Surface

Chapter 4 - We're Back

I always had a simple style. A sweater and a skirt were my signature look. It was cozy and cute. After being adopted by Hannah and the girls my style was changed. Hannah said it wasn't going to get me anywhere and she was right. When I started dressing more like her, I became more popular in school. I was amazed at how much a simple outfit could change.

But today was the first day of school, a chance to start over. I wanted to go back feeling comfortable, something I hadn't felt in a while.

I laid my clothes out on my bed. There was a gray knit sweater with a blue skirt and matching brown boots. I hoped the girls wouldn't give me a hard time about this. They were all strangely big on making an entrance on the first day of school. They wanted to wear a sexy black outfit to show we were still mourning Tori while still making a shocking entrance.

Only a week after the interview with the cops and they seemed to have forgotten about everything that mattered.

Being friends with the girls was easier in the summer when it was just us. Now that we were heading back to school, the anxiety of all the drama waiting to be created was crippling. That's part of the reason why I wanted to end it all a few weeks ago. I felt so guilty from what I had done already. Just thinking about what was to come . . . makes me wish I was the dead one and not Tori. I deserved it more than she did.

As I got ready, I wondered how I ended up like this in the first place. I had been in the group for about three years but I still remembered how life was before. Looking back, I knew it wasn't as bad as things were now.

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I was sitting on the school field, sobbing. I had just tried out for the girl's soccer team but the whole thing had been a set up. The whole team of upperclassmen used the scenario to bully me. I was only a freshman and thought the team would be my chance to make friends. I was wrong. Horribly wrong.

They pelted me with soccer balls while teasing me about my appearance and how lame I was to think they would let someone as ugly as me join the team. They told me I was nothing more than a misfit. I believed them. The fact that the whole soccer team thought so was enough proof.

The girls had finally left. The whole field was empty leaving me to remain there, crying. I didn't want to go home yet or else my grandmother would know something was wrong and I would have to tell her the bullying started up again. Even in this new school in this new town, I was still bullied. I was convinced I was the problem.

"Hey. I saw what those girls did to you," a voice said. I could hear the person take a seat next to me and I was dreading the possibly of it being a teacher. That would make it worse. But it wasn't.

It was another girl around my age. She was dressed like those models in the clothing commercials with her shorts and long cardigan. Her hair was put into an intricate updo and vintage sunglasses rested on her head. She was even wearing makeup.

"You shouldn't let what they said make you cry. The things they said weren't true."

I couldn't bring myself to speak because I knew it would come out in pathetic blubbers. I rubbed my nose instead.

"I love your hair. It's the most beautiful color I've ever seen. Is it natural?" she asked, gently grasping a strand from my ponytail.

I nodded.

"You don't talk much. Did those girls steal your voice?" She chuckled and continued to stroke my hair.

"No," I said. "No one can do that."

The girls face brightened. Everything she did was so charming and warm. It was hard not to like her. "My name's Hannah."

"I'm Arielle." We shook hands.