was on my way. Still wondering what the hell that was about, I pushed open the door, fifteen minutes into the class.

As soon as I made my entrance, "Swift, Taylor Swift," the teacher, who was seemingly on an attendance roll call read my name. I wanted to respond, but as soon as I felt everyone's eyes on me, I lost my voice.
I didn't dislike being the centre of attention, I hated it. My throat dried up as I tried to gulp down my nerves. They're just a bunch of kids Taylor! I told myself. But nothing changed. It suddenly felt like I was back there.

A simple situation as standing in front of a class full of teenagers brought back those memories. Tears prickled beneath my eyes, but there was no way I was letting this happen. Not again. These kids don't know me. It'd been a hell of a fight trying to bury the memories. I couldn't just let them resurface, not on my first day of school. Not ever.

"That's...that's me," I managed to croak out.

"You're late," said the oblivious teacher in a bored tone.

You don't say! "I am," I replied instead.

"Detention." He turned to face the class. "Class, meet our recent addition Taylor Swift. Unfortunately, she will not be joining us today as she woke up in the mood for detention."

Bumbag!

There were whistles of approval from horny teenage boys, sneers from snobby girls and a few "you're welcome Taylor" here and there. I didn't realise that the teacher had asked someone to show me to the detention room until a girl nudged my ribs. I turned my attention to her. Standing beside her was a brown haired boy that caught more of my attention.

"Hello, I'm Stan," he said. "Stanley Cooper, your designated guide." He cleared his throat when I raised my eyebrows. "I mean tomorrow, after detention."

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Okay," I said.

"Hey," she smiled. "I'm Everley, you ready to come along?" I nodded and smiled softly. She was a medium sized brunette with a cute heart shaped face and a beautiful gap between her front teeth when she smiled. We walked in silence until we a reached a door marked: DETENTION in capitals.

She exhaled loudly, motioning with a wave of her hand. "This is it!"

I smiled. "Thank you Everley."

"Eve please," she said and held her hand out.

I shook it. "Nice to meet you, Eve." 

                          ....~...

Detention was fun.

Note the sacarsm. I'd spent a full forty minutes doing nothing, my detention teacher was as tired as they come. No worksheet, no words said. Nothing.
Besides that, my mood was damp for some reason. I felt like something was missing, not right. Like I was forgetting something. It was probably an aftermath of my previous show in class.

Deciding that reading my copy of Game of Thrones was a better option than watching my snoring teacher and a very uninterested classmate, I stretched and reached for my bag that was currently resting at my feet.

A soft fingertip caress at the back of my neck alerted me of a presence behind me and before I knew what I was doing. I twisted the hand, twirled around in my chair and threw the person to the floor, straddling them and simultaneously raising a hand to punch them.

He smoothly flipped us over. "What the fuck?!"

Flipping survival instinct! I suddenly was staring in those mesmeric bizarre coloured eyes again. Ugh! Curse my life!

"You?"