Chapter 1
Start writing here…Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live with people who hate you for no reason? Have you ever had an argument with no one on your side? Have you ever been in the midst of people you call family and still feel alone?
Try living as me for a day.
Standing in front of my room, I remembered a story I loved as a little girl. About a girl who lived in a tiny room far away from the rest of the family, treated like filth. The good thing about this room and very major difference was that this room didn't have any rats. As small as it was, I tried keeping it as neat as possible. With not much furniture and accessories, it was easy to organize.
I sighed and walked in, closing the door slowly so I didn't make a noise. No one knew I was home yet and I wanted to let it remain so. I was already very tired and needed a long rest.
After what happened in school today,I think I deserved more than a rest. Even an eight hour sleep couldn't take away the pain. Who knew winning in a competition could cause so much harm?
Maybe I should have opted out when I realized Hailey was also competing. Or maybe I should have purposely failed some questions to let her win.
But I didn't do either of them.
I'd gone ahead and prepared for the competition, unluckily winning. I never thought those two words would ever go together. Unlucky and winning are two very opposite words but they fit like a puzzle in my situation.
With Hailey coming forth out of twenty students, I thought that was cool until I got home and found out it was not. My step mother was really mad that her daughter wasn't the one holding the shiny gold trophy I came home with. It was I, the "gold digger" who got it instead. Now I think of it, that was very punny.
Hailey had gone ahead to say I would regret ever entering the competition. And I do now.
I know it's their doing, Hailey and Laney's, because there's no way the whole class just came back from holiday and decided to hate me. Like: 'what's your new term resolution?' 'Um, hate Barbara?' 'Cool, me too.' The worst part of it was that no one was telling me why they didn't want to sit with me or why that boy in the front row made me trip and fall or why everyone kept looking at me as I walked past them in the hallway. Nobody said anything. Nobody except one girl who asked me if it was true I still bed wet. For clarity, no I don't. It was just a rumour passed on by, I don't know.
During lunch break, these two girls literally walked into the class with a box that read 'thank you for doing the right thing' and proceeded to distribute cupcakes to the whole class. Cupcakes. They decided to do all that for cupcakes!!! Not that I wouldn't do anything for food but it was too much drama for just cupcakes.
Before leaving the class, Hailey looked at me and winked. Mission accomplished, I guess.
Well, before the end of the day, things got a little better. Everyone went back to minding their business and ignoring me. Only once did my so-called study buddies come to my table and ask if I had my part of the group holiday assignments ready.
One more prank was played on me before I finally left the class. The one that got me all muddy.
Mr Roger, our biology teacher came into the class with some soil samples to teach capillarity. He took the samples round the class so everyone could see. When he got to me, someone pushed him and the bowl of loamy soil fell on my lap. He apologised, saying it was an accident but I knew it wasn't. It was one of their schemes to humiliate me.
"Barbara! Barbara I know you're in there!" Oh shit! My stepmother's footsteps were inching closer and closer as she called. "Barbara!" She opened the door just as I turned my face to the other side of my bed and pretended to sleep. "When I say you're lazy, your father thinks I just like to speak bad about you." Which she did. A day didn't go by without her insulting me.
She seemed to pace about in my room before tapping me. "Wake up, you lazy thing!" She slapped me on my back.
"Mother." I pretended to yawn.
"Mother?" Her expression darkened. If looks could kill, I'd like a pink casket.
She hated it when I called her mother but I just couldn't help myself.
She shook her head, muttering something under her breath. "Go make me something to eat. I'm very tired."
So am I,woman,so am I.
I stood up, walked past her and out of the room, bumping into Laney.
"I heard you had a great day at school today." She laughed and went into her room.
"Yeah. I did!" I shouted and walked down the stairs.
This was a bad day. But it wasn't the worst day of my life.
