Opposites attract

Shrimp or not shrimp

I stayed up all night.
I never left my room and I never stopped staring out my window, I know it's corny, but everything in my room and house made me feel sick, the crooked family photo that hung above my bed, the small cactus plant I got with my mom, the pale orange wall that I painted with my dad when I was 4. I told him the original colour pink, was too predictable in a 4 year old girls room.

He was shocked when those words came out of my little mouth, we rushed to pick some paint paint straight away and spent two days on the room, only because most of the time we were either covering each other in paint of washing paint off ourselves.

I smiled at the memory then remembered why I didn't want to remember it anymore. Those times had changed. I wasn't my dad's baby girl anymore, I wasn't little Blakely painting with daddy.

I was teenage Blakely who'd witnessed her father cheat on her mother 3 times in under a week. The most heartbreaking part was that he never stopped, he didn't really care. Even after mum and I found out, he continued on with the makeout sessions, even in our house. It was like he wanted to hurt us.

I looked at my alarm clock and began to panic when I realized it was 7:45am. I realized I had to go to school in half an hour, I hadn't done any homework, gotten any sleep and I had my French test. I got up and rushed to the kitchen to make a coffee then I had a quick shower which made me feel a little more awake but I knew it wouldn't last. I'd screwed up.

"Morning B" mom called before I left the house, "morning" I mumbled, then I ran to my car and sped to school. Probably not a good idea when I was sleep deprived and emotionally unstable but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I had about 5 minutes to spare when I pulled into the parking lot, a part of me just wanted to take a nap for that 5 minutes in the car, but I knew it'd turn into 5 hours.
I got out of the car and began walking slowly into school. I looked horrendous. I was wearing a pair of jeans which I rarely did, I always wore a skirt or slacks. I felt weird in such tight pants, call me a prude, I know.
I was also in an old band T-shirt that used to belong to my mom and my hair was in a disgusting messy bun.

"That ass though!" Alex Williamson hollered from behined me. I groaned and tried to walk faster, except he sped up too. Turned out he was with Chris as well, they stood either side me and walked at the difficult pace I was walking at with ease.
"Who knew under all that nerd there was a fine ass" he smiled swinging his arm over my shoulder. I shrugged him off and didn't respond.

"She's got a lot of surprises to her" Chris nodded. "I know right! Feisty, nice ass, you're actually pretty hot too".
I entered the school and everyone turned to look at me and the two jerks following me. They didn't seem to notice, I suppose you get used to it when you're the school sex symbols. But me, I hated it. I'd always been invisible, that's how I liked it. I guess it wasn't the best move going for junior captain then, but still.

"In fact, I bet you're actually an animal in bed" Alex smiled, "oh wait, you are! A shrimp is an animal!".
"Nahhh, she's actually got a nice face. Why did we ever start calling her a shrimp?" Chris joined in.

"Wow" Alex took a closer look at my face then nodded, "damn! You really are a babe!"
I got to my locker and you bet your bottom dollar they stopped with me.
"What's your name, isn't it like...Brooklyn or something?" Chris asked.
I shoved my bag into my locker then pulled my maths text book and a pen out before slamming it shut.

"I've heard teachers say it before, it does start with B but I don't think it's Brooklyn" Alex said thoughtfully.
I started walking again with my two bad smells right at my tail. I needed to find Emma.
"Why aren't you talking B?" Chris asked me. I wanted to yell at him, I wanted to yell at them both but I kept my cool and said nothing.

"Hey! What are you two doing to the future school captain?!" Nathen called. I turned to the side and he was standing with Lucas who was staring at his phone against the lockers. Poop.

Lucas looked up at me, then back at his phone then up at me again with a shocked expression, "what happened to you? Where's my perfect shrimpy gone?" He asked walking over with Nathen.
"Nah man, you can't call her that anymore" Alex said shaking his head.
"Why not?"
"She's actually kind of hot!" He answered, "show him your face B".

I looked down so Alex grabbed the bottom of my face in between his thumb and the rest of his fingers then roughly turned it to Nathen and Lucas.
"Don't touch me!" I snapped pulling my head away. "Yeah, that was a little too far man" Chris said. "Oh calm down" Alex laughed before sliding his hand up the back of my thigh.

My eyes grew wide as I stepped as far away from him as I could get. THIS was why I didn't like wearing jeans to school. I would rather not deal with sexual harassment and being a girl, it was pretty much inevitable, even if you were a skinny curveless shrimp like me.

"Alex" Lucas frowned.
"Since when are YOU against appreciating a good ass?" Alex asked rolling his eyes.
The bell rang and I used the guys arguing as my chance to escape. I rushed to Maths and sat at the back for the first time ever. I didn't really think about who usually sat here until it was too late.