The Girl in the Hoodie

What is wrong with you people?

I used my hand as a dustpan and threw all the little pieces in a plastic bag, then I took them to the dumpster down the street.

I cleaned up everything that wasn't broken that he had shoved off the counter. I wiped it down with a towel and sponge after that. I was going to have to buy some more food and especially new dishes. 

Preferably plastic this time.

I didn't have enough money to buy expensive makeup so the hoodie was my safest bet. I went out and bought some paper plates, cups, and bowls at the dollar store. I also grabbed chips and snacks for him.

I had spent almost the whole day and night cleaning and restocking my kitchen. I didn't sleep at all. There was so much glass and blood. I had accidentally cut myself a couple of times on all the little shards. Around midnight I was done cleaning the kitchen and myself. I was too paranoid to fall asleep though.

What if he went back into the kitchen and cut his foot?

My alarm interrupted my thoughts and I scrambled to turn it off. I didn't want him to hear it.

I try to have good hygiene, believe it or not. The only problem is I pay for it myself. My few outfits, hoodie, pair of shoes/socks, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and girl products had to come out of my pocket. My money has been being saved since I was 8 when I realized my dad wasn't going to be doing that.

I do a lot of stuff to earn money, as long as it doesn't need to have any social aspects involved. I won't do interviews but I'll help out neighbors. They give me cash for mowing their lawn and yard work.

I change into my eighth-grade gym uniform and put my hoodie over top to cover the bruise on my cheek. I grab my things and walk out the door.

I could hear the chatter of teenagers from a mile away.

Why was everyone so loud today?

I walked through the school doors and made a beeline to my locker, I took out what I needed and put in what I didn't need.

I headed to my first period, ignoring all the gossip and whispers.

I worked on my homework that I didn't get to yesterday. It only reminded me why my head was pounding and why my cheek was throbbing.

"Yes!" I heard a lot of girls cheer all of a sudden. There was a commotion at the front of the room. I kept my head down and focused on my work.

"Hello boys," my teacher said in a monotone.

The 4 boys completely ignored the teacher and started smiling at a bunch of people in the back of the room. Many high-fives and bro hugs were going around. I suddenly realized what everyone had been talking about recently.

I moved here 2 years ago and there was a lot of gossip around the school about these 4 boys who had been arrested two weeks prior. I could tell they were popular and stupid. They refused to pull over and were chased by the cops. When the cops finally got to them they found marijuana in the console. I also remember being glad that I hadn't arrived two weeks earlier. Unfortunately, I didn't quite escape that as well as I thought I had.

"You can continue your reunion after class, find a seat please" Mr. Keal rolled his eyes. I put my head back down until I realized where the empty seats were.  My table was empty whereas other tables had 1 desk maximum not being used. I knew my introverted tendencies were going to bite me in the butt someday. I was praying that this group didn't mind being split up.

"Ryder, you can sit with us, there is a seat right next to me" a girl called out.

Don't sit here
Don't you dare sit here
Please don't sit here

The chairs around me squeaked as they were pulled out.

What is wrong with you people

I continued writing, pretending I hadn't noticed. There weren't any other completely empty tables and moving in the middle of the class would get me more attention than these guys already were.

I peeked my eyes up to see exactly who was where. Two guys that looked identical had dirty blonde hair. They were seated the farthest from me. The one in front of me on my left side had black hair and the one on my right side had blonde hair. The table was set up with five desks, two were on one side and two on the other, facing each other. My desk was turned to face all the others so I was on the end. At least they were hot.

I could feel the hair on my neck standing up, someone was staring at me. I couldn't tell if it was the 4 guys or the jealous girls. I ignored it.

Throughout the day, there were 2 or more of these boys in every one of my classes. I managed to learn their names, I wish I hadn't. Ryder Harrison had black hair and Isaac Lamont had blonde hair. Jayden and Jordan Matthews had dirty blonde hair and were identical twins. Jayden had more of a build while Jordan was a bit lankier, though Jordan was taller.

As I stood at the top of the bleachers again, I stared at the horizon. It was unequivocally peaceful. I sat back down and enjoyed my food. A chocolate milk, a fruit cup, and some chicken nuggets lay on my tray. I felt like an elementary schooler but we all know this lunch is better. I stood back up to head to my fourth period again, this time Anatomy. My eyes glanced around the pretty field once again but I stopped in my tracks when I saw everyone on the popular bleachers staring at me.

Including the 4 boys

Ryder

"Her name is Jenny Ridley, she came here I think a little after you guys moved away. No one knows what she looks like though because of her hoodie so everyone just calls her hoodie girl. It's what she's more commonly known by, except by the teachers. I've never heard her talk either but I'm sure she does. She's kind of just invisible here now, a weirdo." Nate chuckles and continues to talk to his girlfriend Vivianne.

She was on a lonely set of bleachers eating her lunch, completely unbothered, stuck in her head. I could see her perfectly despite her being on the other side of the school. We were all on the popular bleachers, the nice ones. There was room for her on any of these bleachers even if not this one, but she's chosen to sit on the discarded old one; It could collapse under her any minute.

One thing about this town is that it's small. Not very small where everyone knows everything and everyone and there's like only a couple hundred people here, but it's small where not a lot happens here.

I grew up fucking bored out of my mind of doing nothing but existing. In turn, my friends and I tried to create the party, which may or may not have had something to do with our arrest.

She may be doing it a different way but she's doing what we are trying to do. She's living life differently than everyone else is; she's not doing the whole boring checklist through life. We're both not trying to be a part of this.

I wanna know why.