Chapter 1

Each morning was a challenge to come in time for school to me. Brushing the knots out of my hair and brushing my teeth. I put some clothes on because much time I didn't have left.

Even if my hair was still a mess I had to go and come in time for school. Still I couldn't hurry much because my knees still hurt from the fall yesterday. It wasn't really falling. Ellen had pushed me on the ground. I still heard the whole school laughing at me.

Ellen was my worst bully and my nightmare. The feeling of being scared of her would never be gone.

She liked to steal my friends who I had left since the beginning of high school.

“Tiene, hurry you will come to late for school!” My mom called from downstairs.

I sighed and said, “I am coming mom.”

I tried to coop with the pain and run downstairs and, I made it downstairs a life. With that heavy bag of me I could of fell and break my nose, luckily that didn't happen.

When I came downstairs I saw my mom busy with her phone sitting at the kitchen table. She didn't pay much attention to me. I just said, “Good morning.” 

She didn't even look up or say a word to me.

I just took my lunch my mom probably made and the bread with jam on for breakfast.

I said “bye” to my mom, but she still didn't see me.

I didn't know how, but I managed to bike to school going trough the pain in my knees.

My parents where so busy with their work that they had not much time for me. They couldn't even bring me to school.

River College was a head of me, but I was so stressed that I couldn't even blink. Today we had Misses Dom known as Misses detention. She always had that angry glare on her face when I came too late in class. I couldn't have dedation today. Not that my parents cared. They rather work then make a fuss about it. Still I cared.

On my way I wasn't concentrating at all.

All of a sudden, a biker almost hit me and looked at me when he came from behind me. The guy said, "are you crazy?"

He pointed a finger at me, but I didn't really care.

Because I was busy with my mom on my mind. She was always way to Busy with work. What happened at school was not easy and I wanted to tell my mom about the bullying.

I just biked past the school and I had to turn back. I hoped I didn't have to go that far back around. My heart kept pounding with the thought of being to late again.

My thoughts cleared up again, and I could think straight and I hurried back to school.

Luckily, I was still on time. Misses Dom was also one of the teachers who I didn't like, and she didn't like me either. As did almost the whole class. This rule didn't apply to Ellen.

As fast as I could, I biked through the entrance hall and put my bike in the parking lot.

In the hallway I didn't find the need to hurry because I was still on time. I just slid my way through the hallway and put the cap of my hoodie over my head, so nobody could see my horrible face.

Looking at the ground and not paying any attention to what is happening right in front of me, I bumped into someone. Let's hope it isn't Ellen.

I crossed my fingers behind my back and hoped I was in luck this time.

Looking up I regret looking at the guy from the bike and he didn't look pleased. He had light brown hair and green eyes.

'If this wasn't the person who couldn't look out where she drove with her bike. Also, Ellen told me a lot about you. She described you so well that I know who you are. Your name is Tiene.'

Knowing Ellen and he talked about me, I knew this couldn't end well. Probably he was the boyfriend who everyone was talking about.

As if I didn't see it coming, he pushes me and I fall onto the ground. 

Everyone in the hallway started laughing. Feeling miserable, I tried to stay strong and get up from the ground, but the muscles in my arms didn't want to work and pushed me back up.

I felt horrible and when I finally found the strength to push myself back up, the tears were already rolling down my cheeks. The only way to hide it was the girls' bathrooms right ahead of me.

Most of the time, that was my safe haven.

I ran to the door and hid in one of the toilets. There was no one and I could finally find some peace. At least it was silent and, finally, that made me feel more at ease.

After a while, I was so done with crying and went out of my hiding spot. I cleaned my face up at the sink with my secret tissues.

I always put a few extra packages of tissues in my bag before I leave home in case those things happen.

Just when I am done with my face, the first bell signal goes, and I know I have to run to religion to be Hopefully in time before Misses Dom is there.

When I came running into the classroom, I didn't see Misses Dom sitting in my seat to look at a presentation from someone else. She saw me directly. 

That was not good, and I knew what would follow after class.

Luckily, she just stood up and announced the next one to present to her.

She looked at me and said, 'Tiene your turn.' I looked surprised and said with a thrilling voice, 'I forgot the presentation. I am sorry.'

She looked angry and just said, "Next one Ellen."

I could meld away. This felt so shitty, and I also started being a bit jealous because she did it and I didn't.

Normally, I was one of the best students, but in Misses Dom's eyes that was long gone.

Luckily, I could sit at my favorite spot. At the window in the back of the classroom and forgot a bit about the presentation I didn't make.

The scenery through that window was totally incredible to look at. You could see fields full of flowers for miles and then, far, far away, the forest so dark as night against the fields full of wild flowers.

Daydreaming of running through the fields full of flowers and into the dark forest.

I didn't even hear that someone else got the attention of the class.

I saw everyone looking at one spot by the door and there stood Marnik Clash. Miss Dom looked up and looked where the students had their eyes on. She directly saw him hiding by the door.

I heard him scolding something, but it wasn't clear what he said. First the class turned their head back, but I was the only one still looking. Marnik looked angry my way, like it was my fault that he was seen. Still, I was the one that didn't give him the attention so Miss Dom had seen him.

He always found a way to put it in my shoes. Even when it wasn't my fault.

"Tiene and Marnik after class we need to have a talk."

I knew what that meant and there wasn't any good news about it.

Trying to concentrate and listen to the presentations from the others, Marnik still made angry faces at me. I just tried to ignore them, but it wasn't easy. The fire he was spitting out of his eyes and it was terrifying. I just wanted to run out of class and would give some lame excuse after that.

After class, we tried to hide from Misses Dom, but she saw us almost running away and could stop us just in time by the door.

'I won't let you go because you both have detention. Tiene you have an hour and a half since you were late and forgot your presentation. Marnik you have an hour because you were just late.'

She gave us the silent treatment and let us into detention because she didn't trust us anymore since we tried to run away.

When we almost arrived, she started nagging about her being late to pick up her kids from school. Now we stood for sure in a bad light with her. While she kept repeating the sentence, 'I will be too late for my kids.' I was starting to get annoyed.

When we finally arrived, we both felt relieved.

She gave the details to Misses May, the head of the school. She always gave the students detention.

This time we needed to write down the rules of River College on another paper without lines. It was more difficult to keep writing horizontally and it was a mess.

By the time Marnik was done, the sun was already going down bit by bit.

I knew it was going to be dark by the time I had to go, and I was always scared, even when it was just the tiniest bit of darkness.

Marnik left the classroom and laughed at me because he knew I was scared in the dark.

Half an hour later, I could finally leave detention. Indeed, it was already dark, but when I got outside I felt kind of ease resting down on me. I looked up, and it felt like an instinct had driven me to do so. And there was the full moon shining in the sky.

When I passed the forest with my bike I saw two blue eyes peeking at me in the forest. I screamed and started racing home like a person who felt she was going to die.