The Badass and the Alpha

            My whole life, I knew who I was: the badass. Sure of herself, untamed, limitless, fearless and the girl you don't wanna cross paths with unless you have a death wish. Now...now however I don't know anyone. And my title is sure as hell gonna fall if I don't do something about it. But first, let me fill you in with a backstory.             My name is Jay. You might think, what female name is short for Jay? Hmmmm.... Maybe Jaimy or Jocelyne, far fetched but still...they work too. Well no. None of them. Tame-Jay. My parents called me Tamara Jayson, that becoming short for Tame-Jay and now Jay. My folks, very sentimental people, lost their parents. My mom lost her dad to cancer and my dad lost his mom to a drunk driver. Very sad and I wasn't even there to know what they went through. Nevertheless, they decided to give me their names and continue their lives. Pretty sure they wouldn't agree now seeing what I'm doing with their names. Small hint, it has to do with the fear everyone has for me in school. Thing that leads me to, well....my whole reputation. The Badass. Or at least the female one anyways. I'll get to that part soon.               I’m a student at Silver Gate High in Los Angeles California. This school has a reputation for having their gates opened for everyone, including wackjobs like me. It is the last school I changed, one out of many. Partly it’s my fault for getting in fights and arguments with teachers and students, but partly it’s also because my parents travel a lot with work. They call it ‘new opportunity’ but the only opportunity I see, is establishing a new record for how long will it take me to take my title of Badass from the person that currently has it. Till now, 3 days. I blame it mostly on the small nerves of being the new kid again. But for why it is the last school I changed, it’s because my parents finally decided they are too old to travel and move every 3 months.                 This time though, was different. First of all, my mum didn’t have to insist in front of the principle in taking me in, they took me even with my record of bad behaving. And second of all, no wonder they took me immediately, my title of Badass will never be taken from the person that currently has it: Ares Wilder.                 So, the name doesn’t give much. Besides the fact that Ares is the God of War and son of Zeus and not so much liked by the other Greek figures because of his temper, the name Wilder doesn’t say much either. Well…again, besides the fact that it comes from the root ‘wilde’. Maybe I should stop rambling about his name now. So, as I was saying, the name doesn’t give much away. Neither his appearance; tall, very well build with broad shoulders, short mousse slightly gelled hair, razed on the sides like fashion dictates nowadays. God, with that jaw that is so defined and hazel eyes, I feel like ripping him apart for looking this good and getting to be the Asshole of this school. Isn’t there a law that dictates that good looking guys are the jocks and the rest of them that are just really well build get to torment the students? I guess not. I need to talk to the person that does this rules, he got it wrong this time.                 Going back to my first day at this school, I try to see where did I go wrong and enter this big f*****g mess.                 Starting with my alarm clock that is annoying and I feel like throwing my phone each time I hear the sirens going off, all the way to the end of the day when the crude realization of Ares Wilder hit me. Like every other morning, I wash, get dressed and put on makeup that is not dark and emo as you might think, but really professional looking. Throw whatever I need in my bag and head down for coffee. Then I take whatever car dad received from the firm that mom was supposed to drive and head to school. Every time I’m in the car, I listen to my music and try not to get angry because of traffic. In the mean time, I go over what I have to do during the day and also, trying to check if I forgot anything home.                 After almost running a few pedestrians over for walking slow, I finally get to school. I took a swift look in the mirror and told myself, “ Hell, here I come.”                 If you’ve never been new during a half way semester, let me tell you, it’s worse than getting in class in the middle of the hour when the teacher was screaming at a student for God knows what reason. There is so much paper work that you have to sign and the simple fact of just being in the principle’s office, makes me want to burn the school down.                 Okay, now I have to find the main office, go search for my name and get to class without having to explain why the f**k was I late.                 “ Tamara- Jayson Doukas.” said a prominent voice behind me. My guess, the principle. I turn slowly, not being able to stop the feeling that I did something wrong, and look at the source of the voice. And I’ll be damned if I wasn’t right. It really was the principle. Now I’m getting worried I spent way too much time in those type of offices and now I can identify a principle when it comes to.                 “ It’s either Jay or Doukas. No Tamara-Jayson or Tame-Jay.” I say shortly trying not to get angry with the first human I get in contact with.                 “ Principle O’Brian and your paper slip says otherwise. Now, follow me to my office. We have a lot of papers to discuss.” And with that, he was gone, not even bothering to look back if I was following him or not. Though, you really had to be stupid to try and run on your first day at school when the principle already laid eyes on you.                 Following him, I started to look around. The school was like any other. White halls, open classrooms with individual seats, lockers and trophies. Even the principal was like any other one: short with a beginning of a belly, half bold and wearing a suit. By the way that it looks, he either still lives with his mom and she presses it for him or he got married to someone and then she does it for him. How do I know that? He is clumsy. He spilled coffee like 3 times in the past 2 minutes trying to show me the halls with the hand holding the mug. Try imagining him ironing something. See, this is what I’m talking about.                 We finally got to his office which was at the end of the main hall. When he entered, the secretary greeted him while getting up to fill up his coffee (weird…) and then looked at me.                 “ What did she do?” was the first thing Ms. Mildred said to me and it was kind of rude if I may add.                 “ Don’t mind her, she isn’t used to new students.”, and with that we entered his office and closed the door after I was settled. “ So, Miss Doukas, we need to get over a few things and also this schools’ rules.”                 “ Let me guess: no fights, no talking back to the teachers, no smoking and no skipping. Did I miss anything?”                 A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. This wasn’t his first rodeo. “ No graffiti on the school walls or the tables, no parties in the library when the school is closed and no, and I mean it when I say it, no causing trouble. It’s enough that you are entering the middle of the school year, you don’t need to attract any more attention to you than you are already going to get.”                 He is good, like swearing on the bible kind of good. I still have a few aces up my sleeve if it comes to creating chaos.                 “ You’ve changed a lot of schools, care to explain why?” he said while leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table.                 “ I thought my mom already told you, but hell…what is another story telling.”                 “ No swearing in my office young lady.” He said swift and threatening.                 “ Okay, okay, sorry…” I said lifting up my hands in defense. “ I changed them because of two reasons: I got expelled and that is on my record which I’m pretty sure you’ve read and also because my parents move with their job.” Everything I said, I said it a million time before and it kind of got boring. “ Anything else before you make me sign a sh-“ I stopped myself from cursing earning a glare from him, “ a ton of papers and let me go to class?”                 “ Yes. Because I don’t want you to cause any trouble, you will be spending time with a body student and go to extra sport classes to use that energy of yours in a positive manner.”                 Great, now he’s going to make me become an athlete and win his trophies…                 “ Great then. Where do I meet him?” I said happy to be leaving soon.                 “ Not so fast Miss Doukas, the papers.”                 “ Yeah, right.” And with that, I signed any paper that he gave me. They are all the same, so I didn’t pay much attention plus, my mom went over them too so there was no problem signing them.                 “ Your schedule and you are ready to go.”                 I snatched it from his stretched hand and with a swift good bye, I left his office. I gave Ms. Mildred a head nod and went outside preparing to leave when I see a guy with a board and my name written on it. He was really skinny and had kind of the attitude of a student body. Also, he looked a little scared when I was approaching him and right when I was about to introduce myself and correct his mistake, the principal comes out of his office to tell me something.                 “ Oh and Miss Doukas, one last thing. You are not allowed to wear this outfit at school.”                 “ Ummm, excuse me?  What’s wrong with some ripped jeans and sheer shirt that covers what boys would want to see?”                 “ We have a code that you will have to follow.”                 “ Yeah, ‘course not. It’s California and it’s f*****g hot all the time. I’m not gonna wear shorts!” I protested, starting to get really infuriated.                 “ Miss Doukas, language and you don’t have to wear shorts, because those are also banned. You can wear a skirt or a dress.”                 “ One, I’m not in your office and two, yeah right.” I said with disbelief and an eye role. “ Time to go nerdy.” I said to the guy that was trying to hide behind the board and grabbed his collard to drag him away from the principle.                 “ So, I’m James McCallister. I’ll be your guide and student body. If you need anything, I’ll be by your side all the time.” He managed to say after a while.                 “ Yeah, I don’t do side humans or student bodies and correct my name on the board.” I said fuming.                 “ But your name on the papers that I received said that your name is Tamar-“                 “ Pronounce that name and so help you God to still be alive to get to the next class.” I said grabbing a fistful of his shirt and looking him dead in the eyes.                 “ O- Oh- Okay…” he finally said stammering over his own words.                 “ My name is Jay or Doukas, no in between. Got it? Now, where is my class.”                 “ What do you have first?” he asked grabbing the paper from my hand that I was just trying to look over it. This guy is actually wishing for his death.                  I took a few deep breaths in, while he looked at me and realized what he did.                 “ We first need to stop to your locker to get your books and then we can go to your class which here it says that is advanced calculus in room 302.” He said proud of himself like he solved some kind of Sherlock type of puzzle, then realization hit him, “ Wait, advanced calculus? How can you do that? It’s like ancient Greek to me.”                 “ Yeah well, numbers calm me down and I’m good at it. And no stopping for the books. I don’t care about them.” I said walking straight pass him when he wanted to stop, probably to get to my locker.                 “ But you will need your books and God, just wait till the teacher sees you. You really have nothing to change into?”. James seemed a little concerned about me.                 “ What’s wrong with I’m wearing?”                 Yeah, what was wrong with what I was wearing?                 Looking around I saw that other students had too ripped jeans and some girls had skirts shorter than my patience. My top wasn’t that much of a problem as it covered me and even my hair was put up in a messy hair bun.                 “ The heels are the problem. And your hair color.” He said as a matter-of-fact way.                 “ So what? I have high heeled boots and grey hair. What else? Can’t I have piercings or tattoos?”                 “ Well… the tattoos are for them,” he said nodding his head to a group of guys.                 I looked at them. Nothing out of the ordinary. Almost as if they were just normal students with that hint of the Golden Boys. “ Who are they?” I ask testing my grounds.                 “ They are the Badasses of the school.” And with that, my eyebrow raised up and a smirk was displayed on my face. Now that I have the group, it’s time for chaos.                 “ Them?” I said with disbelief and pointed to their group. James grabbed my finger and tried to put it down, clearly nervous. In that moment, my smile grew wider and I gave him a side smirk before heading for them.                 “ What are you doing?!” he asked in a hushed tone trying to follow me, but he was leaning low, hugging the board to his chest, “ Get back here!” he tried again, but tough luck buddy, when I have something in mind, it stays that way.                 “ Hey!” I screamed at the group once I got there, “ Which one of you assholes is the leader?”                 What came after that, not even the might Sherlock Holmes could’ve predicted.