T0XIC

CH. 1

I smack my buzzing alarm and throw on some worm clothes before heading to school through the ladder on my balcony , not wanting to deal with my parents' "encouragement" . hearing mom say 'it'll get better' or dad with his overused saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but bullies won't get to me'. "Hey , pukey luke !"  A lowlife riding his scooter behind me teases and I flip him off , turning . 
I jump off my scooter and lock it in my locker for safe-keeping . I know I'm not supposed to , but I like my scooter . too much to let it get graffitied like the last ... 3 , I think . the walk to my desk is as peachy as always . the students are always kind enough to greet me with spitballs and harsh names as soon as I enter the class .

"Hey , let me see that !" In the middle of a lesson , some jerkfaced dude grabs my notebook and breaks my pencil . the lovely teacher doesn't seem to notice the fact that I'm getting bullied in the middle of her lesson , so of course the bully takes that as a sign to keep on going . as far as to show my 'notes' to the class and rip out my pages , then wasting water on me . "I already had a bath , there was no need to pute through the process again ."  I calmly say , brushing my fingers through my how wet hair . thank god I didn't do it this morning or else I would've been p'd.... Not that I ever do .

"Really ? Then , how come you're still the dirty rat you were born as ?"  The students snicker and I sigh , knowing there's nothing to say to that . I'm the only mixed student in my class , so it's not like I could go a day without getting bullied . what would be the point in roasting them? It wouldn't solve anything . besides , if I do then its MY fault for not putting up with it and then I get sent to the crappy principals office . I'm darned if I do and darned if I don't .
"Jerk."  I mutter under my breath and the teacher gives me a look . "what was that ?"  As if that was any worse than the harsh things they were calling me . sometimes I feel as if the teacher is in on the bullying .

Maybe they blackmailed her not to get them in trouble ? That or she just wants to fit in , which is childish for a 40 year old mother who wears pencil skirts and turtlenecks with those hideous grandmother heels . but , what do I know about fashion ? Heck , what do I know about life ? If there even is one ... I let my kind wander off , leaving a door open for the bell . as soon as I hear that annoying ring sound , I dart out the door but apparently not enough .  the bullies chase me all through the playground and I end up climbing a tree for sanctuary .

Does that help ? HA!  'course not . it only gave me a ticket to a free , well-deserved rock shower . these kids always find a way . it probably would've been better to let them chase me around the whole school , rather than get rocks thrown hardly at me like a hailstorm and getting my eyes wounded to match the nasty scars and bruises they left on my chest , arms and legs. My head hurts now and my cheeks are aching for the face shots . the way that they were talking turns and throwing them , you've thought they were playing '20 points for lukes face ' .. If im even worth that much , which I'm sure I'm not .

"Maybe , next time you'll learn to keep your mouth shut , puke! Maybe , then we would've spared you ."  they finally leave me alone and I roll my eyes , climbing down from the tree that was supposed to be my sanctuary . thanks ya stupid tree .  yeah right , like they would've spared me if I'd pay them to . believe me , I would if I had the money . that's the whole reason I'm stuck at this place ! Money ... If it weren't for those useless pieces of paper , the world would be so much better . I could be home schooled ... My best friend , james , would still be alive . No one would get hurt .

"Are you okay ?"  Some random girl asks me innocently . "like you even care ."  I roll my eyes and storm off in a different direction hoping that no one would follow me .  thankfully , I was right . and for the rest of my miserable day , I wasn't bullied as far as physical trauma like usual . after hitting the slopes at the graffiti- blanketed skate park , I head to my favorite secret place ... The junkyard . I know it sounds lame , but it's not about the smell or even the look . I've built a fortress made of metal and wood scraps that I've found lying around . it's surprisingly comfy with all the cushioning I've used .

I've made enough room for all the strays and also myself , so now its like a little house that I claim sanctuary . I check my surroundings to make sure I'm not being followed and the fact that no one is in sight is a confirmation for me to sneak in using the small gap below the fence . I get a few scratches from it , but its definitely not worse than what the kids put me through today ... Or ever .  "hey , guys !"  All the dogs tackle me to the ground and I chuckle . we go into the fortress and I feed them some fresh steak I've swiped from the nearby meat stand .

I'm not gone of my reputation for swiping , but it gets us by . and by us I mean family . my dad is a businessman who sells legal drugs , my mom is a pro artist who sales paintings , and I'm a pro swiper . the most important job in the family is to swipe . because one , it saves money that we don't have . two , it's also most important because it takes the most skill . I've never gotten arrested because of my experience . its not a good lifestyle do I wouldn't recommend it , but around here ... Stealing is THE lifestyle of a poor family .