WARNING: LIGHT HARASSMENT SCENE

The orphanage was just as crazy as it usually is on a school morning. And per usual, no one even bothered to try and let me know I'd slept in.

I got up, got dressed and went to the bathroom that everyone tends to avoid that's actually meant for the orphanage staff. They're courteous enough to let me use it when I need to, because if I were to enter any other bathroom someone would come in and remove me by force.

It's really just routine for me: get ready for school as fast as possible without getting in any one else's way. Unless I want to be thrown into the furnace.

I finished up there and made my way over to the staff locker room. I have a locker there because my complaints about my stuff getting stolen and or destroyed finally annoyed Mrs. Ivenhower enough for her to do something about it. She's nice enough I guess, she doesn't outright bully me like previous orphanage leaders have. And she doesn't take advantage of me. She's just stubborn about doing anything for me. I can live with it. Because even the most stubborn people crack under enough pressure.

I reached the locker and grabbed my stuff. The only thing I don't like about school is the bullying. Using the tablet they provide to do all my homework on is pretty convenient. But I still prefer a regular old-fashioned book. I have to leave out the back door in order to go anywhere, it's basically an unspoken law that I have to. It's even publicly enforced depending on where you live.

I don't have to worry about it all that much, but I still do it at the orphanage and stores because I'd rather be on the cautionary side and not go to jail. At school, that's a slightly different story. I can blend into a crowd when I need to despite having bright red hair.

The January cold hit me like a dump truck when I walked outside. Other kids may have winter coats and nice face coverings. But all I have for cold weather is a pair or two of black sweatpants and a dingy looking gray sweater. It could be worse though. I could be out on the streets sleeping under a bridge.

About halfway to school is when it happened. It's when it usually does. Jeremiah and his little partner Flitz. There's really no avoiding them half the time and running away is only going to make it longer and more painful. They know I can be an easy target, but I'm sure they've also seen me nearly flatten people's faces because they deserved it. You can bully me all you want. I won't care. But when you start to go after another random, then we've got a problem.

They walked up to me and told me that I knew what was going to happen. I told them they were correct in that assumption and to make it quick, I didn't want to be late for class. Jeremiah laughed a bit at that (probably an ignorant laugh) and they proceeded to do their thing. I won't go into detail on it, but let's just say it involved a pretty aggressive frisking. Especially around my back pockets. I know it's inappropriate, but sometimes the truth can be a little gross. I know that much to be true. They sent me off poorer by maybe a dollar and much colder than I was before. ‘At least they have the dignity to do it in an alleyway.’ I thought to myself as I walked through the school's front double doors.

I passed the front desk, where I'm pretty sure there were kids laughing at me. I ignore them when they're there though. And I got through most of the hallways easier than I normally do, somehow. I got everything out of my bag that I needed for my first hour class and walked down the hall to the door.

“703” the number read.

“Halfway through. Then you're out for the summer.” I told myself after sighing.

I opened the door and walked into the room ready for what was to come for the rest of the day.