Fractured

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"This sucks," I hissed as I walked out the door of Physics class.  Which just ended.  Thank god.  If I spent any more time in that room, someone was going to get hurt.

"Well, what did you expect?  You're project was what sucked." I heard Natalie say from next to me, walking with me side by side.  As we walked, I slid my jacket on while Natalie held my book bag for me.  Sliding the thick grey material on, I zipped it up and it hugged my body, snug. I did the same for her, holding her bag as she slid her coat on too, a bright yellow one.  I know, yellow is gross but that was her style.  Being winter, we weren't going to be retarded and go without one like all the 'cool' kids seemed to do.  Honestly, the majority of the school population were idiots.

"I tried.  That's what should count.  Not my fault I'm not good at doing builds," I muttered.  I knew it was just my frustration talking.  After hours of trying on a build we had to do, it still looked like crap so I did deserve the grade I got I guess.  But I mean come on, hours and hours wasted for a D.  I wouldn't get worked up over this if I didn't waste so much time on it.  Plus, it was science.  Something I'm not fond of in the first place.

She chuckled.  "You're just ranting because you're mad.  You know you got the grade it deserved."

I sighed.  "Yeah, I know."

Okay guys, I know what you're thinking: there is no way I managed to get a friend.  Those were my first thoughts too. But it was somehow true. I made a friend and it was crazy just knowing someone was actually willing to accept me.  I wasn't sure where she was on the whole 'believing me' thing - because I am 'insane' - but she doesn't judge me and that's enough for me.  Not to mention the strange coincidence that her and I have close to the same humor. 

It took a while to make a friend.  But Natalie finally was my friend after she moved to this school from Kansas.  She moved a long way from there up to Ohio.  So she and I were kind of in the same boat at school: no friends.  Ironically, I met her when I went to my locker after class for the fact that her stuff was in there.  Since I was one of the few in my school with my own locker, she had to be my locker buddy.  It worked out because now, we are quite close. 

At first though, she didn't know much about me.  She had a good idea pretty quickly with how everyone treated me and from what others told her.  I explained to her my issues at home with Clare and I had a fair impression of her thoughts on it.  She didn't believe me but it didn't matter at the same time.  I wouldn't care considering she was the only one willing to be my friend. 

Since we were just leaving our last class, we headed towards the doors, carrying our homework in our bags (it was easier than going to the last hour of the day then running across the school to our locker before leaving).  Moving through the halls, we turned the corner and headed for the doors that were now in sight.

Once we walked outside, the cool air hit the skin on my face and stung.  For early December, it was what I came to expect: cold weather and snow.  A breeze crawling over us, I took a deep breath of fresh air and felt it tilt my lips up slightly.  Being outside and the fresh air was a sign of freedom.  And especially after attending school all day in a suffocating atmosphere. 

Walking on the sidewalk towards where the buses were parked along with the cars for other kids getting picked up (like me), I turned towards her as we were about to part for the day.  She spoke first when facing me, looking past me towards where the cars were parked.  I saw her bright smile spread wide, light eyebrows lifting and I already knew who she was looking at. 

Her straight brown hair running through the breeze around her, her calculating blue eyes returned to mine and I rolled my eyes, seeing what was coming from past sightings she had of a certain someone in the past few days. "Mr. Hottie is here again to pick you up!  That's a few days in a row again."