The S-Word

I pull on my pink skirt and my pink knee-highs. I had on a white cardigan shirt that had long sleeves so it hid the marks and it was tucked into my skirt. I slipped my flats on and put the white bow in my hair tying back the front strands of my hair.

I grab my school bag, skip down the stairs and leave the house carefully to steer clear of my mother.

Amber-Rose, my closest friend, was waiting outside for me. I approached her on the sidewalk, preparing for the treacherous walk ahead of us, to school.

Usually, we'd drive, but her car was in the shops, so we were forced to walk all the way to school.

Amber-Rose and I chatted a lot as she walked and I skipped in front of her.

"I don't know anyone with this much energy in the morning," Amber-Rose rolls her eyes at me

"Well that's why by last period everyone is sleeping," I told her matter-of-factly, pointing a finger at her face, "If you bring energy in the morning, it stays with you,"

"Yeah, Okay Dine," she waves off the positivity I bestowed on her

"Plus, you need a lot of energy to get through English, first period," I added, ignoring her signification of the conversation being over

"Oh shit. Did you do the homework for English?" She asks me suddenly as panic seeps into her eyes

I laugh at her panicked reaction, before skipping up the entrance steps of the school, "Do I ever not do the homework?" I stop reaching into my bag in search of my pink English folder.

I find my English folder, holding it out as I wait for her to make her way up the stairs.

"Aww, I love my nerdy bestie, Nadine, sometimes," she sings before she pushes the bridge of my circular glasses, as they were resting low on my nose and begins leading the way into school.

"I'm not nerdy," I reply as we approach our lockers, opening them to retrieve the materials we need for English.

"Yes you are," Mackenzie says as she walks over

Mackenzie was one of those girls who only wore black and smoked and stuff. She is a great friend to Amber-Rose and me and always makes sure we don't follow her lead and start smoking and stripping as she does.

Yup, she's a stripper too. Any guy would want Mackenzie, she had confidence and self-assurance and she's a little rude. Her body was the perfect hourglass every girl wanted. Her hair was wavy and black and she was very beautiful.

My body was weird to me. The upper half of my body was slightly curvy but not too much and once you got to my waist my legs were kind of small and I was very short and petite for my age. I had only b cup-sized boobs and my butt was average. I had brown hair that was extra long, freckles littering the area under my eyes and all over my nose and I often wore my circular glasses which I could barely see without.

Last was Amber-Rose. Amber was a beautiful caramel colour and her hair was curly, dark brown and long going almost down to her waist. Amber is pretty and sweet and dresses smart yet casual, the perfect mix of femininity and beauty.

"Just because I study unlike you guys doesn't make me a nerd, you guys are just...bitches!" I shouted the last word as it popped into my memory.

"Pardon?!" They both shout in sync making me jump.

"I'm sorry," I squeak trying to redeem myself, "Sydney told me that's what you call mean girls,"

They laugh at my flustered face, "Don't worry Dine, we understand," Amber-Rose says holding my shoulder with her hand, "But stop saying words Sydney tells you please," she laughed, "You just cursed,"

"And if we're bitches, what is Judith?" Mackenzie asks me regaining herself from laughter

"Evil, like the wicked witch," I reply clutching my books to my chest

"I think that's the meanest thing you've ever said about anyone," Amber-Rose says

"I don't want to be mean, Amber. She is probably nice under her hard and mean exterior," I smile at my friends.

They look at me with their jaws loose almost falling open, "She is so precious, I just want to ruin her," Mackenzie squeezes my face between her hands.

"The world is going to destroy her," Amber says to Mackenzie and she nods in agreement

"Well, I made 1,000 yesterday," Mackenzie pulls out a bunch of 100 dollar bills from her bra

"Damn, stripping pays," Amber says as I straighten the money and count it properly

"You made 1,100," I correct as I roll up the money sliding a rubber band off my wrist and around the money, and handing it back to Mackenzie

"I did a private dance," Mackenzie says moving her hips in a circular motion as she smiles at us.

Amber-Rose giggles as she moves closer to Mackenzie dancing with her in the middle of the hallway

My mouth slightly opens and my tongue goes over my teeth as I shake my head, feigning disappointment.

"You know guys find that attractive," Amber says to me as they regain composure

"How is that attractive?" My eyebrows furrow as I close my mouth

"Knowing what the mouth does!" Mackenzie screams earning laughter from the surrounding students

"What does my mouth do?" I ask slowly pointing at my mouth in utter confusion

"Aww, she is so cute and innocent," Amber said, squishing my face again, to which I swatted her hands away.

"Sluts aren't innocent," Judith said as she rounded the corner, approaching us with her 2 goons in tow.

I don't know why Judith is so rude, or what I did to make myself her target, but here we are.

"What's a slut again?" I ask Amber-Rose in a whisper shout, not attempting to pay Judith any mind.

"People who have sex for money," Mackenzie whispers back more obnoxiously.

I gasped, "You said the S-word!" I whisper-shout and she rolls her eyes at me.

"I'm not a...slut though," I state towards my friends rather than to Judith

"Look at your short skirt," Judith says in disgust, making me peer down at her outfit seeing her much shorter skirt.

"I'm wearing shorts under mine and what about yours?" I clarify, "And that's literally a dress code violation," I point at her skirt and my friends hunch over in laughter while Judith's cheeks burn red

My cheeks also burn red in response, I wasn't attempting to make a joke, so why are they laughing so hard?

I peer at my friends who were still hunched over in laughter, hitting each other as they struggled to regain their breath.

My eyebrows furrow further in, did I say something wrong?

"Whatever bitch," Judith says before sashaying away with her 'friends' in tow

Amber and Mackenzie were dying and wheezing from laughing too hard as they leaned on each other.

"I'm so confused, why are you guys laughing?" I ask my friends once Judith has retreated turning to face them

"You insulted her without even trying," Amber-Rose says, as she stands straight regaining her breath.

"Oh no, I better go apologize," I turn to chase after her, but the bell stops me, "I'll apologize after class," I tell my friends before we turn to head to English.