Grey

I shrunk back as the class snickered at my question. It hurt that they mocked me for my flaw it wasn't my fault. I had asked a question with an obvious answer. I squeezed my eyes shut to tame my tears. Hi, I'm Grey Patterson. I'm 17 years old. Before you ask, I'll beat you to it. What sort of name is Grey? I know there's Grey's anatomy to help me feel better but the reason behind the name is the one that makes me really angry each time. You see, my parents, or my dad as the case may be, named each of us according to weather-related features. My siblings have their fair share of course. My older brother is named Blue, because the sky was blue the day he was born. I was named Grey because the sky was grey in the day of my birth. My younger sisters; who are twin were named Snow and Cloud. It was snowing and cloudy that day, if you haven't guessed yet. I would have been more comfortable about the name if I had any grey features but I don't. I have dark brown eyes with jet black hair that is extremely straight. I was born like that. It's Violet (from The Incredibles) straight. I'm really proud of that though. I have a knob-like nose and small lips. I snapped out of my thoughts as the bell rang, signalling the end of the class. I was relieved to be honest. School had never been easy for me with my flaw so I am easily confused about things. I walked to my locker and unlocked it, picking my picnic blanket and a novel to keep me company during my free period. My best friend Marie was also free and I was eternally grateful. We literally shared the same schedule. This helped me feel comfortable because I'd always have the same classes and I'll have someone to talk to just like the others. I joined Marie at her locker. She kissed her Mom's picture as her custom was. Her locker was like a gallery. Pictures littered the walls of her locker. Landscape, nature, family and friends. I offered her a reassuring smile and she returned it with a toothy grin. “Glad you're still smiling. I thought you'd be moody the rest of the day because of that mistake” Marie said softly. I knew she was referring to my question in maths class just a while ago. “There's no point being moody, this is normal for me, remember?” I replied. We both walked to the courtyard. The courtyard was like an isle. It was a big square covered with carpet grass, with trees lining two opposite sides. The trees had canopy-like structures, making it perfect for shade. Marie and I walked over to our usual spot, right next to a tree. I spread the blanket on the ground next to the tree, so we could rest our backs. Just as we sat down, I heard a few voices coming our way and I quickly opened the novel I brought along. A small piece of paper fell. It said: “You're my one and only sweetheart, my other half. I love you and I'm so glad you're mine. ” How naive of me to believe the flattery of men. It was a note my ex had sent me during our relationship. He cheated on me the moment I told him I wanted to leave High School before my first kiss. He went ballistic that day and tried to persuade me but I was adamant. I quickly hid the note as a group of boys sat down next to us. Marie unlike me was a social butterfly so she conversed with them while I continued reading the book. I was slow at reading novels because of what happened when I was younger but I had made a lot of progress this afternoon. The bell rang signalling lunch break. I was relieved because I was starving. I closed my book and looked up at Marie and the boys. One of them, Daniel, was already looking at me and I stared back with a raised eyebrow. Suddenly, he spoke up, “Guys! This girl's actually really beautiful, we've just not noticed.” I narrowed my eyes at him and gave him a glare that said 'what are you up to?' He then moved closer and put his hand under my chin. I tried to get my face out of his grasp but he just held on tighter. I could feel Marie tense next to me and heaven knew I wanted to bite his head off. A few guys began complimenting me but I didn't smile. I didn't want them thinking they had any effect on me. One of them taunted me trying get a reaction but I didn't give in. Daniel finally let go of my face and Marie visibly calmed down. The boys left to get their lunch. The moment they were out of earshot, Marie asked, “Are you ok?” “Yeah, I am. I'll meet you at the cafeteria, I need to get something from my locker.” “Promise me you're not leaving just to cry your eyes out.” “I'm not, I just want to get another book, I'm nearly done with this one” I replied holding the book up while giggling slightly. “Okay, if you say so.” she said in disbelief. “Marie, I'm being honest!” “I know, it's just fun making you feel worked up” I shook my head, picked up the blanket and folded it. I walked back to my locker, grateful that I had Marie. My mind went back to Daniel and his friends. What were they playing at? Still deep in thought, I bumped into someone and I could tell that whoever it was I bumped into was huge. From his growl, I knew it was Mason. Mason was my classmate, the dude was spoiled rotten, bratty and obese. He hardly got in trouble and that fact got me mad a lot. Just because he was rich and his dad sponsored the school. I mean my parents, were just as rich too. Right now, I was more worried about what would come out of this situation than what his father did for the school. “I'm really sorry, M-mason. It won't happen again, I prom-mise.” I stuttered. I could tell from the look he was giving, that he wasn't going to let it go that easy. I gave a tired sigh as tears stung my eyes. I wasn't ready to have anything to do with Mason. Just as Mason grabbed my wrist to pull me away with him, I heard someone yell. Oh gosh, I'm not sure I want a savior anymore.