I ruffle my long brown hair, waiting for the bell to ring. Looking over to the click only concentrating on the second hand, muting everything out. Tapping my leg fiercely with the second best of the clock, someone taps on my shoulder. Everything I'm doing stops, I shot a quick piercing look at the person who tapped me. My gaze doesn't loosen when my best friend Lucy, gives me a big smile. Lucy handing back the pencil my let her borrow in the beginning of the day. Someone at the door yells for Lucy, she waves bye and leaves with the nurse. As soon as the door closes, I got up and shot out the door before the bell rung out.

Rushing quickly to the band room she steps in, standing in the doorway smiling, feeling refreshed. This classroom is my salvation. When I walk in here my mind can function, my stride grows longer and I can be who I really am. This is the place I can learn, to explore and be with friends who really understand me. Somehow in this classroom, my differences are not only accepted but celebrated.

Grabbing my flute, getting ready for class, I quickly organize the chairs and stands, before people start rushing in. Everyone trying to tune and practicing the essayist parts of the music. I just sit there, in perfect posture, studying her music. The conductor comes in, getting everyone to be quiet. Going over to the cabinets to get the new music sheets, walking back to the podium smacking me with the music playfully, making me smile band starts.

Playing the scales, then turning once more. We start playing the songs, the percussion too loud, playing the same song over and over. Marcus always plays annoyingly loud because he wants the attention. He plays sloppy like he doesn't care but all day every day he talks about music. Ten minutes into class I give him a cold stare warning him to stop, but he winks at me. After that band finishes quickly, cleaning and cleaning my flute I put it in my bag. Leaving the classroom, someone jumps on my back taking my flute from my bag. I turn around to Marcus waving my flute way up in the sky.

"Hey! Give it back!" I say trying to reach up high.

" You're prettier up close." He says still waving my flute in the air.

" Just give it back!" I say still reaching, but then he pulls me into an embrace.

" Your tits are pretty big too." He says with a smile. I push him away both of us falling to the ground with my flute in between us.

"Stay away from me you perv." I say grabbing my flute, opening the case making sure it was okay. I get up and start walking to the bus like nothing happened. walking home, I spotted someone following me. I made an unnecessary turn where I knew I would still head home to see if who is following me or not, he was. A little frightened I pick up my pace I was a half a mile from the house, I knew I wouldn't be there on time or fast enough. No stores nearby, mostly just forest and a few houses. I looked back once more, he wasn't there. I kept on walking the figure not too far away stands in the middle of the road, there's no way I can turn back.

The man started walking closer to me, I just kept on walking. My heart thumping, the person walk past me. And then someone pushed me into the ground. Trying to kick, trying to get my hands free I couldn't I just screamed this person got me nail down on the ground. The next thing I knew I was free from his grip. I turned around saying to people fighting, then someone on the ground getting hit in the face by the other man. What a frightening sight, I didn't know what to do so I got up and ran.

When I got home, mother was drunk again, wasted on the couch she probably got fired again. She's yelling at me telling me not to make any noise, she's crying. I go up to my room taking off my clothes taking a shower then a bath then another shower to get that feeling off washing my hair. Getting out my stomach turned, I quickly opened the toilet lid vomiting. My hands quivering, my nerves just spazzed out. I lay on my bed still shaking, talking about what happened, I was almost raped. I thank the man who saved me. The next thing I knew I fell asleep.

I awoke to soft sheets, and the morning light trickled in through the blinds. Shedding myself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, my eyes were still shut as I soaked in the warmth of my covers before letting my blue eyes see the sun's rays. Shutting off my alarm clock, I get ready for school. The halls were crowded with people, and the chaos was so perfect, like a movie.

There was the couple that was always making out on the left side of the hall, and about ten feet farther down, the cliquey girls. Opposite them, the cliquey jocks, and between them, the parade of band geeks with their huge instrument cases. There were the aerospace tech kids who never did anything but make paper airplanes and the fashion kids that wheeled mannequins and clothing racks down the halls. And then there was me, not that I fit into any of those groups. Yes, I play my flute, I don't really fit in.

The teacher walked into the room like he was expecting perfect order. There was none of the nervousness about him that usually came with new blood into the inner-city comprehensive. Ordinarily, they shouted the odds from the start in some desperate and strained voice trying to follow the manual of teacher training college. Quite possibly he dressed better than the principle, but somehow, he belonged in those clothes with his close-cropped hair and neat goatee of silver-flecked brown. From the glow of his skin, he could have stepped right off a plane from the Caribbean. When he spoke, much to the surprise of the class, they all fell silent.

Mr. Ives, the new teacher, brought peace to the class, while teaching on the white board I noticed his knuckles were bruised and a bit bloody, but not for anyone to notice. I take out a small piece of paper I wrote a remedy to get it fixed, at the end of class I put it on his new desk. The girls talking about how hot he was, and how his voice was so sexy.

The boys walking about how the understood the simplest questions. Walking to the next class I noticed Marcus, I bit my lip, eyes everywhere on him. Then he moves closer with those eyes that look so deeply into my own saying, "Hey, it's me." My breathing becomes softer, the pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. I quickly blink, not knowing what was wrong with me. I continue walking to the next class, the school day continues, from class to class. Once more, another day over, I asked Lucy if she could give me a ride home, and she did.