Hopelessly Devoted

Chapter 1- The First

I don't think there's anything in this world I hate more than firsts. First crush. First rejection. First "friend" who ends up turning on you.  First time you get shoved into a locker with your only solace being the three slivers of light that sneak through the slits at the top. 

Even worse than those, the first day of school.

The first day of my Senior year of high school should have been a breeze, right? Get your schedule, walk to class, try not to drool as you half-listen to the monotonous lecture of whatever teacher you have for that period.

What a joke.

Today sucked like always. At first, it seemed to be going well. I met up with Jaqueline and Elizabeth outside of the large double doors that marked the entrance to Lake Crest high school. Elizabeth was wearing black leggings with multicolored flowers etched across them, a white t-shirt, and her patented black leather jacket. Her long red hair was done in a high ponytail, but it wasn't enough to stop the hair from reaching down to her waist. Her arm was around Jaqueline, pulling the smaller girl into her side so that Elizabeth could plant small kisses on the top of her head. Jaqueline was wearing a floral print dress that went down to her ankles, a jean-jacket vest, and brown sandals. She was also wearing a blush, but that was most likely from the attention she was receiving from her girlfriend.

As much as I love those girls, I hate when they're all lovey-dovey like that. It just makes me feel lonely. 

I walked up to the girls and tried not to feel too depressed right at the start of the day. Elizabeth began chatting my ear off about some party that happened over the summer, meanwhile, I just drifted off into the space of my subconscious. I don't know if Elizabeth knows if I ignore her, but I hope she never finds out if she doesn't. The wrath of that girl is insane. 

I shot a look at Jaqueline and she just shrugged at me with a soft smile.

"Yeah, she's a goofball, but we love her."

Jaqueline looked up at her girlfriend with pure love in her eyes, making me even lonelier.

After making some excuse about having to get to my locker, I was able to distance myself from the chatterbox. I walked down the hallway, clinging a few books to my chest. Upon reaching my locker, I kept my head down to avoid any unwanted eye contact as I started to enter my combination. I thought that if I didn't look at anyone, I could disappear. If no one could see me, no one could hurt me, right?

SLAM!

I hate instant karma

I guess I spoke too soon, for right now a big, hulking ape has slammed me against the rough metal of my locker. Geoff Francis. Great. 

He's got a hand around my throat, not tight enough to choke me but enough to keep me in place as he "talked" to me. His talking tended to include a lot of shouting and punching, and not a little bit a spit flinging out of his angry maw.

"Sup, F****t? Have a good break?" He snarls in my face. Yup, there's that spit. And, judging by the smell, someone had bacon and about a gallon of beer for breakfast.

He slammed me against the locker again, causing my head to bang against the locker and little cartoon birds to start dancing around my vision.

"I sure did. A whole three months without having to see your pansy ass. Oh well, everything's gotta end sometime."

He spins me around so that I face my locker. "You know the drill. Open it." 

I sigh in resignation. There's no use fighting him. I'm BEYOND short. The ape could snap me like a twig if he so chose, but thankfully his primate brain could only think of the most cliché bullying technique ever. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic.