Chapter One-A Beginning
Ivory Hash, that introverted girl with the big gray hoodie, sat on the bench outside the school counselor's office. Ever since her father died when she was in the second grade she was forced against her will to sit in the presence of an unhelpful, and sickeningly positive person every week on Monday and Wednesday.
The day was Thursday. Thursday the nineteenth.
The door opened and a tiny girl with braided pinktails ran out. Crying and all. Ivory watched her. These were fake cries. Extremely believable but fake nonetheless. Any other kid would have jumped to comfort the girl, but Ivory was not any other kid. To be brutally honest, reader, Ivory had cried herself to sleep enough to know each little hiccup. The problem this girl had was that she had missed a full series of panicked hiccups, instead, she had jumped right to the "try-to-calm-down phase" that just ends in more hysterical cries.
Now she didn't have an exact clue wht she was faking but she was pretty certain it was in her most desperate attempt to get the current counselor fired. Thats what all the kids, Ivory included, did to the last counselor that had attempted to ruin their lives.
"Ivory Hash!" She heard the counselor shout.
When she walked in, the room was in a complete state of disaray. Papers were scattered, the lamp was laying on the floor and the shades were ripped.
Ivory's eyes widened. What vicious creature had ripped apart this room? Was her amused thought. Maybe that girl wasn't faking it.
The counselor's eyes were permanently narrowed and her black hair was perfectly curled into an 80's-like bob. Her lips were thin and red and the end of her mouth looked weary, as if they couldn't bear to smile anymore. She was new and organized and absolutely horrible.
She saw the counselor's lips move but her headphones blocked out whatever nonsense she was saying. On the desk sat her name.
Amanda Pooeater.
She couldn't help chuckling. Technically it was a mistake by the school, her last name was Poater but they had mistakenly wrote it completely wrong. Or was it on purpose that they had done it. She could totally see Principle Gator doing that.
Mrs. Poater's voice grew louder as she tried to tell Ivory to take off her headphones. Reluctantly, Ivory did as she was told and blew a large bubble with her gum. Just to annoy the counselor.
"You may be wondering why you have been called in here." Mrs. Poater said as she paper clipped a few documents together.
"Not really, actually." Ivory admitted, any time away from Spanish class was a good time- even if it meant being stuck with Mrs. Poater.
Mrs. Poater's fake smile turned into a frown. "Well you've been called in here to be informed that your stepmother, Rachel Belworther, is now your legal guardian. No one else just her."
Ivory furrowed her brows. "What?"
"She called and said that it was a family emergency," Mrs. Poater said in a very monotonous voice. Her lips no longer formed a smile. Hopefully this was a sign she was going to quit and they'd get another few months without a counselor!
"That's such bull! There's no way you can just believe that!" Ivory shouted.
"Please calm down Miss Hash! I understand that you are upset-" Mrs. Poater said, her high-pitched voice going an octave higher.
"No! I won't calm down! You don't understand what that woman does to me!" Tears stung Ivory's eyes.
"I am completely aware young lady! But you have to understand that your uncle just died!" Mrs. Poater screeched loud enough for the whole school to hear.
Ivory's eyes became Niagra Falls. She sobbed on tbe floor, getting Mrs. Poater's colorful rug extremely damp. Her uncle had been the only reason she got up each morning, his big smile. He stopped her stepmother from hitting her and brought donuts every Friday when he visited. She was even one document away from leaving the grasp of her stepmother Rachel, or Raggs as she usually caller her, and leaving to live with her loving uncle in Vermont where he promised to take her skiing every Saturday and they would drink hot cocoa every single day. He promised a fresh start at a new friendly school. He promised to be the family she never knew.
Now that was all thrown out the window.
So Ivory Hash did the only thing she could. She grabbed her bag and ran. And ran and ran and ran until she reached the one spot she could be with her uncle and her aunt and her mom and her dearest dad.
