The Sultry Student

Chapter 1 - Misery

I hate my life. I hate Cassie Jenkins.

The first day of senior year in high school was over and like so many times before I sat on my favourite bench by the pond in the park. I was alone and for the umpteenth time I wished high school to be over altogether. I had hoped this year would be different, but it only took one day to know it just would be more of the same misery. I had been naïve to think anything would be different, when I was the same and my bullies too. If anything, things were worse than ever because this year I was totally on my own, without a  single ally.

I started off high school much like everyone else, apprehensively optimistic, trying to fit in, find friends and my place in the ranking somewhere between jocks, cheerleaders and nerds. I never expected to be among the most popular students, but I didn't expect to end up like the amoeba at the bottom of the food chain either. However, that was where Cassie Jenkins decided that I belonged.

Cassie Jenkins was high school royalty from the start. During the first week I happened to catch her attention when I tripped in the cantina, tray in hand and spilled my lunch over her. For a moment we both took in the sight of my lunch splayed over her fashiobable outfit and I hoped she would look up on me and smile, so we could laugh at the mess together. When she raised her head, her face was scrunched in fury and disgust and before I could even begin to apologize she cut me short.

"Do you have any idea what this top costs? Or this skirt? They are ruined! Not to mention I will look like a pile of garbage for the rest of the day!"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

"I don't even want to hear your pathetic apology. What's your name?"

We had already had classes together and I knew who she was, but obviously she had not noticed me.

"Selena Seabrooke."

"Selena Seabrooke." She repeated the name sounding like it caused a foul taste in her mouth. " I promise you that you will regret this. All the way through high school."

Unfortunately she stayed true to this promise. If the most popular girl in school hates your guts and declares that anyone who befriends you will become an outcast along with you, life inevitably becomes hard. Cassie did not forget and she certainly did not forgive. I suppose every truly popular girl needs to have someone to pick at to make themselves seem even more amazing by contrast and that day Cassie Jenkins selected me to fulfil that part. She never missed a chance to bully me, in class and outside. Cassie was popular for obvious reasons. She was very pretty, a cheerleader and her family was filthy rich so everyone followed her lead. Because she decided to hate me and broadcasted those feelings, basically everyone kept their distance, except my one friend Alison.

Alison Stewart and I found each other when we were paired during chemistry in freshman year. Alison was a strong person and something of a loner so she did not care what anyone else thought. To begins with she was oblivious to Cassie's campaign against me. When she found out she was outraged, but did not let it affect our friendship. When I realised she actually wanted to be my friend despite everything, I was so happy and relieved I nearly cried.

Alison asked if I wanted to hang out after school one day and since then we had been best friends,  supported each other and had loads of fun. Well, the kind of fun two nerdy girls who never are invited to parties can have, but we could talk and laugh about anything together. We used to hang out all the time and it made life bearable when Cassie and her entourage did nasty things and boys completely ignored us, something which Alison simply did not care about but which hurt me more than I ever showed anyone. I cried myself to sleep so many nights for being called things, being pushed in the hallway, finding my locker smeared with smelly things, but most of all because I hated being an outsider. I was an ordinary girl who had wished an average high school experience with friends and, if I was lucky, a boyfriend. Instead I was an outcast with one single friend and I could not shrug it off and be cool about it like Alison could. I was incredibly grateful I had her at least, but this summer her parents had moved across the country, naturally taking her with them and now we could only keep in touch over FaceTime. She was still my friend but she was not here anymore. I already missed her like crazy and I was more alone than ever.