Chapter One

"Nora!" Luna yelled across the lunch room. She flailed her arms over her head as her brown curls bounced around her face.

I followed the flow of people until I got to the table at the back left corner of the lunch room where we always sat. Justin, Grace and Maddie were already there. I sat my bag on my chair and pulled my ear buds out of my ears. "What's for lunch?" I asked the small group.

Grace and Justin shrugged and Maddie said, "I think it’s the chicken bowl today."

"Okay," I replied to Maddie. "I'm going up, take what you want," I mumbled to Luna, and the rest of them, and threw my bag on the table. I pushed passed Grace’s chair as they all attacked the bag, and slipped my ear buds in as I walked to the end of the lunch line.

Eventually Maddie, Grace and Luna joined me in the line as it slowly moved up. I didn't pay much attention to them, I just kept going through the line until I made it back to the table. I sat down, and began to eat my lunch. "What's wrong with you?" Grace asked me, crouching beside my chair.

"I'm just tired," I lied easily. It was a lie that I've said so much it was flawless.

"Okay," she mumbled. She got up and went to the end of the table where she sat.

I rolled my eyes and continued to eat. I tossed the empty tray into the trash, and went to the stairs to stand and wait for the bell to ring. Everyone made their way up to the stairs also, and we sat there waiting. I sat on the bar in front of the window that led to the office, listening to music to keep my mind off of other thoughts. "What's wrong?" Luna asked in a low tone.

"Just-" I couldn't lie to her, she would know exactly what was wrong. I didn't even have to say a word. I just looked at her, and it said everything.

She slipped off her blue coat and tossed it to me. "Cheer up hoe bag," she said and hugged me.

I just smiled and shook my head. I loved her. She was new this year, and we instantly became friends. I didn't know what I'd do without her here.

"What's up b*****s?" Kayla asked sliding down the hallway in her boots. She always slid down the hallway in her boots, she just loved to slide in them.

"Hi Kayla," I said, and everyone else greeted her also. They spent the last couple of minutes in conversation. I just stared out the window, and sat in the warmth from the sun.

When the bell rang, we all went separate ways. I went to study hall and sat at one of the tables by myself, working on the little bit of school work I had.

The last periods of the day flew, and before I knew it, I went home and buried myself into the couch. I didn't want to do anything, just lay there with the TV drowning my own consciousness.

Eventually I got bored and went off to Kayla's where we shared chocolate, drinks of Mike's Hard Lemonade and puffs of a cigarette. I could always go to her house, I had my own key to her place. She and Luna were the only people I felt comfortable with telling anything about, but Luna had to work at McDonalds. Hoe.

"Let's go to McDonald's," I said to Kayla. "My treat."

"Okay, I want a sweet tea," she said. I laughed. "Can I ride with my pants off?" she asked excitedly as she pulled her hair up.

I really died laughing. "You get me a ticket for public indecency, I'll kick your a*s," I said hopping off the cot that doubled as her bed. I grabbed my keys off her table while she pushed some tobacco into more tubes for the ride there. Then she left her dad a quick note and we were off.

***

"Kayla! Get your damn pants in the window," I yelled over the pounding music coming from the stereo while she let her pants catch wind out of the window.

"NO MAS PANTALONES!" she screamed to the driver beside us as we were stopped at a red light. Then she gave him an image of her cheeks, sat down in her seat and promptly smiled. "That's 80 brownie points right there," she laughed.

I laughed so hard I thought I was about to head-butted the steering wheel. "Put your damn pants on," I said as I found a parking space up near the front of the building.

"But I don't want to," she said and took her seat belt off. I parked the car, and grabbed my wallet. She slipped her pants off and we jogged across the pavement into the building