Ebony Ellis was invisible. She always had been. When she was six, her father nearly ran her over in the driveway. He hit the wheel of the bike she was sitting on, throwing her clear. She sat, crying in the bushes, while her father got out, checked the wheel and drove off. He never came back.

It was simpler now; people bumped into her in the hallways, teachers overlooked her raised hand, shop assistants ignored her at the counter. It still hurt though. And then Carissa, the one person in the entire universe that Ebony wished would never see her always did. Without fail or friendliness.

Carissa Faulk was the most beautiful, spectacular, popular girl at school. Ebony hated her guts. Where Ebony was tiny, Carissa was tall, where Ebony was clumsy, Carissa was elegant, where Ebony was thin, Carissa was curvy. And she never let Ebony forget it.

Ebony rubbed her sore shoulder, pressing up against the lockers to avoid being trampled on. Again. And then Carissa came, an avenging angel of doom. She was talking, laughing with her friends, but when she saw Ebony out of the corner of her eye, she stopped.

“It’s my favourite freak-show.” She smiled. 

Ebony avoided her eyes, hugging her books to her chest. She glanced up quickly, and Carissa laughed. 

"Looking at something, freak?" She asked. Without waiting for a reply, Carissa stalked off, trailing popularity and people like magic dust. Biting her lower lip, Ebony scurried off in the other direction, Carissa's scorn ringing in her ears. A shoulder hit hers and she toppled, landing on her back in the centre of the corridor.  Paper fluttered to the tiles around her, and Ebony snatched a few from the air. Someone handed Ebony a pile of her homework and she looked up.

Austin McWells was the male Carissa; Captain of the football and cricket teams, most popular guy in school and devilishly handsome. Wide eyed, Ebony took the papers, slipping them inside the front cover off her notebook. She muttered her thanks.

Austin grinned, "No problem. I'm sorry, by the way, I didn't see you there."

Ebony grimaced; "Yeah, I get that a lot." she rolled onto her knees, clambering to her feet.

Austin rose, offering her his hand, but she ignored it. He frowned.

"It's Ebony, right?" 

"Yeah." Ebony dodged around him and walked off, praying, for once, that no one had noticed. All she needed was for Carissa to hear that she'd spoken to Austin and she would be dead meat. Shaking her head, Ebony slipped into her English classroom.

Behind her, Austin shrugged, staring after her in confusion. He rolled his eyes and opened his locker. A sliver of pink paper drifted out and Austin caught it. It held three squiggly words in purple gel pen. See you later. Austin groaned; Carissa. Did she ever give up?

“My man.” A hand slapped down on Austin’s shoulder, “What’s happening?”

Austin turned to his friend, “Carrisa. Again”

Eric Phitz was tall with a crooked nose and dark hair, “Don’t know what you are complaining about, Brother. Carissa is very hot.”

“And very not.” Austin scowled at his friend, tugging a book out of his locker, “Do you know an Ebony in our grade? I think she’s the one Carissa is always picking on.”

Phitz gave his friend a look, “Austin, I do not know any Ebony, and if you know what’s good for you, you don’t either.”

Austin rolled his eyes, “How come you can remember that saying and not what day our English Assignment is due.”

Phitz frowned, “We have an assignment?”

“For the next three and a half minutes we do. It’s due this period.”

“Damn!” Phitz clapped Austin on the shoulder, “I got to fly, man. Be seeing ya.”

Austin rolled his eyes, fitting his lock back into place and going to English. He lingered in the doorway. Carissa had reappeared at this end of the school and was seated in the middle, surrounded by girls. Out of curiosity, Austin glanced about for Ebony, but couldn’t see her. He walked over to the side and took his seat just as the bell went.

Their teacher, Ms. Smith, entered at that point, talking animatedly with Salena Hill. Every inch of Salena’s skin was freckled, her glasses black. Her school uniform was regulation, which really said enough about her. Then she took her seat in the front row.

When Ms. Smith put her bag on the desk, everybody looked at her. She was young, dedicated and had bright orange hair that she could never quite tame. Today it was curly, a ringlet on the side sticking out like a sore thumb.

“Good morning.” She said, “I assume every one of you will have a poem to hand up?” she looked sharply at the desk beside Austin, and sighed when she saw it was empty.

“And where is Mr. Phitz?” she asked gently.

Austin shrugged, and the door flew open. A skinny boy with a ponytail tied at the nape of his neck staggered into the classroom. His nose was bleeding and he had a black eye. He couldn’t seem to stop blinking.

“Ms. Smith,” he began, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand, but his teacher interrupted him.

“School nurse Finnegan, now.” she said, hanging her head.

Mumbling something, Finnegan stumbled back out of the room, nearly colliding with a sheepish looking Phitz.

“Ah, Mr. Phitz. You were just finishing your assignment I’m sure.”

Phitz smiled broadly, “Yep!” he winked at Austin who hung his head, shaking with silent laughter. Down the back of the room, Ebony gave a little smile. Phitz and poetry were two words that could collide very messily.

“Would you care to go first?” Ms. Smith asked.

Phitz belly-laughed, throwing back his head, “sure.”

Ms. Smith flinched but took her seat without protest.

She gestured to the front, “Then the stage is yours.”

Phitz made a big show of preparing his voice before beginning. Austin watched him, shaking his head. Phitz winked at him again and began.

“Bat Out of Heaven, by Phitz,” He said. “I saw a bat, yes I just said that. And it flew straight into you. Squash and smash, beat and bash, bat out of heaven, errr….” Phitz dropped his sheaf of paper, shrugging to his rapt classmates “7, 8, 9, 11?”

The class laughed, clapping as Phitz took several dramatic bows. Rolling his eyes, Austin joined the applause. Phitz blew him a kiss, drawing giggles from the class. He put his hand to his ear. Call me. Austin rose from his seat, dragging Phitz back to their desks with him. Phitz sagged into his seat with a sigh. Ms. Smith sent Austin a grateful glance, clapping her hands slowly to calm the class.

“Any other volunteers?” She asked when they finally quietened. Instantly, Selena’s hand flew into the air, a small hint of disgust lurking in the corner of her mouth from Phitz’s performance.

“Selena.” Ms. Smith said slowly. Selena lunged to her feet, grabbing a crisp piece of paper off her desk. She stood out front, tucking a stray wisp of brown hair back behind her ear and pushing her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose with her forefinger.

Carissa whispered something to the girl on her right, flicking her hair as she giggled. She heard someone move behind her, and she turned to glare at Ebony. The girl seemed to shrink in on herself, hiding from Carissa’s sneer. Carissa laughed again, swivelling back as Selena began to speak.

“Real, By Selena Hill. It’s not what you conceal, felt with zeal that is real. It’s what you say and feel that is real. the truth is uncouth, your proof? Our youth. But at least it is real.”